Communication method and communication device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and a communication device. In the communication method provided by the invention, a specific symbol is inserted into a frame structure of a transmitted signal, the specific symbol is also subjected to TPM processing when a transmitting device performs TPM processing on load data, the specific symbol subjected to TPM processing is used for calculating and obtaining an AGC coefficient, and the AGC coefficient is used for a detection process of a PL symbol. Therefore, the throughput of the PLC system is improved, and the data detection quality of the system is guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a communication method and a communication device. Background Art

[0002] Power-line carrier communication (PLC) refers to a communication method that uses power lines to transmit data and media signals. In a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) PLC system, to improve the throughput of the PLC system, the transmitting end can perform a transmit port mapping (TPM) process on the payload (PL) symbols in the data frame structure. However, after the receiving end performs an automatic gain control (AGC) on the PL symbols processed by TPM, the amplitude of the PL symbols may exceed the normal operating range of the receiving device, resulting in a decrease in the data detection quality of the PLC system. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a communication method and a communication device, aiming to keep the signal amplitude within the normal operating range of the system during the detection of PL symbols processed by TPM, and to improve the throughput of the system while ensuring the detection performance of the system.

[0004] In a first aspect, this application provides a communication method, which is applied to a first communication device. The method includes:

[0005] Receiving a data frame from a second communication device based on power-line carrier communication. The data frame includes a first symbol and a first payload PL symbol, and both the first symbol and the first PL symbol are symbols processed by transmit port mapping TPM; detecting the first PL symbol based on the first symbol.

[0006] Both the first symbol and the first PL symbol are symbols processed by TPM. Therefore, the corresponding AGC coefficient can be calculated according to the first symbol. After processing by this AGC coefficient, the signal amplitude of the first PL symbol is kept within the normal operating range of the PLC system, ensuring the expected performance of the PLC system.

[0007] The detection of the PL symbol mentioned in this application includes, but is not limited to, operations such as demodulating, decoding, and equalizing the PL symbol.

[0008] In some implementation manners, the data frame further includes a training field TF symbol, and the first symbol is located between the TF symbol and the first PL symbol.

[0009] Arrange the first symbol between the TF symbol and the first PL symbol. The AGC coefficient obtained based on the first symbol can directly implement gain control for the subsequently received first PL symbol in the time domain, improving the data processing efficiency in the PLC system.

[0010] In some implementation manners, detecting the first PL symbol based on the first symbol includes:

[0011] Determine a first automatic gain control (AGC) coefficient based on the first symbol; determine a second channel estimation matrix based on the first AGC coefficient and a first channel estimation matrix. The first channel estimation matrix is a channel estimation matrix determined based on a second frame control (FC) symbol and a second TF symbol. The second FC symbol is the FC symbol obtained by processing the first FC symbol in the data frame based on a second AGC coefficient. The second TF symbol is the TF symbol obtained by processing the first TF symbol in the data frame based on the second AGC coefficient. The second AGC coefficient is an AGC coefficient determined based on the preamble symbol in the data frame; detect the second PL symbol based on the second channel estimation matrix. The second PL symbol is the PL symbol obtained by processing the first PL symbol based on the first AGC coefficient.

[0012] In some implementation manners, detecting the first PL symbol based on the first symbol includes:

[0013] Determine a second noise matrix based on the first AGC coefficient and a first noise matrix. The first noise matrix is a noise matrix determined based on the first channel estimation matrix. The first channel estimation matrix is a channel estimation matrix determined based on the second FC symbol and the second TF symbol. The second FC symbol is the FC symbol obtained by processing the first FC symbol in the data frame based on the second AGC coefficient. The second TF symbol is the TF symbol obtained by processing the first TF symbol in the data frame based on the second AGC coefficient. The second AGC coefficient is an AGC coefficient determined based on the preamble symbol in the data frame; detect the second PL symbol based on the second noise matrix. The second PL symbol is the PL symbol obtained by processing the first PL symbol based on the first AGC coefficient.

[0014] In some implementation manners, the second channel estimation matrix H1 satisfies the following relational expression:

[0015]

[0016] wherein, H0 is the first channel estimation matrix, is the inverse matrix of the second AGC coefficient, and G1 is the first AGC coefficient.

[0017] In some implementation manners, the second noise matrix R1 satisfies the following relational expression:

[0018]

[0019] Among them, R0 is the first noise matrix, is the inverse matrix of the second AGC coefficient, and G1 is the first AGC coefficient.

[0020] Using the AGC coefficient obtained by calculating the first symbol to perform AGC coefficient compensation on the channel estimation matrix and the covariance matrix of noise and interference can ensure that the first PL symbol, the channel estimation matrix, and the covariance matrix of noise and interference achieve gain control based on the same AGC coefficient, improving the detection quality of the PL symbol.

[0021] In some implementation manners, the data frame includes multiple PL symbols processed by TPM, and the first PL symbol is the first PL symbol among the multiple PL symbols.

[0022] Among them, the method further includes:

[0023] Detecting other PL symbols in the multiple PL symbols except the first PL symbol based on the first symbol.

[0024] In some implementation manners, the first symbol includes a pre-configured sequence.

[0025] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a second communication device. The method includes:

[0026] Sending a data frame to a first communication device based on power line carrier communication. The data frame includes a first symbol and a first PL symbol, and the first symbol and the first PL symbol are symbols processed by TPM.

[0027] In some implementation manners, the data frame further includes a TF symbol, and the first symbol is located between the TF symbol and the first PL symbol.

[0028] In some implementation manners, the data frame includes multiple PL symbols processed by TPM, and the first PL symbol is the first PL symbol among the multiple PL symbols.

[0029] In some implementation manners, the first symbol includes a pre-configured sequence.

[0030] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication device. The communication device includes each functional module for implementing any one of the communication methods mentioned in the above implementation manners. Optionally, each module can be implemented in a software and / or hardware manner.

[0031] Fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, including a processor, which is coupled to a memory and can be used to execute instructions in the memory to implement the method in any one of the possible implementation manners in the first aspect or the second aspect. Optionally, the device further includes a memory. Optionally, the device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0032] Fifth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable medium, which stores program code for a device to execute, and the program code includes for executing the method in the first aspect, the second aspect or any one of the possible implementation manners therein.

[0033] Sixth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, including a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the method in the first aspect, the second aspect or any one of the possible implementation manners therein. Description of the Drawings

[0034] The drawings here are incorporated into the specification and form a part of this specification, showing the embodiments consistent with the present application, and are used together with the specification to explain the principles of the present application.

[0035] Figure 1 A power line carrier communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application;

[0036] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the circuit structure in the MIMO-PLC system;

[0037] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the transceiver architecture of the physical layer signal in the MIMO-PLC system;

[0038] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a data frame defined by the International Telecommunication Union in the standard document ITU-T G.9963;

[0039] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the flow of the communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a data frame provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided by another embodiment of the present application.

[0043] Through the above-mentioned drawings, specific embodiments of the present application have been shown, and will be described in more detail hereinafter. These drawings and the written description are not intended to limit the scope of the concept of the present application in any way, but to illustrate the concept of the present application to those skilled in the art by referring to specific embodiments. Detailed Description of the Embodiments

[0044] Here, exemplary embodiments will be described in detail, and examples thereof are shown in the drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present application. On the contrary, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the present application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0045] It should be understood that when used in the specification of the present application and the appended claims, the term "comprising" indicates the presence of the described features, wholes, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components and / or their combinations.

[0046] It should also be understood that the term "and / or" as used in the specification of the present application and the appended claims refers to any combination and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and includes these combinations.

[0047] In addition, in the description of the specification of the present application and the appended claims, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are only used for distinguishing descriptions and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0048] The reference to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" or the like described in the specification of the present application means that a specific feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in one or more embodiments of the present application. Thus, the statements "in one embodiment", "in some embodiments", "in other some embodiments", "in still other embodiments", etc. that appear in different places in this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, but mean "one or more but not all embodiments", unless otherwise specifically emphasized in other ways. The terms "including", "comprising", "having" and their variants all mean "including but not limited to", unless otherwise specifically emphasized in other ways.

[0049] Power line carrier communication (PLC) is a communication method that utilizes existing power lines to transmit data or information according to the method of digital signal processing. Compared with digital subscriber line (DSL) technology that uses telephone lines and cable modem (CM) technology that uses coaxial cable lines of cable television, the PLC system does not require re-laying network lines and has advantages such as low cost and wide coverage.

[0050] When an electronic device is connected to a power line network, if the electronic device has PLC capabilities, the electronic device can broadcast data and receive data through the power line network.

[0051] Figure 1 A power line carrier communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application. As Figure 1 shown, the power line carrier communication system may include: a power line network 101, a main routing device 102, a sub-routing device 103, and a user device 104.

[0052] Among them, the main routing device 102 is an electronic device with routing and management functions. The main routing device 102 can manage the transmission opportunities of the main routing device 102 and each sub-routing device 103 connected to the power line network 101.

[0053] The sub-routing device 103 is an electronic device with routing functions but without management functions.

[0054] The user device 104 is an electronic device other than the main routing device 102 and the sub-routing device 103. The user device 104 can also be referred to as a terminal device, a mobile station, a mobile terminal, etc. The user device can be widely applied to various scenarios, for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, remote medical treatment, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart city, etc.

[0055] The user device 104 may include one or more types of electronic devices such as a computer with wireless transceiver functions, a tablet computer, a mobile phone, a smart TV, a smart large screen, a smart speaker, a smart air conditioner, a floor cleaning robot, a dishwasher, smart lights, a smart door lock, a smart curtain, a lidar, a millimeter wave radar, a vehicle, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a robotic arm, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technologies and specific device forms adopted by the user device.

[0056] The main router 102 and the sub-router 103 can be directly connected to the power line network 101 and perform data interaction through the power line network 101.

[0057] In some implementation manners, the main router 102 and the sub-router 103 can also perform data interaction through one or more of communication connections such as Wi-Fi connection, Bluetooth connection, universal serial bus (USB), registered jack 45 (RJ45) connection, etc.

[0058] The user device 104 can be connected to the main routing device 102, and / or, the user device 104 can also be connected to the sub-routing device 103.

[0059] It can be understood that when the user device 104 is connected to the main routing device 102 / sub-routing device 103, the user device 104 and the main routing device 102 / sub-routing device 103 can perform data interaction through one or more of communication connections such as Wi-Fi connection, Bluetooth connection, USB connection, RJ45 connection, etc.

[0060] In addition, when the main routing device 102 is connected to the Internet access line, the main routing device can receive the uplink data sent by the sub-routing device 103 and / or the user device 104, and transmit the uplink data to the Internet through the Internet access line.

[0061] In some implementation manners, the main routing device 102 can also receive the downlink data transmitted by the Internet through the Internet access line and forward the downlink data to the sub-routing device 103 and / or the user 104.

[0062] The above Internet access line can include any one or more of lines such as asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL), digital data network (DDN) line, fiber broadband, etc.

[0063] It can be understood that Figure 1 shows 4 sub-routing devices 103 and 2 user devices 104. In an actual application scenario, the power line carrier communication system can have more or fewer sub-routing devices 103 and user devices 104 than Figure 1 shown. Figure 1 The sub-routing devices 103 and user devices 104 shown in should not impose any limitation on the specific number of sub-routing devices 103 and user devices 104.

[0064] In a MIMO-PLC system, the three wires of a power line, namely the live (L), neutral (N), and protective earth (PE) wires, can form two independent signals for signal transmission. Therefore, the physical layer signal transceiver architecture of a MIMO-PLC system usually adopts the 2T2R or 2T3R mode. In a MIMO-PLC system, signal transmission and reception can be achieved through a "Delta"-style or T-style coupling circuit.

[0065] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure in a MIMO-PLC system, as Figure 2 shown in (A) therein. The transmitting end of the "Delta"-style circuit uses the L-N differential mode and the L-PE differential mode. In the 2T2R configuration mode, the 2R at the receiving end of the "Delta"-style circuit is the same as that at the transmitting end. If the 2T3R configuration mode is adopted in the MIMO-PLC system, the first 2R at the receiving end of the "Delta"-style circuit is the same as that at the transmitting end, and the 3R adopts the N-PE differential mode.

[0066] As Figure 2 shown in (B) therein. The transmitting end of the T-style circuit uses the L-N differential mode and the L+N-PE differential mode (specifically, the L+N common mode and the PE group differential mode). In the 2T2R configuration mode, the 2R at the receiving end of the T-style circuit is the same as that at the transmitting end. If the 2T3R configuration mode is adopted, the first 2R at the receiving end of the T-style circuit is the same as that at the transmitting end, and the 3R can adopt the L-PE differential mode or the N-PE differential mode.

[0067] In a MIMO-PLC system, the communication channels for signal transmission have serious problems of multipath effects and frequency-selective attenuation, and there are large differences in the channel quality between different subcarriers. Considering that the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) technology has the advantages of high data transmission rate, strong resistance to multipath interference and narrowband interference, and high spectrum utilization rate, the OFDM modulation method is usually combined in the MIMO-PLC system, and the automatic gain control (AGC) is used to ensure that the received signal is within the normal operating range of the radio frequency devices.

[0068] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the transceiver architecture of the physical layer signal in a MIMO-PLC system. As Figure 3As shown in the figure, at the transmitting end of the MIMO-PLC system, the physical layer receives the original input data from the data link layer, encodes the data and then performs constellation point mapping, that is, modulates the data. After the constellation point mapping process, the data enters the inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) module to convert the frequency-domain symbols into time-domain symbols. After adding a cyclic prefix to the time-domain symbols, OFDM symbols are formed. Subsequently, windowing processing is performed on the OFDM symbols and preamble symbols are introduced, and the generated OFDM physical layer transmission signal is sent to the analog front end, which transmits it into the power line channel through the analog front end.

[0069] The frame structure of the physical layer transmission signal sent to the analog front end at the transmitting end of the MIMO-PLC system is as Figure 4 shown Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a data frame defined by the International Telecommunication Union in the standard document ITU-T G.9963. The MIMO-PLC system realizes data transmission and reception based on the data frame format defined in this standard.

[0070] As Figure 4 shown, since the MIMO-PLC system adopts a configuration of 2T2R or 2T3R, that is, there are two transmitting ports in the MIMO-PLC system, and each port corresponds to its own data frame structure. Among them, the data frame structure corresponding to transmitting port 1 includes preamble symbols, header symbols, additional channel estimation (ACE) symbols, and payload PL symbols.

[0071] Among them, the preamble symbols and ACE symbols do not carry any user data or management data. The preamble symbols are used for signal synchronization, and the ACE symbols are used for channel estimation.

[0072] The data frame structure corresponding to transmitting port 2 is basically the same as the data frame structure corresponding to port 1. The preamble symbols and header symbols transmitted on transmitting port 2 are copies of the preamble symbols and header symbols transmitted on transmitting port 1, respectively.

[0073] When the payload is transmitted through two data streams, the odd-numbered ACE symbols transmitted on transmitting port 2 are the inverted symbols of the same-numbered ACE symbols transmitted on transmitting port 1, and the even-numbered ACE symbols transmitted on transmitting port 2 are the same as the same-numbered ACE symbols transmitted on transmitting port 1. It can be understood that the odd and even numbers here start from the first ACE symbol, and the first ACE symbol is an odd number.

[0074] The difference between the data frame structure corresponding to transmission port 2 and that corresponding to transmission port 1 is that each symbol in the data frame structure corresponding to transmission port 2 also undergoes a cyclic shift (CS) to improve the reliability of signal transmission.

[0075] It should be noted that Figure 4 This is only a schematic structure. The data frame structure used in the PLC system may contain multiple frame header symbols, and the data frame structure may also contain multiple ACE symbols. When the payload is transmitted through two data streams, the data frame structure contains at least one ACE symbol, and the remaining ACE symbols are optional.

[0076] After receiving the data signal from the analog front end through the power line channel, the receiving end of the MIMO-PLC system performs AGC control on the data signal, then performs clock / frame synchronization processing on the data signal after gain processing, and then performs fast Fourier transform (FFT) on the data after clock / frame synchronization. After the data after FFT transformation undergoes pre-processing and post-processing by the demodulation module and the data decoding module, the receiving end can finally recover the original data.

[0077] In the MIMO-PLC system, the transmitting end can process the data signal through the transmission port mapping TPM technology to suppress the interference between different data streams, thereby improving the throughput of the system. According to Figure 3 the shown architecture diagram, the transmitting end of the MIMO-PLC system encodes the payload data in the input data, performs constellation point mapping on the encoded payload data, and completes TPM processing on the payload data between the constellation point mapping module and the IFFT module. TPM processing is also pre-coding processing. As an example, the payload data can be pre-coded through zero-forcing pre-coding technology.

[0078] The receiving end calculates the AGC coefficient based on the preamble symbols in the data frame structure, and performs automatic gain control on the frame header symbols, ACE symbols, and PL symbols in the data frame according to the AGC coefficient.

[0079] However, the transmitting end of the MIMO-PLC system only performs TPM processing on the PL symbols in the data frame structure, and the preamble symbols are not processed by TPM. The TPM processing of the preamble symbols and the PL symbols is asymmetric. Therefore, after the receiving end uses the AGC coefficient calculated from the preamble symbols not processed by TPM to perform automatic gain control on the PL symbols, it may cause the signal amplitude corresponding to the PL symbols to exceed the normal working range of the MIMO-PLC system. For example, it may cause the amplitude of the PL symbols to enter the non-linear range of the radio frequency device, resulting in a decrease in the accuracy of the original data recovered by the receiving end and reducing the detection performance of the MIMO-PLC system.

[0080] To solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a communication method and a communication device, aiming to keep the signal amplitude of the PL symbol processed by the TPM within the range of the normal operation of the system during detection, and improve the system throughput while ensuring the detection performance of the system.

[0081] The technical concept of the present application is: inserting a specific symbol into the frame structure of the transmitted signal. When the transmitting end performs TPM processing on the payload data, the specific symbol will also undergo TPM processing. Using the TPM-processed specific symbol to calculate and obtain the AGC coefficient, and using the AGC coefficient to detect the PL symbol, so as to achieve the expected performance of the PLC system.

[0082] Figure 5 It is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 5 shown, this communication method is applied to a MIMO-PLC system. In this process, the first communication device is equivalent to the receiving device, and the second communication device is equivalent to the transmitting device. The first communication device and the second communication device are the Figure 1 main routing device 102 and / or sub-routing device 103 in the PLC system shown. Specifically, it includes the following steps:

[0083] S501. The second communication device sends a data frame to the first communication device. The data frame includes a first symbol and a first PL symbol, and the first symbol and the first PL symbol are symbols processed by the TPM.

[0084] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of a data frame provided by an embodiment of the present application. The MIMO-PLC system in the present application realizes data transmission and reception based on the Figure 6 shown data frame format. As Figure 6 shown, the data frame includes a preamble symbol, a frame control (FC) symbol, a training field (TF) symbol, and a PL symbol.

[0085] Among them, the FC symbol is equivalent to the Figure 4 header symbol in the shown frame structure. The FC symbol and the header symbol are different names for the same symbol. The FC symbol carries the parameters and configurations of this transmission and is composed of multiple symbols using a predetermined modulation method. The FC symbol can also be called a frame control head (FCH) symbol. For the convenience of description, the FC symbol is uniformly used in the embodiments of the present application for description. It can be understood that Figure 6 the "..." between two FC symbols in

[0086] The TF symbol is equivalent to Figure 4 the ACE symbol in the frame structure shown. The TF symbol and the ACE symbol are different names for the same symbol. The TF symbol is a symbol known to the receiving device that is specifically used for channel estimation and is usually a reference signal generated using a pseudo-random sequence. In the embodiments of the present application, the TF symbol is uniformly used for description. It can be understood that Figure 6 the "..." between two TF symbols in represents that there may be multiple TF symbols.

[0087] The first symbol is a new symbol inserted in the present application. This symbol is a specific symbol used to perform gain control on the PL symbol processed by TPM. Therefore, when the second communication device performs TPM processing on the PL symbol carrying data at the physical layer, it will also perform TPM processing on the first symbol in the data frame.

[0088] In some implementation manners, the first symbol is a pre-configured sequence. It can be understood that the pre-configured sequence here can be a sequence pre-interactively configured before the first communication device and the second communication device perform data interaction, and the first symbol is composed of a sequence known to both the first communication device and the second communication device. Alternatively, the first symbol is written in the communication protocol related to the PLC system to ensure that the first symbol is a symbol known to both the first communication device and the second communication device.

[0089] As an example, the first symbol can also be the training sequence Midamble. The PLC system can generate the Midamble symbol known to both the receiving device and the transmitting device by setting the seed and state of the pseudo-random sequence generator, and insert the Midamble symbol as the first symbol into Figure 6 the data frame shown.

[0090] In this step, the second communication device performs constellation mapping on the encoded data. Before the data enters the IFFT module, it performs TPM processing on the first symbol and the PL symbol, and further processes the data according to the Figure 3 architecture shown. The data frame structure corresponding to the finally generated physical layer transmission signal includes the first symbol and the first PL symbol processed by TPM. The second communication device sends the physical layer transmission signal to the first communication device through the power line channel.

[0091] S502. The first communication device detects the first PL symbol based on the first symbol.

[0092] In this step, the analog front end in the first communication device receives the transmission signal from the second communication device through the power line channel. It should be noted that the order of the symbols from left to right in the data frame structure corresponding to the received signal represents the chronological order of these symbols in the time domain. Therefore, the analog front end first receives the preamble symbols in the data frame.

[0093] Each symbol in the data frame occupies a certain time. During the time duration corresponding to the preamble symbols, the analog front end can sample the preamble symbols to obtain multiple sampling points. The first communication device can divide the multiple sampling points into several sampling groups of equal length. Here, "equal length" means that each of the above-mentioned several sampling groups contains the same number of sampling points. The average power of the received signal can be calculated based on the sampling points in each sampling group.

[0094] To ensure that the signal amplitude is within the normal working range of the PLC system after gain control, the first communication device sets a target average power for the received signal. When the received signal realizes gain control through the AGC coefficient, the average power of the received signal can reach the target average power.

[0095] The square root of the ratio between the target average power and the average power obtained for each sampling group is the AGC coefficient corresponding to that sampling group. Calculate the AGC coefficient corresponding to each sampling group in turn, and compare the AGC coefficient corresponding to the previous sampling group with the AGC coefficient corresponding to the current sampling group. If the difference between the two is greater than the preset threshold, then determine the AGC coefficient corresponding to the current sampling group as the AGC coefficient obtained based on the preamble symbols, and so on. When the difference between the AGC coefficient corresponding to the previous sampling group and the AGC coefficient corresponding to the current sampling group is less than or equal to the preset threshold, it can be judged that the calculation process of the AGC coefficient converges, the calculation terminates, and the AGC coefficient corresponding to the previous sampling group is determined as the AGC coefficient obtained based on the preamble symbols. Otherwise, calculate according to the above method until the differences between the AGC coefficients corresponding to all sampling groups are calculated.

[0096] For example: The first communication device divides multiple sampling points into 10 sampling groups of equal length, the target average power is E(P), and the average power calculated for the first sampling group is P 1 , then the AGC coefficient corresponding to the first sampling group is The average power calculated for the second sampling group is P 2 , and the corresponding AGC coefficient is If and the difference between them is greater than the preset threshold ΔP, then is determined as the AGC coefficient obtained based on the preamble symbols, and continue to calculate the AGC coefficient corresponding to the third sampling group as If The difference between is less than or equal to a preset threshold ΔP, then the calculation process of the AGC coefficient converges, the calculation terminates, and the AGC coefficient corresponding to the second sampling group is determined as the AGC coefficient obtained based on the preamble symbol.

[0097] If the difference between is greater than the preset threshold ΔP, then calculate the difference between the AGC coefficient corresponding to the third sampling group and the AGC coefficient corresponding to the fourth sampling group until the calculation converges or the difference between the AGC coefficient corresponding to the ninth sampling group and the AGC coefficient corresponding to the tenth sampling group is calculated.

[0098] In some implementation manners, when the difference between the AGC coefficient corresponding to the previous sampling group and the AGC coefficient corresponding to the current sampling group is less than or equal to the preset threshold, the difference between the AGC coefficient corresponding to the current sampling group and the AGC coefficient corresponding to the next sampling group can be further calculated. Only when the differences between two consecutive AGC coefficients are both less than or equal to the preset threshold can it be determined that the calculation process converges, and the AGC coefficient corresponding to the previous sampling group is determined as the AGC coefficient obtained based on the preamble symbol.

[0099] For example: in the above example, the difference between is less than or equal to the preset threshold ΔP, and it is still necessary to continue to calculate the AGC coefficient corresponding to the third sampling group and the AGC coefficient corresponding to the fourth sampling group Only when the difference between is also less than or equal to the preset threshold ΔP can it be determined that the calculation process converges, and the AGC coefficient corresponding to the second sampling group is determined as the AGC coefficient obtained based on the preamble symbol. Otherwise, it is necessary to continue to calculate the differences between the AGC coefficients corresponding to the subsequent sampling groups according to the above method.

[0100] In the MIMO-PLC system, the first communication device has multiple receiving ports. Therefore, each receiving port receives the corresponding received signal, and each receiving port corresponds to a target average power. n AGC coefficients can be obtained when there are n receiving ports. Finally, the first communication device can obtain an AGC matrix G0 based on the preamble symbol. The AGC matrix G0 is a diagonal matrix, and the diagonal elements in this matrix are g0i, i = 1, 2,..., n, and each element g0i is the AGC coefficient of the corresponding i-th receiving port.

[0101] It should be noted that the first communication device starts processing the data after receiving the first symbol in the data frame. Therefore, according to the arrangement order of the symbols from left to right in the data frame structure, in chronological order, the analog front end receives the FC symbol and the TF symbol after the preamble symbol, and the first communication device uses the AGC matrix G0 obtained by the preamble symbol in the automatic gain control module to implement gain control on the FC symbol and the TF symbol.

[0102] In some implementation manners, the first symbol is located between the TF symbol and the first PL symbol. Since the first communication device processes the symbols in the chronological order of the symbols received in the data frame, when the first symbol is located between the TF symbol and the first PL symbol, the first communication device can calculate and obtain a new AGC coefficient based on the first symbol, and directly perform gain control on the first PL symbol received subsequently in the time domain through the new AGC coefficient, which can improve the data processing efficiency in the PLC system.

[0103] It can be understood that the method for obtaining the AGC coefficient based on the first symbol is the same as the method for obtaining the AGC coefficient based on the preamble symbol in the above text, and will not be elaborated here. In the MIMO-PLC system, the first communication device can obtain an AGC matrix G1 based on the first symbol. The AGC matrix G1 is a diagonal matrix, and the diagonal elements in this matrix are g1i, where i = 1, 2,..., n, and each element g1i is the AGC coefficient of the corresponding i-th receiving port.

[0104] In some implementation manners, the data frame structure may further include multiple PL symbols processed by TPM, where the first PL symbol is the first PL symbol among these multiple PL symbols processed by TPM. It can be understood that the "first" here means that in the sorting of multiple PL symbols in the data frame from left to right, the first PL symbol is located on the leftmost side, that is, in chronological order, the first PL symbol is the PL symbol received earliest by the first communication device.

[0105] When the first PL symbol is the first PL symbol among multiple PL symbols and the first symbol is located between the TF symbol and the first PL symbol, the first PL symbol and other multiple PL symbols after the first PL symbol all use the AGC matrix G1 obtained based on the first symbol to implement gain control.

[0106] It should be noted that, without clear limitation, the first PL symbol involved in this application may indicate that there is only one PL symbol in the data frame, or may be used to indicate multiple PL symbols in the data frame. After performing gain control on the first PL symbol based on the AGC matrix G1, the second PL symbol can be obtained.

[0107] Both the first symbol and the first PL symbol received by the first communication device are symbols processed by TPM. Therefore, after the first PL symbol enters the automatic gain control module, the AGC matrix G1 is used to process the first PL symbol, and the signal amplitude of the obtained second PL symbol is maintained within the normal operating range of the MIMO-PLC system. The first communication device can detect the second PL symbol and recover the accurate original data.

[0108] When the first communication device detects the second PL symbol, it is necessary to obtain the channel estimation of each frequency-domain subcarrier and the statistical information of noise and interference. It can be understood that the detection of the PL symbol mentioned in this application includes, but is not limited to, operations such as demodulating, decoding, and equalizing the PL symbol.

[0109] Among them, after the FC symbol after gain control by the AGC matrix G0 is detected, the first communication device can use the information bits obtained by the detection to regenerate the FC symbol. The regenerated FC symbol and the TF symbol that has been gain-controlled by the first communication device can be used as reference signals in the channel estimation process.

[0110] In the MIMO-PLC system, multiple FC symbols and TF symbols that have been gain-controlled by the first communication device for multiple data streams form a reference signal matrix. The first communication device can use the least square (LS) method to process the reference signal matrix composed of the FC symbol and the TF symbol and the received signal matrix, so as to obtain the channel estimation matrix Channel estimation matrix Is an n×m-dimensional matrix, where n is the number of receiving ports on the first communication device, and m is the number of transmitting ports on the second communication device. The channel estimation matrix of each frequency-domain subcarrier The elements in correspond to the channel estimations between each transmitting port and each receiving port.

[0111] It can be understood that the first PL symbol is processed by TPM, while the FC symbol and the TF symbol in the data frame are not processed by TPM. Therefore, when the channel estimation matrix obtained based on the FC symbol and the TF symbol Is used for the detection of the first PL symbol, the channel estimation matrix Also needs to be right-multiplied by the TPM matrix to obtain the equivalent channel estimation matrix H0.

[0112] It should be noted that before the first communication device and the second communication device perform data interaction, the second communication device also needs to send a TPM estimation frame to the first communication device. The TPM estimation frame also includes FC symbols and TF symbols. The first communication device can calculate a channel estimation matrix based on the FC symbols and TF symbols, calculate the TPM matrix from the channel estimation matrix, and feedback it to the second communication device. Then, when the second communication device performs data interaction with the first communication device subsequently, the TPM matrix is used to perform TPM processing on the first symbol and the first PL symbol in the data frame structure.

[0113] It can be understood that since the TPM matrix is calculated and obtained by the first communication device, the TPM matrix is stored and recorded in the first communication device. After obtaining the channel estimation matrix it can be directly right-multiplied by the TPM matrix to obtain an equivalent channel estimation matrix H0. Based on the channel estimation matrix the first communication device can obtain an nth-order covariance matrix R0 of noise and interference, where n is the number of receiving ports on the first communication device. The covariance matrix R0 of noise and interference is the statistical information of noise and interference, and the covariance matrix of noise and interference can also be simply referred to as the noise matrix.

[0114] It should be noted that the second PL symbol is the symbol obtained by processing the first PL symbol based on the AGC matrix G1. The equivalent channel estimation matrix H0 and the covariance matrix R0 of noise and interference used in the detection process of the second PL symbol are obtained based on the FC symbols and TF symbols processed by the AGC matrix G0. To ensure the smooth detection of the second PL symbol, it is necessary to ensure that the AGC coefficients used in the entire detection process are mutually matched and unified.

[0115] In some implementation manners, the AGC coefficient compensation can be performed on the equivalent channel estimation matrix H0 based on the AGC matrix G1. The obtained channel estimation matrix H1 after compensation satisfies the following relational expression:

[0116]

[0117] where H0 is the equivalent channel estimation matrix H0, is the inverse matrix of the AGC matrix G0 obtained based on the preamble symbols in the data frame, and G1 is the AGC matrix G1 obtained based on the first symbol.

[0118] In the above relational expression, multiplying the left by the inverse matrix of the AGC matrix G0 is equivalent to removing the gain control of the equivalent channel estimation matrix H0 based on the AGC matrix G0. Continuing to multiply the left by the AGC matrix G1 is equivalent to implementing the gain control of the equivalent channel estimation matrix H0 based on the AGC matrix G1.

[0119] The channel estimation matrix H1 and the second PL symbol obtained after AGC coefficient compensation both implement gain control based on the AGC matrix G1. Therefore, the channel estimation matrix H1 can be used for the detection of the second PL symbol.

[0120] In some implementation manners, based on the AGC matrix G1, AGC coefficient compensation can be performed on the covariance matrix R0 of noise and interference. The obtained covariance matrix R1 of noise and interference after compensation satisfies the following relational expression:

[0121]

[0122] where R0 is the covariance matrix R0 of noise and interference before compensation, is the inverse matrix of the AGC matrix G0 obtained based on the preamble symbol in the data frame, and G1 is the AGC matrix G1 obtained based on the first symbol.

[0123] The covariance matrix R1 of noise and interference and the second PL symbol obtained after AGC coefficient compensation both implement gain control based on the AGC matrix G1. Therefore, the covariance matrix R1 of noise and interference can be used for the detection of the second PL symbol.

[0124] In this embodiment, based on the first symbol that has also undergone TPM processing in the data frame structure, the corresponding AGC coefficient can be calculated and used to perform gain control on the first PL symbol that has undergone TPM processing, which can ensure that the signal amplitude processed by the receiving device remains within the normal working range of the PLC system.

[0125] In addition, in this embodiment, the AGC coefficient obtained by calculating using the first symbol is also used to perform AGC coefficient compensation on the channel estimation matrix and the covariance matrix of noise and interference. Through AGC coefficient compensation, it can be ensured that the first PL symbol, the channel estimation matrix, and the covariance matrix of noise and interference implement gain control based on the same AGC coefficient, so as to realize the detection of the first PL symbol and recover the accurate original data.

[0126] In the above embodiment, the first communication device starts to process the data after receiving the first symbol in the data frame. Therefore, in the whole process, each symbol follows the time processing order from left to right.

[0127] As a possible implementation manner, the first communication device can process each symbol in the data frame structure after receiving a complete data frame.

[0128] It can be understood that in this communication method, since the first communication device no longer processes symbols according to the order of received symbols, the position of the first symbol in the data frame structure no longer affects the processing of each symbol in the data frame. As an example, the first symbol may be located between the FC symbol and the TF symbol.

[0129] As an example, after receiving a complete data frame, the first communication device calculates and obtains the corresponding AGC matrix G1 based on the first symbol, and performs gain control on the FC symbol and the TF symbol in the data frame structure according to the AGC matrix G1. In this case, the equivalent channel estimation matrix and the covariance matrix of noise and interference obtained based on the FC symbol and the TF symbol processed by the AGC matrix G1 can be directly used in the detection process of the first PL symbol without considering the AGC coefficient compensation in the above embodiments.

[0130] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 7 shown, the device 700 of this embodiment may include: a communication module 701 and a processing module 702. The device 700 provided by this embodiment can be used to implement Figure 5 the operations implemented by the first communication device in the method shown.

[0131] Among them, the communication module 701 is used to receive a data frame from the second communication device based on power line carrier communication. The data frame includes a first symbol and a first PL symbol, and the first symbol and the first PL symbol are symbols processed by TPM.

[0132] The processing module 702 is used to detect the first PL symbol based on the first symbol.

[0133] In some implementation manners, detecting the first PL symbol based on the first symbol includes:

[0134] The processing module 702 is used to determine a first automatic gain control AGC coefficient based on the first symbol.

[0135] The processing module 702 is used to determine a second channel estimation matrix based on the first AGC coefficient and a first channel estimation matrix. The first channel estimation matrix is a channel estimation matrix determined based on a second frame control FC symbol and a second TF symbol. The second FC symbol is the FC symbol obtained by processing the first FC symbol in the data frame based on a second AGC coefficient, and the second TF symbol is the TF symbol obtained by processing the first TF symbol in the data frame based on the second AGC coefficient. The second AGC coefficient is an AGC coefficient determined based on a preamble symbol in the data frame.

[0136] The processing module 702 is used to detect the second PL symbol based on the second channel estimation matrix, where the second PL symbol is the PL symbol obtained by processing the first PL symbol based on the first AGC coefficient.

[0137] In some implementations, detecting the first PL symbol based on the first symbol includes:

[0138] The processing module 702 determines a second noise matrix based on the first AGC coefficient and the first noise matrix, where the first noise matrix is the noise matrix determined based on the first channel estimation matrix.

[0139] The processing module 702 detects the second PL symbol based on the second noise matrix.

[0140] It should be understood that the apparatus 700 is embodied in the form of functional modules. The term "module" here may refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (such as a shared processor, a dedicated processor or a group of processors, etc.) for executing one or more software or firmware programs, a memory, a combined logic circuit and / or other suitable components that support the described functions.

[0141] The above apparatus 700 has the functions of implementing the corresponding processes and / or steps in the above method embodiments; the above functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0142] Figure 8 It is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus provided in another embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 The illustrated apparatus 800 can be used to execute the methods performed by the communication apparatus in any of the foregoing methods.

[0143] As Figure 8 shown, the apparatus 800 of this embodiment includes: a memory 801, a processor 802, a communication interface 803, and a bus 804. Among them, the memory 801, the processor 802, and the communication interface 803 are communicatively connected to each other through the bus 804.

[0144] The memory 801 can be a read only memory (ROM), a static storage device, a dynamic storage device, or a random access memory (RAM). The memory 801 can store a program, and when the program stored in the memory 801 is executed by the processor 802, the processor 802 is used to execute any of the foregoing methods.

[0145] The processor 802 may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit, or one or more integrated circuits for executing relevant programs.

[0146] The processor 802 may also be an integrated circuit chip with the ability to process signals. In the implementation process, each relevant step in the embodiments of the present application may be completed by the integrated logic circuit in the hardware of the processor 802 or by instructions in the form of software.

[0147] The above-mentioned processor 802 may also 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, discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0148] The steps of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application may be directly embodied as being executed and completed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed and completed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module may be located in a mature storage medium in the art such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, or electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc.

[0149] This storage medium is located in the memory 801, and the processor 802 reads the information in the memory 801 and combines its hardware to complete the functions required to be executed by the units included in the device of the present application.

[0150] The communication interface 803 may use, but is not limited to, a transceiver device such as a transceiver to implement communication between the device 800 and other devices or apparatuses.

[0151] The bus 804 may include a path for transmitting information between various components of the device 800 (for example, the memory 801, the processor 802, the communication interface 803).

[0152] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer-readable storage medium, in which computer instructions are stored. When the processor executes the computer instructions, each step in the method in the above embodiments is implemented.

[0153] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product, including computer instructions, which implement each step in the method in the above embodiments when executed by the processor.

[0154] It should be noted that the modules or components shown in the above embodiments may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods. For example: one or more application-specific integrated circuits, or, one or more microprocessors, or, one or more field-programmable gate arrays, etc. Again, when a certain module above is implemented in the form of a processing element calling program code, the processing element may be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit or other processors that can call program code, such as a controller. Again, these modules may be integrated together and implemented in the form of a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

[0155] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, software modules, 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. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions according to the embodiments of the present application are generated in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions may 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 may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center by wire (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wirelessly (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that the computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more integrated available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (for example, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (for example, a solid state disk (SSD)), etc.

[0156] Those skilled in the art will readily conceive of other embodiments of the present application after considering the specification and practicing the content disclosed herein. The present application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present application that follow the general principles of the present application and include well-known common knowledge or conventional technical means in the technical field not disclosed in the present application. The specification and embodiments are only regarded as exemplary, and the true scope and spirit of the present application are pointed out by the following claims.

[0157] It should be understood that the present application is not limited to the exact structures described above and shown in the drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of the present application is only limited by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, applied to a first communication device, Characterized in that, The method includes: Receiving a data frame from a second communication device based on power line carrier communication, where the data frame includes a first symbol and a first payload PL symbol, and the first symbol and the first PL symbol are symbols processed by transmission port mapping (TPM); Detecting the first PL symbol based on the first symbol.

2. The method according to claim 1, Characterized in that, The data frame further includes a training field (TF) symbol, and the first symbol is located between the TF symbol and the first PL symbol.

3. The method according to claim 2, Characterized in that, The detecting the first PL symbol based on the first symbol includes: Determining a first automatic gain control (AGC) coefficient based on the first symbol; Determining a second channel estimation matrix based on the first AGC coefficient and a first channel estimation matrix, where the first channel estimation matrix is a channel estimation matrix determined based on a second frame control (FC) symbol and a second TF symbol, the second FC symbol is the FC symbol obtained by processing the first FC symbol in the data frame based on a second AGC coefficient, the second TF symbol is the TF symbol obtained by processing the first TF symbol in the data frame based on the second AGC coefficient, and the second AGC coefficient is an AGC coefficient determined based on a preamble symbol in the data frame; Detecting a second PL symbol based on the second channel estimation matrix, where the second PL symbol is the PL symbol obtained by processing the first PL symbol based on the first AGC coefficient.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, Characterized in that, The detecting the first PL symbol based on the first symbol includes: Determining a second noise matrix based on the first AGC coefficient and a first noise matrix, where the first noise matrix is a noise matrix determined based on a first channel estimation matrix, the first channel estimation matrix is a channel estimation matrix determined based on a second FC symbol and a second TF symbol, the second FC symbol is the FC symbol obtained by processing the first FC symbol in the data frame based on a second AGC coefficient, the second TF symbol is the TF symbol obtained by processing the first TF symbol in the data frame based on the second AGC coefficient, and the second AGC coefficient is an AGC coefficient determined based on a preamble symbol in the data frame; Detecting a second PL symbol based on the second noise matrix, where the second PL symbol is the PL symbol obtained by processing the first PL symbol based on the first AGC coefficient.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, Characterized in that, The second channel estimation matrix H 1 satisfies the following relational expression: Among them, H 0 is the first channel estimation matrix, is the inverse matrix of the second AGC coefficient, G 1 is the first AGC coefficient.

6. The method according to claim 4, Characterized in that, The second noise matrix R 1 satisfies the following relational expression: Among them, R 0 is the first noise matrix, is the inverse matrix of the second AGC coefficient, G 1 is the first AGC coefficient.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, Characterized in that, The data frame includes multiple PL symbols processed by TPM, and the first PL symbol is the first PL symbol among the multiple PL symbols; The method further includes: Detecting other PL symbols in the multiple PL symbols except the first PL symbol based on the first symbol.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, the first symbol comprises a pre-configured sequence.

9. A communication method applied to a second communication device, wherein, the method comprises: sending a data frame to a first communication device based on power line carrier communication, the data frame including a first symbol and a first PL symbol, and the first symbol and the first PL symbol being symbols processed by TPM.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, the data frame further includes a TF symbol, and the first symbol is located between the TF symbol and the first PL symbol.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, the data frame includes a plurality of PL symbols processed by TPM, and the first PL symbol is the first PL symbol among the plurality of PL symbols.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein, the first symbol comprises a pre-configured sequence.

13. A communication device, wherein, the communication device includes a functional module for implementing the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, or includes a functional module for implementing the communication method according to any one of claims 9 to 12.

14. A communication device, wherein, comprises: a processor and a memory; the memory stores computer execution instructions; the processor executes the computer execution instructions stored in the memory, so that the communication device executes the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 or 9 to 12.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein, the computer-readable storage medium stores computer execution instructions, and when the computer execution instructions are executed by a processor, they are used to implement the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 or 9 to 12.

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