Wireless communication method, system and device

Abstract

The present disclosure proposes a wireless communication method, system, and device. The method includes: adding a Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack on the WiFi link layer; sending data packets in the format of the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack using the WiFi channel; and receiving data packets using the WiFi channel and parsing the received data packets based on the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack. Thus, a method of superimposing the original Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack on the MAC layer (link layer) of WiFi is proposed. This method enables various existing Bluetooth Mesh solutions and ecosystems to be quickly advanced to WiFi devices, and by reusing the efficient and relatively long-distance communication capabilities of the MAC layer of WiFi, it greatly improves the communication efficiency of the existing Bluetooth Mesh network, thereby meeting richer application scenarios. At the same time, the implementation of the WiFi Mesh capability of the present invention can avoid the dependence on routers during the communication of WiFi devices, making the overall solution deployment more convenient, efficient, and low-cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of wireless communication, and in particular, to a wireless communication method, system and device. Background Art

[0002] Due to problems such as limited single-hop communication distance and data packet length of Bluetooth Mesh technology, when there are many nodes in the network, serious network flooding effects will occur, and the overall network communication efficiency will be low. Therefore, current Bluetooth Mesh is mainly applied to scenarios with not many nodes and not many hops. This is not conducive to the expansion of Bluetooth Mesh application scenarios.

[0003] On the other hand, the WiFi Alliance has also launched its own Mesh specification. However, different from Bluetooth Mesh technology, the Mesh specification of the WiFi Alliance still communicates based on the hotspot and station method. Since the router Mesh solution requires the configuration of multiple routers, the configuration cost is relatively high, and the overall promotion situation and usage experience are not good.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need for an improved wireless communication solution for Mesh networking. Summary of the Invention

[0005] One technical problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide a wireless communication method, system and device. This wireless communication solution utilizes the underlying link technology of WiFi, and the upper-layer network networking and data transmission reuse the mature protocol stack of Bluetooth Mesh. Thus, it is not necessary to promote the data communication model of WiFi Mesh, and it can be seamlessly docked to the existing Bluetooth Mesh ecosystem and system. In addition, by using the WiFi MAC layer as the underlying bearer layer of Bluetooth Mesh, the characteristics of fast WiFi communication transmission rate and long single-hop distance can be utilized to greatly improve the network efficiency of Mesh networking.

[0006] According to the first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a wireless communication method, including: adding a Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack on the WiFi link layer; sending a data packet in the format of a Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack using a WiFi channel; and receiving a data packet using a WiFi channel and parsing the received data packet based on the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack.

[0007] Optionally, the received and sent data packets include: a frame header and a frame tail conforming to the WiFi MAC protocol; and a frame payload conforming to the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack format.

[0008] Optionally, the method further includes: broadcasting an access request data packet on a plurality of pre-agreed WiFi channels; receiving a network configuration enabling message of an enabling configuration node from one of the plurality of WiFi channels; and performing an access operation for enabling configuration and subsequent communication of the WiFi mesh network on the channel where the network configuration enabling message is received.

[0009] Optionally, the enabling configuration node receives the access request data packet and sends relevant data of the WiFi device to a server, the server generates authentication data based on the relevant data, the enabling configuration node receives the authentication data, and the method further includes: receiving and checking the authentication data forwarded by the enabling configuration node; and based on the passing of the check, receiving a key and configuration location issued by the enabling configuration node to complete WiFi mesh network access.

[0010] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a wireless communication system including N WiFi mesh nodes that execute the method as described in the first aspect, where the N WiFi mesh nodes communicate in accordance with the Bluetooth mesh protocol via a WiFi channel, and N is an integer greater than 1.

[0011] Optionally, the N WiFi mesh nodes include M WiFi mesh nodes connected to a router, and the remaining nodes among the N WiFi mesh nodes interact with an external network via forwarding of the M WiFi mesh nodes, where M is an integer not greater than N.

[0012] Optionally, the N WiFi mesh nodes include composite nodes that support both WiFi and Bluetooth communication.

[0013] Optionally, the composite node is configured to: connect to a smart device via Bluetooth GATT and communicate with the smart device as an agent node; and receive and transmit data packets in the format of a Bluetooth mesh protocol stack via a WiFi channel to forward messages between the smart device and other WiFi mesh nodes of the system.

[0014] Optionally, the system further includes a plurality of Bluetooth mesh nodes, and the composite node and the plurality of Bluetooth mesh nodes form a hybrid mesh network, where the composite node receives data packets broadcast by the Bluetooth mesh nodes and forwards them via a WiFi channel.

[0015] Optionally, according to the number and distribution locations of the Bluetooth mesh nodes and the composite node, lower the hop count threshold for message forwarding in the hybrid mesh network.

[0016] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a wireless communication device is provided. The device has Bluetooth communication and WiFi communication functions. The device is configured to execute the method as described in the first aspect and is further configured to: receive Bluetooth Mesh data packets on a Bluetooth broadcast channel; parse out the forwarding indication of the Bluetooth Mesh data packets; and encapsulate the Bluetooth Mesh data packets into WiFi Mesh data packets for broadcasting.

[0017] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, an Internet of Things (IoT) device is provided, including: a WiFi module for exchanging information with a router based on a complete WiFi protocol; a WiFi Mesh module that adds a Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack at the WiFi link layer and is configured to send and receive data packets in the format of the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack on a WiFi channel with other IoT devices having a WiFi Mesh module; and a Bluetooth Mesh module for sending and receiving data packets in the format of the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack on a Bluetooth channel with other IoT devices having a Bluetooth Mesh module.

[0018] Optionally, the IoT device includes a smart speaker, and the other IoT devices having a Bluetooth Mesh module include Bluetooth nodes controlled by the smart speaker within the IoT.

[0019] Optionally, the other IoT devices having a WiFi Mesh module also have a Bluetooth Mesh module and are configured to forward messages between the smart speaker and the Bluetooth nodes. The message forwarding includes format conversion between Bluetooth Mesh data packets and WiFi Mesh data packets.

[0020] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a computing device is provided, including: a processor; and a memory storing executable code thereon. When the executable code is executed by the processor, the processor is caused to execute the method as described in the first aspect above.

[0021] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium is provided, storing executable code thereon. When the executable code is executed by a processor of an electronic device, the processor is caused to execute the method as described in the first aspect above.

[0022] Accordingly, the present invention proposes a method of overlaying the original Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack on the WiFi-based MAC layer (link layer). This method enables various existing Bluetooth Mesh solutions and ecosystems to be quickly promoted to WiFi devices. By reusing the efficient and relatively long-distance communication capabilities of the WiFi MAC layer, the communication efficiency of the existing Bluetooth Mesh network is greatly improved, thereby meeting richer application scenarios. At the same time, the implementation of WiFi Mesh capabilities can avoid the dependence on routers during WiFi device communication, making the overall solution deployment more convenient, efficient, and low-cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] By describing the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent. In the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the same reference numerals generally represent the same components.

[0024] Figure 1 Shows the protocol stack levels used by Bluetooth Mesh technology.

[0025] Figure 2 Shows a schematic diagram of the protocol stack levels for reusing the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack above the WiFi link layer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 3 Shows a wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 4 Shows a schematic diagram of the levels of the wireless communication protocol stack of a composite device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 5 Shows the device connection situation of a conventional Bluetooth Mesh network.

[0029] Figure 6 Shows the device connection situation of the MiFiMesh network of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 7 Shows the device connection situation of the composite Mesh network of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 8 Shows the device connection situation of the hybrid Mesh network of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 9 Shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a computing device that can be used to implement the above wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to make the present disclosure more thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0034] Bluetooth technology is one of the most widely used wireless communication technologies in the world. The initial Bluetooth Basic Rate / Enhanced Data Rate (BR / EDR) was the first specification released by Bluetooth, which enabled the connection and communication between one device and another, establishing a "one-to-one" relationship, that is, the familiar "pairing". BR / EDR promoted the booming development of wireless keyboards, mice and audio devices.

[0035] Subsequently, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology, which has been optimized to significantly reduce device power consumption, emerged and was widely used in smartphones, tablets and various wearable devices. BLE can also pair with other devices to form a "one-to-one" relationship, and through broadcasting, any other device within its radio transmission range can receive its data, thus realizing a "one-to-many" topology.

[0036] To meet the application requirements of the Internet of Things (IoT), Bluetooth Mesh technology has been developed on the basis of BLE. Bluetooth Mesh networks use and rely on Bluetooth Low Energy. Bluetooth Low Energy technology is the wireless communication protocol stack used by Bluetooth Mesh, and a "many-to-many" topology is realized through the upper-layer Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack to meet the networking requirements of spanning a large physical area across domains and including a large number of devices.

[0037] Figure 1 Shows the protocol stack levels used by Bluetooth Mesh technology. The lowest layer RF radio frequency corresponds to the physical layer, and the BLE Host Stack and BLE Controller Stack correspond to the link layer. These three layers are the wireless communication protocol stack of Bluetooth Low Energy technology, that is, Bluetooth Mesh reuses the wireless communication protocol stack of Bluetooth Low Energy technology.

[0038] Above these three layers is the protocol stack included in Bluetooth Mesh itself, and this includes:

[0039] Bearer layer: The bearer layer defines how to use the underlying low-power stack to transmit PDUs. Currently, two bearer layers are defined: the Advertising Bearer and the GATT Bearer.

[0040] Network layer: The network layer defines various message address types and network message formats. Relay and proxy behaviors are implemented through the network layer.

[0041] Lower transport layer: When needed, the lower transport layer can handle the segmentation and reassembly of PDUs.

[0042] Upper transport layer: Responsible for encrypting, decrypting, and authenticating application data entering and leaving the access layer. It is also responsible for special messages called "transport control messages", including heartbeats and messages related to "friendship".

[0043] Access layer: Responsible for the format of application data, defining and controlling the encryption and decryption processes executed in the upper transport layer, and verifying whether the received data is applicable to the correct network and application before forwarding the data to the protocol stack.

[0044] Foundation models: The foundation model layer is responsible for implementing models related to Mesh network configuration and management.

[0045] Models: The model layer is related to the implementation of models, etc., as well as the implementation of things such as behaviors, messages, and states, that is Figure 1 The device application layer shown in, as shown in the figure, can design models and define behaviors, messages, and states therein according to specific application scenarios (for example, sockets, light bulbs, curtains, fans, and air conditioners), etc.

[0046] The Bluetooth Mesh network uses the "flooding" method to publish and relay messages. This means that messages do not travel through a certain process for routing, nor are they transmitted along a specific path composed of a series of specific devices. Instead, all devices within the transmission range will receive the message, and the devices responsible for relaying can forward the message to all other devices within their transmission range.

[0047] The advantage of flooding is that there is no need for a specific device to specifically act as a centralized router, thus avoiding the situation where the entire network cannot operate due to the failure of the centralized router. However, since all devices within the transmission range will receive messages, when there are many nodes in the network, the nodes need to continuously forward or discard various messages. And due to the limited transmission channel, the network flooding effect is serious, and the overall network communication efficiency is low. Therefore, the current Bluetooth Mesh is mainly applied to scenarios with a small number of nodes and a small number of hops. This is not conducive to the expansion of the Bluetooth Mesh application scenarios.

[0048] On the other hand, the WiFi Alliance has also launched its own Mesh specification. However, different from the Bluetooth Mesh technology, the Mesh specification of the WiFi Alliance still communicates based on the hotspot (AP) and station (STA) methods. Since the router Mesh solution requires the configuration of multiple routers, the configuration cost is relatively high, and the overall promotion situation and user experience are not good.

[0049] Since WiFi itself is a low-level wireless communication technology, and the existing Bluetooth Mesh technology is a network technology based on BLE, the inventors of the present disclosure creatively thought that the low-level link technology of WiFi can be utilized, and the upper-layer network networking and data transmission reuse the mature protocol stack of Bluetooth Mesh. Thus, there is no need to promote the data communication model of WiFi Mesh and it can be seamlessly docked to the existing Bluetooth Mesh ecosystem and system. In addition, by using the WiFi MAC layer as the underlying bearer layer of Bluetooth Mesh, the characteristics of fast communication transmission rate and long single-hop distance of WiFi can be utilized to greatly improve the network efficiency of Mesh networking.

[0050] Figure 2 The protocol stack level diagram of reusing the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack above the WiFi link layer according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. This protocol stack level can also be referred to as the "WiFi Mesh protocol stack" of the present invention, as Figure 2 shown by the dashed box in

[0051] As shown in the figure, the bottommost RF radio frequency corresponds to the physical layer, and the WiFi MAC protocol stack corresponds to the link layer. These two layers are the wireless communication protocol stacks of WiFi technology. In addition, the left IP Network Layer, TCP / UDP Transport layer, and http / mqtt / coap Layer correspond to the upper layer levels included in the existing WiFi communication protocol stack.

[0052] However, different from the prior art, the present invention directly reuses the Bluetooth Mesh complex protocol stack above the WiFi MAC protocol stack. And Figure 1Similarly, above the link layer, the WiFi Mesh device of the present invention may include the protocol stack included in Bluetooth Mesh itself, and this includes: bearer layer, network layer, lower transport layer, upper transport layer, access layer, and foundation models. Similarly, models are also included above the foundation models, that is, Figure 2 The device application layer shown in, as shown in the figure, can design the models and define the behaviors, messages, and states therein according to specific application scenarios (for example, sockets, light bulbs, curtains, fans, and air conditioners), etc.

[0053] For this reason, the WiFi Mesh device of the present invention can perform packet sending and receiving based on the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack and thus implement the network functions that Bluetooth Mesh can achieve.

[0054] Figure 3 Shows a wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0055] In step S310, add the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack on the WiFi link layer. Thus, a complete protocol stack as shown in Figure 2 can be achieved. Since the addition of the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack does not involve any hardware modifications, for devices that have been factory-produced or are in use, it can be directly achieved through firmware upgrades, such as OTA upgrades. Other devices can directly add the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack in the factory settings or add it through firmware upgrades during subsequent use.

[0056] Subsequently, in step S320, the WiFi channel can be used to send packets in the format of the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack. In step S330, the WiFi channel can be used to receive packets and parse the received packets based on the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack.

[0057] Here, it should be understood that steps S320 and S330 are intended to show that a device adding a Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack on the WiFi link layer can perform the sending and receiving of data packets in the format of the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack based on the WiFi channel, rather than specifying the order of data packet sending and receiving. And the data packets mentioned in steps S320 and S330 can be the same data packets or different data packets. For example, a WiFi Mesh device can receive a WiFi Mesh data packet and, after parsing, find that the data packet is addressed to other locations and the number limit is not reached, so it can be repackaged and sent. A WiFi Mesh device can also receive a data packet from device A and send a data packet to device B, etc.

[0058] In addition, it should be understood that when sending data from one device to another device through a certain path, each layer protocol needs to add a data header, which is called encapsulation. Different protocol layers have different names for data packets. It is called a segment in the transport layer, a datagram in the network layer, and a frame in the link layer. After the data is encapsulated into a frame and sent to the transmission medium, each layer protocol at the destination host strips off the corresponding header, and finally the application layer data is handed over to the application program for processing.

[0059] Therefore, the data packets received by the WiFi Mesh device in steps S320 and S330, when used as data frames, include a frame header and a frame tail that conform to the WiFi MAC protocol. And the content contained in the frame, or the payload of the frame, needs to conform to the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack format. In other words, the upper-layer Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack can encapsulate a data packet that fully conforms to the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack format, add a header and a tail by the WiFi MAC protocol, and hand it over to the RF radio frequency layer (i.e., the physical layer) for sending. And when receiving, the data packet received by the physical layer can have its header and tail stripped off in the WiFi MAC protocol stack and handed over to the upper-layer Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack for parsing.

[0060] The process of a WiFi Mesh device accessing the Mesh network to become a WiFi Mesh "node" can be similar to that of a Bluetooth Mesh device. For this purpose, the wireless communication method of the present invention further includes: broadcasting an access request data packet on a plurality of pre-agreed WiFi channels; receiving a network configuration start message for enabling a configured node from one of the plurality of WiFi channels; and performing an access operation for network configuration and subsequent communication of the WiFi mesh network on the channel where the network configuration start message is received.

[0061] Specifically, the WiFi Mesh discovery mechanism may include the following aspects:

[0062] (1) WiFi discovery channel: 1 to n channels can be specified, and multiple channels can be selected (assuming channels 1, 2, and 3 are selected);

[0063] (2) WiFi frame definition: To avoid interference, use the OUI WiFi frame of a specific service provider and identify the custom WiFimesh frame;

[0064] (3) WiFi frame type selection: Management frames are recommended, and data frames can also be used optionally;

[0065] (4) Using WiFi channel transmission with WiFi anti-interference algorithm can avoid RF resource conflicts as much as possible;

[0066] (5) WiFi frame content: It can be compared with the Bluetooth frame content, with only the header and tail being different, and the middle content being completely reused.

[0067] Similarly, the provisioning operation involves the interaction between the device to be provisioned and the provisioning node. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the provisioning operation can be performed with the participation of a cloud server, thereby improving security. To this end, the provisioning node receives the network access request data packet and sends the relevant data of the WiFi device to the server, the server generates identity authentication data based on the relevant data, the provisioning node receives the identity authentication data, and the method further includes: receiving the identity authentication data forwarded by the provisioning node and checking and confirming it; and based on the passing of the check and confirmation, receiving the key and configuration positioning issued by the provisioning node to complete the WiFiMesh network access.

[0068] In one embodiment, the WiFi Mesh network configuration process may include the following steps:

[0069] (1) The WiFi Mesh provisioning node (i.e., provisioner) needs to be connected to the Internet, such as a cloud server or a local proxy (edge ​​server);

[0070] (2) When the provisioner is connected to the router, it stays in the router channel and starts scanning to find nearby WiFi Mesh devices to be provisioned.

[0071] (3) The WiFi Mesh device to be paired polls the WiFi channel and continuously sends the device information to be paired;

[0072] (4) After the provisioner discovers the device to be configured, it reports the device to the cloud server.

[0073] (5) When the user confirms to initiate network configuration, the provisioner sends a link open identification frame on the channel where it is located and persists for a certain period of time.

[0074] (6) After the device to be configured receives the link open identification frame, it no longer switches channels, locks on this channel, and interacts with the provisioner to go through the Mesh network configuration process.

[0075] (7) After the device to be configured successfully configures the network, the provisioner distributes netkey, appkey, devkey, etc., and performs operations such as configuration subscription, thus completing Mesh network access.

[0076] (8) Subsequently, the communication of subsequent WiFi Mesh devices can all be carried out on the same WiFi channel.

[0077] Due to the booming development of existing Bluetooth Mesh systems, the present invention is particularly applicable to being implemented as a composite (Combo) device that supports both Bluetooth Mesh and WiFi Mesh. Figure 4 Shows a hierarchical schematic diagram of the wireless communication protocol stack of the composite device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, this wireless communication protocol stack is above the physical layer of the underlying RF radio frequency, and simultaneously includes a WiFi MAC protocol stack and a low-power Bluetooth protocol stack, and above their respective link layer protocol stacks, includes a complete WiFi upper-layer communication protocol stack and a Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack. Different from conventional composite devices that simultaneously include WiFi and Bluetooth functions, in the composite device of the present invention, the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack can also be additionally supported above the WiFi MAC protocol stack. Thus, it is possible to utilize the communication transmission advantages of the underlying WiFi to solve various problems encountered by existing Bluetooth Mesh (see Figure 8 and its related description).

[0078] The advantages of the WiFi Mesh device constructed in the present invention will be more significantly reflected in the wireless communication network.

[0079] Figure 5 Shows the device connection situation of a conventional Bluetooth Mesh network. As shown, GW represents the Mesh gateway connected to the server through a router, and B represents an ordinary Bluetooth Mesh node.

[0080] Due to the limited distance of Bluetooth communication (the single-hop distance is about 10 meters), multiple gateways are arranged in the network to improve the communication efficiency of the Mesh network. Smart devices (e.g., the mobile device on the right) can access the Mesh network via the GATT proxy. However, in the network as described above, the gateways all need to be within the coverage of the router. For example Figure 5 In Figure 5 , the gray GW represents that the gateway outside the coverage of the router cannot provide the service of connecting to the external network (e.g., connecting to the external Internet or the Internet) for its adjacent Bluetooth Mesh nodes, so that its adjacent Bluetooth Mesh nodes need to go through multi-hop relaying to realize message sending and receiving for the external network. In addition, due to the limited physical and communication rate of Bluetooth Mesh, the efficiency is low and the load is heavy when the mobile device accesses.

[0081] In contrast, the present invention can also implement a WiFi Mesh network. Therefore, in one embodiment, the present invention further includes a wireless communication system. The system includes multiple WiFi Mesh nodes (e.g., N, where N is an integer greater than 1) that execute the wireless communication method as described above, and the multiple WiFi Mesh nodes communicate in accordance with the Bluetooth Mesh protocol via a WiFi channel.

[0082] Specifically, among the N WiFi Mesh nodes, M WiFi Mesh nodes connected to the router can be included, and the remaining nodes among the N WiFi Mesh nodes interact with the external network via the forwarding of the M WiFi Mesh nodes, where M is an integer not greater than N.

[0083] Figure 6 The device connection situation of the MiFi Mesh network of the present invention is shown. In the figure, W represents a WiFi device. The black W indicates that only the WiFi Mesh capability is used, and the gray W with a thick border indicates that it is connected to the router and also supports the WiFi Mesh capability.

[0084] Since WiFi has a longer single-hop transmission distance (e.g., about 40 meters) and a higher data processing speed compared to BLE, even without considering the connection to the router, the WiFi Mesh network (compared to Figure 5 the conventional Bluetooth Mesh network) can include more devices, and the network flooding effect is also smaller.

[0085] When considering the nodes in the network that are connected to the router and also support the WiFi Mesh capability (i.e., Figure 6 the gray W with a thick border in Figure 6 ), these nodes connected to the router can replace the AP in the Mesh model promoted by the existing WiFi Alliance. In other words, Figure 6The WiFi Mesh network of the present invention as shown can perform efficient WiFi transmission without a gateway. Even nodes outside the router coverage can complete message sending and receiving through only a few hops.

[0086] However, as Figure 6 shown on the right, a simple WiFi Mesh node of the present invention does not support direct access by a mobile device. This makes it necessary to go through the path from the cloud to the router to the gray W node and then to the black W node when it is necessary to use a mobile device to control network nodes.

[0087] As mentioned above, due to the booming development of the existing Bluetooth Mesh system, the present invention is particularly suitable for being implemented as a Figure 4 Combo device as shown that supports both Bluetooth Mesh and WiFi Mesh. Thus, the communication transmission advantages of the underlying WiFi can be utilized to solve various problems encountered by the existing Bluetooth Mesh (see Figure 8 and its related description).

[0088] Figure 7 Shows the device connection situation of the composite Mesh network of the present invention. The so-called composite Mesh network refers to a network composed of composite nodes. In Figure 7 it, BW represents a Combo device that supports both Bluetooth and WiFi. The black BW indicates the ability to support both WiFi and Bluetooth mesh. The gray and thick-bordered BW indicates that it is connected to the router and at the same time supports both WiFi and Bluetooth mesh capabilities.

[0089] In the case where the N WiFi Mesh nodes include composite nodes that support both WiFi and Bluetooth communication, the composite node can be used as an efficient proxy node. Specifically, as Figure 7 shown on the right, a BW can communicate with a mobile device, thus connecting to a smart device (i.e., the illustrated mobile device) through Bluetooth GATT and acting as a proxy node to communicate with the smart device; and sending and receiving data packets in the format of the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack via the WiFi channel to forward messages between the smart device and other WiFi Mesh nodes of the system. Thus, through the forwarding of the WiFi channel, the problem of heavy load faced by the simple Bluetooth Mesh proxy node as Figure 5 shown is significantly improved.

[0090] Furthermore, the Combo device is particularly suitable for being arranged in the existing Bluetooth Mesh network to significantly improve the communication status of the existing Bluetooth Mesh network.

[0091] To this end, the wireless communication system of the present invention may also include multiple Bluetooth Mesh nodes. The composite nodes and the multiple Bluetooth Mesh nodes form a hybrid Mesh network. Among them, the composite nodes receive the data packets broadcast by the Bluetooth Mesh nodes and forward them via the WiFi channel. Since the coverage range of WiFi is larger, the required number of forwarding hops is reduced compared to the Bluetooth mesh network. Therefore, in the hybrid Mesh network, the hop count threshold for message forwarding can be adjusted according to the number and distribution locations of the Bluetooth Mesh nodes and the composite nodes, which is conducive to significantly reducing flooding.

[0092] Figure 8 shows the device connection situation of the hybrid Mesh network of the present invention. The so-called hybrid Mesh network can refer to a network composed of composite nodes and conventional Bluetooth Mesh nodes as shown in Figure 8 and can further refer to a network in which the WiFi Mesh nodes, composite nodes, and conventional Bluetooth Mesh nodes of the present invention are simultaneously mixed and distributed.

[0093] The hybrid Mesh network is a further consideration of the application scenario of mixing WiFi and Bluetooth Mesh, which can not only improve the efficiency of the Mesh network (the high speed and longer single-hop distance of WiFi), but also balance the overall cost, making the overall solution more cost-effective. In Figure 8 , B represents an ordinary Bluetooth Mesh node, and BW represents a Combo device that supports both Bluetooth and WiFi. Among them, the black BW indicates the ability to support both WiFi and Bluetooth mesh, and the gray BW with a thickened border indicates that it is connected to the router and also supports both WiFi and Bluetooth mesh capabilities.

[0094] As shown in Figure 8 , by appropriately deploying BW nodes in the B nodes, the number of hops required for message propagation can be significantly reduced. For example, in a network with only B nodes, it takes 10 hops for a message to propagate from one end of the network to the other end. However, in the mixed network, due to the ability of the BW nodes to receive the messages sent by the B nodes and forward them via the WiFi channel (or also via their own B channels), and the ability to receive the messages sent by the BW nodes via the WiFi channel and forward them via the Bluetooth channel, the number of hops required for a message to propagate from one end of the network to the other end is much less than 10 hops in the same distance and layout. For example, it is 3 to 4 hops. At this time, due to the addition of the BW nodes, the maximum hop value specified by the network can be significantly reduced, thereby significantly reducing the flooding effect of the network.

[0095] It should be understood that Figure 5 - 8 can all be regarded as a specific implementation of the Internet of Things (IoT).

[0096] Comparing Figure 5 it can be seen that Figure 8It can be regarded as an upgraded version of the existing multi - gateway - supported Bluetooth Mesh network with external communication capabilities. Figure 5 The gateway (GW) shown is capable of connecting to a router and interacting with Bluetooth Mesh nodes (B). Therefore, the GW node itself has both WiFi communication and Bluetooth communication capabilities. And in the present invention, enabling the bearer layer of the Mesh protocol stack to support the operation of WiFi MAC does not involve substantial changes to the hardware device. Thus, ordinary GW nodes with conventional WiFi communication and conventional Bluetooth Mesh communication capabilities can achieve Figure 4 the protocol stack possessed by the Combo node of the present invention shown.

[0097] In other words, although the Combo device with Figure 4 the protocol stack shown can be enhanced through factory settings, in a preferred embodiment, by firmware upgrading of an existing device with both WiFi communication and Bluetooth communication capabilities, this device can be transformed into the Combo node described in the present invention. Thus, in Figure 5 the arrangement, the GW is transformed into a BW (i.e., Combo) through firmware upgrading, thereby enabling effects that could not be achieved by the original pure Bluetooth Mesh network.

[0098] Specifically, due to the natural properties of the WiFi protocol, excessive devices connected to a router will lead to a decline in data transmission performance. And in Figure 8 the network structure shown, since data can be transmitted between BW nodes through the fast and long - single - hop - distance WiFiMesh of the present invention, it is not necessary for each node to be connected to the router. In Figure 8 the example shown, only one BW may be connected to the router for direct communication with the external network via the router, for example, for receiving upgrade packages provided by the B - node manufacturer, etc.; the remaining BWs can transmit data with the gray - framed BW connected to the router via the WiFiMesh of the present invention and can be used as message relay centers for nearby B nodes respectively. Thus, through the division of the Mesh sub - network, the message hop - count threshold in the network can be further reduced, the network flooding effect can be further reduced, and at the same time, a larger - scale (multiple nodes and / or larger laying range) Mesh network can be supported.

[0099] Figure 8 The example of... is particularly suitable for implementation as an enterprise or home Internet of Things network.

[0100] Here, Figure 8The BW connected to the Internet of Things can be implemented as an Internet of Things device, which may include: a WiFi module for exchanging information with a router based on the complete WiFi protocol; a WiFi Mesh module that adds a Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack at the WiFi link layer and is used for sending and receiving data packets in the format of the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack on the WiFi channel with other Internet of Things devices (i.e., W nodes) having a WiFi Mesh module; and a Bluetooth Mesh module for sending and receiving data packets in the format of the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack on the Bluetooth channel with other Internet of Things devices (i.e., B nodes) having a Bluetooth Mesh module.

[0101] Here, the Internet of Things device can be implemented as a smart speaker, and other Internet of Things devices having a Bluetooth Mesh module include Bluetooth nodes controlled by the smart speaker within the Internet of Things. For example, a user can say a voice command "turn on the kitchen light" to the smart speaker. After the smart speaker recognizes the user's semantics, it generates a message to set the kitchen light status to on and addresses the light that is a Bluetooth Mesh node in the kitchen, thereby controlling the Bluetooth node.

[0102] On the other hand, other Internet of Things devices having a WiFi Mesh module can be simple W nodes, that is, nodes only including the WiFi Mesh function proposed by the present invention. Some nodes that require a large amount of fast data sending and receiving or are arranged at a long distance can be implemented as simple W nodes. For example, the lights in the courtyard can be set as W nodes. In this way, compared with the original B nodes, the single-hop distance of the W nodes is longer, so the switch light instruction can be received with fewer hops, and the hop count setting of messages in the Internet of Things can be reduced, thereby reducing the network flooding effect.

[0103] In some preferred embodiments, other Internet of Things devices having a WiFi Mesh module can also be BW nodes, that is, Combo devices that also have the Bluetooth Mesh module. Thus, such devices can be used for message forwarding between the smart speaker and the Bluetooth node, and the message forwarding includes format conversion between Bluetooth Mesh data packets and WiFi Mesh data packets. Specifically, the BW node can obtain the Bluetooth Mesh data packet (as the payload of the WiFi data packet) sent by the smart speaker via the WiFi channel, remove the frame headers and trailers of the WiFi link layer and directly forward the Bluetooth Mesh data packet therein so that the addressed B node nearby can receive it. Conversely, the BW node can obtain the Bluetooth Mesh data packet sent by the B node and send it via the WiFi channel after adding the frame headers and trailers of the WiFi link layer for the smart speaker or other BW devices to receive.

[0104] In one embodiment, these BW nodes can be other smart speakers, which can be not connected to a router and only used as slave control devices of the smart speaker acting as the master device. In some other embodiments, these BW nodes can be devices with simpler structures and smaller shapes, such as smart voice stickers or smart BW relay devices. Smart voice stickers or smart BW relay devices can be sold as auxiliary kits for smart speakers and can be used to improve the coverage effect and response speed of the Internet of Things (IoT) within a home. For example, a smart voice sticker can be a small device with voice receiving function, including a microphone module for receiving user voice input, and transmitting the above voice input via WiFi Mesh to the smart speaker for recognition, receiving tasks sent by the smart speaker based on the recognition result (e.g., Bluetooth Mesh data packets transmitted via a WiFi channel), and broadcasting the Bluetooth Mesh data packets after unpacking for execution by the addressed Bluetooth device. A smart BW relay device can be a relay device with a simpler performance and without voice receiving function, arranged to provide conversion between Bluetooth Mesh and WiFi Mesh to improve the communication efficiency of the IoT and reduce the network flooding effect.

[0105] It should be understood that although the carrier layer of the Mesh protocol stack supporting WiFi MAC is illustrated as an example above, the principle of the present invention can also be applied to other MAC layers, such as 802.15.4, LoRa, etc. The protocol stack of Bluetooth Mesh can be fully reused above the link layer, and adaptation support is provided at the MAC layer (link layer), so that the existing Bluetooth Mesh ecosystem can be supported for more wireless communication technologies, thereby meeting more application scenarios.

[0106] Figure 9 The structural schematic diagram of a computing device that can be used to implement the above wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0107] See Figure 9 , the computing device 900 includes a memory 910 and a processor 920.

[0108] The processor 920 can be a multi-core processor or can include multiple processors. In some embodiments, the processor 920 can include a general main processor and one or more special coprocessors, such as a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), etc. In some embodiments, the processor 920 can be implemented using customized circuits, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0109] The memory 910 may include various types of storage units, such as system memory, read-only memory (ROM), and permanent storage devices. Among them, the ROM can store static data or instructions required by the processor 920 or other modules of the computer. The permanent storage device can be a readable and writable storage device. The permanent storage device can be a non-volatile storage device that does not lose the stored instructions and data even when the computer is powered off. In some embodiments, the permanent storage device uses a mass storage device (such as a magnetic or optical disk, flash memory) as the permanent storage device. In some other embodiments, the permanent storage device can be a removable storage device (such as a floppy disk, optical drive). The system memory can be a readable and writable storage device or a volatile readable and writable storage device, such as dynamic random access memory. The system memory can store some or all of the instructions and data required by the processor during operation. In addition, the memory 910 can include any combination of computer-readable storage media, including various types of semiconductor storage chips (DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, flash memory, programmable read-only memory), and magnetic disks and / or optical disks can also be used. In some embodiments, the memory 910 can include a removable storage device that is readable and / or writable, such as a compact disc (CD), read-only digital versatile disc (such as DVD-ROM, dual-layer DVD-ROM), read-only Blu-ray disc, super density disc, flash memory card (such as SD card, min SD card, Micro-SD card, etc.), magnetic floppy disk, etc. Computer-readable storage media do not include carrier waves and instantaneous electronic signals transmitted wirelessly or by wire.

[0110] An executable code is stored on the memory 910, and when the executable code is processed by the processor 920, it can cause the processor 920 to execute the wireless communication method described above.

[0111] The wireless communication method, system, and device according to the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. Since the communication efficiency and distance of WiFi have significant advantages compared to Bluetooth, the introduction of the WiFi Mesh of the present invention can greatly improve the efficiency of the existing Bluetooth Mesh network.

[0112] In addition, the cost of existing Combo chips is much lower than that of routers. Thus, by reusing the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack, the WiFi Mesh solution of the present invention can seamlessly access the existing Mesh ecosystem, making market promotion easier and faster.

[0113] The present invention proposes a method of overlaying the original Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack with a WiFi-based MAC layer (link layer). This method enables existing various Bluetooth Mesh solutions and ecosystems to be quickly promoted to WiFi devices. By reusing the efficient and relatively long-distance communication capabilities of the WiFi MAC layer, the communication efficiency of the existing Bluetooth Mesh network is greatly improved, thus meeting richer application scenarios (such as industries like buildings and commercial lighting). At the same time, the implementation of WiFi Mesh capabilities can avoid the dependence on routers during the communication of WiFi devices, making the overall solution deployment more convenient, efficient, and low-cost.

[0114] In addition, the method according to the present invention can also be implemented as a computer program or a computer program product, which includes computer program code instructions for executing the above steps defined in the above method of the present invention.

[0115] Alternatively, the present invention can also be implemented as a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (or computer-readable storage medium, or machine-readable storage medium), on which executable code (or computer program, or computer instruction code) is stored. When the executable code (or computer program, or computer instruction code) is executed by a processor of an electronic device (or computing device, server, etc.), the processor executes each step of the above method according to the present invention.

[0116] Those skilled in the art will also understand that the various exemplary logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the disclosure herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both.

[0117] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible architectures, functions, and operations of systems and methods according to multiple embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, a program segment, or a part of code, and the module, program segment, or part of code contains one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the blocks may occur in a different order from that marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two consecutive blocks may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagram and / or flowchart, as well as the combination of blocks in the block diagram and / or flowchart, can be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system for performing the specified functions or operations, or can be implemented by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0118] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. The above description is exemplary and not exhaustive, and is also not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations are obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The choice of terms used herein is intended to best explain the principles of the embodiments, practical applications, or improvements to the technology in the market, or to enable other ordinary skilled persons in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method for a wireless communication device, the wireless communication device having Bluetooth communication and WiFi communication functions, and the method comprises: adding a Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack on the WiFi link layer; using a WiFi channel to send data packets in the format of the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack; and using a WiFi channel to receive data packets and parsing the received data packets based on the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack, and the method further comprises: receiving Bluetooth Mesh data packets on the Bluetooth broadcast channel; parsing out the forwarding indication of the Bluetooth Mesh data packets; and encapsulating the Bluetooth Mesh data packets into WiFiMesh data packets for broadcasting.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, the data packets received and sent include: a frame header and a frame tail conforming to the WiFi MAC protocol; and a frame payload conforming to the format of the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprises: broadcasting an access request data packet on a plurality of pre-agreed WiFi channels; receiving a network configuration start message for enabling configuration of a node on one of the plurality of WiFi channels; and performing an access operation for enabling configuration on the channel where the network configuration start message is received and subsequent communication of the WiFiMesh network.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, the node for enabling configuration receives the access request data packet and sends relevant data of the WiFi device to a server, the server generates authentication data based on the relevant data, the node for enabling configuration receives the authentication data, and the method further comprises: receiving and checking the authentication data forwarded by the node for enabling configuration; and based on the passing of the check confirmation, receiving a key and a configuration location issued by the node for enabling configuration to complete WiFiMesh access.

5. A wireless communication system comprising N WiFiMesh nodes that execute the method according to any one of claims 1 - 4, the N WiFiMesh nodes being composite nodes that support both WiFi and Bluetooth communication simultaneously and communicating in accordance with the Bluetooth Mesh protocol via a WiFi channel, wherein, N is an integer greater than 1.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein, the N WiFiMesh nodes include M WiFiMesh nodes connected to a router, and the remaining nodes among the N WiFiMesh nodes interact with an external network via the forwarding of the M WiFiMesh nodes, where M is an integer not greater than N.

7. For the system according to claim 5, the composite node is used for: connecting to a smart device through Bluetooth GATT and communicating with the smart device as an agent node; and transceiving data packets in the format of the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack via a WiFi channel to forward messages between the smart device and other WiFiMesh nodes of the system.

8. The system according to claim 5 further includes a plurality of Bluetooth Mesh nodes, and the composite node and the plurality of Bluetooth Mesh nodes form a hybrid Mesh network, wherein, the composite node receives the data packets broadcast by the Bluetooth Mesh nodes and forwards them via the WiFi channel.

9. The system according to claim 8, reduces the hop count threshold of message forwarding in the hybrid Mesh network according to the number and distribution locations of the Bluetooth Mesh nodes and the composite node.

10. A wireless communication device for performing the method according to any one of claims 1-4.

11. An Internet of Things device, comprising: a WiFi module for exchanging information with a router based on a complete WiFi protocol; a WiFiMesh module which adds a Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack at the WiFi link layer and is used for sending and receiving data packets in the format of the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack over the WiFi channel with other Internet of Things devices having a WiFiMesh module; and a Bluetooth Mesh module for sending and receiving data packets in the format of the Bluetooth Mesh protocol stack over the Bluetooth channel with other Internet of Things devices having a Bluetooth Mesh module.

12. The Internet of Things device according to claim 11, wherein, the Internet of Things device includes a smart speaker, and the other Internet of Things devices having a Bluetooth Mesh module include the Bluetooth nodes controlled by the smart speaker within the Internet of Things.

13. The Internet of Things device according to claim 12, wherein, the other Internet of Things devices having a WiFiMesh module have the Bluetooth Mesh module and are used for forwarding messages between the smart speaker and the Bluetooth nodes, and the message forwarding includes format conversion between Bluetooth Mesh data packets and WiFiMesh data packets.

14. A computing device, comprising: a processor; and a memory storing executable code thereon, which when executed by the processor causes the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-4.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing executable code thereon, which when executed by a processor of an electronic device causes the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-4.

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