A network deployment method and system for low-power devices

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of Internet of Things, in particular to a network deployment method and system of a low-power-consumption device. The method comprises the following steps: S1, a master station acquires all channels of a network, wherein a first channel is a stay channel of the low-power-consumption device in an off-network state, and a second channel where a gateway is located is preset; S2, the gateway sends an activation network entry frame in the first channel, and then switches back to the second channel; in step S2, the low-power-consumption device periodically performs CAD detection, if the activation network entry frame is received, the low-power-consumption device switches to the second channel where the gateway is located and sends active uplink data to the gateway, if the activation network entry frame is not received, the low-power-consumption device stays in the first channel, wherein the sending time length of the activation network entry frame is not less than the detection period of the low-power-consumption device, and the gateway processes the active uplink data and gives a response. Through the CAD detection technology of LoRa and the design of the network entry mechanism, the power consumption of the low-power-consumption device in operation is reduced, and through the adjustment of the detection period, real-time communication is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Several embodiments in this specification relate to the field of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, specifically to network deployment of low-power devices. Background Technology

[0002] In low-power networks within the Internet of Things (IoT) field, low-power devices cannot remain in data receiving mode indefinitely due to their stringent power consumption requirements. However, some high-end smart low-power devices, such as gas and water meters, require timely operations like recharging and switching on / off, necessitating timely communication between gateways or handheld terminals and the low-power devices.

[0003] Currently, LoRaWAN networks are relatively common low-power networks. LoRaWAN networks have three modes: Class A, Class B, and Class C. In Class A mode, downlink commands can only follow after the terminal pushes data, preventing real-time device control. In Class C mode, nodes are always in receive mode, resulting in high power consumption. Therefore, only Class B mode balances power consumption and real-time performance. However, in Class B mode, if there is a clock skew when the gateway sends beacons to network nodes, the nodes will not receive downlink data from the gateway, and will then switch back to Class A mode. Therefore, Class B mode requires the gateway to frequently send beacons, which still generates significant power consumption even when the gateway is battery-powered. Furthermore, Class B mode does not support communication between handheld devices and nodes because the handheld device cannot be aware of the network nodes. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Currently, the network deployment of low-power devices suffers from technical problems such as high operating power consumption and insufficient real-time communication. This specification proposes a network deployment method and system for low-power devices through several embodiments to solve the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0005] This specification adopts the following technical solution: a network deployment method for low-power devices, used to realize communication between a gateway or handheld terminal device and the low-power device, including the following steps:

[0006] S1. The master station obtains all channels of the network. The first channel is the channel where low-power devices stay in the off-network state. The master station presets the second channel as the service channel where the gateway is located, and uses the remaining channels as the channels after the low-power devices enter the network.

[0007] S2. The gateway sends an activation network entry frame to the low-power device on the first channel and switches back to the second channel after sending is complete.

[0008] In step S2, the low-power device periodically performs channel activity detection. If the activation network entry frame is received in the first channel, the low-power device switches to the second channel where the gateway is located and sends active uplink data to the gateway. If the activation network entry frame is not received in the first channel, the low-power device stays in the first channel.

[0009] The transmission duration of the activation inbound frame is not less than the detection period of the low-power device. The gateway processes the active uplink data and responds to the low-power device.

[0010] By using LoRa's channel activity detection technology and combining it with the network access mechanism design, the low-power device periodically performs channel activity detection. If an active network access frame is detected, it switches to channel N where the gateway is located; if no active network access frame is detected, it stays on channel O and sleeps. This reduces the power consumption of the low-power device and enables communication between the low-power device and the gateway. By adjusting the duration of the gateway sending data frames to be no less than the detection period of the low-power device, real-time communication between the gateway and the low-power device is achieved.

[0011] Preferably, in step S2, the active uplink data includes a network access application. The low-power device then periodically performs channel activity detection, and the sub-steps following the receipt of the activated network access frame on the first channel include:

[0012] A preset registration list is provided, which is used to store the activation network access frames received by the low-power device and the gateway information that sends the corresponding activation network access frames;

[0013] Set a registration delay time Trg, and store the activation network entry frames received by the low-power device during the registration delay time Trg and the gateway information that sent the corresponding activation network entry frames into the registration list.

[0014] When the registration delay time Trg ends, the low-power device selects the best gateway based on the gateway information stored in the registration list;

[0015] The low-power device switches to the second channel where the optimal gateway is located and sends a network access request to the gateway;

[0016] The gateway processes the network access request and responds to the low-power device.

[0017] By setting a registration delay time Trg, the gateway information received during the Trg period is stored, and the best gateway is selected uniformly after the Trg period ends. This reduces the number of times low-power devices apply to join the network, thereby improving the quality of gateway selection for low-power devices while reducing the operating power consumption of low-power devices.

[0018] Preferably, the gateway information for sending the corresponding activation frame includes the gateway signal strength. Then, the method for the low-power device to select the best gateway based on the gateway information stored in the registration list includes:

[0019] The gateway with the strongest gateway signal in the registration list is selected as the best gateway.

[0020] Preferably, the method by which the gateway processes the network access request and responds to the low-power device includes:

[0021] If the gateway responds and allows network access, the low-power device enters the network access state. The channel number M after network access is calculated based on the address of the low-power device, and the low-power device switches to channel M.

[0022] If the gateway does not allow network access or does not respond after a preset time, the gateway information of the current gateway in the registration list will be deleted, the best gateway will be selected again, and the network access application will be sent again.

[0023] If the newly selected best gateway still refuses to allow network access or fails to respond after a timeout, repeat the previous step until there are no available gateways in the registration list, at which point the low-power device switches back to the first channel.

[0024] As a preferred method, the method for calculating the channel number M after network access based on the address of the low-power device includes:

[0025] The Sum value is obtained by summing each byte of the address of the low-power device.

[0026] Take the remainder of the Sum value with respect to the number of channels after the low-power device is connected to the network.

[0027] Add the remainder value to the starting channel number after the low-power device joins the network to obtain the channel number M after joining the network.

[0028] Preferably, if the gateway responds and allows network access, the low-power device enters the network access state, calculates the channel number M after network access based on the address of the low-power device, and switches to channel M.

[0029] When a low-power device that has entered the network access state has event data that needs to be pushed, the low-power device switches to the second channel where the gateway is located, sends the push data to the gateway, and waits for the gateway's response.

[0030] If the gateway responds, the low-power device switches back to channel M; if the gateway does not respond after a preset time, the low-power device switches back to channel M and waits for a preset time before re-executing the previous step.

[0031] Preferably, after a low-power device enters the network access state and switches to channel M, the address of the low-power device is switched to the gateway address corresponding to channel M.

[0032] As a preferred embodiment, when the gateway needs to actively read the target low-power device, the gateway calculates the channel M where the target low-power device is located based on the address of the target low-power device;

[0033] The gateway switches to channel M where the target low-power device is located, sends a meter reading frame to the target low-power device in channel M, and waits for the response from the target low-power device.

[0034] When the gateway receives a response from the target low-power device or waits for a preset time without receiving a response from the target low-power device, the gateway switches back to the second channel and saves the response result of the target low-power device.

[0035] After joining the network, the discrete channel M is used. When the gateway needs to actively send a meter reading frame, it first calculates the channel M where the target low-power device is located based on the address of the target low-power device, then switches to the channel M where the target low-power device is located and sends the meter reading frame. This ensures that the long preamble meter reading frame sent by the gateway will only wake up the low-power device in the current channel, while the low-power devices in other channels will not be affected, thereby reducing the operating power consumption of low-power devices in other channels in the network.

[0036] As a preferred embodiment, when the handheld terminal device needs to actively read the target low-power device, the handheld terminal device sends a meter reading frame to the target low-power device in the first channel and waits for the response from the target low-power device.

[0037] If the handheld terminal device receives a response from the target low-power device, the handheld terminal device saves the response result of the target low-power device. If the handheld terminal device does not receive a response from the target low-power device after waiting for a preset time, the following steps are executed.

[0038] The handheld terminal device calculates the channel M where the target low-power device is located based on the address of the target low-power device;

[0039] The handheld terminal device switches to channel M where the target low-power device is located, sends a meter reading frame to the target low-power device in channel M, and waits for the response from the target low-power device.

[0040] When the handheld terminal device receives a response from the target low-power device or does not receive a response from the target low-power device after waiting for a preset time, the handheld terminal device saves the response result of the target low-power device.

[0041] By deploying network channels, although handheld terminal devices cannot know the network node information of the target low-power device, the low-power device is either on channel O or channel M. Therefore, the handheld terminal only needs to try to connect to the low-power device on these two channels, which solves the technical problem of handheld terminal access and enables communication between handheld terminal devices and low-power devices in both offline and online states.

[0042] A network deployment system for low-power devices, used to implement the network deployment method for low-power devices as described above, characterized in that it includes:

[0043] The main station is used to obtain all channels of the network. The first channel is the channel where low-power devices stay when they are offline. The second channel is preset as the service channel where the gateway is located. The remaining channels are used as the channels after low-power devices come into the network.

[0044] The gateway is used to send an activation network entry frame to a low-power device on the first channel and switch back to the second channel after the transmission is completed.

[0045] The low-power device is used to periodically perform channel activity detection. If the activation entry frame is received in the first channel, the low-power device switches to the second channel where the gateway is located, sends active uplink data to the gateway and waits for the gateway's response. If the activation entry frame is not received in the first channel, the low-power device stays in the first channel. The transmission duration of the activation entry frame is not less than the detection period of the low-power device.

[0046] The beneficial technical effects of several embodiments in this specification include: a network deployment method and system for low-power devices, which uses LoRa channel activity detection technology in conjunction with network channel deployment, allows low-power devices to periodically perform channel activity detection, detect activation entry frames sent by the gateway, and switch to the second channel where the gateway is located when an activation entry frame is detected, so that the low-power devices after joining the network no longer receive activation entry frames, and stay in the first channel to sleep when no activation entry frame is detected, thereby significantly reducing the power consumption of the low-power devices and realizing communication between the low-power devices and the gateway;

[0047] Real-time communication between the gateway and the low-power device is achieved by adjusting the duration of data frame transmission from the gateway to be no less than the detection cycle of the low-power device.

[0048] By setting the registration delay time Trg, the gateway information received during the Trg period is stored, and the best gateway is selected uniformly after the Trg time ends. This greatly reduces the number of times low-power devices apply to join the network, thereby improving the selection quality of low-power devices for the gateways they apply to join the network while reducing the operating power consumption of low-power devices.

[0049] The channel number of the low-power device after it joins the network is calculated based on the address of the low-power device, so that the channel number of the low-power device after joining the network is no longer related to the gateway information, thus providing a basis for subsequent handheld terminal devices to communicate with low-power devices without knowing the network node.

[0050] After joining the network, the discrete channel M is used. When the gateway needs to actively send a meter reading frame, it first calculates the channel M where the target low-power device is located based on the address of the target low-power device, then switches to the channel M where the target low-power device is located and sends the meter reading frame. This ensures that the long preamble meter reading frame sent by the gateway will only wake up the low-power device in the current channel, while the low-power devices in other channels will not be affected, thereby reducing the operating power consumption of low-power devices in other channels in the network.

[0051] By deploying network channels, even though the handheld terminal device does not have the network node information of the target low-power device, the low-power device is either in the first channel or in channel M. Therefore, the handheld terminal device only needs to try to connect to the low-power device in these two channels. At the same time, as long as the handheld terminal device knows the address of the target low-power device, it can calculate the channel M where the low-power device is after entering the network. This enables the handheld terminal device to communicate with low-power devices in both offline and online states, thus solving the technical problem of handheld terminal access.

[0052] Other features and advantages of this specification will be disclosed in detail in the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0053] The following description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, further illustrates this specification:

[0054] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating a network deployment method for a low-power device implemented in one embodiment of this specification.

[0055] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for a low-power device to send a network access request to a gateway, as described in one embodiment of this specification.

[0056] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for a gateway to process and respond to a low-power device in accordance with an embodiment of this specification.

[0057] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for calculating the channel number M after network access, as shown in one embodiment of this specification.

[0058] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a network deployment system architecture for a low-power device used in one embodiment of this specification.

[0059] The components are: 1. Main station, 2. Gateway, and 3. Low-power devices. Detailed Implementation

[0060] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this specification will be explained and described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the following embodiments are only preferred embodiments of this specification and not all of them. Other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments in the implementation methods without creative effort are all within the protection scope of this specification.

[0061] In the following description, terms such as “inner,” “outer,” “upper,” “lower,” “left,” and “right” are used only to facilitate the description of the embodiments and to simplify the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this specification.

[0062] Example 1:

[0063] This embodiment provides a network deployment method for low-power devices, used to enable communication between a gateway or handheld terminal device and the low-power device. Please refer to the appendix. Figure 1 This includes the following steps:

[0064] Step S1) The master station obtains all channels of the network. The first channel is the channel where low-power devices stay in the off-network state. The master station presets the second channel as the service channel where the gateway is located, and uses the remaining channels as the channels after the low-power devices enter the network.

[0065] For example, in this embodiment, the master station obtains all network channels and presets the gateway service channels and the channels after low-power devices enter the network. The master station and the gateway can transmit data via 4G or fiber optic.

[0066] The first channel, serving as the dwell channel for low-power devices in off-network mode, is defined by the project. This means the low-power device is configured with this dwell channel during factory setup and does not require pre-setting by the master station. The master station pre-sets several second channels, allowing it to pre-set the gateway's service channels based on the installation status of the periodic gateways, thereby avoiding potential interference between gateways.

[0067] In this context, "master station" is a data communication term referring to a data station, such as a remote server, that guarantees data transmission to one or more slave stations after receiving a request in basic link control.

[0068] Step S2) The gateway sends an activation frame to the low-power device on the first channel and switches back to the second channel after sending is complete;

[0069] In step S2, the low-power device periodically performs channel activity detection. If an activation entry frame is received in the first channel, the low-power device switches to the second channel where the gateway is located and sends active uplink data to the gateway. If no activation entry frame is received in the first channel, the low-power device stays in the first channel.

[0070] The transmission duration of the activation inbound frame is not less than the detection cycle of the low-power device. The gateway processes the active uplink data and responds to the low-power device.

[0071] Furthermore, the gateway adjusts the number of times it sends activation inbound frames based on the daily data transmission needs, thereby further reducing the gateway's power consumption.

[0072] Channel Activity Detection (CAD) was introduced with the application of spread spectrum modulation technology because it was impossible to confirm whether a channel was occupied due to low noise or actual data arrival. LoRa's CAD method works as follows: the slave device sets the frequency and spreading factor, and enables CAD mode (note: a CADDone interrupt will be generated regardless of whether a signal arrives). When a matching signal (i.e., the same frequency and spreading factor) arrives, a CADDetect interrupt will be generated. Furthermore, CADDetect and CADDone will be generated simultaneously.

[0073] LoRa, developed by Semtech, is a low-power local area network (LAN) wireless standard. Its name, "LoRa," stands for Long Range Radio. Its key feature is that it can travel farther than other wireless methods under the same power consumption, achieving a balance between low power consumption and long range. It extends the distance of traditional wireless radio frequency communication by 3-5 times under the same power consumption. LoRa is essentially a wireless platform for the Internet of Things (IoT). LoRa data packets consist of three parts: a preamble, an optional header, and a data payload. LoRa channel activity detection aims to detect the LoRa preamble on the wireless channel with the highest possible power efficiency. In CAD mode, the SX1276 / 77 / 78 frequency band is rapidly scanned to detect the LoRa data packet preamble. The operation of periodically performing channel activity detection on low-power devices in this embodiment is similar to the operation of LoRa channel activity detection in existing technologies, therefore, it will not be described in detail here.

[0074] By utilizing LoRa's channel activity detection technology and combining it with network channel deployment, low-power devices periodically perform channel activity detection, checking for activation entry frames sent by the gateway. If an activation entry frame is detected, the device switches to the second channel where the gateway resides, preventing the low-power device from receiving activation entry frames after joining the network. If no activation entry frame is detected, the device remains on the first channel and sleeps. This significantly reduces the power consumption of the low-power device and enables communication between the low-power device and the gateway. By adjusting the duration of the gateway's data frame transmission to be no less than the detection cycle of the low-power device, real-time communication between the gateway and the low-power device is achieved.

[0075] On the other hand, in this embodiment, please refer to the appendix. Figure 2 In step S2, the active uplink data includes a network access application. The low-power device periodically performs channel activity detection, and the sub-steps after receiving the activation network access frame on the first channel include:

[0076] Step B01) Preset a registration list. The registration list is used to store the activation network entry frames received by the low-power device and the gateway information that sent the corresponding activation network entry frames.

[0077] Step B02) Set the registration delay time Trg, and store the activation network entry frames received by the low-power device during the registration delay time Trg and the gateway information that sent the corresponding activation network entry frames into the registration list.

[0078] Step B03) When the registration delay time Trg ends, the low-power device selects the best gateway based on the gateway information stored in the registration list;

[0079] Step B04) The low-power device switches to the second channel where the best gateway is located and sends a network access application to the gateway;

[0080] Step B05) The gateway processes the network access request and responds to the low-power device.

[0081] In this embodiment, the low-power device is in an off-network state after power-on, remaining on the first channel. When the low-power device receives an activation frame from the gateway on the first channel, it stores the received activation frame and the gateway information that sent the corresponding frame in a registration list, and sets a registration delay time Trg. During Trg, it also stores any activation frames received and their corresponding gateway information in the registration list. When Trg expires, the low-power device begins applying for network access, selecting the best gateway from the registration list and waiting for the gateway's response.

[0082] By setting a registration delay time Trg, the gateway information received during the Trg period is stored, and the best gateway is selected uniformly after the Trg period ends. This significantly reduces the number of times low-power devices apply to join the network, thereby improving the quality of gateway selection for low-power devices while reducing the operating power consumption of low-power devices.

[0083] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the gateway information sent for the corresponding activation network frame includes the gateway signal strength. Therefore, the method by which the low-power device selects the best gateway based on the gateway information stored in the registration list includes:

[0084] The gateway with the strongest gateway signal in the registration list will be selected as the best gateway.

[0085] This embodiment only illustrates that the basis for a low-power device to select the best gateway is the signal strength of the gateways in the registration list. Those skilled in the art can also use other gateway information parameters as the basis for a low-power device to select the best gateway according to the communication needs between the gateway and the low-power device. This embodiment will not elaborate on this further.

[0086] On the other hand, in this embodiment, please refer to the appendix. Figure 3 The gateway processes network access requests and responds to low-power devices using the following methods:

[0087] Step C01) If the gateway responds and allows network access, the low-power device enters the network access state. The channel number M after network access is calculated based on the address of the low-power device, and the low-power device switches to channel M.

[0088] Step C02) If the gateway responds that it does not allow network access or does not respond after a preset time, delete the gateway information of the current gateway in the registration list, reselect the best gateway and send the network access application again.

[0089] (Step C03) If the newly selected best gateway still does not allow network access or does not respond after timeout, repeat the previous step until there are no available gateways in the registration list, and the low-power device switches back to the first channel.

[0090] In this embodiment, the low-power device selects the best gateway from the registration list to apply for network access and waits for the gateway's response. If the gateway's response does not allow network access or fails to respond within a preset time, the low-power device deletes this gateway information from the registration list and reselects the best gateway to resubmit the network access application. If the registration list is empty, the low-power device switches back to the offline state and remains on the first channel. If the low-power device successfully applies for network access from the gateway, it enters the online state, calculates the channel M after network access based on the low-power device's address, and remains on channel M. Subsequently, the low-power device receives meter reading data actively sent by the gateway on channel M and will no longer receive activation network access frames, thereby reducing the operating power consumption of the low-power device.

[0091] On the other hand, in this embodiment, please refer to the appendix. Figure 4 The methods for calculating the channel number M after network access based on the address of the low-power device include:

[0092] Step D01) Sum the values ​​of each byte of the address of the low-power device to obtain the Sum value;

[0093] Step D02) Take the remainder of the Sum value with respect to the number of channels after the low-power device joins the network;

[0094] Step D03) Add the obtained remainder value to the starting channel number after the low-power device enters the network to obtain the channel number M after entering the network.

[0095] The channel number of a low-power device after network access is calculated based on its address. This ensures that the channel number is no longer linked to gateway information, providing a foundation for subsequent communication between handheld terminals and low-power devices without knowledge of network nodes. If the channel number of a low-power device after network access is related to gateway information, subsequent handheld terminals cannot send meter reading data to it because they only know the address of the target low-power device and not the network node. For example, with gas and water meters, the address of the low-power device is simply the six-byte meter number, independent of gateway information, and therefore known to the handheld terminal.

[0096] On the other hand, in this embodiment, if the gateway responds and allows network access, the low-power device enters the network access state, calculates the channel number M after network access based on the address of the low-power device, and switches to channel M.

[0097] When a low-power device that has entered the network access state has event data that needs to be pushed, the low-power device switches to the second channel where the gateway is located, sends the push data to the gateway, and waits for the gateway's response.

[0098] If the gateway responds, the low-power device switches back to channel M; if the gateway does not respond after a preset time, the low-power device switches back to channel M and waits for a preset time before re-executing the previous step.

[0099] For example, the implementation of this embodiment is as follows:

[0100] 1) The main station obtains all network channels as shown in the table below:

[0101] Channel number Frequency point MHz Bandwidth KHz Spreading factor CHO 471.5 125 9 CH1 472 125 9 CH2 472.5 125 9 CH3 473 125 9 CH4 473.5 125 9 CH5 474 125 9 CH6 474.5 125 9 CH7 475 125 9 CH8 475.5 125 9 CH9 476 125 9 CH10 476.5 125 9 CH11 477 125 9 CH12 477.5 125 9

[0102] Among them, CHO serves as the first channel for low-power devices in the off-network state. The main station presets CH1 to CH6 as the service channels where the gateway is located, and uses the remaining channels CH7 to CH12 as the channels after the low-power devices enter the network.

[0103] Low-power devices perform channel activity detection every 3 seconds. When a gateway actively sends an activation inbound frame, the preamble length is configured to be 730, while the preamble length for normal downlink frames sent by other gateways is configured to be 5.

[0104] 2) Gateway channel, configured by the master station. Here, for example, the second channel where the gateway that sends the activation inbound frame is located is CH3.

[0105] 3) Low-power devices

[0106] Low-power devices in off-network status reside in the CHO. When a low-power device receives an activation frame with a long preamble from the gateway, the off-network low-power device stores the received activation frame and the gateway information that sent the corresponding activation frame in the registration list, and sets a registration delay time Tr. g The registration period is 10 minutes. During this period, activation frames received and the gateway information sending the corresponding activation frames are also stored in the registration list. When Tr... g After the 10-minute delay, the registration list is shown in the table below:

[0107] Gateway address signal strength Channel number 100000456789 -38 CH5 100000334455 -80 CH3

[0108] At this point, the gateway with the strongest signal in the registration list is selected as the best gateway, and the application for network access is sent through the service channel of the best gateway, awaiting the gateway's response. If the gateway does not allow network access or fails to respond within a preset time, its information is removed from the registration list. The best-signal gateway is then selected again from the registration list to send the network access application. This process is repeated until no available gateway is found in the list, at which point the low-power device switches back to the CHO channel.

[0109] If the gateway responds and allows network access, the low-power device enters the network access state. The channel number M after network access is calculated based on the address of the low-power device, and the low-power device switches to channel M.

[0110] The method for calculating the channel number M after a low-power device is connected to the network is as follows:

[0111] The Sum value is obtained by summing each byte of the address of the low-power device, i.e., Sum = add0 + add1 + add2 + add3 + add4 + add5, where add0-add5 are the 6 bytes of the address of the low-power device;

[0112] Take the remainder of the Sum value relative to the number of channels after the low-power device enters the network, which is 6, i.e., the number of CH7 to CH12.

[0113] Add the remainder to the starting channel number 7 after the low-power device joins the network to get the channel number M after joining the network, that is, M = (Sum%6) + 7.

[0114] 4) Low-power operation of low-power devices

[0115] Low-power devices operate in channel M or the first channel, performing CAD detection every 3 seconds. If an activation inbound frame is detected, the device switches to the second channel where the gateway is located, preventing the low-power device from receiving activation inbound frames after joining the network. If no activation inbound frame is detected, the device remains in the first channel and enters sleep mode, waiting 3 seconds before performing channel activity detection again.

[0116] 5) Low-power devices push data

[0117] When a low-power device that has entered the network access state has event data that needs to be pushed, the low-power device switches to the second channel where the gateway is located, sends the push data to the gateway, and waits for the gateway's response. If the gateway responds, the low-power device switches back to channel M. If the gateway does not respond after a preset time, the low-power device switches back to channel M, waits for the preset time, and then switches back to the second channel where the gateway is located to send the push data to the gateway.

[0118] One embodiment of this specification utilizes LoRa's channel activity detection technology and network access mechanism design to keep all off-network low-power devices on the first channel, waiting for the gateway to send an activation network access frame. The low-power devices periodically perform channel activity detection; upon detecting an activation network access frame, they switch to the second channel where the gateway is located and apply for network access. After successful network access, the low-power device calculates its new channel number M based on its address and remains on channel M. Subsequently, the low-power device receives meter reading data actively sent by the gateway or handheld terminal device on channel M, without receiving activation network access frames again. This significantly reduces the power consumption of the low-power devices and enables communication between them and the gateway. Furthermore, by adjusting the duration of the gateway's data frame transmission to be no less than the detection cycle of the low-power devices, real-time communication between the gateway and the low-power devices is achieved.

[0119] Example 2:

[0120] The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that after the low-power device enters the network access state and switches to channel M, the address of the low-power device is switched to the address corresponding to channel M.

[0121] By switching the address of the low-power device after entering the network state to the address corresponding to channel M, when the gateway actively reads meters downstream, it will only wake up the target low-power device in channel M, while the low-power devices in other channels will not be affected, thus further realizing the low-power operation of the low-power device.

[0122] On the other hand, in this embodiment, when the gateway needs to actively read the target low-power device, the gateway calculates the channel M where the target low-power device is located based on the address of the target low-power device.

[0123] The gateway switches to channel M where the target low-power device is located, sends a meter reading frame to the target low-power device in channel M, and waits for the response from the target low-power device.

[0124] When the gateway receives a response from the target low-power device or waits for a preset time without receiving a response from the target low-power device, the gateway switches back to the second channel and saves the response result of the target low-power device.

[0125] Specifically, when the gateway receives a response from the target low-power device, the gateway switches back to the second channel and saves the response result of the target low-power device. When the gateway waits for a preset time but still does not receive a response from the target low-power device, the gateway switches back to the second channel and saves the response result of "target low-power device did not respond".

[0126] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the gateway's need to actively read the target low-power device is configured by the master station. When the master station sends the meter reading request to the gateway, the gateway first checks whether there is a target low-power device in the network channel that has entered the network state. If the target low-power device does not exist, it returns the low-power device that needs to be read to the master station as not being on the network. If the target low-power device exists, the gateway calculates the channel M where the target low-power device is located based on the address of the target low-power device, switches to the channel M where the target low-power device is located, sends a meter reading frame to the target low-power device in channel M and waits for the target low-power device's response. When the gateway receives the response from the target low-power device or waits for a preset time but still does not receive the response from the target low-power device, the gateway switches back to the second channel, saves the response result of the target low-power device, and returns the response result to the master station.

[0127] In this embodiment, the operation of the gateway to calculate the channel M where the target low-power device is located based on the address of the target low-power device is similar to the operation of the low-power device to calculate the channel number M after entering the network based on the address of the low-power device in Embodiment 1. This embodiment will not repeat the details here.

[0128] In this embodiment, the address of the low-power device after entering the network access state is switched to the address corresponding to channel M. This allows channel M to be discretized based on the address of the low-power device after entering the network. When the gateway needs to actively send a meter reading frame, it first calculates the channel M where the target low-power device is located based on the address of the target low-power device, then switches to the channel M where the target low-power device is located and sends the meter reading frame. This ensures that the long preamble meter reading frame sent by the gateway will only wake up the low-power device in the current channel, while the low-power devices in other channels will not be affected, thereby reducing the operating power consumption of low-power devices in other channels in the network.

[0129] Example 3:

[0130] The difference between this embodiment and embodiment two is that when the handheld terminal device needs to actively read the target low-power device, the handheld terminal device sends a meter reading frame to the target low-power device in the first channel and waits for the response from the target low-power device.

[0131] If the handheld terminal device receives a response from the target low-power device, the handheld terminal device saves the response result of the target low-power device. If the handheld terminal device does not receive a response from the target low-power device after waiting for a preset time, the following steps are executed.

[0132] The handheld terminal device calculates the channel M where the target low-power device is located based on the address of the target low-power device;

[0133] The handheld terminal device switches to channel M where the target low-power device is located, sends a meter reading frame to the target low-power device in channel M, and waits for the response from the target low-power device.

[0134] When the handheld terminal device receives a response from the target low-power device or does not receive a response from the target low-power device after waiting for a preset time, the handheld terminal device saves the response result of the target low-power device.

[0135] Specifically, when the handheld terminal device receives a response from the target low-power device, the handheld terminal device saves the response result of the target low-power device. When the handheld terminal device waits for a preset time but still does not receive a response from the target low-power device, the handheld terminal device saves the response result of "target low-power device did not respond".

[0136] In this embodiment, the operation of the handheld terminal device to calculate the channel M where the target low-power device is located based on the address of the target low-power device is similar to the operation of the low-power device to calculate the channel number M after network access based on the address of the low-power device in Embodiment 1. This embodiment will not repeat the details here.

[0137] Existing low-power networks, such as LoRaWAN, cannot currently meet the communication needs between handheld terminal devices and network nodes because the handheld terminal devices cannot know the network node of the low-power devices. However, in this embodiment, through the deployment of network channels, although the handheld terminal device does not have the network node information of the target low-power device, the low-power device is either in channel 1 or channel M. Therefore, the handheld terminal only needs to attempt to connect to the low-power device in these two channels. Furthermore, this embodiment calculates the channel number of the low-power device after it joins the network based on its address. This allows the handheld terminal device to calculate the channel M of the low-power device after it joins the network and communicate simply by knowing the address of the target low-power device. This solves the technical problem of handheld terminal access and enables communication between the handheld terminal device and low-power devices in both offline and online states.

[0138] The following specific example illustrates a network deployment method for low-power devices proposed in several embodiments of this specification:

[0139] 1) The main station obtains all network channels as shown in the table below:

[0140] Channel number Frequency point MHz Bandwidth KHz Spreading factor CH0 915.2 125 9 CH1 915.6 125 9 CH2 916 125 9 CH3 916.4 125 9 CH4 916.8 125 9 CH5 917.2 125 9 CH6 917.6 125 9 CH7 918 125 9 CH8 918.4 125 9 CH9 918.8 125 9 CH10 919.2 125 9 CH11 919.6 125 9 CH12 920 125 9 CH13 920.4 125 9 CH14 920.8 125 9 CH15 921.2 125 9 CH16 921.6 125 9 CH17 922 125 9

[0141] Among them, CH0 serves as the first channel where low-power devices stay in the off-network state. The master station presets CH1 to CH7 as the service channels where the gateway is located, and uses the remaining channels CH8 to CH17 as the channels after low-power devices enter the network.

[0142] Low-power devices perform channel activity detection every 4 seconds. When a gateway actively sends an activation inbound frame, the preamble length is configured to be 970, while the preamble length for normal downlink frames sent by other gateways is configured to be 5.

[0143] 2) Gateway channel, configured by the master station. Here, for example, the second channel where the gateway that sends the activation inbound frame is located is CH6.

[0144] 3) Low-power devices

[0145] Low-power devices in off-network mode reside at CH0. When a low-power device receives an activation frame with a long preamble from the gateway, it stores the received activation frame and the gateway information that sent it in the registration list, and sets the registration delay time Trg to 30 minutes. During this period, received activation frames and the gateway information that sent them are also stored in the registration list. After the 30-minute Trg delay time expires, the registration list is as shown in the table below:

[0146] Gateway address signal strength Channel number 200000456789 -28 CH2 200000334455 -40 CH7

[0147] At this point, the gateway with the strongest signal in the registration list is selected as the best gateway, and the application for network access is sent through the service channel of the best gateway, awaiting the gateway's response. If the gateway does not allow network access or fails to respond within a preset time, its information is removed from the registration list. The best-signal gateway is then selected again from the registration list to send the network access application. This process is repeated until no available gateway remains in the list, at which point the low-power device switches back to the CH0 channel.

[0148] If the gateway responds and allows network access, the low-power device enters the network access state. The channel number M after network access is calculated based on the address of the low-power device, and the low-power device switches to channel M.

[0149] The method for calculating the channel number M after a low-power device is connected to the network is as follows:

[0150] The Sum value is obtained by summing each byte of the address of the low-power device. Sum = add0 + add1 + add2 + add3 + add4 + add5, where add0-add5 are the 6 bytes of the address of the low-power device.

[0151] Take the remainder of the Sum value divided by the number of channels after the low-power device enters the network, which is 10, i.e. the number of CH8 to CH17.

[0152] Add the remainder to the starting channel number 8 after the low-power device joins the network to get the channel number M after joining the network, that is, M = (Sum%10) + 8.

[0153] 4) Low-power operation of low-power devices

[0154] Low-power devices operate in channel M or the first channel, performing CAD detection every 4 seconds. If an activation inbound frame is detected, the device switches to the second channel where the gateway is located, preventing the low-power device from receiving activation inbound frames after joining the network. If no activation inbound frame is detected, the device remains in the first channel and enters sleep mode, waiting 4 seconds before performing channel activity detection again.

[0155] 5) Low-power devices push data

[0156] When a low-power device that has entered the network access state has event data that needs to be pushed, the low-power device switches to the second channel where the gateway is located, sends the push data to the gateway, and waits for the gateway's response. If the gateway responds, the low-power device switches back to channel M. If the gateway does not respond after a preset time, the low-power device switches back to channel M, waits for the preset time, and then switches back to the second channel where the gateway is located to send the push data to the gateway.

[0157] 6) Gateway meter reading

[0158] When the master station sends a meter reading request to the gateway, the gateway first checks if a target low-power device in the network access state exists. If the target low-power device does not exist, it returns an "out of network" message to the master station. If the target low-power device exists, the gateway calculates the channel M where the target low-power device is located based on its address, switches to channel M, sends a meter reading frame to the target low-power device on channel M, and waits for its response. When the gateway receives a response from the target low-power device or waits for a preset time without receiving a response, the gateway switches back to the second channel, saves the response result, and returns the response result to the master station.

[0159] 7) Meter reading using handheld terminal devices

[0160] The handheld terminal first sends a long preamble meter reading frame to the target low-power device via the first channel. If no response is received from the target low-power device after a preset time, the handheld terminal calculates the channel M where the target low-power device is located based on its address, switches to channel M, sends the long preamble meter reading frame, and waits for a response from the target low-power device. When the handheld terminal receives a response from the target low-power device or still does not receive a response after the preset time, it saves the response result from the target low-power device.

[0161] Example 4:

[0162] This application also provides a network deployment system for low-power devices, used to implement the aforementioned network deployment method for low-power devices, including:

[0163] Master station 1 is used to obtain all channels of the network. The first channel is the channel where low-power devices stay in the offline state, and the second channel is preset as the service channel where gateway 2 is located. The remaining channels are used as the channels after low-power devices 3 enter the network.

[0164] Gateway 2 is used to send an activation network entry frame to low-power device 3 on the first channel and switch back to the second channel after the transmission is completed;

[0165] Low-power device 3 is used to periodically perform channel activity detection. If an activation entry frame is received in the first channel, low-power device 3 switches to the second channel where gateway 2 is located, sends active uplink data to gateway 2 and waits for gateway 2's response. If no activation entry frame is received in the first channel, low-power device 3 stays in the first channel. The transmission time of the activation entry frame is not less than the detection period of low-power device 3.

[0166] In this context, Master Station 1 is a data communication term that refers to a data station, such as a remote server, that guarantees data transmission to one or more slave stations after receiving a request in basic link control.

[0167] This embodiment achieves low-power operation of low-power device 3 by periodically detecting channel activity of low-power device 3 and combining it with the deployment of network channels by master station 1. At the same time, communication between gateway 2 and low-power device 3 is achieved by adjusting the periodic time of channel activity detection of low-power device 3.

[0168] The above descriptions are merely a few specific embodiments of this specification, but the scope of protection of this specification is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art should understand that this specification includes, but is not limited to, the contents described in the accompanying drawings and the specific embodiments described above. Any modifications that do not depart from the functional and structural principles of this specification will be included within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A network deployment method for low-power devices, used to enable communication between a gateway or handheld terminal device and the low-power device, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. The master station obtains all channels of the network. The first channel is the channel where low-power devices stay in the off-network state. The master station presets the second channel as the service channel where the gateway is located, and uses the remaining channels as the channels after the low-power devices enter the network. S2. The gateway sends an activation network entry frame to the low-power device on the first channel and switches back to the second channel after sending is complete. In step S2, the low-power device periodically performs channel activity detection. If the activation network entry frame is received in the first channel, the low-power device switches to the second channel where the gateway is located and sends active uplink data to the gateway. If the activation network entry frame is not received in the first channel, the low-power device stays in the first channel. The transmission duration of the activation network access frame is not less than the detection period of the low-power device. The active uplink data includes a network access request. The gateway processes the network access request and responds to the low-power device, including: If the gateway responds and allows network access, the low-power device enters the network access state. The channel number M after network access is calculated based on the address of the low-power device. The low-power device switches to channel M and then switches the address of the low-power device to the address corresponding to channel M. If the gateway does not allow network access or does not respond after a preset time, the gateway information of the current gateway in the registration list will be deleted, the best gateway will be selected again, and the network access application will be sent again. If the newly selected best gateway still responds that it does not allow network access or does not respond after a timeout, repeat the previous step until there are no available gateways in the registration list, and the low-power device switches back to the first channel. The methods for calculating the channel number M after network access based on the address of the low-power device include: The Sum value is obtained by summing each byte of the address of the low-power device. Take the remainder of the Sum value with respect to the number of channels after the low-power device is connected to the network. Add the remainder value to the starting channel number after the low-power device joins the network to obtain the channel number M after joining the network.

2. The network deployment method for a low-power device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step S2, the low-power device periodically performs channel activity detection, and the sub-steps following receiving the activation frame in the first channel include: A preset registration list is provided, which is used to store the activation network access frames received by the low-power device and the gateway information that sends the corresponding activation network access frames; Set a registration delay time Trg, and store the activation network entry frames received by the low-power device during the registration delay time Trg and the gateway information that sent the corresponding activation network entry frames into the registration list. When the registration delay time Trg ends, the low-power device selects the best gateway based on the gateway information stored in the registration list; The low-power device switches to the second channel where the optimal gateway is located and sends a network access request to the gateway; The gateway processes the network access request and responds to the low-power device.

3. The network deployment method for a low-power device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The gateway information sent in the corresponding activation frame includes the gateway signal strength. The method by which the low-power device selects the best gateway based on the gateway information stored in the registration list includes: The gateway with the strongest gateway signal in the registration list is selected as the best gateway.

4. The network deployment method for a low-power device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, If the gateway responds and allows network access, the low-power device enters the network access state. The channel number M after network access is calculated based on the address of the low-power device, and the low-power device switches to channel M. When a low-power device that has entered the network access state has event data that needs to be pushed, the low-power device switches to the second channel where the gateway is located, sends the push data to the gateway, and waits for the gateway's response. If the gateway responds, the low-power device switches back to channel M; If the gateway does not respond within the preset time, the low-power device switches back to channel M and waits for the preset time before re-executing the previous step.

5. The network deployment method for a low-power device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When the gateway needs to actively read the target low-power device, the gateway calculates the channel M where the target low-power device is located based on the address of the target low-power device; The gateway switches to channel M where the target low-power device is located, sends a meter reading frame to the target low-power device in channel M, and waits for the response from the target low-power device. When the gateway receives a response from the target low-power device or waits for a preset time without receiving a response from the target low-power device, the gateway switches back to the second channel and saves the response result of the target low-power device.

6. The network deployment method for a low-power device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When a handheld terminal device needs to actively read the data from a target low-power device, the handheld terminal device sends a reading frame to the target low-power device through the first channel and waits for a response from the target low-power device. If the handheld terminal device receives a response from the target low-power device, the handheld terminal device saves the response result of the target low-power device. If the handheld terminal device does not receive a response from the target low-power device after waiting for a preset time, the following steps are executed. The handheld terminal device calculates the channel M where the target low-power device is located based on the address of the target low-power device; The handheld terminal device switches to channel M where the target low-power device is located, sends a meter reading frame to the target low-power device in channel M, and waits for the response from the target low-power device. When the handheld terminal device receives a response from the target low-power device or does not receive a response from the target low-power device after waiting for a preset time, the handheld terminal device saves the response result of the target low-power device.

7. A network deployment system for low-power devices, used to implement a network deployment method for low-power devices as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, include: The main station is used to obtain all channels of the network. The first channel is the channel where low-power devices stay when they are offline. The second channel is preset as the service channel where the gateway is located. The remaining channels are used as the channels after low-power devices come into the network. The gateway is used to send an activation network entry frame to a low-power device on the first channel and switch back to the second channel after the transmission is completed. A low-power device periodically performs channel activity detection. If it receives the activation network entry frame on the first channel, it switches to the second channel where the gateway is located, sends active uplink data to the gateway, and waits for the gateway's response. If it does not receive the activation network entry frame on the first channel, it remains on the first channel. The transmission duration of the activation network entry frame is not less than the detection period of the low-power device. The active uplink data includes a network entry request. The gateway processes the network entry request and responds to the low-power device, performing the following steps: If the gateway responds and allows network access, the low-power device enters the network access state. The channel number M after network access is calculated based on the address of the low-power device. The low-power device switches to channel M and then switches the address of the low-power device to the address corresponding to channel M. If the gateway does not allow network access or does not respond after a preset time, the gateway information of the current gateway in the registration list will be deleted, the best gateway will be selected again, and the network access application will be sent again. If the newly selected best gateway still responds that it does not allow network access or does not respond after a timeout, repeat the previous step until there are no available gateways in the registration list, and the low-power device switches back to the first channel. When calculating the channel number M after network access based on the address of the low-power device, the following steps are performed: The Sum value is obtained by summing each byte of the address of the low-power device. Take the remainder of the Sum value with respect to the number of channels after the low-power device is connected to the network. Add the remainder value to the starting channel number after the low-power device joins the network to obtain the channel number M after joining the network.

Images