Communication method, communication device and terminal

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method, a communication device and a terminal, which are applied to automatic driving, auxiliary driving and the like. The method comprises the following steps: a first node scans other main nodes according to scanning parameters, wherein the first node is a main node of at least one communication domain; the first node monitors the first broadcast message based on the random monitoring duration under the condition that other main nodes are not scanned; the first broadcast message is a broadcast message from one or more master nodes in other master nodes, and the random monitoring duration is used for monitoring other master nodes by the first node. In the embodiment of the invention, the random interception duration is not fixed, and the broadcast time periods of the first node and other main nodes are staggered, so that the first node can receive broadcast messages of other main nodes in the random interception duration; the problem that the first node and other main nodes cannot discover each other due to the fact that the first node and the other main nodes are in the scanning state or the broadcasting state at the same time can be avoided. The method can be applied to the Internet of Vehicles, such as V2X, LTE-V, V2V and the like.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application. The application number of the original application is 202111116176.X, and the original application date is September 23, 2021. The entire content of the original application is incorporated into this application by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a communication method, a communication device, and a terminal. Background Art

[0003] In wireless communication scenarios, multiple communication domains can be included within a certain communication area or range. A communication domain can be a system consisting of a group of nodes and the communication links between them. A communication domain can include a master node and at least one slave node. The master node can also be called a management node or a grant (G) node, which can manage the time and frequency resources of its communication domain and has the function of scheduling resources for the communication links in the communication domain. The slave node can also be called a terminal node (T-node).

[0004] When coordinating and managing multiple communication domains (or simply, multiple domains), master nodes must first perform device discovery. However, in some cases, master nodes may not be able to find each other in a timely manner. For example, when multiple master nodes simultaneously perform neighbor device discovery, they may be unable to find each other due to being in the scanning or broadcasting states at the same time. As a result, device discovery efficiency is low. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a communication method, a communication apparatus, and a terminal, which can improve the efficiency of device discovery.

[0006] In the first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a first node, or by a component configured in the first node (such as a chip, a chip system, etc.), or by a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the first node. The present application does not limit this.

[0007] Exemplarily, the method includes: the first node scans other master nodes according to the scanning parameters, and the first node is the master node (G node) of at least one communication domain; when the first node fails to scan other master nodes, the first node listens to the first broadcast message based on the random listening duration; the first broadcast message is a broadcast message from one or more master nodes among the other master nodes, and the random listening duration is used for the first node to listen to other master nodes.

[0008] Based on the above solution, when the first node scans other master nodes according to the scanning parameters but fails to scan other master nodes, the first node can continue to listen to whether other master nodes have sent the first broadcast message based on a random listening duration. Since the random listening duration is not fixed, the random listening durations of different nodes may also be different. In this way, the broadcast periods of the first node and other master nodes may be staggered, and the first node can discover other master nodes within the random listening duration. This can alleviate the problem of the first node and other master nodes being unable to discover each other due to being in the scanning state or the broadcast state at the same time, which is conducive to improving the efficiency of device discovery.

[0009] Furthermore, device discovery based on broadcast messages places lower demands on the master node, as it can achieve device discovery between master nodes without requiring the master node to have active detection capabilities. Active detection capabilities can be understood as requiring the master node to send probe request frames.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the first node scans according to the scanning parameters, including: the first node scans according to the scanning parameters when a trigger condition is met; the trigger condition includes: the first node is turned on, the first node detects interference, the first node turns on the multi-domain service function, the first node receives a scanning request message from the second node, or the first node performs periodic scanning; wherein the second node is a master node different from the first node.

[0011] The trigger condition that the first node performs periodic scanning may specifically mean that the first node performs periodic scanning and a periodic scanning timer expires. The periodic scanning timer may specifically be used to time based on the device discovery duration. It should be understood that the device discovery duration is greater than the scan duration and the random listening duration, and the scan duration and the random scanning duration may be included in the device discovery duration.

[0012] Depending on the trigger conditions, the first node can perform blind scanning or targeted scanning. For example, if the trigger conditions are: the first node is turned on, the first node detects interference, the first node turns on the multi-domain service function, or the first node performs periodic scanning, the first node can perform blind scanning. Blind scanning can be understood as scanning without a target, as long as a certain other master node is found, or in other words, as long as a first broadcast message of a certain other master node is received. For another example, the trigger condition is that the first node receives a scan request message from the second node. The scan request message can indicate the target master node that the first node needs to find. The first node can scan the target master node in a targeted manner based on the scan request message, that is, receive the first broadcast message of the target master node in a targeted manner. The master node can not only perform scanning as usual when it is turned on, or when the multi-domain service is turned on, or when performing periodic scanning, but can also perform scanning when the node detects interference or receives a scan request message from the second node, thereby supporting more scanning scenarios. Therefore, triggering scanning when the first node detects interference can also solve the problem that the first node and other master nodes cannot perform device discovery when there is mutual interference.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, when the trigger condition is: the first node is powered on, the first node detects interference, the first node turns on the multi-domain service function, or the first node performs periodic scanning, the scanning parameter is a predefined or pre-configured scanning parameter; or when the trigger condition is that the first node receives a scanning request message from the second node, the scanning parameter is determined according to the scanning request message.

[0014] When the triggering conditions for triggering the scan are different, the scanning parameters may be different. When the triggering conditions are: the first node is turned on, the first node detects interference, the first node turns on the multi-domain service function, or the first node performs a periodic scan, or in other words, the first node is blindly scanning, the scanning parameters can be predefined or pre-configured. Predefined or pre-configured can be understood as being determined in advance in the first section; when the triggering condition is that the first node receives a scanning request message from the second node, or in other words, the first node performs a targeted scan based on the scanning request message, the scanning parameters are determined based on the content in the scanning request message.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the scanning request message includes at least one of the following items: an identifier of the operating carrier to be scanned, a time offset for starting the scan, a scanning duration on a single carrier, and information about a target master node, where the target master node is the master node indicated in the scanning information that needs to be discovered by the first node.

[0016] The first node can scan the target master node in a targeted manner according to the carrier identifier to be scanned, the time offset for starting the scan, the scan duration on a single carrier, and the information of the target master node, etc., indicated in the scan request message.

[0017] Optionally, the information of the target master node includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the working carrier of the target master node, the priority of the target master node, the sending period of the communication domain system message of the target master node, and the duration of the communication domain system message of the target master node; wherein, the working carrier of the target master node belongs to the carrier to be scanned.

[0018] Therefore, the scanning request message may include the frame synchronization information of the target master node to be scanned, such as the sending period of the communication domain system message of the target master node, the duration of the broadcast message, such as the duration of the communication domain system message of the target master node, and the carrier channel number, such as the identifier of the working carrier of the target master node, etc. The first node can perform targeted scanning according to the target master node indicated in the scanning request message, that is, only scan the sending period of the broadcast information of the target master node on the working carrier of the target master node, thereby greatly reducing the scanning time and overhead compared to scanning all carriers or channels, and increasing the probability of scanning the target master node.

[0019] Optionally, the scanning parameter includes at least one of the following: an identifier of a carrier to be scanned, a total scanning duration, and a scanning duration on a single carrier.

[0020] Optionally, the carrier to be scanned includes: a current working carrier of the first node, or all carriers supported by the first node, or a carrier indicated in a scanning request message received by the first node.

[0021] It should be understood that the carrier to be scanned may be one carrier or multiple carriers. When the carrier to be scanned is multiple carriers, within the capabilities of the first node, the first node can scan the multiple carriers concurrently, without having to scan each carrier sequentially, thereby quickly achieving device discovery.

[0022] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the method also includes: the first node discovers a third node based on the first broadcast message, the third node does not belong to the master node in the associated master node information table, the associated master node information table includes the master node associated to the first node as a slave node; the first node sends an association request message to the third node in slave node mode.

[0023] The first node receives the first broadcast message of the third node, that is, the first node discovers the third node. The first node determines that the third node is not in the associated master node information table maintained by the first node, so the third node is not associated with the first node. Therefore, the first node can send an association request message to the third node so that the first node can associate with the third node as a slave node. In this case, no repeated association will occur.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the method also includes: the first node discovers a fourth node based on the first broadcast message, the fourth node belongs to the master node in the associated master node information table, the associated master node information table includes the master node associated to the first node as a slave node; the first node does not send an association request message to the fourth node.

[0025] The first node receives the first broadcast message of the fourth node, that is, the first node discovers the fourth node. The first node determines that the fourth node is in the associated master node information table maintained by the first node, so the fourth node has first discovered the first node and associated with the first node. In other words, the fourth node is already a slave node of the first node. Therefore, in order to avoid the first node associating with the fourth node as a slave node to cause repeated association, the first node can stop sending association request messages to the fourth node, or in other words, the first node can not send association request messages to the fourth node.

[0026] Optionally, the associated master node information table includes one or more of the following information of at least one master node: working carrier identifier, physical layer address, domain name, domain identity (ID) and multi-domain service information.

[0027] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the random listening duration is generated by a predefined function f(N), where N is a random number greater than or equal to 0.

[0028] One possible design is that the random listening duration satisfies: TM=f(N)=NTF, where TM represents the random listening duration and TF is a preset time length.

[0029] Optionally, TF is: M times of the duration of 8 superframes, M≥0, and M is an integer.

[0030] Exemplarily, M=8, that is, TF is 64 superframes long.

[0031] Optionally, TF is: 1 superframe duration, 1 half superframe duration or 1 radio frame duration.

[0032] The first node may determine a specific value of the random listening duration according to a predefined function, and the duration of each listening may be randomly generated.

[0033] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the random listening duration is determined based on a predefined mapping relationship, which includes a correspondence between multiple i values ​​and random listening durations, where i represents the number of times a node listens, and i is an integer greater than or equal to 0.

[0034] The first node may determine a specific value of the current random listening duration according to a predefined mapping relationship and the number of listening attempts.

[0035] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the method also includes: the first node sends a second broadcast message on at least one carrier, the sending time of the second broadcast message is no later than the planned end time of the random listening period, the second broadcast message is used for other master nodes to discover the first node, and the at least one carrier includes: the working carrier of the first node or all carriers supported by the first node.

[0036] It should be understood that no later than the planned end time of the random listening duration can be understood as before the planned end time of the random listening duration or at the planned end time of the random listening duration.

[0037] The planned end time can be understood as the time when the random listening duration timer ends. For example, if a random listening duration determined by the first node is 1 superframe duration, the planned end duration is the time when the superframe duration timer ends.

[0038] If the first node performs targeted scanning according to the indication information of the scan request message and detects the target master node before the scheduled end time of the random listening period, the first node can end the listening in advance and enter the broadcast state, sending a second broadcast message on at least one carrier; if the first node performs blind scanning, or the first node performs targeted scanning according to the indication information of the scan request message, but has not detected the target master node at the scheduled end time of the random listening period, the first node can enter the broadcast state at the scheduled end of the random listening period and send a second broadcast message on at least one carrier.

[0039] The first node may scan, listen, and broadcast on all its working carriers (which may be multiple carriers) or channels to discover other master nodes and be discovered by other master nodes.

[0040] In the second aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which includes: a scanning unit for scanning according to scanning parameters, and the scanning includes scanning other master nodes; a listening unit for listening to a first broadcast message based on a random listening period when no other master nodes are scanned, the first broadcast message is a broadcast message from one or more master nodes among the other master nodes, the random listening period is used for the first node to listen to other master nodes, and the first node is the master node of at least one communication domain.

[0041] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible designs, the scanning unit is used to: scan according to the scanning parameters when the trigger conditions are met; the trigger conditions include: the first node is turned on, the first node detects interference, the first node turns on the multi-domain service function, the first node receives a scanning request message from the second node, or the first node performs periodic scanning; wherein the second node is a master node different from the first node.

[0042] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible designs, when the trigger condition is: the first node is powered on, the first node detects interference, the first node turns on the multi-domain service function, or the first node performs periodic scanning, the scanning parameter is a predefined or pre-configured scanning parameter; or when the trigger condition is that the first node receives a scanning request message from the second node, the scanning parameter is determined according to the scanning request message.

[0043] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible designs, the scanning request message includes at least one of the following items: the identifier of the carrier to be scanned, the time offset for starting the scan, the scanning duration on a single carrier, and information of the target master node, where the target master node is the master node indicated in the scanning information that needs to be discovered by the first node.

[0044] Optionally, the information of the target master node includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the working carrier of the target master node, the priority of the target master node, the sending period of the communication domain system message of the target master node, and the duration of the communication domain system message of the target master node; wherein, the working carrier of the target master node belongs to the carrier to be scanned.

[0045] Optionally, the scanning parameter includes at least one of the following: an identifier of a carrier to be scanned, a total scanning duration, and a scanning duration on a single carrier.

[0046] Optionally, the carrier to be scanned includes: a current working carrier of the first node, or all carriers supported by the first node, or a carrier indicated in a scanning request message received by the first node.

[0047] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible designs, the device also includes a sending unit, which is used to send an association request message to the third node in a slave node mode when the first node discovers a third node based on the first broadcast message and the third node does not belong to the master node in the associated master node information table. The associated master node information table includes the master node associated to the first node as a slave node.

[0048] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible designs, the device also includes a sending unit, which is used by the first node to discover the fourth node based on the first broadcast message, and when the fourth node belongs to the master node in the associated master node information table, the device does not send an association request message to the fourth node, and the associated master node information table includes the master node associated to the first node as a slave node.

[0049] Optionally, the associated master node information table includes one or more of the following information of at least one master node: working carrier identifier, physical layer address, domain name, and multi-domain service information.

[0050] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible designs, the random listening duration is generated by a predefined function f(N), where N is a random number greater than or equal to 0.

[0051] One possible design is that the random listening duration satisfies: TM=f(N)=NTF, where TM represents the random listening duration and TF is a preset time length.

[0052] Optionally, TF is: M times of the duration of 8 superframes, M≥0, and M is an integer.

[0053] Exemplarily, M=8, that is, TF is 64 superframes long.

[0054] Optionally, TF is: 1 superframe duration, 1 half superframe duration or 1 radio frame duration.

[0055] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible designs, the random listening duration is determined according to a predefined mapping relationship, which includes a correspondence between multiple i values ​​and random listening durations, where i represents the number of times a node listens, and i is an integer greater than or equal to 0.

[0056] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the device also includes a sending unit, which is used to send a second broadcast message on at least one carrier, and the sending time of the second broadcast message is no later than the planned end time of the random listening period. The second broadcast message is used for other master nodes to discover the first node, and the at least one carrier includes: the working carrier of the first node or all carriers supported by the first node.

[0057] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor coupled to a memory, and configured to execute a computer program in the memory to implement the communication method of the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0058] Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory.

[0059] Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0060] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a chip system comprising at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the functions involved in the above-mentioned first aspect and any possible implementation method of the first aspect, for example, receiving or processing the data and / or information involved in the above-mentioned method.

[0061] In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory, which is used to store program instructions and data, and the memory is located inside or outside the processor.

[0062] The chip system can be composed of chips, or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0063] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions) is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method in the above-mentioned first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect is executed.

[0064] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions), which, when run, enables the method in the above-mentioned first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect to be executed.

[0065] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a terminal comprising the communication device described in the second aspect or the third aspect.

[0066] Optionally, the terminal is a car.

[0067] It should be understood that the second to seventh aspects of the present application correspond to the technical solutions of the first aspect of the present application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation methods are similar and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0068] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a topological relationship of an in-vehicle communication link provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of a multi-domain communication scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of device discovery between nodes;

[0071] Figure 4 This is a software structure diagram of a node applicable to the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0072] Figure 5 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] Figure 6 is a schematic flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] Figure 7 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] Figure 8 This is a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0076] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0077] The terms "first", "second" etc. in the specification and claims of the present application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequential order. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present application described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "comprise" and "have" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, the process, method, system, product or equipment comprising a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or that are inherent to these processes, methods, products or equipment.

[0078] In the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: the existence of A alone, the existence of A and B at the same time, and the existence of B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a, b, and c. Among them, a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0079] The communication device involved in the embodiments of the present application can be a vehicle-mounted device such as a vehicle computer, a vehicle-mounted speaker, a vehicle-mounted microphone, a battery management system (BMS), a battery cell, a battery management unit (BMU), a battery pack (including multiple battery cells), etc., or it can be an electronic device such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a desktop notebook computer, a laptop computer, an ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), a handheld computer, a netbook, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wearable electronic device, a virtual reality device, etc.

[0080] The communication device involved in the embodiments of the present application may also be an intelligent terminal other than a vehicle that has the functions that can be achieved by the communication method described in the embodiments of the present application, or be provided in an intelligent terminal other than a vehicle that has the functions that can be achieved by the communication method described in the embodiments of the present application, or be provided in a component of the intelligent terminal. The intelligent terminal may be other terminal devices such as intelligent transportation equipment, smart home equipment, robots, etc. The device may include but is not limited to a controller, chip, radar or camera, and other sensors and other components in an intelligent terminal or an intelligent terminal. Alternatively, the communication device involved in the embodiments of the present application may also be a functional module provided in any of the above devices, such as a chip system.

[0081] The diversification of in-vehicle applications has led to an increase in the number and types of in-vehicle communication nodes, placing higher demands on in-vehicle communication capabilities. Compared to existing wired communications, in-vehicle wireless communications can further reduce the number, length, and weight of in-vehicle wiring harnesses, as well as the corresponding installation, maintenance, and servicing costs. This has led to a gradual trend towards wireless in-vehicle communication technology.

[0082] Usually, the topology of the in-vehicle communication link is as follows: Figure 1 As shown. Figure 1 It can be seen that there are multiple communication domains in the car, one of which includes a master node and at least one slave node. The master node schedules the slave node to realize the mutual transmission of business data between the master and slave nodes. Figure 1 In the communication domain, mobile phones, headphones, and wearable devices belong to one communication domain, for example, called communication domain 1, where the mobile phone is the master node and the headphones and wearable devices are slave nodes; the cockpit domain controller (CDC), display, microphone, and speaker belong to one communication domain, for example, called communication domain 2, where the CDC is the master node and the microphone and speaker are slave nodes; the passive entry and start (PEPS) system, body control module (BCM), mobile phone key, and car key belong to one communication domain, for example, called communication domain 3, where the PEPS system is the master node and the mobile phone key and car key are slave nodes; in the BMS system, the battery management unit and battery cells belong to one communication domain, for example, called communication domain 4, where the battery management unit is the master node and the battery cells are slave nodes. In addition, the master node of one communication domain can also serve as a slave node of another communication domain. For example, the mobile phone in communication domain 1 can serve as a slave node in communication domain 2.

[0083] It should be understood that Figure 1 This is just an example. The actual topology of the in-vehicle communication link may include more or fewer communication domains and nodes, and this application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0084] In order to make the method provided in this application clearer, some terms and concepts involved in this application are first briefly introduced.

[0085] 1. Cockpit domain controller: abbreviated as vehicle computer. In addition to traditional functions such as radio, music playback, and navigation, vehicle computers now include cellular communication capabilities (3G, 4G, and 5G). These functions integrate with the vehicle's controller area network (CAN) bus technology to enable communication between drivers and the vehicle, and between the vehicle and the outside world, enhancing user experience, service, and safety-related functions.

[0086] 2. Master node and slave node: There are two types of nodes distinguished by logical functions, namely master node (i.e. G node) and slave node (i.e. T node). The master node manages the slave node, has the function of allocating resources, and is responsible for allocating wireless communication resources to the slave node; the slave node uses the resources allocated by the master node to communicate with the master node according to the scheduling of the master node. The node can be various communication devices, for example, the master node is a mobile phone, the slave node is a headset, and the mobile phone and the headset establish a communication connection to realize data interaction. The mobile phone manages the headset, and the mobile phone has the function of allocating resources and can allocate resources to the headset. For another example, the master node is a battery management unit, and the slave node is a battery cell. The battery management unit and the battery cell establish a communication connection. The battery management unit can allocate resources to the battery cell. The battery cell sends information such as the status of the battery cell to the battery management unit, so that the battery management unit can intelligently manage each battery cell.

[0087] It should be understood that multiple battery cells can be packaged into a battery pack, and the battery pack can also serve as a slave node to communicate with the battery management unit.

[0088] 3. Communication domain: A system consisting of a group of communication nodes with communication relationships and the communication connection relationships between communication nodes. Among them, a device or equipment can be in multiple communication domains. For example Figure 1 As shown, when a mobile phone and a headset are wirelessly communicating, the mobile phone is the master node in communication domain 1, which includes the mobile phone and the headset, and the headset is the slave node. Then, when the mobile phone detects the CDC and establishes a wireless connection with it, the mobile phone is also in communication domain 2, which also includes the mobile phone and the CDC. In communication domain 2, the CDC is the master node and the mobile phone is the slave node, and the mobile phone obeys the CDC's scheduling. Communication domain 2 can also include other slave nodes, such as speakers and microphones. For another example, when a battery management unit and multiple battery cells are wirelessly communicating, the battery management unit is the master node in communication domain 4, which also includes the battery management unit and multiple battery cells, and the multiple battery cells are slave nodes.

[0089] 4. Carrier and channel: In the field of wireless communications, a carrier is a continuous signal operating at a predefined single frequency, and a wireless channel (referred to as channel) is a data signal transmission channel using wireless signals as the transmission medium. The carrier involved in this application can be 20 megahertz (Hz), and the channel can be 0.24 MHz. A carrier can include multiple channels (0.24 MHz), or in other words, a carrier can cover multiple channels. However, the center frequency of each 20 MHz carrier available in each frequency band corresponds to a channel number, that is, each 20 MHz carrier corresponds to a 20 MHz channel. Therefore, when there is no ambiguity, the carrier is also called a channel. It should be understood that a node can work on one carrier or on multiple carriers at the same time.

[0090] 5. Broadcast message: The broadcast messages involved in this application may include physical layer broadcast information and communication domain system messages (DomainSysInfo) of the media access layer. The physical layer broadcast information and the corresponding cyclic redundancy check (CRC) are 63 bits (bite, bit) in total, which are used to carry physical layer configuration parameters. The communication domain system message is the broadcast information of the media access layer. It is a message sent by the master node in the communication domain to the slave nodes of its communication domain in a broadcast manner. It may include the sending period of the communication domain system message, the sending duration of the communication domain system message, the domain name, the domain identifier, the working carrier identifier or working channel number of the master node, the working carrier configuration, access control, superframe mode, configuration of competitive resources, and whether the multi-domain service function is currently being executed. Among them, whether the multi-domain service function is currently being executed can be determined by two information elements of the multi-domain synchronization information and / or domain coordination resource configuration set in the communication domain system message. Among them, the working carrier refers to the carrier of the communication domain where the master node is running, and each communication domain corresponds to one working carrier or multiple working carriers.

[0091] In the case where the master node uses multiple carriers simultaneously, the master node may transmit physical layer signals and physical layer control information applicable to each carrier used, and may perform synchronization on the multiple carriers.

[0092] 6. Superframe: The duration of each superframe can be 1 millisecond (ms). A superframe can include 48 or other number of time units. The time units here are time units with the same structure as the first time unit and / or time units with the same structure as the second time unit. 48 is used as an example below. In one example, frames with even frame numbers such as 0, 2, and 4 in the superframe are time units with the same structure as the first time unit, and frames with odd frame numbers such as 1, 3, and 5 are time units with the same structure as the second time unit. In another example, frames with frame numbers from 0 to 23 in the superframe are time units with the same structure as the first time unit, and frames with frame numbers from 24 to 47 are time units with the same structure as the second time unit. In another example, frames with frame numbers from 0 to 10 in the superframe are time units with the same structure as the second time unit, and frames with frame numbers from 11 to 47 are time units with the same structure as the first time unit.

[0093] It should be understood that the period for a node to send a broadcast message can be one superframe duration. For example, a superframe duration can be 1 ms. A half superframe duration is half the superframe duration, that is, a half superframe duration can be 0.5 ms. A superframe can be composed of 48 radio frames, so a radio frame duration can be 1 / 48 ms. It should also be understood that this application does not impose any limitations on the specific values ​​of the superframe duration, half superframe duration, and radio frame duration.

[0094] It should be understood that the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is mainly applied to the in-vehicle wireless communication scenario, but the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to other wide-area wireless communication or local-area wireless communication scenarios. It should also be understood that the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to autonomous driving, assisted driving, etc., and can also be applied to vehicle networking, such as vehicle to X (V2X), long-term evolution-vehicle (LTE-V), vehicle to vehicle (V2V), etc., and this application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0095] In wireless communication scenarios, whether wide-area or local-area, multiple communication domains may exist within a specific communication area or range. When coordinating and managing multiple communication domains (or simply, multiple domains), master nodes must first perform device discovery. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a multi-domain communication scenario. Figure 2 In the multi-domain communication scenario shown, there are three communication domains, namely communication domain 1, communication domain 2, and communication domain 3. Communication domain 2 is a communication domain consisting of node 2 and two slave nodes of node 2. Communication domain 3 is a communication domain consisting of node 3 and one slave node of node 3. Communication domain 1 is a communication domain consisting of node 1 and four slave nodes of node 1. In communication domain 1, the four nodes of node 1 include node 2 and node 3. In the multi-domain communication scenario, node 2 and node 3 are discovered by neighboring devices and join the communication domain 1 of node 1 as slave nodes.

[0096] It should be understood that Figure 2 This is just an example. In an actual multi-domain communication scenario, more or fewer communication domains may be included, and each communication domain includes a master node and at least one slave node. This application does not limit the number of communication domains and the number of slave nodes in the communication domain in the multi-domain communication scenario.

[0097] However, in some cases, master nodes may not be able to find each other in time. For example, when multiple master nodes are performing device discovery at the same time, they may not be able to find each other because they are in the scanning state or the broadcast state at the same time. Figure 3As shown, node 1 and node 2 can perform device discovery, but because node 2 is also scanning when node 1 is scanning, node 1 and node 2 cannot scan each other, or in other words, node 1 and node 2 cannot receive each other's broadcast messages and cannot discover each other. After the scan is completed, node 1 enters the broadcast state and sends broadcast messages in the hope of being discovered by other master nodes except node 1. However, when node 1 enters the broadcast state, node 2 may also enter the broadcast state. Node 2 also sends broadcast messages in the hope of being discovered by other master nodes except node 2. After entering the broadcast state, node 1 and node 2 cannot receive each other's broadcast messages, so they cannot discover each other.

[0098] Therefore, the present application provides a communication method and a communication device. By adding a random listening period after the scan is completed, the master node can listen to the broadcast messages of other master nodes except the master node within the random listening period, thereby avoiding the master nodes being unable to discover each other due to simultaneous listening or simultaneous broadcasting.

[0099] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application involve multiple terms such as device discovery (sometimes referred to as discovery), scanning, and listening. Among them, scanning and listening can be technical means for nodes to realize device discovery, and scanning and listening can also be understood as maintaining a receiving state of receiving data, information or messages on one or more carriers or channels. Scanning and listening are defined in order to distinguish operations performed in different time periods. Scanning needs to be performed based on scanning parameters, and its scanning channel range is determined by the scanning parameters and has nothing to do with the current number of working carriers of the master node; listening is the master node listening on the current working carrier, and the listening duration can be performed based on the random listening duration. For example, a node scans and listens on a carrier or channel to determine whether there are broadcast messages sent by other master nodes on the carrier or the channel. If a broadcast message of other master nodes is received when scanning or listening on one or more carriers or channels, it can be considered that other master nodes have been discovered by scanning or listening, or that device discovery has been completed.

[0100] Figure 4 It is a software structure block diagram of a node applicable to the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0101] like Figure 4As shown, the nodes involved in this application may include at least an access layer and a basic service layer, wherein the basic service layer may further include a multi-domain service management module and a multi-domain device discovery module. The multi-domain service management module may be responsible for the coordination and management of multi-domain services. For example, it may instruct the multi-domain device discovery module to configure scanning parameters according to different device discovery trigger conditions, and may also generate association indication information based on the scanning and listening results. The association indication information is used to instruct the access layer to send an association request / response message, etc.

[0102] The communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0103] Figure 5 5 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication method 500 includes steps 510 and 520, which are described in detail below.

[0104] In step 510, the first node scans other master nodes according to the scanning parameters.

[0105] It should be understood that the first node may be a master node of at least one communication domain, and the other master nodes may be one or more master nodes other than the first node.

[0106] As mentioned above, scanning can be understood as a way of receiving data, information or messages, etc. The first node can scan other master nodes according to the scanning parameters. Other master nodes can specifically refer to master nodes of one or more communication domains other than the first node. The other master nodes can be one or more. The embodiments of the present application are not limited to this. It can be understood that the first node and other master nodes are not master nodes of the same or more communication domains at the same time. The scanning of other master nodes by the first node can specifically mean that the first node is currently in a receiving state, and when other master nodes send data, information or messages, etc. on the current working carrier of the first node or the carrier supported by the first node, the first node can receive these data, information or messages, etc.

[0107] If the first node receives the first broadcast message of other master nodes during scanning, it can be considered that the first node has discovered other master nodes during scanning; if the first node does not receive the first broadcast message of other master nodes during scanning, it can be considered that the first node has not discovered other master nodes during scanning.

[0108] In step 520, when no other master nodes are scanned, the first node listens to the first broadcast message based on a random listening duration.

[0109] It should be understood that the first broadcast message may be a broadcast message from one or more master nodes other than the first node, or in other words, the first broadcast message may be a broadcast message sent by one or more master nodes other than the first node. As mentioned above, the broadcast messages involved in this application may include physical layer broadcast information and communication domain system messages. For relevant descriptions, please refer to the introduction to terms and concepts above. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0110] The random listening duration is used for the first node to listen to other master nodes. The first node listens to other master nodes within the random listening duration. The first node listens to the first broadcast message based on the random listening duration. It can be understood that within the random listening duration, if other master nodes send the first broadcast message, the first node can receive the first broadcast message. The first node listens to other master nodes within the random listening duration, or in other words, the first node can receive data, information or messages sent by other master nodes within the random listening duration. If the first node receives the first broadcast message within the random listening duration, it can be considered that the first node has discovered other master nodes within the random listening duration; if the first node does not receive the first broadcast message within the random listening duration, it can be considered that the first node has not discovered other master nodes within the random listening duration.

[0111] Here, the random listening duration is not fixed. That is, for the same node, the random listening duration is not fixed. For example, the random listening duration of the previous listening is t1, and the random listening duration of the next listening is t2, and t1 ≠ t2. For different nodes, the random listening duration may be the same or different.

[0112] Due to the introduction of the random listening duration, the first node can continue to listen to the first broadcast message based on the random listening duration if no other master nodes are scanned. Even if there are other master nodes in the scanning period at the same time as the first node, since the first node continues to listen based on the random listening duration after the scan is completed, other master nodes may start sending broadcast messages when the first node is listening, or send broadcast messages after listening based on the random listening duration, but the random listening duration of the first node may be different from the random listening duration of other master nodes. In this way, the broadcast periods of the first node and other master nodes can be staggered. Even if the first node and other master nodes are scanned at the same time, the first node may receive the first broadcast message from other master nodes if it continues to listen based on the random listening duration.

[0113] Even if the random listening duration of the first node is the same as that of other master nodes, since the random listening duration of each node is not fixed, the probability that the first node and other master nodes will have the same random listening duration for the next listening is not high, so the first node still has a greater probability of receiving the first broadcast message from other master nodes.

[0114] Through the above solution, when the first node scans other master nodes according to the scanning parameters but fails to scan other master nodes, the first node can continue to listen to whether other master nodes have sent the first broadcast message based on a random listening duration. Since the random listening duration is not fixed, the random listening duration of different nodes may also be different. In this way, the broadcast periods of the first node and other master nodes may be staggered, and the first node may be able to discover other master nodes within the random listening duration. This can alleviate the problem of the first node and other master nodes being unable to discover each other due to being in the scanning state or the broadcast state at the same time, which is conducive to improving the efficiency of device discovery.

[0115] Furthermore, device discovery based on broadcast messages places lower demands on the master node, as it can achieve device discovery between master nodes without requiring the master node to have active detection capabilities. Active detection capabilities can be understood as requiring the master node to send a probe request frame.

[0116] In a possible implementation, the first node performs scanning according to scanning parameters when a trigger condition is met.

[0117] The triggering conditions may include: the first node is powered on, the first node detects interference, the first node turns on the multi-domain service function, the first node receives a scan request message from the second node, or the first node performs a periodic scan, wherein the second node is a master node different from the first node.

[0118] It should be understood that the second node may be one of the one or more master nodes to which the first node is associated as a slave node, wherein the slave node identity may also be referred to as a terminal mode.

[0119] Depending on different trigger conditions, the first node can perform blind scanning or targeted scanning.

[0120] Generally speaking, when a node is powered on, it can perform a blind scan on other master nodes. Blind scanning can be understood as simply finding another master node, or in other words, simply receiving the first broadcast message from another master node.

[0121] The trigger condition for the first node to perform periodic scanning may specifically mean that the first node performs periodic scanning and a periodic scanning timer expires. The periodic scanning timer may specifically be configured to count based on the device discovery duration. It should be understood that the device discovery duration is greater than the scan duration and the random listening duration, and the scan duration and the random scanning duration may be included in the device discovery duration.

[0122] Generally, nodes can perform periodic scans, which can also be considered blind scans. When multi-domain services are enabled on a node, the node must first perform device discovery before multi-domain services can be discovered. This means that scanning is required when multi-domain services are enabled. This can also be considered blind scans.

[0123] The node detects interference, for example, the node detects that the packet error rate increases or the throughput decreases over a period of time, or the node detects interference after performing channel measurement within the time resources allocated to it, or the node receives an interference detection report reported to it by its slave node in the communication domain in which it is the host or reported by other master nodes, etc., which can be considered as the node detecting interference, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this. When a node detects interference, the node may assume that there may be other master node communication domains around it. In order to avoid mutual interference between communication domains, the master node can be discovered by scanning first, and then associated with it to provide multi-domain services, and perform multi-domain coordination and management. Therefore, when the node detects interference, it can scan, and the scan in this case can also be a blind scan. In addition, when the first node detects interference, the scan is triggered, which can also solve the problem that the first node and other master nodes cannot discover devices when there is mutual interference.

[0124] The first node receives a scanning request message from the second node. In this case, the first node can perform targeted scanning based on the scanning request of the second node. The scanning request message can indicate the target master node that the first node needs to discover, so the target master node can be scanned in a targeted manner, that is, the first broadcast message of the target master node can be received in a targeted manner.

[0125] The first node turning on, detecting interference, enabling the multi-domain service function, or receiving a scan request message from a second node can also be referred to as an event triggering condition. The first node performing periodic scanning can also be referred to as a periodic triggering condition. This application does not limit this.

[0126] It should be understood that when the first node performs a blind scan, the other master nodes may be one or more. If no other master nodes are found during the blind scan, it can be understood that no other master node is found, that is, no first broadcast message from any other master node is received during the blind scan; if the first node performs a targeted scan based on the scan request message and no other master nodes are scanned, the other master nodes here can be understood as the target master nodes indicated in the scan request message. If no other master nodes are scanned, it can be understood that the target master node is not scanned.

[0127] Optionally, the trigger condition is: the first node is powered on, the first node detects interference, the first node turns on the multi-domain service function, or the first node performs periodic scanning, and the scanning parameters may be predefined or pre-configured scanning parameters; or when the trigger condition is that the first node receives a scanning request message from the second node, the scanning parameters may be determined according to the scanning request message.

[0128] When the triggering conditions for triggering the scan are different, the scanning parameters may be different. When the triggering conditions are: the first node is turned on, the first node detects interference, the first node turns on the multi-domain service function, or the first node performs a periodic scan, or in other words, the first node is blindly scanning, the scanning parameters can be predefined or pre-configured. Predefined or pre-configured can be understood as being determined in advance in the first section; when the triggering condition is that the first node receives a scanning request message from the second node, or in other words, the first node performs a targeted scan based on the scanning request message, the scanning parameters are determined based on the content in the scanning request message.

[0129] Optionally, the scanning request message may include at least one of the following items: the identifier of the carrier to be scanned, the time offset for starting the scan, the scanning duration on a single carrier, and information of the target master node, which is the master node indicated in the scanning information that needs to be discovered by the first node.

[0130] The first node can scan the target master node in a targeted manner according to the carrier identifier to be scanned, the time offset for starting the scan, the scan duration on a single carrier, and the information of the target master node, etc., indicated in the scan request message.

[0131] It should be understood that the carrier to be scanned may be one carrier or multiple carriers. When the carrier to be scanned is multiple carriers, within the capabilities of the first node, the first node can scan the multiple carriers concurrently without having to scan each carrier sequentially, thereby quickly achieving device discovery.

[0132] Optionally, the information of the target master node may include at least one of the following: the identifier of the working carrier of the target master node, the priority of the target master node, the sending period of the communication domain system message of the target master node, and the duration of the communication domain system message of the target master node; wherein, the working carrier of the target master node belongs to the carrier to be scanned.

[0133] Among them, the sending period of the communication domain system message can be represented by "domainSysInforPeriod", and this application does not impose any restrictions on this. The value of the sending period of the communication domain system message can be SF64, SF128, SF256 or SF512, etc. Here, "SF64" means that the starting number of the superframe in which the communication domain system message may be sent is a multiple of 64, "SF128" means that the starting number of the superframe in which the communication domain system message may be sent is a multiple of 128, "SF256" means that the starting number of the superframe in which the communication domain system message may be sent is a multiple of 128, and "SF512" means that the starting number of the superframe in which the communication domain system message may be sent is a multiple of 128.

[0134] The duration of the communication domain system message can be represented by "domainSysInforOnDuartion", and this application does not impose any restrictions on this. The duration of the communication domain system message can be used to indicate the number of consecutive superframes that the communication domain system message may use in a sending cycle. The value of the duration of the communication domain system message can be: SF8, SF16, SF32 or SF64, etc. Here, "SF8" can indicate that the system message is sent within a maximum of 8 consecutive superframes starting from the starting superframe number, "SF16" can indicate that the system message is sent within a maximum of 16 consecutive superframes starting from the starting superframe number, "SF32" can indicate that the system message is sent within a maximum of 32 consecutive superframes starting from the starting superframe number, and "SF64" can indicate that the system message is sent within a maximum of 64 consecutive superframes starting from the starting superframe number.

[0135] Therefore, the scanning request message may include the frame synchronization information of the target master node to be scanned, such as the sending period of the communication domain system message of the target master node, the duration of the broadcast message, such as the duration of the communication domain system message of the target master node, and the carrier channel number, such as the identifier of the working carrier of the target master node, etc. The first node can perform targeted scanning according to the target master node indicated in the scanning request message, that is, only scan the sending period of the broadcast information of the target master node on the working carrier of the target master node, thereby greatly reducing the scanning time and overhead compared to scanning all carriers or channels, and increasing the probability of scanning the target master node.

[0136] Optionally, the scanning parameters may include at least one of the following: an identifier of a carrier to be scanned, a total scanning duration, and a scanning duration on a single carrier. The carrier to be scanned may include: a current operating carrier of the first node, or all carriers supported by the first node, or a carrier indicated in a scanning request message received by the first node.

[0137] The first node may perform scanning based on one or more scanning parameters such as the identifier of the carrier to be scanned, the total scanning duration, or the scanning duration on a single carrier. When the first node performs blind scanning based on the trigger condition, the first node may scan on the first node's current working carrier, or all carriers supported by the first node; when the first node performs targeted scanning based on the trigger condition, the first node may determine the scanning parameters based on the information indicated in the scanning request message, for example, determining the identifier of the carrier to be scanned, the time offset for the start of the scan, the scanning duration on a single carrier, and the information of the target master node, and scan the target master node in a targeted manner.

[0138] In one possible implementation method, an associated master node information table is pre-stored on the first node. The associated master node information table may include the master node associated with the first node as a slave node and information of these master nodes. The information of the master node associated with the first node as a slave node may include one or more of the following: working carrier identifier, physical layer address, domain name, domain ID and multi-domain service information, etc.

[0139] Among them, the multi-domain service information may include management mode / non-management mode, management node capabilities, priority, power supply type (whether battery-powered), whether there is an input interface, the number of member G nodes in the domain, etc., which is not limited in this application. Among them, the multi-domain service information may also include the physical layer address (sometimes also referred to as the physical layer identity (PID)) and / or media access layer address (sometimes also referred to as layer 2 identity (Layer 2ID)) of the slave node corresponding to the master node, and the PID and / or Layer 2ID establish a corresponding relationship with the domain name and / or domain ID of the master node in the associated master node information table to identify the corresponding relationship between each master node and the slave node identity in the associated master node information table.

[0140] Optionally, the first node discovers a third node based on the first broadcast message, the third node does not belong to the master node in the associated master node information table, and the first node sends an association request message to the third node in slave node mode.

[0141] The first node receives the first broadcast message of the third node, that is, the first node discovers the third node. The first node determines that the third node is not in the associated master node information table maintained by the first node, so the third node is not associated with the first node. Therefore, the first node can send an association request message to the third node so that the first node can associate with the third node as a slave node. In this case, no repeated association will occur.

[0142] After the first node receives the communication domain system message from the third node, if the first node determines to associate with the third node as a slave node, that is, the first node determines to join the communication domain of the third node as a slave node, then the first node can send an exchange resource control (eXchange resource control, XRC) establishment request (XRCSetupRequest) message containing an association request message to the third node, which carries association request information: association request with security context (associationRequestWithSec) or association request without security context (associationRequestNonSec). associationRequestWithSec and associationRequestNonSec can be used for association (authentication) requests in two different scenarios: with security context and without security context, respectively.

[0143] The first node sends an XRCSetupRequest to the third node as a slave node to establish an XRC connection with the third node, where the slave node can be a PID or layer2ID. For example, when there is a security context, the value can be PID, and when there is no security context, the value can be layer2ID.

[0144] After receiving the association request message from the first node, the third node may respond to the association request message of the first node and establish an XRC with the first node, so that the first node can complete the association with the third node as a slave node.

[0145] It should also be understood that after the first node associates with the third node as a slave node, it can perform subsequent multi-domain service discovery and exchange multi-domain service-related signaling, service information, or attribute information with the third node. After successfully performing multi-domain service discovery, the third node can update its associated master node information table based on the information exchanged with the first node.

[0146] Optionally, the first node discovers the fourth node based on the first broadcast message, and the fourth node belongs to the master node in the associated master node information table. The first node does not send an association request message to the fourth node.

[0147] The first node receives the first broadcast message of the fourth node, that is, the first node discovers the fourth node. The first node determines that the fourth node is in the associated master node information table maintained by the first node, so the fourth node has first discovered the first node and associated with the first node. In other words, the fourth node is already a slave node of the first node. Therefore, in order to avoid the first node associating with the fourth node as a slave node to cause repeated association, the first node can stop sending association request messages to the fourth node, or in other words, the first node can not send association request messages to the fourth node.

[0148] One possible design is that the random listening duration may be generated by a predefined function f(N), where N is a random number greater than or equal to 0.

[0149] Optionally, the random listening duration satisfies: TM=f(N)=NTF, where TM represents the random listening duration and TF is a preset time length.

[0150] TF may be: M times of 8 superframe durations, where M≥0 and M is an integer, or TF may be: 1 superframe duration, 1 half superframe duration or 1 radio frame duration.

[0151] For example, M=64, that is, TF is 64 superframes, and the random listening duration is the product of 64 superframes and N.

[0152] It should be understood that the value of TF can also be 8 superframes, 16 superframes, 32 superframes, 128 superframes, etc., and this application does not limit this.

[0153] The first node may determine a specific value of the random listening duration according to a predefined function, and the duration of each listening may be randomly generated. It should be understood that the present application does not limit the specific representation of the predefined function for determining the random listening duration.

[0154] Another possible design is that the random listening duration is determined according to a predefined mapping relationship, which includes a correspondence between multiple i values ​​and random listening durations, where i represents the number of times a node listens, and i is an integer greater than or equal to 0.

[0155] For example, this mapping relationship may be in a table format, as shown in Table 1.

[0156] Table 1

[0157]

[0158]

[0159] Wherein, TM represents the random listening duration, TM(1) may represent the duration of the first node's first listening, TM(2) may represent the duration of the first node's second listening, TM(3) may represent the duration of the first node's third listening, and so on, TM(i) may represent the duration of the first node's i-th listening. It should be understood that TM(1), TM(2), TM(3) and TM(i) are all predetermined and stored, and TM(1), TM(2), TM(3) and TM(i) may have the same random listening duration or may not have the same random listening duration, and this application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0160] According to the communication standard, the period of the superframe cannot be changed. Therefore, if a master node enters the scanning state and the broadcast state synchronously with another master node, the starting time of the node's broadcast message can be changed, or the superframe physical layer broadcast information and / or the communication domain system message can be changed. These are both feasible methods. However, directly changing the starting time of the superframe may cause the communication domain synchronization signal to be interrupted, and the communication domain needs to be synchronized again. Therefore, the starting time of the superframe can be changed according to the random listening time TM, that is, the sending period of the broadcast message can be changed to delay or advance the master node from entering the broadcast state, thereby staggering the time of entering the scanning state and the broadcast state with other master nodes, thereby avoiding the problem that the master node and other master nodes cannot discover each other because they are in the scanning state or the broadcast state at the same time.

[0161] Optionally, the first node sends a second broadcast message on at least one carrier, and the sending time of the second broadcast message is no later than the planned end time of the random listening period. The second broadcast message is used for other master nodes to discover the first node. The at least one carrier includes: the working carrier of the first node or all carriers supported by the first node.

[0162] It should be understood that no later than the planned end time of the random listening duration can be understood as before the planned end time of the random listening duration or at the planned end time of the random listening duration.

[0163] The planned end time can be understood as the time when the random listening duration timer ends. For example, if a random listening duration determined by the first node is 1 superframe duration, the planned end duration is the time when the superframe duration timer ends.

[0164] If the first node performs targeted scanning according to the indication information of the scan request message and detects the target master node before the scheduled end time of the random listening period, the first node can end the listening in advance and enter the broadcast state, sending a second broadcast message on at least one carrier; if the first node performs blind scanning, or the first node performs targeted scanning according to the indication information of the scan request message, but has not detected the target master node at the scheduled end time of the random listening period, the first node can enter the broadcast state at the scheduled end of the random listening period and send a second broadcast message on at least one carrier.

[0165] The first node may scan, listen, and broadcast on all its working carriers or channels to quickly discover other master nodes and be discovered by other master nodes.

[0166] Figure 6 6 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided by another embodiment of the present application. The method 600 may include steps 601 to 606, which are described in detail below.

[0167] In step 601, the multi-domain service management modules of node 1 and node 2 may respectively trigger scanning of their multi-domain device discovery modules according to event triggering conditions or periodic triggering conditions. The multi-domain device discovery modules of node 1 and node 2 may respectively configure their respective scanning parameters according to the triggering conditions and may send the configured scanning parameters to their respective access layers.

[0168] It should be understood that both node 1 and node 2 can be the first node. When node 1 is the first node, node 2 can be another master node relative to node 1; when node 2 is the first node, node 1 can be another master node relative to node 2.

[0169] In step 602, the access layers of node 1 and node 2 may perform scanning according to the scanning parameters received by each.

[0170] In step 603, when the access layer of node 1 fails to scan other master nodes, it can listen to other master nodes based on the random listening duration TM1. When the access layer of node 2 fails to scan other master nodes, it can listen to other master nodes based on the random listening duration TM2. TM1 is greater than TM2. Therefore, when node 2 fails to detect other master nodes within the random listening duration TM2, it can enter the broadcast state and send a broadcast message when the planned end time of the random listening duration TM2 arrives. At this time, node 1 is still in the listening state, so node 1 can detect the broadcast message of node 2, that is, node 1 discovers node 2 within the random listening duration TM1.

[0171] In step 604, the access layer of node 1 may report the listening result to the multi-domain device discovery module of node 1, and the multi-domain device discovery module of node 1 may report the listening result to the multi-domain service management module of node 1. The multi-domain service management module of node 1 determines that node 2 is not in the associated node information table stored in node 1.

[0172] In step 605, the multi-domain service management module of node 1 may send a connection indication to the multi-domain device discovery module of node 1, the multi-domain device discovery module of node 1 may send a connection indication to the access layer of node 1, the access layer of node 1 may send an association request message to the access layer of node 2, the access layer of node 2 may send the received association request message to the multi-domain device discovery module of node 2, and the multi-domain device discovery module of node 2 may send the received association request message to the multi-domain service management module of node 2.

[0173] In step 606, each module of node 2 may respond to the association request message sent by node 1. The access layer of node 1 may obtain an association result based on the association response of node 2 and report the association result to the multi-domain device discovery module of node 1. The multi-domain device discovery module of node 1 may report the association result to the multi-domain service management module of node 1.

[0174] It should be understood that although Figure 6 Although not shown, after node 1 associates with node 2, it can send a broadcast message on at least one carrier, and the sending time of the broadcast message is no later than the planned end time of the random listening duration TM1.

[0175] The first node can configure different scanning parameters based on different trigger conditions to perform blind or targeted scanning of other master nodes. If the first master node scans other master nodes based on the scanning parameters but fails to detect any other master nodes, the first node can continue to monitor the other master nodes for first broadcast messages based on a random listening duration. Because the random listening duration is not fixed and can vary between nodes, the broadcast periods of the first node and other master nodes may overlap, allowing the first node to discover other master nodes within the random listening duration. This can alleviate the problem of the first node and other master nodes being unable to discover each other due to being in a scanning or broadcasting state at the same time, thereby improving device discovery efficiency. When the first node monitors other master nodes and the other master nodes are not in the associated master node information table stored by the first node, the first node can associate with the other master nodes as a slave node. When the first node monitors other master nodes but the other master nodes are in the associated master node information table stored by the first node, the first node will not associate with the other master nodes as a slave node. This can avoid the problem of the first node repeatedly associating with other master nodes.

[0176] To implement the various functions of the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application, the first node may include hardware structures and / or software modules, and implement the aforementioned functions in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules. Whether a particular one of the aforementioned functions is implemented in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0177] Figure 7 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 As shown, the communication device 700 may include: a scanning unit 710 and a listening unit 720. The communication device 700 may be used to execute the steps in the communication method 500 or the communication method 600.

[0178] When the communication device 700 is used to execute the steps in the communication method 500 or the communication method 600, the scanning unit 710 is used to scan other master nodes according to the scanning parameters; the listening unit 720 can be used to listen to the first broadcast message based on the random listening duration when no other master nodes are scanned. The first broadcast message is a broadcast message from one or more master nodes among the other master nodes. The random listening duration is used for the first node to listen to other master nodes. The first node is the master node of at least one communication domain.

[0179] Optionally, the scanning unit 710 can also be used to scan according to the scanning parameters when a trigger condition is met; the trigger condition includes: the first node is turned on, the first node detects interference, the first node turns on the multi-domain service function, the first node receives a scanning request message from the second node, or the first node performs a periodic scan; wherein the second node is a master node different from the first node.

[0180] Optionally, when the trigger condition is: the first node is powered on, the first node detects interference, the first node turns on the multi-domain service function, or the first node performs periodic scanning, the scanning parameter is a predefined or pre-configured scanning parameter; or when the trigger condition is that the first node receives a scanning request message from the second node, the scanning parameter is determined according to the scanning request message.

[0181] Optionally, the scanning request message includes at least one of the following items: the identifier of the carrier to be scanned, the time offset for starting the scan, the scanning duration on a single carrier and the information of the target master node, where the target master node is the master node indicated in the scanning information that needs to be discovered by the first node.

[0182] Optionally, the information of the target master node includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the working carrier of the target master node, the priority of the target master node, the sending period of the communication domain system message of the target master node, and the duration of the communication domain system message of the target master node; wherein, the working carrier of the target master node belongs to the carrier to be scanned.

[0183] Optionally, the scanning parameter includes at least one of the following: an identifier of a carrier to be scanned, a total scanning duration, and a scanning duration on a single carrier.

[0184] Optionally, the carrier to be scanned includes: a current working carrier of the first node, or all carriers supported by the first node, or a carrier indicated in a scanning request message received by the first node.

[0185] Optionally, the communication device 700 may further include a sending unit 730, which may be used to send an association request message to the third node in a slave node mode when the first node discovers a third node based on the first broadcast message and the third node does not belong to the master node in the associated master node information table. The associated master node information table includes the master node associated to the first node as a slave node.

[0186] Optionally, the communication device 700 may further include a sending unit 730, which may be used by the first node to discover a fourth node based on the first broadcast message. When the fourth node belongs to a master node in an associated master node information table, the first node does not send an association request message to the fourth node, and the associated master node information table includes a master node associated to the first node as a slave node.

[0187] Optionally, the associated master node information table includes one or more of the following information of at least one master node: working carrier identifier, physical layer address, domain name, domain identifier and multi-domain service information.

[0188] Optionally, the random listening duration is generated by a predefined function f(N), where N is a random number greater than or equal to 0.

[0189] Optionally, the random listening duration satisfies: TM=f(N)=NTF, where TM represents the random listening duration and TF is a preset time length.

[0190] Optionally, TF is: 64 superframe durations, 1 superframe duration, 1 half superframe duration, or 1 radio frame duration.

[0191] Optionally, the random listening duration is determined according to a predefined mapping relationship, which includes a correspondence between multiple i values ​​and random listening durations, where i represents the number of times a node listens, and i is an integer greater than or equal to 0.

[0192] Optionally, the communication device 700 may further include a sending unit 730, which may be used to send a second broadcast message on at least one carrier, the sending time of the second broadcast message being no later than the planned end time of the random listening period, the second broadcast message being used for other master nodes to discover the first node, and the at least one carrier including: the working carrier of the first node or all carriers supported by the first node.

[0193] Figure 8 800 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 800 can be used to implement the functions of the first node of the above method. The communication device 800 can be a chip system. In the embodiment of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0194] like Figure 8 As shown, the communication device 800 may include at least one processor 810, which is used to implement the function of the first node in the method provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0195] Exemplarily, when the communication device 800 is used to implement the function of the first node in the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, the processor 810 may be configured to scan according to a scanning parameter, where the scanning includes scanning other master nodes; if no other master nodes are scanned, the processor 810 listens to a first broadcast message based on a random listening duration; the first broadcast message is a broadcast message from one or more of the other master nodes, the random listening duration is used for the first node to listen to the other master nodes, and the first node is a master node for at least one communication domain. For details, please refer to the detailed description in the method example, which will not be repeated here.

[0196] The communication device 800 may also include at least one memory 820 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 820 is coupled to the processor 810. Coupling in the embodiments of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, and is used for information exchange between devices, units, or modules. The processor 810 may operate in conjunction with the memory 820. The processor 810 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 820. At least one of the at least one memory may be included in the processor.

[0197] The communication device 800 may also include a communication interface 830 for communicating with other devices via a transmission medium, so that the device in the communication device 800 can communicate with other devices, for example, other devices may be other master nodes other than the first node. The communication interface 830 may be, for example, a transceiver, an interface, a bus, a circuit, or a device capable of implementing transceiver functions. The processor 810 may use the communication interface 830 to send and receive data and / or information, and to implement Figure 8 The method executed by the first node described in the corresponding embodiment.

[0198] The specific connection medium between the processor 810, the memory 820 and the communication interface 830 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 The processor 810, the memory 820 and the communication interface 830 are connected via a bus 840. The bus 840 is connected to the Figure 8 The connections between the other components are shown in bold lines, which are only for illustration and are not intended to be limiting. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, Figure 8 Only one thick line is used in the diagram, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0199] The present application also provides a chip system, which includes at least one processor for implementing the above Figure 5 or Figure 6 The functions involved in the method performed by the first node in the illustrated embodiment include, for example, receiving or processing the data and / or information involved in the above method.

[0200] In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory, which is used to store program instructions and data, and the memory is located inside or outside the processor.

[0201] The chip system can be composed of chips, or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0202] The present application also provides a computer program product, the computer program product comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instruction), when the computer program is executed, causes the first node to execute the following Figure 5 or Figure 6 The method of any of the embodiments shown.

[0203] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instruction). When the computer program is executed, the first node executes the following Figure 5 or Figure 6 The method of any of the embodiments shown.

[0204] The present application also provides a terminal comprising: Figure 7 or Figure 8 The communication device shown.

[0205] Optionally, the terminal may be a car.

[0206] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above-mentioned method embodiment can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or by software instructions. The above-mentioned processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly implemented and executed by a hardware decoding processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium well-known in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above-mentioned method.

[0207] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0208] The terms "unit", "module" and the like used in this specification may be used to refer to a computer-related entity, hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution.

[0209] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented using electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professionals and technicians may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application. In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices, equipment, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not performed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interface, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, and can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0210] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0211] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0212] In the above embodiments, the functions of each functional unit can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions (programs). When the computer program instructions (program) are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a digital versatile disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0213] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0214] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: When a trigger condition is met, the first node scans other master nodes according to a scanning parameter, the first node being a master node of at least one communication domain; When the first node fails to scan the other master nodes, the first node listens to the first broadcast message based on a random listening duration; The first broadcast message is a broadcast message from one or more master nodes among the other master nodes, and the random listening duration is used for the first node to listen to the other master nodes.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The trigger condition includes at least one of the following: the first node is powered on, the first node detects interference, the first node starts a multi-domain service function, the first node receives a scan request message from a second node, or the first node performs a periodic scan; The second node is a master node different from the first node.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that In a case where the trigger condition is at least one of the following: the first node is powered on, the first node detects interference, the first node starts a multi-domain service function, or the first node performs periodic scanning, the scanning parameter is a predefined or preconfigured scanning parameter; or, When the trigger condition is that the first node receives the scanning request message from the second node, the scanning parameter is determined according to the scanning request message.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The scanning request message includes at least one of the following items: an identifier of a carrier to be scanned, a time offset for starting the scan, a scanning duration on a single carrier, and information of a target master node, wherein the target master node is a master node indicated in the scanning information and needs to be discovered by the first node.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The information of the target master node includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the working carrier of the target master node, the priority of the target master node, the sending period of the communication domain system message of the target master node, and the duration of the communication domain system message of the target master node; wherein, the working carrier of the target master node belongs to the carrier to be scanned.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The scanning parameters include at least one of the following: an identifier of a carrier to be scanned, a total scanning duration, and a scanning duration on a single carrier.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The carrier to be scanned includes: the current working carrier of the first node, or all carriers supported by the first node, or the carrier indicated in the scanning request message received by the first node.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first node discovers a third node based on the first broadcast message, the third node does not belong to a master node in an associated master node information table, the associated master node information table includes a master node associated with the first node as a slave node; The first node sends an association request message to the third node in a slave node mode.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first node discovers a fourth node based on the first broadcast message, the fourth node belongs to a master node in an associated master node information table, the associated master node information table includes a master node associated with the first node as a slave node; The first node does not send an association request message to the fourth node.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that The associated master node information table includes one or more of the following information of at least one master node: working carrier identifier, physical layer address, domain name, domain identifier and multi-domain service information.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that The random listening duration is generated by a predefined function f(N), where N is a random number greater than or equal to 0.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The random listening duration satisfies: TM=f(N)=NTF, wherein TM represents the random listening duration, and TF is a preset time length.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The TF is: 64 superframes, 1 superframe, 1 half superframe or 1 radio frame.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that The random listening duration is determined according to a predefined mapping relationship, and the mapping relationship includes a correspondence between multiple i values ​​and random listening durations, wherein i represents the number of times a node performs listening, and i is an integer greater than or equal to 0.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first node sends a second broadcast message on at least one carrier, and the sending time of the second broadcast message is no later than the planned end time of the random listening period. The second broadcast message is used for other master nodes to discover the first node. The at least one carrier includes: the working carrier of the first node or all carriers supported by the first node.

16. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device comprises means for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the program or instruction so as to enable the device to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

19. A terminal, characterized in that: The terminal comprises the communication device according to claim 16 or 17.

20. The terminal according to claim 19, characterized in that The terminal is a car.

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