A method, device and equipment for LoRa routing switching

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method, apparatus, and device for LoRa route switching. The method comprises: creating and maintaining a backup route for a node when receiving a routing message; obtaining the route of the node's most recently received message as an updated route if the downlink time of the node's backup route exceeds a threshold; comparing parameters of the backup route and the updated route, wherein the parameters are route depth, signal-to-noise ratio, and signal strength; the comparison order is route depth > signal-to-noise ratio > signal strength; if the updated route parameters are better than the backup route, the updated route replaces the backup route as the new backup route, otherwise the original backup route is retained; and after the node goes offline, the node path is updated through the backup route. The present invention reduces network forwarding packets by reducing the number of network additions, thereby reducing system congestion, improving the battery life of low-power battery nodes, and improving system response performance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of LoRa technology, and in particular to a method, apparatus, and device for LoRa routing switching. Background Art

[0002] LoRa, short for Long Range Radio, is a low-power local area network wireless standard created by Semtech. Its biggest feature is that it can transmit farther than other wireless methods under the same power consumption conditions, achieving the unity of low power consumption and long distance. It can extend the communication distance 3-5 times that of traditional wireless radio frequency under the same power consumption.

[0003] Although LoRa has a long transmission distance, in many application scenarios there are many obstructions and the distance between nodes and gateways is large. In this case, a tree-shaped ad hoc network is more suitable. The tree-shaped network can extend the distance by adding routing between nodes and gateways, so it is more adaptable to complex environments. However, if the construction and subsequent maintenance of the tree-shaped network are not handled properly, it may also cause data congestion and other phenomena.

[0004] When a node in the existing technology detects it is offline, it infers that the path to the gateway is blocked and immediately tries to find a new path by reconnecting. However, during the connection process, the router continuously forwards the connection request until it reaches the gateway, which selects the optimal path for allocation and connection response. During this process, a large number of connection forwarding packets occur, causing system congestion. Because LoRa transmission is slow and has long distances, many data transmissions will be delayed if they detect that data is being transmitted in the air. This can lead to problems such as slow system response, data collisions, increased packet loss rates, and delayed delivery. In addition, the router can mistakenly wake up nodes during the forwarding process, causing low-power battery-powered nodes in the system to be mistakenly woken up, resulting in increased energy consumption. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the purpose of the present invention is to propose a method, device and equipment for LoRa route switching. In the LoRa self-organizing network, the application scenario of the tree network is very extensive. The tree network contains gateways and routing nodes. After the tree network is established, there may be environmental changes, routing anomalies, location changes, etc. At this time, the tree network needs to be maintained. The original technology is to search for a new path by re-networking. Since LoRa communication is slow, the network joining process will aggravate problems such as data air collision, node false awakening, and delayed reporting. After the node goes offline, the present invention will first try to use the backup route for communication. The backup route is also a relatively optimal path through a certain maintenance strategy, thereby effectively reducing the problems caused by the network joining process by reducing the number of network joining times.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for LoRa routing switching is provided, comprising:

[0007] When a node receives a routing message, it creates and maintains its backup route. If the downlink time of the node's backup route exceeds a threshold, it obtains the route of the node's most recently received message as the updated route.

[0008] Compare the parameters of the backup route and the updated route, which are route depth (d), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and signal strength (RSSI); the comparison order is route depth (d) > signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) > signal strength (RSSI);

[0009] If the updated route parameters are better than the backup route, the updated route replaces the backup route as the new backup route; otherwise, the original backup route is retained;

[0010] After the node goes offline, the node path is updated through the backup route.

[0011] In the above technical solution, this solution reduces the number of network additions and forwarding packets, thereby reducing system congestion, improving the battery life of low-power battery nodes, and improving system response performance. After joining the network, when the node receives routing information, it will compare the received information with the currently stored backup route. If the new routing parameters are better, the backup routing parameters will be replaced with the current routing parameters. When the node finds that it is offline, it will first try to use the backup route to send data to the gateway. After receiving the path switching command, the gateway will respond to the node with the new path. At the same time, the gateway updates the tree network structure, thereby reducing the number of network additions, and the backup route is constantly updated to the current optimal route nearby, so the new path is also a relatively better path.

[0012] In some embodiments, when a node receives a routing message, it creates and maintains a backup route for the node. Specifically:

[0013] When a node initially joins the network, it completes a network joining process. After receiving routing data, it enters the maintenance process of the backup route.

[0014] In the maintenance process of the backup route, the parameters of the route are obtained, which are the route depth (d), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and signal strength index (RSSI).

[0015] In the above technical solution, in the current prior art, after a node goes offline, it reconnects to the network to search for a path, but this case adopts a backup routing solution.

[0016] In some embodiments, the backup route maintenance process specifically includes:

[0017] The router wakes up all nodes within the range through the long preamble code. After receiving the routing data, the node obtains the routing depth (d), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), signal strength (RSSI), and last downlink time of the received data from the data and LoRa chip by reading the register;

[0018] If the node's current backup route is empty, the received routing information is directly set as the backup route;

[0019] Determine whether the currently received routing information is a backup route. If so, update the downlink time of the backup route and exit the backup route maintenance process.

[0020] In the above technical solution, the route update time is used to ensure the timeliness of the backup route. Otherwise, there may be an optimal backup route, but the backup route becomes abnormal later. In the end, the backup route is still used for switching. In this case, the backup route will lose its meaning.

[0021] In some embodiments, the threshold is set based on a period at which nodes and routers periodically send data.

[0022] In the above technical solution, the cycle here can be the heartbeat time, such as a packet every 10 seconds. If the routing message is not received in 3 cycles or 30 seconds, it can be considered that the route is abnormal and can be switched.

[0023] In some embodiments, after a node goes offline, the node path is updated using the backup route, specifically:

[0024] If the node is offline and uses the backup route to report data, the gateway will actively respond to the node when receiving the route switching type data, and include the node's latest path information in the response content to complete the route switching;

[0025] If no response is received, it is determined whether the maximum number of attempts has been exceeded. If so, a new path is found by re-networking.

[0026] In the above technical solution, in order to ensure the stability of the tree network, the path will not be replaced every time a better path is found, because all corresponding sub-routes and sub-node paths need to be updated after the routing path is switched, which also requires a certain amount of overhead for the system. Therefore, only when the node is found to be offline will an attempt be made to replace it with a backup route.

[0027] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for LoRa routing switching, based on the above method; comprising:

[0028] The backup route creation and update module is used to create and maintain the node's backup route when the node receives a routing message. If the downlink time of the node's backup route exceeds a threshold, the node obtains the route of the most recently received message as the updated route; the backup route and the updated route parameters are compared, which are route depth (d), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and signal strength (RSSI); the comparison order is route depth (d) > signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) > signal strength (RSSI); if the updated route parameters are better than the backup route, the updated route replaces the backup route as the new backup route, otherwise the original backup route is retained;

[0029] The node route switching module is used to update the node path through the backup route after the node goes offline.

[0030] In the above technical solution, in order to better use the above method, the present application proposes a LoRa routing switching device, each module corresponds to each step of the above method, and its specific principles have been described above and will not be repeated here.

[0031] According to another aspect of the present invention, a device for LoRa routing switching is provided, comprising:

[0032] at least one processor and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor;

[0033] The memory stores instructions that can be executed by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor so that the at least one processor can perform the above method.

[0034] In the above technical solution, in order to better run and process the method, the above method is stored in a memory and a processor is used to execute the stored method. It should be noted that the principle and effect of each step have been described above and will not be further explained here.

[0035] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, storing a computer program, wherein the computer program implements the above method when executed by a processor.

[0036] In the above technical solution, in order to better run and use the method, the above method is stored in a computer-readable storage medium and implemented by a processor. It should be noted that the principle and effect of each step have been described above and will not be further explained here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0038] Figure 1 This is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method for LoRa routing switching according to the present invention;

[0039] Figure 2 This is a tree network structure diagram of an embodiment of a LoRa routing switching method of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 3 1 is a schematic diagram of a process for creating and updating a backup route according to an embodiment of a method for switching a LoRa route according to the present invention;

[0041] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a node routing switching process according to an embodiment of a LoRa routing switching method of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 5 It is a structural diagram of an embodiment of a LoRa routing switching device of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] The present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It is particularly noted that the following examples are intended only to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Similarly, the following examples are only some embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to be exhaustive. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are intended to fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0044] The present invention provides a method, apparatus and device for LoRa routing switching, which can solve at least one technical problem mentioned in the background technology.

[0045] Example 1

[0046] See also Figure 1 According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for LoRa routing switching is provided, comprising:

[0047] S1. When a node receives a routing message, it creates and maintains a backup route for the node. If the downlink time of the node's backup route exceeds a threshold, the node obtains the route of the most recently received message as the updated route.

[0048] In this embodiment, when a node receives a routing message, it creates and maintains a backup route for the node. Specifically:

[0049] S11, when the node initially joins the network, it completes the network joining process once, and then enters the maintenance process of the backup route after receiving the routing data;

[0050] In this embodiment, the maintenance process of the backup route is as follows:

[0051] S111, the router wakes up all nodes within the range through the long preamble code. After receiving the routing data, the node obtains the routing depth (d) of the received data from the data and the LoRa chip by reading the register (the depth (d) is obtained from the data), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), signal strength (RSSI), and the last downlink time;

[0052] S112. If the current backup route of the node is empty, directly set the received routing information as the backup route;

[0053] S113: Determine whether the currently received routing information is a backup route. If so, update the downlink time of the backup route and exit the backup route maintenance process.

[0054] S12. Obtaining parameters of the route in the maintenance process of the backup route, the parameters being route depth (d), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and signal strength index (RSSI).

[0055] In this embodiment, the threshold is set based on the period of the node and route sending data regularly. It can be a heartbeat time, such as a packet every 10 seconds. If the route message is not received for 3 periods (30 seconds), the route is considered abnormal and can be switched.

[0056] S2. Compare the parameters of the backup route and the updated route, which are route depth (d), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and signal strength (RSSI); the comparison order is route depth (d) > signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) > signal strength (RSSI);

[0057] In this embodiment, if the routing depth is better, it is immediately replaced (a smaller routing depth means fewer hops to reach the gateway, and the fewer hops, the less forwarding, and the better the path); the signal-to-noise ratio is determined only when the routing depths are the same; the signal strength is determined only when the routing depths and the signal-to-noise ratio are the same; the determination of the signal-to-noise ratio and signal strength is to use the link with better signal quality to ensure a lower packet loss rate.

[0058] S3. If the updated route parameters are better than the backup route, the updated route replaces the backup route as the new backup route; otherwise, the original backup route is retained.

[0059] S4. After the node goes offline, the node path is updated through the backup route.

[0060] In this embodiment, after a node goes offline, the node path is updated through the backup route, specifically:

[0061] S41. If the node is offline and uses the backup route to report data, the gateway will actively respond to the node when receiving the switch route type data, and include the node's latest path information in the response content to complete the route switching;

[0062] S42: If no response is received, determine whether the maximum number of attempts has been exceeded. If so, find a new path by re-networking.

[0063] In the above technical solution, this solution reduces the number of network additions and forwarding packets, thereby reducing system congestion, improving the battery life of low-power battery nodes, and improving system response performance. After joining the network, when the node receives routing information, it will compare the received information with the currently stored backup route. If the new routing parameters are better, the backup routing parameters will be replaced with the current routing parameters. When the node finds that it is offline, it will first try to use the backup route to send data to the gateway. After receiving the path switching command, the gateway will respond to the node with the new path. At the same time, the gateway updates the tree network structure, thereby reducing the number of network additions, and the backup route is constantly updated to the current optimal route nearby, so the new path is also a relatively better path.

[0064] In order to further illustrate the specific working principle of the present invention, the following will be described in detail:

[0065] See also Figure 2 The figure shows a tree-like network structure, which includes a gateway (GW), routers (R), and nodes (E). The gateway is the core of the entire network, responsible for network construction and maintenance, and serves as the bridge connecting the LoRa self-organizing network to the Internet. Nodes are terminals used for data collection and control, typically low-power battery-powered devices, and do not have data forwarding capabilities. When a node cannot communicate directly with the gateway, a router can be added in between. A router is a node with data forwarding capabilities. Routers not only support data collection and control but also forward node data. Routers are added to the network in the same way as nodes. Routers and nodes closer to the gateway are added to the network first, resulting in a more rational tree-like network distribution. The root cause of the background technology problem is that the original technology will store a path to the gateway after each network addition. When the environment remains unchanged, communication is normal. However, environmental changes are inevitable. For example, if there are obstructions, the routing equipment works abnormally, or the location changes, the node and the gateway will not be able to communicate normally. The node will immediately initiate re-networking, and the router will continue to forward the network addition request until it is forwarded to the gateway. The gateway will select the optimal path and respond. During this process, there will be a large number of network addition request forwarding packets, and forwarding these network addition packets will also cause corresponding problems. To this end, this case adopts the following solution:

[0066] (1) Creation and update of backup routes

[0067] If there are low-power devices in the system's nodes or routers, the router needs to wake up the device by sending a long preamble when sending. This method will wake up all nodes with the same RF parameters within the range at the same time, and obtain the corresponding data signal quality for updating the router. Figure 3 The creation and update of backup routes are described in detail step by step:

[0068] Step 101: When a node first joins the network, it needs to complete a network joining process, and then enter the maintenance process of the backup route after receiving the routing data.

[0069] Step 102: The routing data includes its own routing depth d and destination address, etc. However, the node is generally a low-power dormant node, so the router will wake up all nodes within the range through a long preamble. After receiving the data, the node can obtain the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and signal strength (RSSI) of the received data from the LoRa chip by reading the register. These parameters will be used as the basis for routing updates.

[0070] Step 103: If the node's current backup route is empty, the received routing information is directly set as the backup route. The backup route parameters mainly include: routing address (NID), routing depth (d), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), signal strength (RSSI), and last downlink time.

[0071] Step 104: Determine whether the currently received routing information is a backup route. If so, update the downlink time of the backup route. This parameter is used to ensure the real-time performance of the backup route. At the same time, exit the backup route maintenance process.

[0072] Step 105: Determine the last downlink time of the backup route. If it has timed out, the backup route may be abnormal, so it needs to be replaced with new routing information. The timeout period can be determined in combination with the node and the period of the route sending data regularly.

[0073] Step 106: Compare the new and old route parameters and select the more optimal path as a backup route. The order of priority for comparison is: route depth (d) > signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) > signal strength (RSSI). The gateway's route depth d is 0. A smaller depth value indicates a higher priority, with the gateway having the highest priority. The depth value is the number of hops from the route to the gateway. Higher SNR and signal strength values ​​indicate a higher priority.

[0074] Step 107: If the new routing parameters are not as good as the current backup routing parameters, the new routing parameters are discarded and the stored backup routing is continued to be used.

[0075] (2) Node routing switching

[0076] See also Figure 3 To ensure the stability of the tree network, the path will not be replaced every time a better path is found. This is because all the corresponding sub-routes and sub-node paths need to be updated after the routing path is switched, which also requires a certain amount of overhead for the system. Therefore, only when the node is found to be offline will an attempt be made to replace it with the backup route. The following figure shows a detailed description of node routing switching:

[0077] Step 201: The node here also includes a route, and the route can also be switched to a backup route after being offline. After that, the child nodes and sub-routes of the route will use the new path when reporting.

[0078] Step 202: The node can determine whether the connection with the gateway is normal by sending a confirmation packet (the gateway will actively send a downlink response when reporting data). If multiple attempts fail, it can be considered that the node is offline and a new path to the gateway needs to be found.

[0079] Step 203: After detecting offline, the backup route will be used to report data first. If the gateway receives the switching route type data, it will actively respond to the node and include the latest path information of the node in the response content.

[0080] Step 204: If the node receives a response from the gateway, the route switching is completed. If no response is received, it is determined whether the maximum number of attempts has been exceeded. If not, the attempt is continued. If exceeded, it indicates that the path may be abnormal, and a new path will be found by re-networking.

[0081] Step 205: After multiple attempts to switch to the backup path fail, the network will be re-added. However, since the signal quality and real-time performance of the backup route are relatively high, the switch can be successful most of the time without re-adding the network.

[0082] Step 206: After receiving the path switching response, the node switches to the backup route and clears the stored backup route.

[0083] (3) Defects of existing technology

[0084] 1) The existing technology relies solely on network addition to find the path to the gateway. During the network addition process, there will be a large number of network forwarding packets. Due to the slow LoRa communication, this will lead to problems such as increased air data collisions and node false wake-up.

[0085] 2) The original technology requires re-finding the path by adding a network after the node goes offline, which takes a long time. If the node has urgent data to report at this time, according to the original process, it needs to add a network first and then report, which may be delayed.

[0086] (4) The principle of remedying defects in this case

[0087] 1) The nodes and routes of the present invention will maintain the backup routing table when receiving the upper-level routing information. After the node goes offline, the backup route will be tried first, which can effectively reduce the number of network additions, thereby reducing the problems caused by network addition, such as large amount of data, false wake-up, increased packet loss rate, data delay, etc.

[0088] 2) The backup routes maintained by the present invention are better solutions in terms of strong real-time performance, fewer hops to the gateway, and better signal quality. They can ensure that data can be quickly reported to the gateway in an offline state to the greatest extent, thereby avoiding problems such as data reporting being delayed due to network addition.

[0089] 3) Compared with the existing technology, the present invention reduces the number of network additions as much as possible, thereby reducing the amount of forwarded network data, and thus reducing the number of data collisions and node false awakenings. The backup routes maintained by the present invention are better solutions in terms of real-time performance, routing depth, and signal quality, so it can quickly find an optimal path to report data to the gateway after going offline. The gateway of the existing technology will re-add the network after going offline, which takes a long time. The node of the present invention directly reports data to the gateway through the backup route after going offline, ensuring the real-time performance of the data and improving the timeliness and stability of the system response.

[0090] Example 2

[0091] See also Figure 4 A LoRa route switching device is based on the method described in one of the embodiments; it includes: a backup route creation and update module connected in sequence, which is used to create and maintain the backup route of the node when the node receives a routing message; if the downlink time of the node's backup route exceeds a threshold, obtain the node's most recently received message route as the updated route; compare the parameters of the backup route and the updated route, the parameters being route depth (d), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and signal strength index (RSSI); the comparison order is route depth (d) > signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) > signal strength index (RSSI); if the updated route parameters are better than the backup route, the updated route replaces the backup route as the new backup route, otherwise the original backup route is retained;

[0092] The node route switching module is used to update the node path through the backup route after the node goes offline.

[0093] In this embodiment, in order to better use the method described in one of the embodiments, the present application proposes a LoRa routing switching device, each module corresponds to each step of the above method, and its specific principles have been described above and will not be repeated here.

[0094] Embodiment 3

[0095] A LoRa routing switching device, comprising:

[0096] at least one processor and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor;

[0097] The memory stores instructions that can be executed by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the method described in one of the embodiments.

[0098] In this embodiment, in order to better execute and process the method described in one embodiment, the method described in one embodiment is stored in a memory, and the stored method is executed by a processor. It should be noted that the principles and effects of each step have been described above and will not be further described here.

[0099] Example 4

[0100] A computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the method described in one of the embodiments.

[0101] In the above technical solution, in order to better run and use the method described in one embodiment, the above method is stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and a processor is used to implement the method described in one embodiment. It should be noted that the principles and effects of each step have been described above and will not be further explained here.

[0102] The above descriptions are only some embodiments of the present invention and do not limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any equivalent device or equivalent process transformation made by using the contents of the description and drawings of the present invention, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for LoRa routing switching, characterized in that, include: When a node receives a routing message, it creates and maintains its backup route. If the downlink time of the node's backup route exceeds a threshold, it obtains the route of the node's most recently received message as the updated route. Compare the parameters of the backup route and the updated route, which are route depth, signal-to-noise ratio, and signal strength; the comparison order is route depth > signal-to-noise ratio > signal strength; If the updated route parameters are better than the backup route, the updated route replaces the backup route as the new backup route; otherwise, the original backup route is retained; After the node goes offline, the node path is updated through the backup route.

2. A method for LoRa routing switching as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, When a node receives a routing message, it creates and maintains its backup route. Specifically: When a node initially joins the network, it completes a network joining process. After receiving routing data, it enters the maintenance process of the backup route. In the maintenance process of the backup route, the parameters of the route are obtained, which are the route depth (d), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and signal strength index (RSSI).

3. A method for LoRa routing switching as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that, The maintenance process of the backup route is as follows: The router wakes up all nodes within the range through the long preamble code. After receiving the routing data, the node obtains the routing depth (d), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), signal strength (RSSI), and last downlink time of the received data from the data and LoRa chip by reading the register; If the node's current backup route is empty, the received routing information is directly set as the backup route; Determine whether the currently received routing information is a backup route. If so, update the downlink time of the backup route and exit the backup route maintenance process.

4. A method for LoRa routing switching as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The threshold is set based on the period at which nodes and routes regularly send data.

5. A LoRa routing switching method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, After the node goes offline, the node path is updated through the backup route. Specifically: If the node is offline and uses the backup route to report data, the gateway will actively respond to the node if it receives the route switching type data, and include the node's latest path information in the response content to complete the route switching; If no response is received, it is determined whether the maximum number of attempts has been exceeded. If so, a new path is found by re-networking.

6. A LoRa routing switching device, characterized in that: The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising sequentially connecting: The backup route creation and update module is used to create and maintain the node's backup route when the node receives a routing message. If the downlink time of the node's backup route exceeds a threshold, the node obtains the route of the most recently received message as the updated route; the backup route and the updated route parameters are compared, which are route depth (d), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and signal strength (RSSI); the comparison order is route depth (d) > signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) > signal strength (RSSI); if the updated route parameters are better than the backup route, the updated route replaces the backup route as the new backup route, otherwise the original backup route is retained; The node route switching module is used to update the node path through the backup route after the node goes offline.

7. A LoRa routing switching device, characterized in that: include: at least one processor and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor; The memory stores instructions that can be executed by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

8. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is implemented.

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