Method for starting configuration of multiple devices to be configured in a Bluetooth Mesh network

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for starting configuration of multiple network devices to be configured in a Bluetooth Mesh network, the method comprising: simultaneously powering on multiple network devices to be configured; determining an independent random transmission power for each of the multiple network devices to be configured; each of the multiple network devices to be configured sends a first waiting startup configuration beacon packet with its corresponding random transmission power; and each of the multiple network devices to be configured continues to send a waiting startup configuration beacon packet with its corresponding random transmission power, so that the corresponding startup configuration device can perform startup configuration operations on it. The present invention can solve the problem of data packet congestion caused by too much concentration of devices performing startup configuration or software over-the-air upgrade during the Bluetooth Mesh startup configuration process or software over-the-air upgrade process.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of application No. 201910168979.6, filed with the China Intellectual Property Office on March 6, 2019, entitled “Method for starting and configuring multiple devices to be configured in a Bluetooth Mesh network”. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to a Bluetooth Mesh network, and more specifically, to a method for starting and configuring a plurality of network devices to be configured in a Bluetooth Mesh network and a method for performing over-the-air software upgrade on a plurality of nodes to be upgraded in a Bluetooth Mesh network. Background Art

[0003] In Bluetooth Mesh, there are some processes that require all devices to participate. For example, for a large number of devices that have not been configured to join the network, it is necessary to uniformly start the configuration process to join the network. For another example, it is necessary to perform software upgrades over the air for a large number of devices that have become nodes. In such scenarios, there will be a central node or device that first initiates the corresponding process operation, such as starting the configuration of the devices to be configured through the mobile phone, or performing software upgrades over the air for the devices that have joined the network.

[0004] In this scenario, the initial stage of the process will be concentrated in a small circle around the central node for related operations, while other devices or nodes in the network will be idle. This will cause a large number of data packets to gather around the central node, resulting in channel congestion, severe interference, and frequent packet loss; on the other hand, devices or nodes far away from the central node are in an idle waiting state and cannot start the operation process in time.

[0005] The following combination Figure 1 , 2 Specific explanation of the process and reasons for the above problems. Figure 1 As shown in the figure, all the small circles represent devices. In the scenario of starting the configuration process, they represent the devices waiting to be configured and connected to the network. In the scenario of waiting for software over-the-air upgrade, they represent the devices waiting for software over-the-air upgrade. Taking the startup configuration process as an example, usually, after all devices are installed, they will be powered on at the same time. After startup, the devices begin to send "waiting for startup configuration beacon packets (Unprovisioned Device Beacon)". Combined with Figure 2This beacon packet is generally not sent very frequently, for example, once every 5 seconds, and each transmission lasts about 1 millisecond (ms). In the startup configuration scenario, because all devices are powered on at the same time, they basically send the waiting startup configuration beacon packet at the same time, and then send the second packet at the same time 5 seconds later. Considering that the Bluetooth protocol adds a random delay of 0 to 10ms to each broadcast packet, the transmission time of the first packet after all devices are started is concentrated between the power-on time T0 and T0+10ms, the second packet is concentrated between T0+5s and T0+5s+10ms, and so on. Figure 2 In the timeline shown, the solid part represents the concentrated sending time of the "startup configuration beacon packet" in the air.

[0006] exist Figure 1 In the network diagram, assuming that device 1 is the central startup configuration device, it will first scan the devices waiting to be configured in the air. Because all devices are powered on at the same time, almost all devices will send the waiting startup configuration beacon packet at the same time. From a communication perspective, if a device receives data packets sent by different devices at the same time, it will generally choose the data packet with a higher received signal strength. That is, if the transmission power of each device is the same, the data packet sent by the closer device has a greater received signal strength, so it is easier for the device to receive it.

[0007] Because devices 2, 3, 11, and 13 are closer to device 1 than other devices, the signal strength of the "waiting to start configuration beacon packets" sent by these devices is greater than the "waiting to start configuration beacon packets" sent by other devices, so it is likely that the "waiting to start configuration beacon packets" of these devices will be processed first, that is, these devices will be started first. For example, Figure 1 In the example, device 1 can select devices 2, 3, and 11 to start the configuration process at the same time; after device 2 is configured and connected to the network, it can continue to look for devices around it waiting to be configured and connected to the network. Similarly, device 2 can select, for example, surrounding devices 21, 22, and 4 to start the configuration process at the same time. Similarly, after device 3 is configured and connected to the network, it can select, for example, surrounding devices 31, 32, and 33 to start the configuration process at the same time; after device 4 is configured and connected to the network, it can select, for example, surrounding devices 41, 42, and 43 to start the configuration process at the same time. It should be understood that Figure 1 The larger circle represented by solid and dashed lines shown in the figure only schematically represents the relative distance relationship between the device at the center of the circle and other devices, and does not represent the signal coverage range of the device.

[0008] In summary, at the beginning, only the devices concentrated around device 1 will start the configuration process, and then slowly spread to the peripheral devices of the network; this will cause a lot of data packets around device 1 in the initial stage, causing serious interference, while the peripheral devices of the network are always idle and the channels are also idle. On the one hand, in terms of space, this will cause the channels in the local area to be too crowded. In addition, it may cause several nodes located in the center, such as device 1 that first initiated the startup configuration, to compete for the few nearby devices to be configured, resulting in each device being unable to start the configuration of multiple devices to be configured at the same time. However, there are a large number of devices far away from the center waiting for configuration and cannot be configured. On the other hand, in terms of time, as shown in the reference Figure 2 The above timeline analysis in the above example will also cause a large number of devices to send waiting startup configuration beacon packets in a certain period of time (e.g., 10ms), while no device sends waiting startup configuration beacon packets in other periods of time (e.g., the remaining 5s-10ms), causing the startup configuration device to only be able to find the waiting startup configuration device in a very short time window. If it cannot find it, it can only wait for the next cycle (e.g., 5s). Such congestion problems are particularly serious in densely deployed networks. For example, a densely deployed network can be a network where all devices or a large number of devices are within one hop range.

[0009] Therefore, there is a need in the art for a solution that can at least eliminate or alleviate the above congestion when starting configuration or over-the-air software upgrade in a Bluetooth Mesh network. It should be understood that the above-listed technical problems are only examples and not limitations of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to technical solutions that solve all of the above technical problems at the same time. The technical solution of the present invention can be implemented to solve one or more of the above or other technical problems. Summary of the invention

[0010] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the problems of local channel congestion caused by data packet aggregation during startup configuration or over-the-air software upgrade in the existing Bluetooth Mesh network, and multiple startup configuration devices competing for a small number of network devices to be configured or multiple upgrade service device nodes competing for a small number of nodes to be upgraded, thereby making it impossible for the device to complete the startup configuration or over-the-air software upgrade in real time.

[0011] In a first aspect of the present invention, a method for starting configuration of multiple devices to be configured in a Bluetooth Mesh network is provided, comprising: (a) powering on multiple devices to be configured simultaneously; (b) each of the multiple devices to be configured determines an independent random transmission power; (c) each of the multiple devices to be configured sends a first waiting-to-start configuration beacon packet with its corresponding random transmission power; and (d) each of the multiple devices to be configured continues to send waiting-to-start configuration beacon packets with its corresponding random transmission power, so that the corresponding configuration device can perform a configuration operation on it.

[0012] Preferably, the random transmission power is between -5dbm and the maximum transmission power of the device to be networked.

[0013] Preferably, after step (a), an independent random time delay is assigned to each of the multiple devices to be networked; and in step (c), each of the multiple devices to be networked sends a first waiting-to-start configuration beacon packet when waiting for the time determined by its corresponding random time delay.

[0014] Preferably, the length of the random time delay is between 0 ms and the interval time for waiting to start sending the configuration beacon packet.

[0015] In a second aspect of the present invention, a method for performing software over-the-air upgrade on multiple nodes to be upgraded in a Bluetooth Mesh network is also provided, wherein the method comprises: (a) an upgrade service device node sends an upgrade instruction to multiple nodes to be upgraded; (b) when each of the multiple nodes to be upgraded receives the upgrade instruction and decides to accept the upgrade, each of the multiple nodes to be upgraded determines an independent random transmission power; (c) the node to be upgraded sends a first waiting over-the-air upgrade beacon packet with its corresponding random transmission power; and (d) each of the multiple nodes to be upgraded continues to send waiting over-the-air upgrade beacon packets with its corresponding random transmission power, so that the corresponding upgrade service device node can perform software over-the-air upgrade operations on it.

[0016] Preferably, the random transmission power is between -5dbm and the maximum transmission power of the device to be networked.

[0017] Preferably, after step (a), when each of the multiple nodes to be upgraded receives the upgrade instruction and decides to accept the upgrade, an independent random time delay is assigned to each of the multiple nodes to be upgraded; and in step (c), each of the multiple nodes to be upgraded sends a waiting first air upgrade beacon packet when waiting for the time determined by its corresponding random time delay.

[0018] Preferably, the length of the random time delay is between 0 ms and the interval time for waiting to start sending the configuration beacon packet.

[0019] In a third aspect of the present invention, a method for synchronizing random transmission power between two devices is also provided, wherein the method comprises: (a) each of the two devices randomly selects a transmission power within a set transmission power range to start communication; (b) one of the two devices receives a request packet or a response packet from the other device; (c) the own device actively reports its own transmission power to the other device; (d) the own device determines whether the transmission power reported by the other device is received within a set time; if not, the communication established with the other device is stopped; if yes, the step (e) is continued; (e) the own device determines whether it needs to adjust its own transmission power; if yes, the own device performs the transmission power adjustment and goes to step (f); if not, the step (f) is directly transferred to; (f) the two devices continue to complete the remaining communication;

[0020] Preferably, in step (e), the method for the own device to determine whether the transmission power needs to be adjusted includes: if the transmission power reported by the other device is higher than the transmission power of the own device, the transmission power of the own device needs to be adjusted, and executing the transmission power adjustment includes increasing the transmission power of the own device.

[0021] Preferably, the method for the own device in step (e) to determine whether the transmission power needs to be adjusted includes: if it is determined that the other device can receive the data packet sent by the own device, or the RSSI of the data packet sent by the other device exceeds the set strength, then there is no need to adjust the transmission power of the own device.

[0022] The present invention can effectively reduce the problems of data packet congestion, interference, severe data packet loss, etc. caused by excessive concentration of devices executing startup configuration or software over-the-air upgrade during the device startup configuration process or the initial stage of software over-the-air upgrade. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing a network environment in which a Bluetooth Mesh network device startup configuration process is located in the prior art;

[0024] Figure 2 Show according to Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the timeline of a device sending a waiting startup configuration beacon packet;

[0025] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing a flow chart of a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing a flow chart of a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 5A schematic diagram showing a flow chart of a third embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6 A schematic diagram showing a flow chart of a fourth embodiment of the present invention; and

[0029] Figure 7 A flow chart showing the method of synchronizing random transmission power of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The method of the present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods. It should be understood that the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings and described below are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the present invention.

[0031] Figure 3 The flowchart of the first embodiment of the method for starting configuration of multiple network devices to be configured in a Bluetooth Mesh network of the present invention is shown, specifically:

[0032] In step 102, multiple network devices to be configured are powered on simultaneously. In step 104, each of the multiple network devices to be configured is assigned an independent random time delay. In step 106, when each of the multiple network devices to be configured waits for the time determined by its corresponding random time delay, the network device to be configured sends the first waiting startup configuration beacon packet. Preferably, the length of the random time delay is between 0ms and the interval time of sending the waiting startup configuration beacon packet. In step 108, each of the multiple network devices to be configured continues to send the waiting startup configuration beacon packet so that the corresponding startup configuration device can perform startup configuration operations on it.

[0033] Preferably, in order to further balance the network transmission traffic to alleviate channel congestion, after or before the above step 102, an independent random transmission power may be determined for each of the multiple network devices to be configured; and in steps 106 and 108, each of the multiple network devices to be configured sends a waiting startup configuration beacon packet with its corresponding random transmission power. The random transmission power is preferably between -5dbm and the maximum transmission power of the network device to be configured.

[0034] Using a solution similar to that of the first embodiment, the second embodiment of the invention provides a method for performing over-the-air software upgrades on multiple nodes to be upgraded in a Bluetooth Mesh network.

[0035] Specifically, Figure 4As shown, in step 202, the upgrade service device node sends an upgrade instruction to multiple nodes to be upgraded. In step 204, when each of the multiple nodes to be upgraded receives the upgrade instruction and decides to accept the upgrade, an independent random time delay is assigned to each of the multiple nodes to be upgraded. In step 206, when each of the multiple nodes to be upgraded waits for the time determined by its corresponding random time delay, the node to be upgraded sends the first waiting air upgrade beacon packet. In step 208, each of the multiple nodes to be upgraded continues to send waiting air upgrade beacon packets so that the corresponding upgrade service device node can perform software air upgrade operations on it. Similarly, the length of the random time delay is between 0ms and the interval time of waiting to start the configuration beacon packet. It should be understood that the interval time of waiting to start the configuration beacon packet can be determined according to the Bluetooth Mesh protocol or according to the application needs. For example, the sending interval time can be 5 seconds, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. And preferably, in order to further balance the network transmission traffic to alleviate channel congestion, after or before step 202, an independent random transmission power may be determined for each of the multiple network devices to be configured; and in steps 206 and 208, each of the multiple network devices to be configured sends a waiting startup configuration beacon packet with its corresponding random transmission power. The random transmission power is preferably between -5dbm and the maximum transmission power of the network device to be configured.

[0036] By using the method described in the first and second embodiments above, the device does not need to immediately send a waiting startup configuration beacon packet when it is powered on, and does not need to immediately send a waiting air upgrade beacon packet after receiving an upgrade instruction. Instead, according to the above method, it waits for a time determined by a random time delay before sending a data packet. Figure 1 , using the present invention, different devices can send beacon packets in different time windows, Figure 1 For the network diagram shown, by setting a random time delay, it is possible that device 43 sends a packet at time point T0, device 2 sends a packet at time point T0+100ms, device 31 sends a packet at time point T0+500ms, device 3 sends a packet at time point T0+1s, etc. Therefore, at time point T0, because only device 43 is sending a packet, the central node device 1 only receives the waiting startup configuration beacon packet sent by device 43 at time point T0, and first initiates the startup configuration process for device 43; at T0+100ms, device 1 receives the waiting startup configuration beacon packet sent by device 2, so it initiates the startup configuration process for device 2; although device 2 is closer than device 43, device 2 did not send a packet at time point T0, so there is no device in event T0 that can compete with device 43 for resources.

[0037] Therefore, by adding a random time delay, the beacon packet sent by the remote device may be received by the central node before the beacon packet of the nearby device, so that the startup configuration process can be started first. This can avoid the problem of resource competition caused by all devices sending waiting startup configuration beacon packets, which makes it easier for devices close to the central node to get priority in the startup configuration process.

[0038] In the third embodiment of the present invention, when starting configuration of multiple network devices to be configured, no independent random time delay is used for the network devices to be configured, but only independent random transmission power is determined for the network devices to be configured. Specifically, Figure 5 As shown, in step 302, multiple network devices to be configured are powered on simultaneously. In step 304, each of the multiple network devices to be configured determines an independent random transmission power. In step 306, each of the multiple network devices to be configured sends a first waiting startup configuration beacon packet at its corresponding random transmission power. In step 308, each of the multiple network devices to be configured continues to send waiting startup configuration beacon packets at its corresponding random transmission power, so that the corresponding startup configuration device can perform startup configuration operations on it.

[0039] Similar to the third embodiment of the present invention, the fourth embodiment of the present invention provides another method for performing software over-the-air upgrade on multiple nodes to be upgraded in a Bluetooth Mesh network. Similarly, the fourth embodiment does not adopt a means of determining an independent random time delay for the network device to be configured, but only determines an independent random transmission power for the node to be upgraded. Specifically, Figure 6 As shown, in step 402, the upgrade service device node sends an upgrade instruction to multiple nodes to be upgraded. In step 404, when each of the multiple nodes to be upgraded receives the upgrade instruction and decides to accept the upgrade, each of the multiple nodes to be upgraded determines an independent random transmission power. In step 406, the node to be upgraded sends the first waiting air upgrade beacon packet with its corresponding random transmission power. In step 408, each of the multiple nodes to be upgraded continues to send the waiting air upgrade beacon packet with its corresponding random transmission power, so that the corresponding upgrade service device node can perform a software air upgrade operation on it.

[0040] The scheme described in the third or fourth embodiment of the present invention is used alone to optimize the startup configuration and software over-the-air upgrade process. For example, in the startup configuration process, assuming that all devices select a random value between 1dbm and 10dbm as the transmission power, the transmission power of different devices is usually different. Assuming that device 2 randomly selects 1dbm as the transmission power, and device 23 randomly selects 10dbm as the transmission power, even if the waiting startup configuration beacon packets of device 2 and device 23 are sent at the same time and device 2 is closer, but because the transmission power of device 23 is greater, the receiving signal strength of the beacon packet sent by device 23 received by device 1 may be stronger than the strength of the beacon packet sent by device 2, so the farther device 23 may be selected to start the configuration process, thereby optimizing the configuration process. As a preferred solution, the random transmission power can be selected between -5dbm and the maximum transmission power of the network device to be configured to enhance the effect of randomization of the transmission power. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this.

[0041] In the scheme of using random transmission power according to the present invention, additional technical means can be adopted to prevent the situation that one party can receive the data packet of the other party, but the other party cannot receive the data packet of the other party, between the startup configuration device and the device to be configured or between the upgrade service device node and the node to be upgraded. For example, if device 1 uses a transmission power of 10dbm, and device 2 uses a transmission power of 1dbm, and the distance between the two is relatively far, the signal transmitted by the transmission power of 10dbm can reach the other party, but the signal transmitted by the transmission power of 1dbm cannot reach the other party, which will cause the data packet sent by device 1 to be received by device 2, but the data packet sent by device 2 cannot be received by device 1.

[0042] In this regard, the present invention also provides a method for synchronizing random transmission power between two devices. In this method, the two devices need to exchange their respective transmission powers to synchronize the transmission powers of both parties. As a non-limiting example of the method for synchronizing random transmission power, Figure 7As shown, the method starts at step 502, in which each of the two devices randomly selects a transmission power within the set transmission power range to start communication. In step 504, a device receives a request packet or a response packet from the other device. In step 506, the device actively reports its own transmission power. In step 508, it is determined whether the transmission power reported by the other party is received within the set time. If not, in step 510, the communication established by the other party is stopped. If yes, in step 512, it is determined whether it is necessary to adjust its own transmission power. Specifically, by actively reporting its own transmission power to the other party, the party with a smaller transmission power can increase its transmission power to a higher transmission power. Preferably, in actual operation, it can be determined in a more optimized way whether to change its own transmission power. For example, although it is detected that the transmission power of the other party is greater than that of the other party, it is actually found that the data packet sent by the other party can also be received by the other party, or the RSSI of the data packet sent by the other party is large enough, so it is determined that it is not necessary to adjust its own transmission power and the communication can be completed normally. If the device determines in step 512 that it is necessary to adjust its own transmission power, the transmission power adjustment is performed in step 514, and the remaining communication is continued in step 516.

[0043] Through the above-mentioned method for synchronizing random transmission power, the scheme of adopting random transmission power in the present invention can avoid the situation where the random transmission power of one of the two devices is too small to affect communication.

[0044] In summary, the method of the present invention can reduce the problem of data packet congestion caused by the excessive concentration of devices performing startup configuration or software over-the-air upgrade during the device startup configuration process or the software over-the-air upgrade process, and can optimize the device configuration or software upgrade process, thereby improving the operation speed and efficiency. Although various embodiments of various aspects of the present invention have been described for the purpose of the present disclosure, it should not be understood that the teachings of the present disclosure are limited to these embodiments. The features disclosed in a specific embodiment are not limited to the embodiment, but can be combined with the features disclosed in different embodiments. For example, one or more features and / or operations of the method according to the present invention described in one embodiment may also be applied separately, in combination or as a whole in another embodiment. In addition, it should be understood that the method steps described above can be executed sequentially, in parallel, merged into fewer steps, split into more steps, combined and / or omitted in a manner different from that described. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that there are also possible more optional implementations and variations, and various changes and modifications can be made to the above method steps without departing from the scope defined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for starting and configuring multiple devices to be configured in a Bluetooth Mesh network, characterized in that: The method comprises: (a) Power on multiple devices to be networked simultaneously; (b) each of the multiple network devices to be configured determines an independent random transmission power; (c) each of the plurality of network devices to be configured sends a first waiting-to-start configuration beacon packet at its corresponding random transmission power; and (d) Each of the multiple devices to be configured continues to send the waiting startup configuration beacon packet at its corresponding random transmission power, so that the corresponding startup configuration device can perform a startup configuration operation on it.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The random transmission power is between -5 dbm and the maximum transmission power of the device to be configured.

3. A method for performing over-the-air software upgrade on multiple nodes to be upgraded in a Bluetooth Mesh network, characterized in that: The method comprises: (a) The upgrade service device node sends an upgrade instruction to multiple nodes to be upgraded; (b) when each of the plurality of nodes to be upgraded receives an upgrade instruction and decides to accept the upgrade, each of the plurality of nodes to be upgraded determines an independent random transmission power; (c) the node to be upgraded sends the first waiting air upgrade beacon packet with its corresponding random transmission power; and (d) Each of the multiple nodes to be upgraded continues to send the waiting air upgrade beacon packet at its corresponding random transmission power, so that the corresponding upgrade service device node can perform a software air upgrade operation on it.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The random transmission power is between -5 dbm and the maximum transmission power of the node to be upgraded.

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