Communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and program product

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and discloses a communication method, an apparatus, a storage medium, and a program product. A first apparatus sends a first message to a second apparatus; and the first apparatus receives a second message from the second apparatus, wherein the second message comprises first instruction information, and the first instruction information is used for instructing the first apparatus to stop detecting a response message to the first message, or the first instruction information is used for instructing the first apparatus to terminate a process corresponding to the first message. In a possible embodiment of the present application, by means of an instruction from the second apparatus, the first apparatus can accurately determine whether to terminate detection of the response message to the first message or to terminate the process corresponding to the first message, thereby preventing the first apparatus from erroneously terminating the detection or erroneously terminating the process corresponding to the first message, and improving transmission continuity and communication efficiency.

Description

Communication methods, devices, storage media and software products

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510395312.5, filed on March 28, 2025, entitled "Communication Method, Apparatus, Storage Medium and Program Product"; Chinese Patent Application No. 202510436212.2, filed on April 7, 2025, entitled "Communication Method, Apparatus, Storage Medium and Program Product"; and Chinese Patent Application No. 202510647043.7, filed on May 19, 2025, entitled "Communication Method, Apparatus, Storage Medium and Program Product", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and program product. Background Technology

[0003] With the development of communication technology, Internet of Things (IoT) technology has been introduced. For example, IoT technology can be an ambient internet of things (A-IoT) technology. In one implementation, IoT technology includes communication technology between at least one reader and at least one device. The communication can include reader-to-device (R2D) messages and / or device-to-reader (D2R) messages.

[0004] Improving the communication efficiency between the reader and the device is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and program product to improve communication efficiency.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method. This method can be executed by a first device, such as an A-IoT device, a component of the A-IoT device (e.g., a chip, chip system, processor, or circuit), or hardware and / or software implementing all or part of the functions of the A-IoT device. This application does not limit the scope of this method. In this method, the first device sends a first message to a second device; the first device receives a second message from the second device. The second message includes first indication information, which instructs the first device to stop detecting the response message of the first message, or instructs the first device to end the process corresponding to the first message.

[0007] Using the above method, after receiving the first message, the second device sends the first indication information associated with the first message to the first device, which helps the first device to accurately determine whether to end the detection of the response message of the first message or to end the corresponding process of the first message, thereby avoiding the first device from erroneously ending the detection or the corresponding process of the first message, and improving the continuity of transmission and communication efficiency.

[0008] In one possible design, the first device stops detecting the response information of the first message based on the first instruction information, or terminates the process corresponding to the first message.

[0009] With this design, the first device accurately determines the detection boundary or whether to end the process based on the first indication information, thus reducing power consumption.

[0010] In one possible design, the first indication information includes one or more of the following information associated with the first device: index information, bitmap information, and first identification information; wherein the first identification information is used to identify the first device.

[0011] With this design, the first instruction information is associated with the first device, enabling the first device to determine which first device the first instruction information indicates.

[0012] In one possible design, the first instruction information also instructs the third device to stop detecting the response information of the third message, or instructs the third device to end the process corresponding to the third message, wherein the third message is a message sent by the third device to the second device.

[0013] With this design, the first instruction can be used to instruct multiple devices, thus improving the efficiency of instruction.

[0014] In one possible design, the second message includes a response message to the first message.

[0015] With this design, the first instruction information and the response message to the first message can be sent together.

[0016] In one possible design, the second device also indicates whether the first message transmission was successful or failed.

[0017] With this design, the first indication information can also indicate whether the transmission was successful or failed.

[0018] In one possible design, after the first device stops detecting the response message to the first message, the method further includes:

[0019] The first device releases part or all of the context; or...

[0020] The first device clears the cache information; or

[0021] The first device determines status information, which includes whether the transmission has been completed or not.

[0022] In one possible design, the context includes one or more of the following: random access identifier, access stratum identifier, and transaction identifier.

[0023] With this design, the first device updates context information, cache information, and status information after stopping detection, thereby improving communication efficiency.

[0024] In one possible design, the process for ending the first message includes:

[0025] The process has been confirmed successful; no further re-access will be initiated.

[0026] If the process fails, initiate a reconnection.

[0027] With this design, after the first device finishes the process corresponding to the first message, it determines whether to reconnect based on the success or failure of the process.

[0028] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method. This method can be executed by a second device, such as a reader, or by components of the reader (e.g., a chip, chip system, processor, or circuit), or by hardware and / or software implementing all or part of the reader's functions. This application does not limit the scope of this method. Taking the application of this method to a second device as an example, in this method, the second device receives a first message from a first device; the second device sends a second message to the first device. The second message includes first indication information, which instructs the first device to stop detecting the response message of the first message, or instructs the first device to end the process corresponding to the first message.

[0029] Using the above method, after receiving the first message, the second device sends the first indication information associated with the first message to the first device, which helps the first device to accurately determine whether to end the detection of the response message of the first message or to end the corresponding process of the first message, thereby avoiding the first device from erroneously ending the detection or the corresponding process of the first message, and improving the continuity of transmission and communication efficiency.

[0030] In one possible design, the first indication information includes one or more of the following information associated with the first device: index information, bitmap information, and first identification information, wherein the first identification information is used to identify the first device.

[0031] In one possible design, the first instruction information also instructs the third device to stop detecting the response information of the third message, or instructs the third device to end the process corresponding to the third message, wherein the third message is a message sent by the third device to the second device.

[0032] In one possible design, the second message includes a response message to the first message.

[0033] In one possible design, the first indication information also indicates whether the first message transmission was successful or failed.

[0034] In one possible design, before the second device sends the second message to the first device, the method further includes:

[0035] The second device sends a fourth message to the fourth device. This design allows the reader to communicate with other devices during the processing delay of the first message from the first device, making full use of the delay time.

[0036] Thirdly, this application provides a communication device that has the functions of the first aspect above. For example, the communication device includes a module, unit, or means for performing the operations involved in the first aspect above. The module, unit, or means can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0037] For example, the communication device includes a communication unit, and may further include a processing unit and a storage unit; wherein:

[0038] The communication unit is configured to send a first message to the second device; the communication unit is also configured to receive a second message from the second device, the second message including first indication information, the first indication information instructing the first device to stop detecting the response message of the first message, or instructing the first device to end the process corresponding to the first message.

[0039] In one possible design, the processing unit is configured to stop detecting the response information of the first message based on the first instruction information, or to terminate the process corresponding to the first message.

[0040] In one possible design, the first indication information includes one or more of the following information associated with the first device: index information, bitmap information, and first identification information; wherein the first identification information is used to identify the first device.

[0041] In one possible design, the first instruction information also instructs the third device to stop detecting the response information of the third message, or instructs the third device to end the process corresponding to the third message, wherein the third message is a message sent by the third device to the second device.

[0042] In one possible design, the second message includes a response message to the first message.

[0043] In one possible design, the second device also indicates whether the first message transmission was successful or failed.

[0044] In one possible design, after stopping the detection of the response message to the first message, the processing unit is further configured to:

[0045] Release part or all of the context; or,

[0046] Clear cache information; or

[0047] Determine the status information, which includes whether the transmission has been completed or not.

[0048] In one possible design, the context includes one or more of the following: random access identifier, access stratum identifier, and transaction identifier.

[0049] In one possible design, the processing unit is also used for:

[0050] The process has been confirmed successful; no further re-access will be initiated.

[0051] If the process fails, initiate a reconnection.

[0052] Fourthly, this application provides a communication device that has the functions of the second aspect above. For example, the communication device includes a module, unit, or means for performing the operations involved in the second aspect above. The module, unit, or means can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0053] For example, the communication device includes a communication unit, and may further include a processing unit and a storage unit; wherein:

[0054] The communication unit is configured to receive a first message from the first device; the communication unit is also configured to send a second message to the first device, the second message including first indication information, the first indication information instructing the first device to stop detecting the response message of the first message, or instructing the first device to terminate the process corresponding to the first message. In one possible design, the first indication information includes one or more of the following information associated with the first device: index information, bitmap information, and first identification information, wherein the first identification information is used to identify the first device.

[0055] In one possible design, the first instruction information also instructs the third device to stop detecting the response information of the third message, or instructs the third device to end the process corresponding to the third message, wherein the third message is a message sent by the third device to the second device.

[0056] In one possible design, the second message includes a response message to the first message.

[0057] In one possible design, the first indication information also indicates whether the first message transmission was successful or failed.

[0058] In one possible design, before the second device sends the second message to the first device, the communication unit is also used to send a fourth message to the fourth device.

[0059] Fifthly, this application provides a communication device including an interface circuit and one or more processors. The one or more processors are coupled to a memory. The memory stores part or all of the necessary computer program or instructions for implementing the functions described in the first aspect. The one or more processors can execute the computer program or instructions, causing the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design or implementation of the first aspect. The interface circuit is used to implement the communication functions within the communication device and / or the communication functions between the communication device and other devices or components.

[0060] In one possible design, the processor is used to communicate with other devices or components through the interface circuit.

[0061] In one possible design, the communication device may also include the memory.

[0062] The aforementioned communication device may be a terminal or tag, or a communication / processing module in a terminal or tag, or a chip in a terminal or tag that is responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip) or a SoC or SIP chip containing a modem module, or a circuit or chip in a terminal or tag that is responsible for processing functions (such as a GPU, AI processor, or ASIC).

[0063] Sixthly, this application provides a communication device including an interface circuit and one or more processors. The one or more processors are coupled to a memory. The memory stores part or all of the necessary computer program or instructions for implementing the functions described in the second aspect above. The one or more processors are executable to carry out the computer program or instructions, causing the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design or implementation of the second aspect above. The interface circuit is used to implement the communication functions within the communication device and / or the communication functions between the communication device and other devices or components.

[0064] In one possible design, the processor is used to communicate with other devices or components through the interface circuit.

[0065] In one possible design, the communication device may also include the memory.

[0066] The aforementioned communication device may be a reader (access network equipment or terminal), a module in the reader (e.g., circuit, chip or chip system), a circuit or chip in the reader responsible for processing functions (e.g., GPU, AI processor, or ASIC), or a logical node, logical module or software that can implement all or part of the reader's functions.

[0067] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a communication system, including a communication device in the third aspect or any of the designs in the third aspect, and a communication device in the fourth aspect or any of the designs in the fourth aspect.

[0068] Eighthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when read and executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform any of the possible designs in the first to second aspects described above.

[0069] Ninthly, this application provides a computer program product that, when read and executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the possible designs in the first to second aspects described above.

[0070] The beneficial effects of the above-mentioned aspects or various designs can be found in the descriptions of the corresponding sections above. Attached Figure Description

[0071] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0072] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting system;

[0073] Figures 2 and 3 are schematic diagrams of possible application frameworks in a communication system;

[0074] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the overall workflow of an RFID system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0075] Figures 5 to 8 are schematic diagrams of possible topologies in a communication system;

[0076] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of possible message delays in a communication system;

[0077] Figures 10–12B are schematic flowcharts of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0078] Figure 13 is a possible exemplary block diagram of the communication device involved in the embodiments of this application;

[0079] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0080] Embodiments of this application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While some embodiments of this application are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that this application can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of this application are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application.

[0081] Before introducing the embodiments of this application, some concepts in the embodiments of this application will be explained.

[0082] 1. Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT).

[0083] With the development of communication technology, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) defined A-IoT technology. A-IoT in A-IoT technology includes readers and devices; or, in other words, A-IoT-based communication systems include readers and devices. Devices can be devices with A-IoT functionality, also known as A-IoT devices. In one possible implementation, readers and A-IoT devices can be implemented based on cellular network infrastructure. In other words, readers and A-IoT devices can be devices within a cellular network. For example, the functionality of a reader can be implemented by network devices (such as base stations) or terminals. A-IoT devices can be implemented by terminals within a cellular network, such as ultra-low power, ultra-low complexity IoT terminals. Non-contact data communication can occur between the reader and the device, allowing the reader to read information from the device and / or write information that needs to be stored into the device.

[0084] The main functions of A-IoT technology include inventory management, positioning, sensing, and command functions; typical application scenarios include logistics, warehousing, industrial manufacturing, identity recognition, and environmental monitoring.

[0085] The inventory management process typically involves using a reader to connect to A-IoT devices within the coverage area. Once connected, the device sends its unique identifier to the reader.

[0086] Positioning can be understood as using some positioning signals to locate the position of A-IoT devices.

[0087] In general, A-IoT devices report sensor data to the base station, such as temperature data.

[0088] Commands can be operational instructions, such as write or lock. The write process can be understood as the base station sending downlink commands and data, instructing the A-IoT device to write data into its own memory. The lock process can be understood as sending downlink commands, triggering the A-IoT device to lock the location at a specified address in the memory, making the contents of that memory area unchangeable and / or unreadable.

[0089] 2. A reader / writer generally refers to a handheld or fixed device that reads (and sometimes writes) information from A-IoT devices. It can also be understood as a device that communicates with A-IoT devices. It can take the form of a terminal, a base station, or a headend, pico remote radio unit (pRU), transmission reception point (TRP), or any other node that transmits signals. A reader / writer can also be an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a smart repeater, or a relay node.

[0090] 3. Device, such as an A-IoT device, generally refers to an Internet of Things (IoT) device that communicates with a reader. It can take the form of a terminal or a radio frequency identification (RFID) device (also known as an RFID-IoT device). A-IoT devices can be passive, semi-passive, or active. Passive A-IoT devices can also be called passive IoT devices. An A-IoT device can be understood as a device with A-IoT functionality. This application does not limit the name; for example, A-IoT can also be called an IoT device or a tag. A-IoT devices can be implemented by terminals in a cellular network, such as ultra-low power, ultra-low complexity IoT terminals.

[0091] 4. Message 1 (msg1) has no specific name and may include (or be replaced with) a random identifier (random ID) or a random access identifier (random access ID). In one implementation, Msg1 may include at least one of the following: a random identifier, uplink data (such as device ID, or at least one of the responses to commands). msg1 is generally used for contention during random access or to distinguish different devices during random access / contention resolution. The optional random ID bit count can be 16 bits or 8 bits, with no restriction.

[0092] 5. Message 2 (msg2) has no limited name; it can also be called Access ID response, access response, or UE / device Contention Resolution Identity. Msg2 is used for contention resolution, specifically indicating which msg1 (or devices) have successfully contented (resolved) / sent successfully / accessed successfully.

[0093] 6. Message 3 (msg3) has no limited name; it can also be called a message including D2R data. It may include at least one of the following: random identifier, device ID, and uplink data (such as data sent to the core network). D2R data can be understood as signaling and / or data sent by the A-IoT device to the reader. R2D data can be understood as signaling and / or data sent by the reader to the A-IoT device.

[0094] 7. The name of message 4 (msg4) is not limited; it can also be called the response message of Msg3.

[0095] 8. Access opportunity: can also be described as access occasion, access time slot, access time domain resources, etc. Each access opportunity can allow the first device to send access (request), and / or contention resolution, and / or data transmission, etc.

[0096] 9. Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the overall workflow of an RFID system, including the following processes:

[0097] 1) The reader sends a select / paging message: This is used to select a set of tags, carrying the inventory session, action, and mask. Upon receiving a tag that matches the select message, the reader sets the session ID and the corresponding mask. For example, if the inventory session selects session ID S0 and action = 0, and the mask matches, the tag will set the mask for session S0 to A.

[0098] 2) The reader sends a query: carrying the Q value, session ID and flag bit. Assuming the session ID is S0 and the flag bit is A, when the tag determines that the tag's session ID and flag bit match the session ID and flag bit in the received query, the tag randomly generates a random number between 0 and 2Q-1 based on the Q value as the initial value of the counter.

[0099] 3) If a tag receives a query, it can return a random number (RN). The random number can be any number of bits. For example, when RN is RN16, RN16 can be understood as a 16-bit random number used for tag contention resolution.

[0100] 4) If no tag sends a response, the reader continues to send repeated queries (queryrep). When a tag receives a queryrep, it sets the counter to counter-1. If the tag generates a counter of 0, the tag sends a random number (RN); otherwise, the tag does not respond. If multiple tags randomly select the same counter value, multiple tags may send RN16 in the same time slot. If the reader does not receive RN16, it sends a queryrep.

[0101] 5) If the counter decreases to 0 after the tag receives (possibly multiple) queryrep messages, the tag will respond with RN16; otherwise, the tag will not respond. For example, each queryrep corresponds to the start or end of an access time slot. The tag can randomly select an access time slot to initiate access, send uplink data, or receive downlink data in the corresponding access time slot.

[0102] 6) When the reader receives RN16, if there is no collision (only one tag's RN16 is received), it sends an acknowledgment (ACK), indicating that the contention is resolved. The ACK contains the random number RN16 received by the reader, which indicates that the contention was resolved successfully, i.e., the access was successful.

[0103] 7) If the tag receives an ACK and confirms that the RN16 carried in the ACK matches the RN16 randomly generated by the tag, the tag will feed back the electronic product code (EPC). Otherwise, the tag will not feed back the EPC.

[0104] 8) If the tag sends an EPC and receives a duplicate query (queryrep), it indicates that the tag data transmission was successful, and the tag flips its flag bit to B (successful data storage). For example, the flag bit can be used to prevent tags that have already been stored from being stored again, because subsequent queries will carry a flag bit of A. If a tag that has been flipped receives a query with a flag bit of A, it will not respond to the reader.

[0105] RFID tags are simple to implement but do not support complex measurements. Therefore, tag design should adhere to the principle of minimalism.

[0106] 10. Random access trigger (RA trigger): also called (next) access occasion indication / trigger / QueyRep, the name is not limited, used to trigger / indicate the next (or multiple, or the next group) access opportunities (or a set of access opportunities), which can also be understood as indicating / associating with the boundary (start or end) of an access opportunity.

[0107] The communication method provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, 5G mobile communication systems, Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) systems, Future Evolution (FE) communication systems, or systems integrating multiple communication systems, etc., and this application does not limit the application. 5G can also be referred to as New Radio (NR).

[0108] The communication method provided in this application can be applied to various communication scenarios, such as one or more of the following communication scenarios: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC), machine type communication (MTC), massive machine type communications (mMTC), device to device (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X), vehicle to vehicle (V2V), and Internet of Things (e.g., A-IoT).

[0109] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the application scenario used in this application will be described using the communication system architecture shown in Figure 1 as an example. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting system. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 10 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wired connected to core network 200. The core network device in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0110] RAN 100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 4G, 5G mobile communication systems, or future-oriented evolution systems. RAN 100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), cloud RAN (CRAN), virtualized RAN (vRAN), artificial intelligence radio access network (AI RAN), or wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0111] RAN node 110, sometimes referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of the communication system and assists terminals in achieving wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in communication system 10 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j accessing RAN 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal. RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are sometimes both referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0112] In one possible scenario, the RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. The RAN node can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the RAN node can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The RAN node can also be equipped with communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform corresponding communication functions. The RAN node may also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions and corresponding program instructions. The RAN node in this application may also be a logical node, logical module or software that can implement all or part of the access node functions, or a circuit or chip (such as a graphics processing unit (GPU), artificial intelligence (AI) processor, neural processing unit (NPU), or application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) responsible for communication and / or computing functions in the access node.

[0113] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminals in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing some of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs). CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs). Furthermore, RAN nodes can also be computing units, providing computational power for tasks such as model inference and / or model training, and can also be used to implement one or more of the following: task partitioning, scheduling, and orchestration. The functionality of a computing unit can be implemented by a separate module independent of other units (e.g., CU, DU, RU), or by one or more other units (e.g., one or more of CU, DU, RU).

[0114] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, computing unit, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, computing unit, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, computing unit, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0115] A terminal can be a device or module that accesses the aforementioned communication system and has corresponding communication functions. A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, transportation vehicles with wireless communication capabilities, communication modules, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. The terminal typically contains communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform corresponding communication functions. Furthermore, it may also contain modules, circuits, or chips (such as GPUs, AI processors, NPUs, or ASICs) that perform corresponding communication and / or computing functions. The terminal can also be configured with program instructions for performing these communication and / or computing functions.

[0116] The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. The device used to implement the functions of the terminal can be the terminal itself; it can also be a device that supports the terminal in implementing the functions, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal or used in conjunction with the terminal. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of chips or can include chips and other discrete devices. All or part of the functions of the terminal in this application can also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0117] In one embodiment, AI nodes may also be introduced into the wireless network to support artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

[0118] AI nodes can be deployed in one or more of the following locations within the communication system: access network nodes (RAN nodes), terminal devices, or core network devices. Alternatively, AI nodes can be deployed independently, for example, in a location other than any of the aforementioned devices, such as in the host or cloud server of an over-the-top (OTT) system. AI nodes can communicate with other devices in the communication system, which can be one or more of the following: network devices, terminal devices, or core network elements.

[0119] It is understood that this application does not limit the number of AI nodes. For example, when there are multiple AI nodes, these nodes can be divided based on function, such as different AI nodes being responsible for different functions.

[0120] It can also be understood that AI nodes can be independent devices, or they can be integrated into the same device to achieve different functions. Alternatively, they can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). This application does not limit the specific form of the aforementioned AI nodes.

[0121] AI nodes can be AI network elements or AI modules.

[0122] The preceding text has introduced the communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application from a macro-architectural perspective. To help deepen the understanding of this system in a practical application environment, the following will provide a more specific explanation of the communication system through several examples. It should be noted that the communication system examples listed below are for illustrative purposes and are intended to provide an intuitive understanding. The actual application scope of this application is far greater than this, and it is also compatible and adaptable to other types of communication systems, and is not limited thereto.

[0123] For example, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a possible application framework in a communication system. As shown in Figure 2, network elements in the communication system are connected through interfaces (e.g., NG, Xn) or air interfaces. These network element nodes, such as core network equipment, access network nodes (RAN nodes), terminals, or one or more devices in operations administration and maintenance (OAM), are equipped with one or more AI modules (only one is shown in Figure 2 for clarity). The access network node can be a single RAN node or can include multiple RAN nodes, for example, including CU and DU. The CU and / or DU can also be equipped with one or more AI modules. The CU can also be split into CU-CP and CU-UP, and one or more AI modules are installed in the CU-CP and / or CU-UP.

[0124] AI modules are used to implement corresponding AI functions. AI modules deployed in different network elements can be the same or different. The models of AI modules can achieve different functions depending on the parameter configurations. The models of AI modules can be configured based on one or more of the following parameters: structural parameters (e.g., at least one of the following: number of neural network layers, neural network width, inter-layer connections, neuron weights, neuron activation function, or biases in the activation function), input parameters (e.g., the type and / or dimension of the input parameters), or output parameters (e.g., the type and / or dimension of the output parameters). The biases in the activation function can also be referred to as the biases of the neural network.

[0125] In another example, Figure 3 illustrates a possible application framework in a communication system. As shown in Figure 3, the communication system includes a RAN intelligent controller (RIC). For example, the RIC can be the AI ​​modules 117 and 118 shown in Figure 1, used to implement AI-related functions. RICs include near-real-time RICs (near-RT RICs) and non-real-time RICs (non-RT RICs). Non-real-time RICs primarily process non-real-time information, such as data that is not sensitive to latency, with latency in the order of seconds. Real-time RICs primarily process near-real-time information, such as data that is relatively sensitive to latency, with latency in the order of tens of milliseconds.

[0126] Near real-time (NRT) RICs are used for model training and inference. For example, they are used to train AI models and then use those models for inference. NRT RICs can obtain network-side and / or terminal-side information from RAN nodes (e.g., CUs, CU-CPs, CU-UPs, DUs, compute nodes, and / or RUs) and / or terminals. This information can be used as training data or inference data. NRT RICs can deliver inference results to RAN nodes and / or terminals. Inference results can be exchanged between CUs and DUs, and / or between DUs and RUs. For example, a NRT RIC delivers an inference result to a DU, which then forwards it to an RU.

[0127] Non-real-time RICs are also used for model training and inference. For example, they are used to train AI models and then use those models for inference. Non-real-time RICs can obtain network-side and / or terminal-side information from RAN nodes (e.g., CUs, CU-CPs, CU-UPs, DUs, compute nodes, and / or RUs) and / or terminals. This information can be used as training data or inference data, and the inference results can be delivered to RAN nodes and / or terminals. Inference results can be exchanged between CUs and DUs, and / or between DUs and RUs; for example, a non-real-time RIC delivers inference results to a DU, which then forwards them to an RU.

[0128] Near real-time RICs and non-real-time RICs can also be configured as separate network elements. Near real-time RICs and non-real-time RICs can also be part of other devices. For example, near real-time RICs can be set in RAN nodes (e.g., CU, DU, compute nodes), while non-real-time RICs can be set in OAM, cloud servers, core network devices, or other network devices.

[0129] In the communication systems to which this application can be applied, there can be various network architectures, including an A-IoT network architecture. Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of various A-IoT network architectures according to this application. This A-IoT network architecture can include readers and A-IoT devices. The function of the reader can be implemented by a radio access network (RAN) node (such as a base station (BS)) or a terminal. The A-IoT device can be a terminal device. The A-IoT device can be located within the coverage area provided by the reader. When the reader is a terminal device, the communication between the reader and the A-IoT device can be considered as transmission between terminals. For ease of description, this application uses the RAN node as a base station as an example in its embodiments.

[0130] For example, as shown in Figure 5, this A-IoT network architecture includes communication between A-IoT device 202 and a reader (e.g., base station 201). That is, there is uplink and downlink data / signaling between base station 201 and A-IoT device 202, or in other words, direct bidirectional communication between A-IoT device 202 and base station 201. The communication between base station 201 and A-IoT device 202 includes A-IoT data and / or signaling. The communication between base station 201 and A-IoT device 202 can be via a Uu interface, i.e., air interface communication.

[0131] As shown in Figure 6, this A-IoT network architecture includes a reader (e.g., base station 201), an intermediate node 203, and an A-IoT device 202. The A-IoT device 202 can communicate bidirectionally with the intermediate node 203 between the A-IoT device 202 and the base station 201. In this topology, the reader can be a base station or a terminal; taking the reader as a base station as an example, the intermediate node can be a repeater, IAB node, user equipment (UE), etc., enabling environmental IoT. The intermediate node 203 transmits A-IoT data and / or signaling between the base station 201 and the A-IoT device 202. The communication between the base station 201 and the intermediate node 203 can be via a Uu interface.

[0132] As shown in Figure 7, this A-IoT network architecture includes a reader (e.g., base station 201), an A-IoT device 202, and an assisting node 204. In this network architecture, the A-IoT device 202 can send data / signaling to the base station 201 and receive data / signaling from the base station 201 through the assisting node 204; alternatively, the A-IoT device 202 can receive data / signaling from the base station 201 and send data / signaling back to the base station 201 through the assisting node 204. In this network architecture, the reader can be a base station or a terminal; taking the reader as a base station as an example, the assisting node 204 can be a repeater, IAB, UE, etc., which can be used to implement the Internet of Things. The communication between the base station 201 and the assisting node 204 is via a Uu interface.

[0133] As shown in Figure 8, the A-IoT network architecture includes a terminal 205 and an A-IoT device 202. The A-IoT device 202 and the terminal 205 can communicate bidirectionally. The communication between the terminal 205 and the A-IoT device 202 includes environmental IoT data and / or signaling.

[0134] Communication between a reader and a device can include reader-to-device (R2D) messages and / or device-to-reader (D2R) messages. It is easy to understand that messages between the reader and the device can also have other names; for example, an R2D message can be called a message sent by the reader to the device or a downlink message; a D2R message can be called a message sent by the device to the reader or an uplink message. This application uses R2D and D2R messages as examples, but is not limited to these. Generally, as shown in Figure 9, it takes a certain amount of time for device #1 (e.g., the first device) to send a D2R message to the reader (e.g., the second device) and for the reader to receive, process, and respond with an R2D message. This time period can be called the processing delay or latency (denoted as T_D2R). During T_D2R, device #1 will monitor for any incoming R2D messages.

[0135] During T_D2R, communication between the reader and other devices besides device#1 may interfere with device#1. For example, this interference might cause device#1 to mistakenly believe that the current access opportunity has ended, leading to an interruption in communication between the reader and device#1, resulting in wasted resources and low transmission efficiency. An example of interference affecting device#1 is as follows: During device#1's T_D2R, the reader triggers random access to device#2. After receiving this message, device#1 might mistakenly believe that the reader has triggered its next access opportunity, causing an interruption in communication between the reader and device#1. Therefore, reducing interference to devices and improving transmission efficiency has become an urgent problem to be solved.

[0136] In view of this, this application provides a communication scheme in which the reader instructs the device to end transmission or detection, and the device does not stop transmission or detection until it receives the instruction information associated with it indicating the end of transmission or detection. This reduces interference from communication between the reader and other devices, and improves resource utilization and transmission efficiency.

[0137] The communication method and apparatus will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is understood that this application uses the first and second devices as examples to illustrate the execution of the interaction, but this application does not limit the execution of the interaction. It is readily understood that the method executed by a device (e.g., the first and / or second device) in this application can also be implemented by a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system), a circuit or chip responsible for processing functions in the device, or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the device's functions; for example, the first device can be a terminal device or a tag, etc., and the first device can also be a chip or module in a terminal device or tag, etc.; the second device can be a network device or a terminal device or a tag, etc., and the second device can also be a chip or module in a network device or a terminal device or a tag, etc. In this application, the first device can be an A-IoT device, and the second device can be a reader / writer.

[0138] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Exemplarily, the method may include the following steps:

[0139] S601: The first device sends a first message to the second device.

[0140] Correspondingly, the second device receives the first message from the first device.

[0141] The first message can be understood as a D2R message; in other words, the first message is the message sent by the device to the reader. For example, the first message could be a contention message used in random access (such as Msg1), or a message containing D2R data (such as Msg3). For illustrative purposes only, the first message could also be msg3, D2R upper layer data, or other D2R messages. Sending the first message from the first device to the second device can also be replaced by the first device sending first information to the second device, with the first information carried within the first message.

[0142] In one implementation, after the first device sends a first message to the second device, the first device monitors possible R2D messages. In other words, after sending the first message, the second device monitors the response message to the first message. The response in this embodiment can also be referred to as correspondence, feedback, or association, and is not limited thereto. For example, after the first message occurs, the first device may be in a state of incomplete service, in the process of service, or in a state of unsuccessful access.

[0143] In one possible approach, step S601 is an optional step.

[0144] S602: The first device receives a second message from the second device.

[0145] Correspondingly, the second device sends a second message to the first device.

[0146] For example, the second message includes first indication information. In one possible implementation, the first indication information indicates one or more of the following: the first device stops detecting the response message of the first message, or instructs the first device to end the process corresponding to the first message, or instructs the first device to release part or all of the context. It is readily understood that release can be replaced by reset, clear, or discard. The context information may include one or more of the following: AS ID, transaction ID, random ID, other identification information of the first device, time-domain or frequency-domain resource information, modulation and coding scheme (MCS) associated information, time unit (e.g., chip duration).

[0147] The duration (MCS) is the number of repetitions, and the midamble (MDI). Information associated with the MCS includes code length and code rate. The encoding method can be Manchester encoding or modulation schemes such as OOK or BPSK. The number of repetitions can be the number of code repetitions, the number of bit repetitions, or the number of level repetitions.

[0148] For example, the first instruction information instructs the first device to stop detecting the response message of the first message, or instructs the first device to end the process corresponding to the first message.

[0149] In a readily understandable implementation, the first indication information instructs the first device to release part or all of the context. As shown above, the context information may include one or more of the following: AS ID, transaction ID, random ID, other identification information of the first device, time-domain or frequency-domain resource information, MCS-associated information, time unit, repetition count, and inflection code. This application uses AS ID as an example for the context information. It is readily understood that the context information can also be other information; when the above information is other information, the relevant description when the context information is AS ID can be referred to.

[0150] For example, the first instruction message indicates the release of the currently saved or maintained AS ID.

[0151] For example, the first indication information indicates whether to maintain or release the AS ID. For instance, if the first indication information is a first field, it indicates maintaining the AS ID; or if the first indication information is a second field, it indicates releasing the AS ID. In one possible implementation, when the first indication information includes a first value (also referred to as the first field), it indicates releasing the AS ID (an example of the context); when the first indication information includes a second value (also referred to as the second field), it indicates maintaining (or not releasing) the AS ID. For example, the first value is 1, and the second value is 0; the specific values ​​are not limited.

[0152] For example, the AS ID can be generated by the first device, such as a random ID, or it can be determined by the first device based on the acquired message, such as the AS ID determined based on the received msg2.

[0153] In one possible implementation, the second message is a paging message, which indicates whether to maintain or release the SA ID to prevent the first device from maintaining the AS ID for too long, making the same AS ID unusable again, or incurring additional storage overhead for the first device. On the other hand, regarding the first indication information carried in the paging message, since the paging message can trigger the next round of random access (e.g., the initial paging message triggers initial random access and / or data transmission, and retransmission / subsequent paging can trigger re-access and / or data transmission), or trigger a new round of paging / service process / data transmission, receiving the paging message means that the current process (random access and / or data transmission, or inventory process / command process, etc.) can end, and the second device can specify whether to continue using the AS ID currently maintained by the first device.

[0154] Therefore, by carrying the first indication information in the paging message, it can, on the one hand, indicate the release of the AS ID, which can then be reused; on the other hand, the paging message can be associated with one or more target first devices. By using the first indication information in the paging message, it is possible to avoid sending a separate message to each target first device to indicate the release of the AS ID, thus saving signaling overhead. The target first device refers to the first device that needs to respond to the paging message to perform (or re)random access and / or data transmission.

[0155] For example, the first instruction information indicates the release of the currently saved or maintained transaction ID. This first instruction information allows for the timely release of the AS ID or transaction ID, enabling timely maintenance of the AS ID or transaction ID between the first device and the reader.

[0156] It's easy to understand that stopping the detection of the response message for the first message or instructing the first device to end the process corresponding to the first message can be replaced with "first message failed," "first message transmission failed," or "process corresponding to the first message failed." The process corresponding to the first message can be understood as the first message being a message within that process, or the first message being the message that triggers the process; these can be replaced with terms like "associated," "belonging to," or "mapped," etc.

[0157] The first indication information can also be called an end indication, detection end indication information, process end indication information, process end indication information associated with the first message, or stop detection indication information.

[0158] In one possible implementation, in step S602, the first indication information includes one or more of the following information associated with the first device: index information, bitmap information, and first identification information; wherein the first identification information is used to identify the first device. It is readily understood that the first indication information may also include other information used to indicate the first device, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0159] Optional step S603: The first device stops detecting the response information of the first message according to the first instruction information, or terminates the process corresponding to the first message.

[0160] In one possible implementation, after sending msg1 (an example of a first message), the first device receives a first indication message, which indicates that access / contention resolution has failed. Optionally, the first device determines that access / contention resolution has failed based on the first indication message.

[0161] In one possible implementation, after sending msg3 (an example of a first message), the first device receives a first indication message indicating that msg3 transmission failed. Optionally, the first device determines that msg3 transmission failed based on the first indication message.

[0162] In one possible implementation, after the first device sends uplink data (an example of the first message), it receives a first indication message indicating that data transmission has failed. Optionally, the first device determines that data transmission has failed based on the first indication message.

[0163] In one possible implementation, after the first device determines that a failure has occurred, it can attempt to re-access, where the failure includes access / contention resolution failure, msg3 transmission failure, or data transmission failure. For example, after the first device determines that a failure has occurred, the currently stored transaction ID corresponds to the failure. Optionally, if the first device receives a paging message carrying the same transaction ID, the first device is considered to be selected and random access is performed.

[0164] It is easy to understand that after receiving the first message, in one possible implementation, the second device sends a first instruction message to the first device to instruct it to stop detecting the response message of the first message, or to instruct the first device to end the process corresponding to the first message. This helps the first device to accurately determine whether to stop detecting the response message of the first message or end the process corresponding to the first message, avoids interference to the first device, and improves communication efficiency.

[0165] In one possible implementation, in step S601, the first device sends a first message to the second device based on the first access opportunity / first resource.

[0166] It is easy to understand that the first device has multiple possible ways to determine the first access opportunity / first resource, for example:

[0167] In one possible implementation of the first device determining the first resource, the first access opportunity may include X time-domain and / or Y frequency-domain resources (X and Y are greater than or equal to 1), and the first device selects one of the time-domain and frequency-domain resources as the first resource to send the first message.

[0168] In another possible implementation where the first device determines the first access opportunity, the first device receives a random access (RA) trigger and determines that the current access opportunity is the first access opportunity selected by the first device: for example, selecting the Nth one, with the counter (COUNTER) initially set to N (a positive integer), and decrementing the COUNTER by one each time an RA trigger is received, until the COUNTER reaches 0 after N RA triggers; or the RA trigger explicitly carries a number, and the first access opportunity number selected by the first device is the number carried by the RA trigger. It is easily understood that the first device can also implicitly know the RA trigger number, for example, by determining the RA trigger number based on the number of RA triggers received, and thus determining the first access opportunity number as the number carried by the RA trigger.

[0169] It is easy to understand that the access opportunity triggered by each of the above RA triggers may not be a single access opportunity, but rather a set of multiple access opportunities. For example, a time-domain and frequency-domain resource corresponds to an access set. If the RA trigger triggers M*N access opportunities (access resources) (M and N are greater than or equal to 1), it can be described as the RA trigger triggering a set of access opportunities (groups), which may include one or more access opportunities (access resources).

[0170] In the above embodiments, the first device selects one of the access opportunities and / or access resources indicated by the second device, such as indicating a total number / or indicating multiple available access opportunities (and / or access resources). This selection can be done randomly or by mapping the identification information of the first device to the indicated available access opportunities (resources). Alternatively, the second device may explicitly allocate a dedicated access opportunity (resource) to the first device. For example, in a contention-free access procedure, the second device may indicate a dedicated access opportunity (resource) to the first device in downlink messages such as paging messages or access trigger messages.

[0171] In one possible implementation, in step S602, the first indication information is associated with the first device. For example, the first indication information includes one or more of the following information associated with the first device: index information, bitmap information, and first identification information; wherein the first identification information is used to identify the first device.

[0172] For example, the first indication information can be associated with RA resources, such as one or more of the following: occasion index, slot number, bitmap, random ID, access stratum (AS ID). One way to associate them is through direct indication, but indirect indication is also possible. For example, the first indication information can be derived from the occasion index. The information included in the first indication information (also referred to as carried, indicated, or corresponding) is denoted as information 2.

[0173] The following are examples of several possible ways in which information in the first instruction message is associated with the first device:

[0174] Possible association method 1: Use index information to associate the first device. The index can also be called number, sequence number, etc. The name is not limited. We will take the index as an example for introduction.

[0175] Optionally, Index can be the index of the associated access resource among the candidate (available) access resources. The access resource can be a time-domain and / or frequency-domain resource. The candidate access resource can be indicated by one or more of paging, RA trigger, and access round trigger. For example, it can indicate that the number of candidate access resources is 10, and index=1 indicates the first candidate resource.

[0176] Optionally, Index can also be the index of the associated access opportunity in the candidate access opportunities (set), such as one or more of the following: paging, RA trigger, access round trigger. If 10 access opportunities are triggered / assigned, index=1 indicates the first access opportunity triggered.

[0177] Optionally, Index can also be the index of the associated access opportunity set in the candidate access opportunity set. For example, if one or more of the paging, RA trigger, and access round trigger triggers / assigns 10 access opportunity sets, index=1 indicates the first access set.

[0178] Optionally, Index can also be the number of the associated RA trigger. For example, index=1 indicates the end of the first RA trigger that triggered the access to the device or the listening for msg2 / feedback / downlink data (after sending msg1 / msg3 / uplink data).

[0179] Optionally, the End indication associated with the index can also be scrambled (descrambled) or CRC masked (demasked) using the index (or a portion of the index or a sequence obtained by hashing the index), meaning it can be carried without explicitly indicating the index.

[0180] Optionally, an end indication can be associated with / carry multiple indexes.

[0181] Possible association method two: Using bitmap information to associate the first device. The bitmap can indicate the position of the associated access resource among the candidate access resources. For example, with 10 candidate access resources, bitmap = 1000 0000 00 indicates the first access resource among the candidate access resources. Similar to different cases of index, "access resource" can also be replaced with "access opportunity", "access opportunity set", and "which RA trigger". Further extensions such as CRC masking and scrambling can also be applied.

[0182] Possible association method three: Associate the first device using the first identification information.

[0183] For example, the access identifier (a first identifier example) contained in the first message can be used to associate the first device. Alternatively, the access stratum identifier of the first device can be used to associate the first device. In other words, the first identifier can be the access identifier or access stratum identifier of the first device, or other identifiers that can be used to identify the first device.

[0184] In one possible implementation, the first indication information can be carried in a separate message or sent with other messages. For example, the first indication information is carried in the response message of the first message, the RA trigger, or other R2D messages. Optionally, the first indication information is a required field for the RA trigger; the first device ends detection upon receiving an RA trigger associated with itself, and continues detection if no RA trigger is associated with the first device. In yet another optional implementation, the first indication information is an optional field for the RA trigger; if the first device receives an RA trigger and the RA trigger does not have indication information associated with the first device, the first device continues detection.

[0185] For example, the second message may include one or more of the following: paging message, contention resolution message, random access response message, feedback message, confirmation message, downlink data, and a response message to the first message.

[0186] In one possible implementation, in step S603, the first device stops detecting the response information of the first message according to the first instruction information, or terminates the process corresponding to the first message, including: the first device determines whether to stop detecting the response information of the first message according to whether the first instruction information is associated with the first device, or terminates the process corresponding to the first message.

[0187] It is easy to understand that the first device determines whether the first indication information is associated with the first device by judging whether the information 1 determined by the first device and the information 2 carried by the first indication information are the same or whether information 2 includes information 1. Alternatively, it can be determined by whether information 1 can successfully parse the information 2 carried / indicated / corresponding to the first indication information (e.g., descrambling / de-cyclic redundancy code (CRC) / de-CRC mask). The information 1 determined by the first device can be information 1 stored by the first device, information 1 that the first device can obtain, or information 1 that the first device has used.

[0188] Information 1 and Information 2 can be indicated using the aforementioned index, bitmap, random ID, and AS ID. Of course, Information 1 and Information 2 can also be other information that can indicate or associate with the first device.

[0189] In one possible implementation, information 1 may be: the index of the access resource selected by the first device (or used to send msg1) in the candidate (available) access resources, the index of the access opportunity selected by the first device (or used to send msg1) in the candidate access opportunity (set), the index of the set of access opportunities selected by the first device (or used to send msg1) in the candidate access opportunity set, the number of RA triggers after which the first device sends msg1 (or msg3, or uplink data), or identification information (such as AS ID) assigned to the first device by the second device.

[0190] It should be noted that, because there is a situation where the first indication information indicates the end of random access, if the contention resolution of msg1 of the first device fails, the second device may not be able to obtain the random ID in msg1 or assign an AS ID. In this case, the information 2 indicated by the first indication information can be associated with access resources.

[0191] The easily understood, optional first indication information can instruct multiple devices to end detection, i.e., associate multiple information 2, or not associate information, instructing all first devices that are detecting msg2 / downlink data / feedback to end detection (or the end process of AS process that has not been completed).

[0192] For example, the multiple devices include a first device and a third device. The first indication information further instructs the third device to stop detecting the response information of the third message, or further instructs the third device to end the process corresponding to the third message. The third message is a message sent by the third device to the second device. The third device is a device other than the first device.

[0193] The implementation methods for the first indication information to indicate multiple devices include: 1) The first indication information is associated with multiple indices, which correspond to multiple devices; 2) The first indication information is associated with a bitmap, which corresponds to multiple devices; 3) The first indication information is associated with at least one index and a bitmap, which correspond to multiple devices; 4) The first indication information indicates the devices corresponding to all previous access opportunities, for example, the first indication information not carrying information 2 indicates that all devices are indicated; 5) The first indication information indicates a specific sequence, indicating that all devices are indicated, for example, the specific sequence is an all-1 sequence, an all-0 sequence, or other specific sequences. Or 6) The first indication information indicates whether all devices are indicated and / or indicates one or more devices. For example, it can be 1 bit indicating whether all devices are indicated, 0 indicating that all devices are indicated, and 1 indicating that not all devices are indicated. Optionally, the bits after the 1 bit can be associated with one or more specific devices to indicate that the one or more devices are indicated.

[0194] For example, the first indication information may by default instruct the first device to end the detection (receive and send uplink data or feedback corresponding to msg1, such as detection feedback / downlink data / msg2) or end the current process.

[0195] Furthermore, if no feedback message (such as msg2, feedback, or downlink data) is received before the detection ends (before the first indication information is received), the system is considered to have failed and a re-access is initiated.

[0196] It is easy to understand that after the first device receives the first instruction information in step S602, there are multiple processing methods.

[0197] One possible approach is the optional step S603 described above, whereby the first device stops detecting the response message of the first message according to the first instruction information, or instructs the first device to end the process corresponding to the first message.

[0198] Another possible processing method, optional step S604: The first device determines to ignore the first indication information. For example, the first device determines to ignore the first indication information based on third information. The third information includes one or more of the following: access information, which can characterize the access status of the first device, such as access information indicating no access. In other words, the first device receives the first indication information but confirms that the first device is not connected, so the first device ignores the first indication information. Ignoring the first indication information can be understood as not executing the content indicated by the first indication information, or discarding the first indication information. No access can be understood as a failure to access randomly / incomplete random access before access (e.g., failure to resolve contention, sending msg1 (random ID)) (optionally, within a certain time after sending msg1) without receiving a matching msg2 (random ID response), where matching refers to receiving msg2 with the same random ID.

[0199] The first device can determine access information in several possible ways. For example, when the COUNTER value of the first device is greater than 0, the first device is not connected. It is easy to understand that ignoring the first indication information when the first device is not connected can be predefined or specified by the protocol.

[0200] In one possible implementation, the second device further indicates whether the first message transmission was successful or failed. For example, the second device also sends a second indication message to the first device, indicating whether the first message transmission was successful or failed. For instance, the second indication message includes an acknowledgement (ACK) or a negative acknowledgement (NACK). It is readily understood that the second indication message can be the same as the first indication message, or it can be different from the first indication message; it can be sent in the same message or in different messages. For example, if the first device receives an ACK, it determines that the first message transmission was successful; if the first device receives a NACK, it determines that the transmission failed or requires reconnection. The second indication message can also be referred to as feedback.

[0201] In one possible implementation, after the first device finishes detection, it performs one or more of the following: releases / discards part or all of the context, clears buffered information, and sets status information. The context can be explained as described above. For example, the context may include one or more of the following: data to be transmitted, segmentation information, transmission parameters, transaction ID, etc. Alternatively, some context may be retained for re-access or retransmission. For example, clearing buffered information includes clearing buffered data or information in the buffer cache. Setting status information includes setting the first device's status to "transmission incomplete" (e.g., when the second device indicates that the first device failed or the transmission was unsuccessful), or setting the first device's status to "transmission completed" (e.g., when the second device indicates that the first device's transmission was successful).

[0202] In one possible implementation, step S603, where the first device stops detecting the response information of the first message according to the first instruction information, can be replaced by the first device determining that the access / contention resolution has failed according to the first instruction information.

[0203] In one possible implementation, besides receiving the response information to stop detecting the first message upon receiving the first indication information, or ending the process corresponding to the first message, the first device may also determine to stop detecting the first message, or end the process corresponding to the first message, or the first message transmission fails, or access / contention resolution fails, under one or more of the following circumstances: the first device receives a paging message; the first device receives a re-access trigger message, or the first device receives Q R2D messages. For example, the R2D message can be any R2D message, any broadcast R2D message, or a specified R2D message. A broadcast R2D message can be understood as something that each device can parse. For example, each device can descramble, deCRC, and mask the message. In other words, each device can parse the broadcast R2D message, for example, by masking or scrambling a common CRC sequence (e.g., all 0s or all 1s), or by not performing CRC processing or scrambling, or by associating it with a common identifier, or by associating it with a group identifier, indicating the first indication information for a group of devices, or masking the AS ID, etc. The specified R2D message can be, for example, msg2 / RA trigger / / end indication / downlink data

[0204] One or more of / command.

[0205] For example, after the first device receives Q msg2 messages after the first moment (e.g., the moment the first message (e.g., msg1) is sent), the first device determines that the race resolution has failed. Optionally, none of the Q msg2 messages indicate that the first device has successfully resolved the race (e.g., they do not carry the random ID included in the first message). It can be understood that since none of the Q msg2 messages after the first moment indicate that the first device has successfully resolved the race, the first device considers the race resolution to have failed.

[0206] For example, when the first device receives Q RA triggers after the first moment (e.g., the moment it sends the first message (e.g., msg1)), the first device determines that the contention resolution has failed. Optionally, the first device does not receive msg2 indicating that the contention resolution has succeeded. That is, in one possible implementation, when the first device receives Q RA triggers after sending the first message (e.g., msg1) and does not receive msg2 indicating that the contention resolution has succeeded, the first device determines that the contention resolution has failed. It can be understood that if the first device receives Q RA triggers after the first moment (optionally before receiving msg2 indicating that the contention resolution has succeeded), the first device considers the contention resolution to have failed.

[0207] For example, Q is a positive integer. The value of Q can be indicated by a paging message or specified by a protocol (such as pre-configuration or pre-definition). For example, Q = 1, 2, 3, or 4.

[0208] Optionally, the paging message includes a third indication message, which instructs the first device to consider the contention resolution to have failed if it receives Q msg2 messages (optionally, even if the conditions for successful contention resolution are not met). In other words, after receiving the third indication message, the first device will determine whether the contention resolution has failed based on whether it has received Q msg2 messages. In one possible approach, if the first device does not receive the third indication message, it will not determine contention resolution failure based on receiving Q msg2 messages.

[0209] Optionally, the paging message includes a fourth indication message, which instructs the first device to consider the contention resolution to have failed if it receives Q RA triggers (optionally, even if the conditions for successful contention resolution are not met). In other words, after receiving the fourth indication message, the first device will confirm the contention resolution failure based on whether it has received Q RA triggers. In one possible approach, if the first device does not receive the fourth indication message, it will not confirm the contention resolution failure based on receiving Q RA triggers.

[0210] This can be understood as follows: whether the first device can determine the contention resolution failure by receiving the number of msg2 or RA triggers is indicated by the third or fourth indication information in the paging message. It can also be understood that after the first device sends the first message (e.g., msg1), it can be replaced by "after the first device receives the paging message at a first moment," exemplarily, the first moment being the moment the first device receives the paging message. That is, in one possible implementation, the Q msg2 or RA triggers are counted starting from after the first device receives the paging message. In other words, the first device records the first msg2 or RA trigger received after receiving the paging message as one msg2 or RA trigger and accumulates the count. It is readily understood that the first device can also have other implementations for calculating the number of received msg2 or RA triggers, and the first moment can be other times; this application embodiment is not limited to these.

[0211] It is easy to understand that, after confirming that the contention resolution has failed, the first device may optionally attempt to reconnect.

[0212] As is easily understood, there are multiple possible implementations for the msg2 indicator to indicate whether the race resolution succeeded or failed. An example implementation is as follows:

[0213] Optionally, Msg2 may carry one or more random IDs, indicating one or more Msg1 contention resolutions.

[0214] Optionally, Msg2 may carry access resource (or opportunity) related identifiers (such as the index of access time domain and / or frequency domain resources) to indicate which access opportunity (or access resource) the device that sent Msg1, or through a bitmap indication, such as 000100 indicating which devices / Msg1 / random IDs were successfully accessed on the 4th access opportunity (resource) indicated by Msg2.

[0215] If Msg2 carries the random ID (or a value derived from the random ID, such as through a hash function) sent by the device in Msg1, it indicates that the device has successfully resolved contention / accessed the network. Optionally, in addition to the above conditions, Msg2 must also be associated with the access opportunity / resource that the device sent Msg1 to; that is, if Msg2 indicates the identifier of the access opportunity / resource that the device is accessing and carries a matching random ID, then it is successful.

[0216] If Msg2 does not carry the random ID (or a value derived from the random ID, such as through a hash function) sent by the device in Msg1, it indicates that the device has failed to resolve contention / access. Optionally, in addition to the above conditions, Msg2 must also be associated with the access opportunity / resource that the device sent Msg1 to; that is, if Msg2 indicates the identifier of the access opportunity / resource that the device is trying to access but does not carry a matching random ID, it fails.

[0217] In one possible implementation, after receiving feedback from the reader to other devices, the first device can release the AS ID, terminate the current business process, or stop detecting information from the reader. For example, the feedback sent by the reader to other devices is related to messages previously sent to the reader by other devices. Optionally, the feedback can be broadcast. It is readily understood that in this implementation, steps S601 and S602 are optional steps; that is, this implementation can be combined with steps S601 and S602, or it can be implemented independently. This embodiment of the application is not limited to this. This method allows the feedback from other devices to serve as a trigger condition for the first device, facilitating the first device's handling of exceptions.

[0218] In one possible implementation, after sending the first message, the first device starts a first timer. If the first device does not receive feedback on the first message after the first timer expires, the first device can consider the first message to have been successfully transmitted. Optionally, in this implementation, the first device does not perform re-access or respond to a paging message carrying the same transaction ID as the currently stored transaction ID; that is, the first message is not responded to. In other words, after the first device considers the first message to have been successfully transmitted, if it receives another paging message carrying the same currently stored transaction ID that triggers the same service, the first device considers the first message corresponding to that transaction ID to have been successfully transmitted and may not respond to that paging message.

[0219] In one possible implementation, after sending the first message, there may be an abnormal situation where the first device does not receive feedback or the first instruction information from the first message, and the first device cannot exit the current process.

[0220] In one possible scenario to prevent abnormal transmission, after sending the first message, the first device starts a second timer. When the second timer expires, the first device considers the first message transmission successful. The second timer continues running, and upon receiving a third R2D message, it terminates the second timer and responds to the third R2D message. For example, the third R2D message can be one or more of the following: feedback on the first message, an end indication, an R2D message sent to the first device (e.g., carrying or associated with an AS ID stored by the first device), a contention resolution success message (e.g., msg2 or random ID response), and a paging message. For example, after sending the first message, if the first device receives a paging message (carrying a transaction ID identical to the currently stored transaction ID), the first device considers the first message transmission successful or transmission complete. Optionally, the first device may not perform or skip re-access. In another possible example, after the first device sends the first message, it receives N R2D messages, where N is a positive integer (the N R2D messages can be the same message or different messages, only the cumulative number of R2D messages is counted). The first device considers the first message transmission successful or complete. Optionally, the first device does not perform or skips re-access. In yet another possible example, after the first device sends the first message, it receives a broadcast end indication (which may not be associated with any device; or, if the end indication carries a transaction ID, then the transaction ID stored by the first device must be the same as the currently carried transaction ID). The first device considers the first message transmission successful or complete. Optionally, the first device does not perform or skips re-access. It is easy to understand that the first device's consideration of successful first message transmission can be replaced by the termination of the detection of the response message to the first message, the completion of transmission, or the end of the process corresponding to the first message.

[0221] In another possible scenario to prevent anomalies, after sending the first message, the first device starts a second timer. When the second timer expires, the first device considers the first message transmission to have failed. The second timer continues running, and upon receiving a third R2D message, it terminates the second timer and responds to the third R2D message. For example, the third R2D message can be one or more of the following: feedback on the first message, an end indication, an R2D message sent to the first device (e.g., carrying or associated with an AS ID stored by the first device), a contention resolution failure message (e.g., msg2 or random ID response), and a paging message. For example, after sending the first message, if the first device receives a paging message (carrying a transaction ID identical to the transaction ID currently stored by the first device), the first device considers the first message transmission to have failed or terminated. Optionally, the first device may attempt to re-access the device. In another possible example, after the first device sends the first message, it receives N R2D messages, where N is a positive integer (the N R2D messages can be the same message or different messages, only the cumulative number of R2D messages is counted). The first device considers the first message transmission to have failed or ended. Optionally, the first device reconnects. In yet another possible example, after the first device sends the first message, it receives a broadcast end indication (which may not be associated with any device; or, if the end indication carries a transaction ID, then the transaction ID stored by the first device must be the same as the currently carried transaction ID). The first device considers the first message transmission to have failed or ended. Optionally, the first device reconnects. It is easy to understand that the first device's consideration of first message transmission failure can be replaced by the termination of the detection of the response message to the first message, the end of transmission, or the end of the process corresponding to the first message.

[0222] According to a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, a second device instructs a first device to end detection or terminate the process. By virtue of the instruction from the second device, the first device can accurately determine whether to end the detection of the response message of the first message or to terminate the process corresponding to the first message, thereby avoiding erroneous termination of detection or the process corresponding to the first message by the first device, and improving the continuity of transmission and communication efficiency. Furthermore, considering that implementing or maintaining a timer requires additional energy consumption, the method of the first indication information in this embodiment of the application directly indicates the detection boundary, reducing energy consumption. In addition, during the uplink message (e.g., the first message) processing delay of the first device (e.g., T_D2R time), the second device can insert R2D / D2R messages from other devices, making full use of the T_D2R time.

[0223] Figure 11 shows a flowchart illustrating another possible communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. It is readily understood that the embodiment described in Figure 11 can be combined with other embodiments, such as the embodiment shown in Figure 10. Exemplarily, the method may include the following steps:

[0224] S701: The first device sends a first message to the second device.

[0225] Correspondingly, the second device receives the first message from the first device.

[0226] The description of the first message can be found in the description of step S601. The difference is that, in S701, for example, the first message is msg1.

[0227] Optional, msg1 failed to send.

[0228] In one possible implementation, the first device receives a paging message from the second device before the first device sends a first message to the second device.

[0229] Optional step S702: The first device receives a second R2D message from the second device.

[0230] Correspondingly, the second device sends a second R2D message to the first device.

[0231] For example, the second R2D message is a message sent by the second device to other devices and received by the first device. For example, the second R2D message is a broadcast message, and the second R2D message can be an RA trigger. That is to say, after the first device sends Msg1 to the second device, the second device may still communicate with other devices, and the second R2D message is a message sent by the first device to other devices.

[0232] S703: The first device receives a second message from the second device.

[0233] Correspondingly, the second device sends a second message to the first device.

[0234] For example, the second message includes first instruction information, which instructs the first device to stop detecting the response message of the first message, or instructs the first device to end the process corresponding to the first message.

[0235] In one possible implementation, the first indication information indicates that the random access procedure of the first device has ended.

[0236] The description of the second message can be found in step S602, and will not be repeated here.

[0237] Using this method, after the first device sends msg1, the second device can communicate with other devices, making full use of the T_D2R time. With the instruction from the second device, the first device can accurately determine whether to end the detection of the response message to the first message or to end the corresponding process of the first message, thereby avoiding the first device erroneously ending the detection or the corresponding process of the first message, and improving the continuity of transmission and communication efficiency.

[0238] Figure 12A shows a flowchart illustrating another possible communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. It is readily understood that the embodiment described in Figure 12A can be combined with other embodiments, such as those shown in Figure 10 or Figure 11. Exemplarily, the method may include the following steps:

[0239] S801: The first device sends a first message to the second device.

[0240] Correspondingly, the second device receives the first message from the first device.

[0241] The description of the first message can be found in the description of step S601. The difference is that, in S801, for example, the first message is msg3 or D2R data.

[0242] In one possible implementation, before the first device sends a first message to the second device, the first device receives a paging message from the second device. The first device sends msg1 to the second device and the first device receives Msg2 from the second device.

[0243] Optional step S802: The first device receives a second R2D message from the second device.

[0244] Correspondingly, the second device sends a second R2D message to the first device.

[0245] For example, the second R2D message is a message sent by the second device to other devices and received by the first device. For example, the second R2D message is a broadcast message, and the second R2D message can be an RA trigger. That is to say, after the first device sends msg3 or D2R data to the second device, the second device may still communicate with other devices, and the second R2D message is a message sent by the first device to other devices.

[0246] S803: The first device receives a second message from the second device.

[0247] Correspondingly, the second device sends a second message to the first device.

[0248] For example, the second message includes first instruction information, which instructs the first device to stop detecting the response message of the first message, or instructs the first device to end the process corresponding to the first message.

[0249] In one possible implementation, the first indication information indicates that the data transmission of the first device has ended.

[0250] The description of the second message can be found in step S602, and will not be repeated here.

[0251] Using this method, after the first device sends msg3 or D2R data, the second device can communicate with other devices, making full use of the T_D2R time. The first device, guided by the second device, can accurately determine whether to end the detection of the first message's response message or to end the corresponding process for the first message, thereby avoiding erroneous termination of detection or the corresponding process for the first message by the first device, and improving the continuity of transmission and communication efficiency.

[0252] Figure 12B is a flowchart illustrating another possible communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. It is readily understood that the embodiment described in Figure 12B can be combined with other embodiments, such as those shown in Figure 10 or Figure 11. Exemplarily, the method may include the following steps:

[0253] Optional step S901: The first device sends a first message to the second device.

[0254] Correspondingly, the second device receives the first message from the first device.

[0255] For a description of the first message, please refer to the description of step S601.

[0256] For example, optional step S901 can be replaced by the first device determining or obtaining some or all of the context information, such as the AS ID. For example, the AS ID (an example of context information) can be generated by the first device, such as a random ID, or it can be determined by the first device based on the obtained message, such as determining the AS ID based on the received msg2.

[0257] S902: The first device receives a second message from the second device.

[0258] Correspondingly, the second device sends a second message to the first device.

[0259] For example, the second message includes first indication information, which instructs the first device to maintain or release part or all of the context. In one possible design, the context information (also referred to as the context) may include one or more of the following: AS ID, transaction ID, random ID, other identification information of the first device, time-domain or frequency-domain resource information, MCS-associated information, time unit, repetition count, and indicative code. This embodiment uses AS ID as an example for the context. It is readily understood that the context information can also be other information; when the above information is other information, the relevant description when the context information is AS ID can be referred to.

[0260] For example, the first indication information instructs the first device to maintain or release the AS ID. For instance, when the first indication information is a first field, it instructs to maintain the AS ID; or when the first indication information is a second field, it instructs to release the AS ID. In one possible implementation, when the first indication information includes a first value (also referred to as the first field), it instructs to release the AS ID (an example of the context); when the first indication information includes a second value (also referred to as the second field), it instructs to maintain (or not release) the AS ID. For example, the first value is 1, and the second value is 0; the specific values ​​are not limited. Of course, there are other methods for instructing to maintain or release the AS ID, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto.

[0261] The description of the second message can be found in the description of step S602, and will not be repeated here. For example, the second message is a paging message.

[0262] Optionally, when the first device receives a paging message carrying a new transaction ID (a second message is an example), the first device releases the AS ID. For example, in one possible implementation, the second message is a paging message. The first indication information carried in the paging message instructs the first device to release the AS ID. For example, the first indication information is transaction ID#2. Before receiving the second message, the first device saves (or uses) transaction ID#1. That is, when the paging message carries a transaction ID different from the one saved by the first device, the second device instructs the first device to release the AS ID, and accordingly, the first device releases the AS ID according to the first indication information. In this way, when the paging message carries a new transaction ID, the first device can release the AS ID, avoiding maintaining the AS ID for too long. The new transaction ID can be understood as different from the transaction ID previously saved by the first device, or different from the transaction ID currently saved by the first device.

[0263] Optionally, when the first device receives a paging message (e.g., a second message) that triggers the first device to send msg1, the first device releases the AS ID. In one possible implementation, the second message is a paging message. When this paging message triggers the first device to send msg1, the first device releases the AS ID. This can be understood as the paging message instructing the first device to re-access; that is, the paging message triggering the first device to send msg1 can be replaced with the paging message being used to trigger the first device to re-access. In other words, when the first device receives a paging message used to trigger random access, the first device releases the AS ID.

[0264] The paging message that triggers the first device to send msg1 can be implemented in various ways. For example, if the first device fails before receiving the second message, and then the first device receives the second message, the second message will trigger the first device to reconnect.

[0265] For example, a failure of the first device could mean that the first device received a NACK instruction or that the first device received an instruction to retransmit.

[0266] Alternatively, the failure of the first device could mean that Msg3 failed, or that other messages failed, such as Msg4 or Msg5, or that command transmission failed.

[0267] Optionally, after sending msg3 to the second device, if the first device does not receive a NACK or retransmission indication but receives a new Transaction ID, the first device releases the AS ID. Optionally, the first device receives the new Transaction ID via a second message (e.g., a paging message).

[0268] Optionally, in one possible implementation, the transaction ID contained in the second message, i.e., the paging message received by the first device to trigger retransmission, is the same as the transaction ID contained in the paging message received before the failure (e.g., before the service transmission failure or data transmission failure). In this implementation, the first device determines to release the AS ID.

[0269] It is readily understood that in this embodiment, indicating the release of the AS ID can also be referred to as indicating the expiration of the AS ID. Releasing the AS ID can occur upon receiving the second message, or it can occur some time after receiving the second message. For example, in one possible implementation, after receiving the second message indicating the release of the AS ID, the first device releases the AS ID when it sends Msg1 to the second device. Alternatively, in another possible implementation, after receiving the second message, the first device releases the AS ID upon receiving Msg2 from the second device. It is readily understood that the received Msg2 from the second device may include a newly assigned AS ID from the second device.

[0270] For example, the second device may assign an AS ID to the first device in Msg2.

[0271] As is readily understood, in this embodiment, the AS ID can be a random number carried in msg1 sent by the first device to the second device, such as a 16-bit random number. The AS ID can also be a 16-bit number allocated by the second device to the first device during contention resolution in msg2; this embodiment is not limited in this respect. The Transaction ID can be replaced with the first identifier; that is, the transaction ID can also have other names. The transaction ID can also be referred to as an identifier used to indicate the services of the first device; this embodiment is not limited in this respect.

[0272] This method instructs the paging message to maintain or release the AS ID, preventing the first device from maintaining the AS ID for too long, which could render the same AS ID unusable or cause the AS to become invalid, thus incurring additional storage overhead for the first device. On the other hand, regarding the first indication information carried in the paging message, since the paging message can trigger the next round of random access (e.g., the initial paging message triggers initial random access and / or data transmission, and retransmission / subsequent paging can trigger re-access and / or data transmission), or trigger a new round of paging / service process / data transmission, receiving the paging message means that the current process (random access and / or data transmission, or inventory process / command process, etc.) can end, and the second device can specify whether to continue using the AS ID currently maintained by the first device.

[0273] In this application, "sending information" can be understood as one device sending information to another device, or it can also be understood as one logical module within a device sending information to another logical module. For example, "access network device sending information" can be understood as the access network device sending information to another device (such as a terminal), or it can be understood as logical module 1 in the access network device sending information to logical module 2 in the access network device.

[0274] In this application, "receiving information" can be understood as one device receiving information from another device, or it can also be understood as a logical module within a device receiving information from another logical module. For example, "access network device receiving information" can be understood as the access network device receiving information from another device (such as a terminal), or it can be understood as logical module 1 in the access network device receiving information from logical module 2 in the access network device.

[0275] In this application, phrases such as "sending information to... (e.g., a terminal)" or related illustrations in the accompanying drawings can be understood as indicating that the destination of the information is a terminal. This can include sending information directly or indirectly to a terminal. Similarly, phrases such as "receiving information from... (e.g., a terminal)," "receiving information from... (e.g., a terminal)," or "receiving information sent by (e.g., a terminal)," or related illustrations in the accompanying drawings, can be understood as indicating that the source of the information is a terminal. This can include receiving information directly or indirectly from a terminal. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be interpreted similarly and will not be elaborated further here.

[0276] Figure 13 illustrates a possible exemplary block diagram of the communication device involved in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 13, the communication device 1300 may include modules or units for implementing the method embodiments described above. In one possible design, the communication device 1300 includes a processing unit 1302 and a communication unit 1303. Optionally, the communication device 1300 may further include a storage unit 1301 for storing device program code and / or data.

[0277] The communication device 1300 can be an A-IoT device-side device in the above embodiments, such as an A-IoT device or a communication module in an A-IoT device, or a circuit or chip in an A-IoT device that is responsible for communication functions.

[0278] For example, in one embodiment, the communication unit 1303 is used to send a first message to the second device; the communication unit 1303 is also used to receive a second message from the second device, the second message including first indication information, the first indication information instructing the first device to stop detecting the response message of the first message, or instructing the first device to end the process corresponding to the first message.

[0279] In one possible design, the communication unit 1302 is used to stop detecting the response information of the first message according to the first instruction information, or to terminate the process corresponding to the first message.

[0280] In one possible design, the first indication information includes one or more of the following information associated with the first device: index information, bitmap information, and first identification information; wherein the first identification information is used to identify the first device.

[0281] In one possible design, the first instruction information also instructs the third device to stop detecting the response information of the third message, or instructs the third device to end the process corresponding to the third message, wherein the third message is a message sent by the third device to the second device.

[0282] In one possible design, the second message includes a response message to the first message.

[0283] In one possible design, the second device also indicates whether the first message transmission was successful or failed.

[0284] In one possible design, after stopping the detection of the response message to the first message, the communication unit 1302 is further configured to:

[0285] Release part or all of the context; or,

[0286] Clear cache information; or

[0287] Determine the status information, which includes whether the transmission has been completed or not.

[0288] In one possible design, the context includes one or more of the following: random access identifier, access stratum identifier, and transaction identifier.

[0289] In one possible design, the communication unit 1302 is also used for:

[0290] The process has been confirmed successful; no further re-access will be initiated.

[0291] If the process fails, initiate a reconnection.

[0292] Furthermore, the communication device 1300 can be a reader / writer device-side device in the above embodiments, such as a reader / writer device or a communication module in a reader / writer device, or a circuit or chip in a reader / writer device responsible for communication functions.

[0293] For example, in one embodiment, the communication unit 1302 is configured to receive a first message from the first device; the communication unit 1302 is also configured to send a second message to the first device, the second message including first indication information, the first indication information instructing the first device to stop detecting the response message of the first message, or instructing the first device to end the process corresponding to the first message. In one possible design, the first indication information includes one or more of the following information associated with the first device: index information, bitmap information, and first identification information, wherein the first identification information is used to identify the first device.

[0294] In one possible design, the first instruction information also instructs the third device to stop detecting the response information of the third message, or instructs the third device to end the process corresponding to the third message, wherein the third message is a message sent by the third device to the second device.

[0295] In one possible design, the second message includes a response message to the first message.

[0296] In one possible design, the first indication information also indicates whether the first message transmission was successful or failed.

[0297] In one possible design, before the second device sends the second message to the first device, the communication unit 1302 is also used to send a fourth message to the fourth device.

[0298] In one possible design, when the communication device 1300 is a terminal or a communication module within a terminal, the function of the processing unit 1302 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip or a SIP chip containing a modem core. The function of the communication unit 1303 can be implemented by transceiver circuitry.

[0299] In one possible design, when the communication device 1300 is a circuit or chip in a terminal responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing unit 1302 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processor cores. The function of the communication unit 1303 can be implemented by an interface circuit or data transceiver circuit on the aforementioned chip.

[0300] In one possible design, when the communication device 1300 is a terminal or a processing module within a terminal, the functionality of the processing unit 1302 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a GPU, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a GPU. The functionality of the communication unit 1303 can be implemented by transceiver circuitry.

[0301] In one possible design, when the communication device 1300 is a circuit or chip in the terminal responsible for processing functions, such as a GPU or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a GPU, the function of the processing unit 1302 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processor cores. The function of the communication unit 1303 can be implemented by interface circuitry or data transceiver circuitry on the aforementioned chip.

[0302] It is understood that the division of units in the above-described device is merely a logical functional division. One function can correspond to one functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional unit. In actual implementation, all or some units can be integrated onto a single physical entity, or distributed across different physical entities. Furthermore, the aforementioned functional units can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. Whether a function is executed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for specific applications, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0303] In one example, the functional unit in any of the above devices may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as: one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more central processing units (CPUs), one or more microcontroller units (MCUs), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms.

[0304] In one example, storage unit 1301 may include random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory or electrically erasable programmable memory and / or registers, etc.

[0305] Referring to Figure 14, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal provided in an embodiment of this application, the terminal 1400 can correspond to the first device shown in Figures 10, 11, 12A or 12B, and is used to implement the operation of the terminal in the above embodiments. As shown in Figure 14, the terminal includes: one or more antennas 1410, a radio frequency processing system 1420, and a processor system 1430.

[0306] In the downlink or sidelink direction, the RF processing system 1420 receives RF signals through the antenna 1410 and sends the RF-processed signals to the processor system 1430 for further processing. In the uplink or sidelink direction, the processor system 1430 processes the terminal-side information and sends it to the RF processing system 1420, which then processes the signal and transmits it through the antenna 1410.

[0307] In one example, the radio frequency (RF) processing system 1420 serves as the communication interface for external communication of the terminal and may include an RF front end (RFFE) 1421 and an RF transceiver 1422. The RFFE 1421 is primarily used for one or more processing operations, such as shaping, passband selection, or gain adjustment, on the RF signals received by the antenna or those to be transmitted through the antenna. It may include one or more components such as RF switches, duplexers, filters, power amplifiers, antenna tuners, and low-noise amplifiers. The RFFE 1421 can be a circuit system composed of multiple discrete components or integrated into one or more chips. The RF transceiver 1422 processes the RF signals received by the RFFE into baseband / IF signals for further processing by the processor system 1430, and processes the baseband / IF signals provided by the processor system 1430 into RF signals for transmission to the RFFE 1421. The baseband / IF signals transmitted between the RF transceiver 1422 and the processor system 1430 can be digital or analog signals. The radio frequency transceiver 1422 can be implemented by one or more chips, which are commonly referred to as radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs).

[0308] In one example, processor system 1430 may include one or more processors for processing signals and executing one or more communication protocols. Optionally, processor system 1430 may also include memory 1436. In one example, the one or more processors include at least one baseband processor 1431 (also known as a modem processor). Memory 1436 is used to store data and / or computer program instructions. Optionally, processor system 1430 may also include one or more application processors 1432 for implementing processing of the terminal operating system and application layer. Application processor 1432 may include, for example, a GPU. Optionally, processor system 1430 may also include one or more of a voice subsystem 1433, a multimedia subsystem 1434, or an interface circuit 1435. The voice subsystem 1433 is used to process voice signals, the multimedia subsystem 1434 is used to handle multimedia-related operations, such as video encoding / decoding, image processing, etc., and the interface circuit 1435 is used to implement communication with other terminal components, such as a display 1440, an input device 1450, memory 1460, etc. The aforementioned components in the processor system 1430 can communicate with each other via a bus or communication interface circuit.

[0309] In one example, the processor system 1430 can be packaged as a single processor chip, such as a SoC chip or a SIP chip. In another example, the processor system 1430 can be a system composed of multiple chips; for example, the baseband processor 1431 can be packaged as a single chip, or packaged with part or all of the circuitry of the radio frequency processing system into a single chip.

[0310] In one example, memory 1436 can be on-chip memory, i.e., located on the processor system 1430 chip. In another example, memory 1460 can be off-chip memory, i.e. located outside the processor system 1430 chip.

[0311] In one example, the baseband processor 1431 may include one or more processor cores 14311 and interface circuitry 14314. The one or more processor cores 14311 are used to process signals and execute one or more communication protocols. Optionally, the baseband processor 1431 may also include a memory 14312 for storing at least a portion of the corresponding computer program instructions and / or data. In one example, the one or more processor cores 14311 execute the computer program instructions stored in the memory 14312 to implement the relevant operations in the above method embodiments (such as controlling one or more antennas 1410 to receive third information, the third information indicating transmission control information for first data, the transmission control information being obtained based on first transmission parameters and an AI model, the transmission control information indicating time information for submitting the first data to the application layer; and submitting the first data to the application layer based on the transmission control information). In this disclosure, memory 14312 is used to store corresponding computer program instructions and / or data. This can mean that memory 14312 stores all corresponding computer program instructions and / or data for execution by processor core 14311; or it can mean that memory 14312 stores a portion of corresponding computer program instructions and / or data, including the computer program instructions and / or data currently required to be executed by processor core 14311. Memory 14312 can store different portions of computer program instructions and / or data multiple times for execution by processor core 14311 to implement the relevant operations in the above method embodiments. Interface circuit 14314 serves as a communication interface for communication with other components, such as transmitting signals with radio frequency processing system 1420, communicating with other subsystems and related components of processor system 1430 via bus, such as transmitting data control signals with application processor 1432, and transmitting data or computer program instructions with memory 1436 or memory 1460. Optionally, in order to reduce the load on the processor core, a baseband signal processing circuit 14313 can be set to perform at least some baseband signal processing, including one or more of signal demodulation, modulation, encoding or decoding.

[0312] In one example, the communication device provided in this application may be a terminal 1400, a communication module including a processor system 1430 and a radio frequency processing system 1420, or a baseband processor 1431.

[0313] The processor, processor system, application processor, baseband processor, processor circuit, or processor core mentioned above can be collectively referred to as a processor. The processor may include one or more of the following: central processing unit (CPU), digital signal processor (DSP), microprocessor unit (MPU), microcontroller unit (MCU), graphics processing unit (GPU), field programmable gate array (FPGA), artificial intelligence processor (AI processor), or neural processing unit (NPU).

[0314] The aforementioned memory may include one or more of the following storage media: random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), phase-change memory (PCM), resistive random access memory (ReRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), cache, register, read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), hard disk, etc. In one example, computer program instructions for executing the above embodiments may be stored on non-volatile memory, such as at least a portion of the aforementioned memory 1460 (e.g., one or more of ROM, flash memory, EPROM, or hard disk). When the terminal is running, the corresponding computer program instructions may be partially or wholly loaded onto a memory with a faster transfer speed than the processor, such as at least a portion of memory 1436 and / or memory 14312 (e.g., one or more of RAM, SRAM, DRAM, PCM, RERAM, MRAM, FRAM, cache, or register), for the processor to execute in order to implement the steps in the above method embodiments.

[0315] In one example, the RF transceiver 1422 and the RF front-end 1421 can also be packaged in a single chip. In another example, the RF transceiver 1422, the RF front-end 1421, and the baseband processor 1431 can also be packaged in a single chip.

[0316] The terms "system" and "network" in this application embodiment are used interchangeably. "At least one" refers to one or more, and "multiple" refers to two or more. "And / or" 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, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, "at least one of A, B, or C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC; "at least one of A, B, and C" can also be understood as including A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in this application embodiment are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, sequence, priority, or importance of multiple objects.

[0317] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0318] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to this application. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or one or more blocks of the block diagrams.

[0319] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0320] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0321] It is understood that in this application, "instruction" can include direct instruction, indirect instruction, explicit instruction, and implicit instruction. When describing a certain instruction information to indicate A, it can be understood that the instruction information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A. In this application, the information indicated by the instruction information is called the information to be instructed. In specific implementation, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index, or indirectly indicating the information to be instructed by indicating other information, wherein there is an association between the other information and the information to be instructed. It is also possible to indicate only a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts of the information to be instructed are known or agreed upon in advance. For example, the instruction of specific information can also be achieved by using the arrangement order of various information in advance (e.g., as specified by a protocol), thereby reducing the instruction overhead to a certain extent. The information to be instructed can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information to be sent separately, and the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different. This application does not limit the specific sending method. The sending period and / or timing of these sub-information messages can be predefined, for example, according to a protocol, or configured by the transmitting device by sending configuration information to the receiving device.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: The first device sends a first message to the second device; After the first device sends the first message to the second device, the first device detects the response message to the first message; The first device receives a second message from the second device; The first device determines to stop detecting the response information of the first message, or determines that access has failed or contention resolution has failed, under one or more of the following conditions: The first device receives a paging message; or, The first device receives Q reader-to-device R2D messages, where the R2D message is a specified R2D message and Q is a positive integer.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first message includes contention messages in random access.

3. The method as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The second message includes the paging message.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The specified R2D message includes the Random Access Trigger (RA) message.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The determination of race resolution failure includes: After sending the first message, the first device receives Q random access trigger messages, and the first device determines that the contention resolution has failed, where Q is a positive integer.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The value of Q is indicated by a paging message.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The first device is an environmental IoT device or a chip in an environmental IoT device.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, After the first device stops detecting the response message to the first message, the method further includes: The first device releases part or all of the context; or, The first device clears the cache information; or The first device determines status information, which includes whether the transmission has been completed or not.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The process for ending the first message includes: If the process is confirmed to be successful, no further reconnection will be initiated, or... If the process fails, initiate a reconnection.

10. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The context includes one or more of the following: random access identifier, access stratum identifier, transaction identifier, and control information.

11. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes modules or units for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 1-10.

12. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores instructions that, when executed, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1-10 to be performed.

13. A computer program product, characterized in that, The system stores instructions that, when executed, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1-10 to be performed.

14. A communication system, characterized in that, The communication system includes the first device and the second device as described in any one of claims 1-10.

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