Networking method for power line carrier communication and gateway system

Abstract

The networking method for power line carrier communication comprises the following steps: judging whether networking is carried out for the first time or not, if the networking is carried out for the first time, after intelligent equipment is electrified and started, searching a central node of a current line, closing a white list of the central node in a gateway, and starting networking; if the current line is not networked for the first time, after the intelligent equipment is electrified and started, reading a network identifier stored in a storage medium of the intelligent equipment, searching and judging whether the network identifier of the central node of the current line is the same as the network identifier of the intelligent equipment or not, if so, sending a network access request, and if not, continuing searching; and after receiving the network access request, the central node verifies whether the network identifier of the intelligent equipment is in a white list, agrees to access the network if the network identifier is in the white list, and rejects the network if the network identifier is in the white list. According to the technical scheme of the invention, the security of power line carrier communication networking is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of power line carrier communication, and in particular to a networking method and a gateway system for power line carrier communication. Background Art

[0002] As more and more consumers choose whole-house smart products, PLC devices will be installed in the same building in the same community, and multiple PLC networks will coexist on the power lines of the same building. Since the current signal isolators cannot isolate all signals, and some consumers do not have isolators installed at home, communication signals can easily be sent to neighbors. In this case, the original whitelist mechanism to manage the networking process will have security issues.

[0003] First, when the smart devices at home are networked after each startup, they may search for several CCOs of neighbors and their own homes. In the process of choosing which CCO to join, they may mistakenly choose the CCO of the neighbor's home and join the neighbor's network, thereby creating the risk of illegal control; second, in the case of multiple CCOs, the networking time of smart devices will be greatly increased, and there will be long-term communication abnormalities when they are not connected to the network, affecting the user experience of consumers; third, when the CCO fails or does not exist, the N ID of the smart device will be cleared, and the device can receive and forward messages of any N ID, which has the risk of illegal control. Therefore, how to improve the security of power carrier communication networking has become one of the problems that need to be solved at present. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention provides a networking method for power carrier communication, comprising:

[0005] Determine whether it is the first networking:

[0006] If it is the first time to network, the gateway randomly generates a network identifier; the number of the network identifiers is consistent with the number of central nodes under the gateway, and when there are multiple network identifiers, each network identifier is different; the gateway transmits the network identifier to each central node, and the central node sets the received network identifier as the network identifier of the network to which the central node belongs, and persistently stores the received network identifier in the storage medium of the central node; after the smart device is powered on and started, it searches for the central node of the current line, closes the whitelist of the central node in the gateway, and starts networking, and the networking includes:

[0007] The smart device applies to join the network and obtains the network number of the current central node; the current central node adds the hardware unique identifier of the smart device that has joined the network to the whitelist, and backs up and stores the updated whitelist in the gateway. After the current central node obtains the storage instruction of the gateway, it unicasts the storage instruction to the smart device. After the smart device obtains the storage instruction, it persistently stores the updated whitelist in its storage medium; the updated whitelist of the current node in the gateway is opened;

[0008] If it is not the first networking, after each central node in the gateway is started, the central node reads the network identifier stored in its storage medium, and sets the network identifier as the network identifier of the network to which the central node belongs; after the smart device is powered on and started, the network identifier stored in the storage medium of the smart device is read; the smart device searches for the central node of the current line, and determines whether the network identifier of the central node of the current line is the same as that of the smart device. If they are the same, a network access request is sent; if they are different, the search continues; after receiving the network access request, the central node verifies whether the network identifier of the smart device is in the white list. If it is in the white list, network access is approved, otherwise it is rejected.

[0009] Furthermore, it also includes resetting the network identifier: after receiving the reset instruction, the smart device resets the network identifier persistently stored in the storage medium of the smart device.

[0010] Furthermore, the gateway sends the reset instruction to the central node, and the central node then sends the reset instruction to the smart device via broadcast or unicast.

[0011] Furthermore, it also includes resetting the network identifier: the smart device is provided with a physical button, and when the physical button is pressed for a long time exceeding a predetermined time, the network identifier persistently stored in the storage medium of the smart device is reset.

[0012] Furthermore, it also includes resetting the network identifier: when the number of consecutive power outages of the smart device exceeds a preset number of power outages and each power outage time exceeds a preset power outage time, resetting the network identifier persistently stored in the storage medium of the smart device.

[0013] The present invention also provides a gateway system adapted to the networking method of the power carrier communication, comprising a gateway device and at least one intelligent device, wherein the gateway device comprises a main control module and a communication module communicating therewith, the main control module is used to control the networking method, and the communication module also communicates with the intelligent device.

[0014] Furthermore, the main control module and the communication module are integrated together.

[0015] Furthermore, the smart device includes a power line communication module, a peripheral module and a button, or a combination of the two.

[0016] Furthermore, the power line communication module is based on power line communication, connecting the peripheral module and the button to realize the control function; the peripheral module has different usage functions according to the type of smart device; the button resets the smart device and network identification.

[0017] Furthermore, the button is a physical button and / or a touch-sensitive button.

[0018] The main technical problem solved by the present invention is to propose a networking method to improve the security of power carrier communication, which can solve the safety risks of controlling the networking process by the whitelist mechanism, so that each time the smart device is started, it will only find and join the CCO corresponding to the N ID bound to it, and will not join the wrong network, thereby improving the networking speed under the coexistence of multiple CCOs, improving user experience, eliminating the communication risk of CCO failure, and will not receive and process messages from non-networks, reducing the risk of illegal control. The present invention also provides an implementation method of the above networking method and related systems, devices and storage media. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the PLC network;

[0020] Figure 2 This is the first implementation mode of the gateway device provided by the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 This is the second implementation mode of the gateway device provided by the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a smart device provided by the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 This is the first implementation method of the power carrier communication security networking method provided by the present invention;

[0024] Figure 6 This is the second implementation method of the power line carrier communication security networking method provided by the present invention;

[0025] Figure 7 This is the third implementation method of the power line carrier communication security networking method provided by the present invention;

[0026] Figure 8 This is the fourth implementation mode of the power line carrier communication security networking method provided by the present invention;

[0027] Fig. 9This is the fifth implementation of the power line carrier communication security networking method provided by the present invention;

[0028] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the networking method for power line carrier communication security provided by the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Power Line Communication (PLC) technology refers to a communication method that uses power lines to transmit data and signals. With the rapid development of Internet of Things technology, PLC has been widely used in whole-house smart products. At present, the mainstream technology of whole-house smart is "low-voltage power line broadband carrier communication", the topology is a tree structure, and the networking process is managed by a whitelist mechanism.

[0030] PLC network usually contains three kinds of nodes, namely CCO (also known as gateway node, central node or central coordinator, PCO (proxy coordinator) and STA (also known as intelligent device, terminal or station, STA in English). PLC network is usually a tree structure composed of CCO, PCO and STA, such as Figure 1 As shown. Its communication method adopts the central dispatch method. After the CCO (CCO1) is powered on, it will perform a full network detection to determine the PCO (PCO2) and STA (STA3, STA4, STA5 and STA6), and then listen to the STA's message or actively inquire the STA, and perform transmission management and control through the CSMA / CA carrier detection multiple access method. All STA sites initiate an association access request to the head node CCO. They can join the network only after the CCO confirms it. Once the network is established, PLC communication can be carried out. After power-on, the STA site that can communicate directly with the CCO will first access the network to form a level 1 site, and evaluate the success rate of mutual communication. If the site that cannot communicate directly with the CCO can communicate with the level 1 site, it will access the network through the level 1 site agent, and so on to form a multi-level network step by step, and currently it can support up to 15 levels.

[0031] The network identifier (also known as N ID) is a unique ID used to identify a broadband carrier communication network. When sending messages, sites in the same broadband carrier communication network, including CCOs, need to specify the NID in the data frame to indicate the broadband carrier communication network to which the current message belongs. When multiple concentrators are close to each other, it is very likely that an environment will be formed where multiple networks coexist. In a multi-network environment, CCOs need to first complete the negotiation of N IDs and determine the N IDs of their respective networks to avoid the situation where multiple networks use the same N ID, and to ensure that each broadband carrier communication network can be independently and stably networked.

[0032] The whitelist is a collection of MAC addresses (also known as hardware unique identifiers) of sites that are allowed to access the network. CCO can manage and authenticate sites that request network access through the whitelist. After receiving the network access request message from the site, CCO compares the MAC address of the site requesting network access with the whitelist stored locally by CCO. When the MAC address of the site requesting network access is in the CCO whitelist, CCO allows the site to join the network; when the MAC address of the site requesting network access is not in the whitelist, CCO refuses the site to join and notifies the site that it cannot request to join the network again within a period of time (generally 150s). In a multi-network environment, STA can choose a network to join, that is, select the N ID of the network, and then initiate an association request to CCO. After STA receives the association confirmation message, if CCO refuses the STA to join the network, STA can choose other networks, switch to the N ID of the corresponding network, and initiate an association request to the CCO of the network.

[0033] The present invention provides a networking method for improving the safety of power line carrier communication, comprising:

[0034] S1, determine whether it is the first networking:

[0035] S2, if it is the first time to network, the gateway randomly generates a network identifier; the number of the network identifiers is consistent with the number of central nodes under the gateway. When there are multiple network identifiers, each network identifier is different (one CCO corresponds to one network; there are several CCOs in a gateway, and the network here refers to the network corresponding to the CCO itself); the gateway transmits the network identifier to each central node, and the central node sets the received network identifier as the network identifier of the network to which the central node belongs, and persistently stores the received network identifier in the storage medium of the central node; after the smart device is powered on and started, it searches for the central node of the current line, closes the white list of the central node in the gateway, and starts networking, the networking includes: the smart device applies to join the network and obtains the network number of the current central node; the current central node adds the hardware unique identifier of the smart device that has been connected to the network to the white list, and backs up and stores the updated white list in the gateway, after the current central node obtains the storage instruction of the gateway, unicasts the storage instruction to the smart device, and the smart device persistently stores the updated white list in its storage medium after obtaining the storage instruction; opens the updated white list of the current node in the gateway;

[0036] S3, if it is not the first networking, after each central node in the gateway is started, the central node reads the network identifier stored in its storage medium, and sets the network identifier as the network identifier of the network to which the central node belongs; after the smart device is powered on and started, the network identifier stored in the storage medium of the smart device is read; the smart device searches for the central node of the current line, and determines whether the network identifier of the central node of the current line is the same as that of the smart device. If they are the same, a network access request is sent, and if they are different, the search continues; after receiving the network access request, the central node verifies whether the network identifier of the smart device is in the white list. If it is in the white list, network access is approved, otherwise it is rejected.

[0037] It also includes resetting the network identifier (the present invention provides three resetting methods, which can be implemented in one of them):

[0038] After receiving the reset instruction, the smart device resets the network identifier stored persistently in the storage medium of the smart device; the gateway sends the reset instruction to the central node, and the central node sends the reset instruction to the smart device by broadcasting or unicasting;

[0039] The smart device is provided with a physical button, and when the physical button is pressed for a long time exceeding a predetermined time, the network identifier persistently stored in the storage medium of the smart device is reset;

[0040] When the number of consecutive power-off times of the smart device exceeds a preset number of power-off times and each power-off time exceeds a preset power-off time, the network identifier persistently stored in the storage medium of the smart device is reset.

[0041] In the specific implementation process, once the smart device has completed the network access, the smart device is bound to this network and cannot be used elsewhere. Reset is to clear the bound network information so that the smart device can rejoin the network. The reset operation usually occurs after the factory test is completed, or when the project commissioning personnel encounter problems during installation and need to reinstall.

[0042] The present invention also provides a gateway system adapted to the networking method of the power carrier communication, comprising a gateway device and at least one intelligent device, wherein the gateway device comprises a main control module and a communication module communicating with the main control module, wherein the main control module is used to control the networking method, and the communication module also communicates with the intelligent device. The main control module and the communication module are integrated together.

[0043] The smart device includes a power line communication module, a peripheral module and a button, or a combination of the two. The power line communication module is based on power line communication, and connects the peripheral module and the button to realize the control function; the peripheral module has different usage functions according to the type of smart device; the button resets the smart device and network identification. The button is a physical button and / or a touch-sensitive button.

[0044] For example, Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 , Fig. 9 As shown below, Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 , Fig. 9 For detailed explanation:

[0045] like Figure 5 As shown in S11, the specific process of the first networking of the power carrier communication network is described in detail as follows:

[0046] 1. Power on and start the gateway device (also called gateway);

[0047] 2. After the gateway's main control module is started, a random N ID (usually 3 bytes in length) is generated. If it is a gateway with multiple power line communication modules, the main control module needs to generate multiple N IDs, and the generated N IDs need to be guaranteed to be non-duplicate;

[0048] 3. The main control module of the gateway transmits the N ID to each power line communication module (CCO), and the CCO sets the N ID as the N ID of this network and stores this N ID persistently in the storage medium of this module;

[0049] 4. Power on and start the smart device (STA);

[0050] 5. After STA is started, since it has never been networked, the N ID is empty, so it starts searching for the CCO of the current line;

[0051] 6. Close the whitelist of CCO in the gateway and start networking;

[0052] 7. After STA searches for CCO, it applies to join the network. Since the CCO whitelist has been closed, STA successfully joins the network and obtains the N ID of the current CCO network.

[0053] 8. CCO adds the MAC address of the STA that has been connected to the network to the network whitelist, and transmits a copy of the whitelist data to the main control module for backup storage;

[0054] 9. The main control module sends the "store N ID" instruction to the CCO, and the CCO sends it to the STA via unicast;

[0055] 10. After receiving the command, STA stores the N ID of the current network persistently in the storage medium of this module;

[0056] 11. Enable the whitelist of CCO in the gateway;

[0057] 12.The first networking is completed.

[0058] like Figure 6 As shown in S12, the specific process of networking after the power carrier communication network is normally powered on (not the first networking) is described in detail as follows:

[0059] 1. Power on and start the gateway device;

[0060] 2. Each power line communication module (CCO) of the gateway is started. After the CCO is started, it reads the N ID stored in the storage medium of this module and sets the N ID as the N ID of this network;

[0061] 3. Power on and start the smart device (STA);

[0062] 4. After STA is started, it reads the N ID stored in the storage medium of this module;

[0063] 5. STA starts searching for the CCO of the current line and determines whether the N ID of the CCO is the same as the N ID stored in the local device;

[0064] 6. Try to join the network of CCO with the same N ID;

[0065] 7. After receiving the network access request, CCO verifies whether the MAC address of the STA is in the whitelist;

[0066] 8. If the MAC address is not in the whitelist, the STA's network access request is rejected;

[0067] 9. If the MAC address is in the whitelist, the STA's network access request is allowed;

[0068] 10. Networking is complete.

[0069] like Figure 7 As shown in S13, the specific process of resetting and clearing the N ID of the first power carrier communication intelligent device is described in detail as follows:

[0070] 1. The gateway's main control module sends a reset command to the CCO;

[0071] 2. The CCO sends instructions to the STA via broadcast or unicast;

[0072] 3. After receiving the reset command, the STA clears the N ID in persistent storage and resets the device;

[0073] like Figure 8 As shown in S14, the specific process of resetting and clearing the N ID of the second power carrier communication intelligent device is described in detail as follows:

[0074] 1. Press and hold the button of the power carrier communication intelligent device (STA) for a certain period of time (usually 15 seconds);

[0075] 2. STA detects a long press event;

[0076] 3. STA clears the N ID in persistent storage and resets the device;

[0077] like Fig. 9 As shown in S15, the specific process of resetting and clearing the N ID of the third power carrier communication intelligent device is described in detail as follows:

[0078] 1. Turn the power carrier communication intelligent device (STA) on and off continuously for several times (usually 5 times), with the interval between each on and off being within 15 seconds;

[0079] 2. STA detects that continuous power-on and power-off events occur and meet the time interval and number requirements;

[0080] 3. STA clears the N ID in persistent storage and resets the device;

[0081] The program modules of the gateway device are as follows Figure 2, 3 As shown, it includes a main control module, several power line communication modules (the figure takes one or three modules as an example, and can actually support several modules, such as Figure 2 It is a multi-channel power line carrier communication gateway, including three power line communication modules 1, power line communication module 2 and power line communication module 3; Figure 3 The single-channel power line carrier communication module includes a power line communication module 4), wherein the main control module is connected to the remaining modules.

[0082] The functions of the main control module can also be integrated into the power line communication module, combining the two modules into one.

[0083] The main control module is a core module that integrates control, management, computing and communication functions. In the system, it communicates with sub-devices through protocol conversion via the power line communication module, has the configuration and management functions of network information and application addresses, has the backup and storage function of whitelist data, has the N ID management function, has the scene configuration and control function, has the control program logic configuration and control function, has the system equipment status monitoring function; and has the ability to synchronously transmit system instructions to the cloud through the network.

[0084] The power line communication module, also known as CCO, is the main node in the power line communication network, responsible for completing functions such as networking control, network maintenance and management.

[0085] The program modules of the power carrier communication intelligent device are as follows: Figure 4 As shown, it includes a power line communication module 12 , a peripheral module 11 and a button 13 .

[0086] The power line communication module, also known as STA, is a slave node in the communication network. It is responsible for the management and control of sub-devices, connecting peripherals and buttons based on power line communication to complete various control functions.

[0087] Peripheral modules: There can be various types of peripheral modules depending on the type of device, which are responsible for the main functions of the device.

[0088] Button, used to reset the device and reset the N ID.

[0089] When the above technical solution is actually applied, if it involves sub-devices, new devices, faulty devices, slave devices, target devices, etc., it usually refers to intelligent devices connected to the network, including but not limited to lamps, air conditioners, cameras, alarm devices, etc. The gateway device and sub-device usually have a communication module, and the type of the communication module can be a power line communication module (which can also represent a wired communication module) or a wireless communication module or a short-range wireless communication module.

[0090] When powered on, the short-range wireless communication module can provide a data reading and writing interface for the wireless communication module. It mainly stores the device MAC address, device model, application address, network information, etc. The short-range wireless communication modules can exchange data when they are close to each other (the short-range wireless communication module of the gateway device and the short-range wireless communication module of the sub-device can exchange data). The gateway device is the main device, and the module needs to be powered, using electrical energy to provide a radio frequency field and send data to the smart device (also called the target device, the gateway is also usually called the main device, and the module usually refers to the short-range wireless communication module of the gateway).

[0091] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the main technical problem solved is to propose a networking method for improving the security of power carrier communication, changing the network identification (N ID) of CCO from dynamic generation after each startup to persistent storage, changing the NID of STA from being obtained after joining the network to persistent storage, and using it as the basis for STA to find CCO during the networking process, combined with the whitelist mechanism, a higher security networking process is achieved, effectively eliminating the risk of STA joining the wrong CCO, improving the efficiency of networking in multi-network situations, and improving user experience. The N ID of STA is changed to persistent storage, and will not be cleared when the CCO fails or does not exist, and will not receive and process messages from non-networks, reducing the risk of being illegally controlled. The present invention makes PLC communication more and more secure, can better adapt to the increasingly widespread demand for whole-house smart applications, and has a broader market prospect.

Claims

1. A method for networking power carrier communication, characterized in that: include: Determine whether it is the first networking: If it is the first time to network, the gateway will randomly generate a network ID; The number of the network identifiers is consistent with the number of central nodes under the gateway. When there are multiple network identifiers, each network identifier is different from the other. The gateway transmits the network identifier to each central node, and the central node sets the received network identifier as the network identifier of the network to which the central node belongs, and persistently stores the received network identifier in a storage medium of the central node; After the smart device is powered on and started, it searches for the central node of the current line, closes the whitelist of the central node in the gateway, and starts networking, which includes: the smart device applies to join the network and obtains the network number of the current central node; the current central node adds the hardware unique identifier of the smart device that has been connected to the network to the whitelist, and backs up and stores the updated whitelist in the gateway. After the current central node obtains the storage instruction of the gateway, it unicasts the storage instruction to the smart device. After the smart device obtains the storage instruction, it persistently stores the updated whitelist in its storage medium; and opens the updated whitelist of the current node in the gateway; If it is not the first networking, after each central node in the gateway is started, the central node reads the network identifier stored in its storage medium, and sets the network identifier as the network identifier of the network to which the central node belongs; after the smart device is powered on and started, the network identifier stored in the storage medium of the smart device is read; the smart device searches for the central node of the current line, and determines whether the network identifier of the central node of the current line is the same as that of the smart device. If they are the same, a network access request is sent; if they are different, the search continues; after receiving the network access request, the central node verifies whether the network identifier of the smart device is in the white list. If it is in the white list, network access is approved, otherwise it is rejected.

2. The method for networking power carrier communication according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further includes resetting the network identifier: after receiving the reset instruction, the smart device resets the network identifier persistently stored in the storage medium of the smart device.

3. The method for networking power carrier communication according to claim 2, characterized in that: The gateway sends the reset instruction to the central node, and the central node sends the reset instruction to the smart device via broadcast or unicast.

4. The method for networking power carrier communication according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further includes resetting the network identifier: the smart device is provided with a physical button, and when the physical button is pressed for a long time exceeding a predetermined time, the network identifier persistently stored in the storage medium of the smart device is reset.

5. The method for networking power carrier communication according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes resetting the network identifier: when the number of consecutive power outages of the smart device exceeds a preset number of power outages and each power outage time exceeds a preset power outage time, resetting the network identifier persistently stored in the storage medium of the smart device.

6. A gateway system adapted to the networking method of power carrier communication according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a gateway device and at least one intelligent device, characterized in that: The gateway device includes a main control module and a communication module communicating with the main control module, the main control module is used to control the networking method, and the communication module also communicates with the smart device.

7. The gateway system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The main control module and the communication module are integrated together.

8. The gateway system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The intelligent device includes a power line communication module, a peripheral module and a button or a combination of the two.

9. The gateway system according to claim 8, characterized in that: The power line communication module is based on power line communication, connecting the peripheral module and the button to realize the control function; the peripheral module has different usage functions according to the type of smart device; the button resets the smart device and network identification.

10. The gateway system according to claim 8, characterized in that: The button is a physical button and / or a touch-sensitive button.

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