Power line communication equipment discovery method, device and system

Abstract

The invention provides a power line communication equipment discovery method, device and system. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring a previous routing table of a previous equipment discovery period of a power line communication gateway and a current routing table of a current equipment discovery period; if the node number of the current routing table is the same as the node number of the previous routing table, acquiring a current equipment list of the power line communication gateway; obtaining the number of currently unadded devices based on the number of nodes of the routing table and the current device list; generating a current delay parameter based on the number of the current non-added devices; and broadcasting and sending an equipment discovery instruction to the power line communication equipment based on the time delay parameter, so that the communication times in the equipment discovery process can be reduced, communication messages in the equipment discovery process are uniformly distributed, and the problem that the equipment discovery is easy to fail in message sending in the existing power line communication mode can be solved. And the device discovery consumes long time and is low in efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of smart home, and particularly to a method, device and system for discovering power line communication devices. Background Art

[0002] Power Line Communication (PLC) technology refers to a communication method that uses power lines to transmit data and signals. At the technical level, the process of PLC implementing information transmission is to modulate the information to be transmitted and then load it onto the current. The receiving party uses different methods (such as filtering, demodulation, etc.) to separate useful information from the current and finally deliver it to the target device.

[0003] Device discovery means enabling devices in a network to identify each other. In the field of smart home, device discovery is usually achieved through power line communication. However, the bandwidth of the power line communication network is limited. When the number of power line communication devices is large, message competition will occur, which will lead to message sending failure, and the problems of long device discovery time and low efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present application propose a method, device and system for discovering power line communication devices, which can solve the problems of easy message sending failure, long device discovery time and low efficiency existing in the current device discovery through power line communication.

[0005] In a first aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a method for discovering power line communication devices, including: Obtaining the previous routing table of the power line communication gateway in the previous device discovery cycle and the current routing table of the current device discovery cycle; If the number of nodes in the current routing table is the same as the number of nodes in the previous routing table, obtaining the current device list of the power line communication gateway; Obtaining the current number of unadded devices based on the number of nodes in the current routing table and the current device list; Generating the current delay parameter based on the current number of unadded devices; Broadcasting the device discovery instruction to the power line communication devices based on the current delay parameter.

[0006] In some embodiments, before obtaining the previous routing table of the power line communication gateway in the previous device discovery cycle and the current routing table of the current device discovery cycle, it further includes: Closing the whitelist of the power line communication gateway.

[0007] In some embodiments, broadcasting the device discovery instruction to the power line communication devices based on the current delay parameter further includes: Obtain the device information reported by the power line communication device; If the device information is not in the current device list, create a new communication device based on the device information and add the new communication device to the current device list.

[0008] In some embodiments, the obtaining the device information reported by the power line communication device further includes: Send the device application address to the power line communication device reporting the device information; Store the device application address in the storage medium of the power line communication device.

[0009] In some embodiments, the obtaining the device information reported by the power line communication device includes: Read the current application address of the power line communication device; If the current application address is the initialization application address, send the device information of the power line communication device to the power line communication gateway.

[0010] In some embodiments, the if the current application address is the initialization application address, send the device information of the power line communication device to the power line communication gateway includes: If the current application address is the initialization application address, obtain the current delay parameter in the device discovery instruction; Generate a random sleep interval according to the current delay parameter, wherein the random sleep interval is less than the current delay parameter; After the random sleep interval, send the device information of the power line communication device to the power line communication gateway.

[0011] In some embodiments, the reading the current application address of the power line communication device further includes: If the current application address is a non-initialization application address, make the power line communication device silent.

[0012] In some embodiments, the if the current application address is a non-initialization application address, make the power line communication device silent further includes: If the current number of unadded devices is zero, send the device discovery instruction to the power line communication device based on the lowest delay threshold; If the power line communication gateway does not receive the device information reported by the power line communication device within the preset interval threshold, stop sending the device discovery instruction or manually operate to stop device discovery, and turn on the whitelist of the power line communication gateway.

[0013] Second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a power line communication device discovery apparatus, including: An obtaining module, configured to obtain the previous routing table of the previous device discovery period of the power line communication gateway and the current routing table of the current device discovery period of this device; if the number of nodes in the current routing table is the same as the number of nodes in the previous routing table, obtain the current device list of the power line communication gateway; A calculating module, configured to obtain the current number of unadded devices based on the number of nodes in the current routing table and the current device list; generate the current delay parameter based on the current number of unadded devices; A sending module, configured to broadcast and send a device discovery instruction to the power line communication device based on the current delay parameter.

[0014] Third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a power line communication device discovery system, including the power line communication device discovery apparatus as described in the second aspect, a power line communication gateway, and at least one power line communication device.

[0015] The present application provides a power line communication device discovery method, including: obtaining the previous routing table of the previous device discovery period of the power line communication gateway and the current routing table of the current device discovery period of this device; if the number of nodes in the current routing table is the same as the number of nodes in the previous routing table, obtain the current device list of the power line communication gateway; obtaining the current number of unadded devices based on the number of nodes in the current routing table and the current device list; generating the current delay parameter based on the current number of unadded devices; broadcasting and sending a device discovery instruction to the power line communication device based on the current delay parameter, which can reduce the number of communications in the device discovery process, evenly distribute the communication messages in the device discovery process, ensure the success rate of message sending and the device discovery efficiency, and can solve the problems of easy message sending failure, long device discovery time, and low efficiency existing in device discovery through power line communication currently. Description of the Drawings

[0016] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail based on embodiments with reference to the drawings.

[0017] Figure 1 is a flowchart of a power line communication device discovery method provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a timing diagram of a power line communication device discovery method provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a power line communication device discovery apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a power line communication device discovery system provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0018] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] Power Line Communication (PLC) technology refers to a communication method that uses power lines to transmit data and signals. At the technical level, the process of PLC implementing information transmission is to modulate the information to be transmitted and then load it onto the current. The receiving party uses different methods (such as filtering, demodulation, etc.) to separate useful information from the current and finally deliver it to the target device. With the rapid development of the Internet of Things technology, PLC has been widely used in whole-house intelligent products. PLC transmits data through the existing power supply lines without the need for additional wiring. It has the characteristics of passing through walls, being unaffected by metal shielding, and being easy to deploy, realizing the convenience of "where there is a wire, there can be communication". This makes the PLC technology in the whole-house intelligent scenario application able to achieve stable and reliable communication and linkage control between devices.

[0020] Device discovery enables devices in the network to identify each other, so that the power line communication gateway and power line communication devices can know the existence of each other, which helps to achieve more efficient communication and collaborative work. In the whole-house intelligent industry, before various intelligent devices are used, the sub-devices (power line communication devices) need to be added to the gateway (i.e., the power line communication gateway) through the device discovery process before subsequent control and use can be carried out. Power line carrier communication supports broadcast and unicast communication, and devices based on power line communication also need to use broadcast and / or unicast methods for device discovery.

[0021] Device discovery requires message communication between the gateway and the sub-devices to transmit device information. At the same time, the network networking process will also occur during the device discovery process. There will be a large amount of underlying communication during the PLC networking process, the channel is busy, and the bandwidth of the power line communication network is limited. When the number of devices is large, the device discovery process will have message competition due to insufficient bandwidth. Each sub-device will compete for the time slots for sending messages, resulting in two adverse consequences: one is that the message cannot be sent due to competition failure, and some sub-devices will be missed in the device discovery result; the other is that the time consumed for device discovery will be relatively long and the efficiency is not high.

[0022] In a first aspect, as Figure 1 shown, in view of the above technical problems, the embodiment of the present application provides a power line communication device discovery method, including: S101: Obtain the previous routing table of the previous device discovery period of the power line communication gateway and the current routing table of the current device discovery period of this device; S102: If the number of nodes in the current routing table is the same as that in the previous routing table, obtain the current device list of the power line communication gateway; In some embodiments, before obtaining the previous routing table of the previous device discovery period of the power line communication gateway and the current routing table of the current device discovery period, it further includes: Disable the whitelist of the power line communication gateway.

[0023] It should be noted that after disabling the whitelist of the power line communication gateway, networking can be started. After obtaining the previous routing table and the current routing table, the previous routing table and the current routing table can be cached first for comparison. The duration of the device discovery period can be set according to the actual situation, such as 20s, etc.

[0024] It should be noted that if the number of nodes in the current routing table is different from that in the previous routing table, it means that new network nodes have joined. In this case, wait for several seconds and then obtain and compare the routing table again; if the number of nodes in the current routing table is the same as that in the previous routing table, it means that no new network nodes have joined, and the next step of device discovery can be performed at this time.

[0025] S103: Obtain the current number of unadded devices based on the number of nodes in the current routing table and the current device list; S104: Generate the current delay parameter based on the current number of unadded devices; S105: Broadcast the device discovery instruction to the power line communication devices based on the current delay parameter.

[0026] It should be noted that the generation of the current delay parameter based on the current number of unadded devices is usually "the current number of unadded devices / 10 (i.e., the current delay parameter)". If the current delay parameter is less than 1s, it is changed to 1s. By broadcasting the device discovery instruction to the power line communication devices based on the current delay parameter, congestion caused by a large number of power line communications in a short time can be avoided.

[0027] In some embodiments, when broadcasting the device discovery instruction to the power line communication devices based on the current delay parameter, it further includes: Obtain the device information reported by the power line communication devices; If the device information is not in the current device list, create a new communication device based on the device information and add the new communication device to the current device list.

[0028] In some embodiments, when obtaining the device information reported by the power line communication devices, it further includes: The sending device applies the address to the power line communication device that reports the device information; Store the device application address in the storage medium of the power line communication device.

[0029] It should be noted that if the device information is in the current device list, it means that the power line communication device has been added before, and there is no need to repeat the process at this time.

[0030] In some embodiments, the obtaining of the device information reported by the power line communication device includes: Read the current application address of the power line communication device; If the current application address is the initialization application address, send the device information of the power line communication device to the power line communication gateway.

[0031] In some embodiments, the if the current application address is the initialization application address, send the device information of the power line communication device to the power line communication gateway, includes: If the current application address is the initialization application address, obtain the current delay parameter in the device discovery instruction; Generate a random sleep interval according to the current delay parameter, where the random sleep interval is less than the current delay parameter; After the random sleep interval, send the device information of the power line communication device to the power line communication gateway.

[0032] It should be noted that if the current application address is the initialization application address, it means that the power line communication gateway has not assigned an application address to the power line communication device, that is, the power line communication device has not reported its device information to the power line communication gateway or the reporting fails. At this time, the power line communication device needs to be made to send the device information to the power line communication gateway.

[0033] In some embodiments, the reading of the current application address of the power line communication device further includes: If the current application address is not the initialization application address, make the power line communication device silent.

[0034] In some embodiments, the if the current application address is not the initialization application address, make the power line communication device silent, further includes: If the current number of unadded devices is zero, send the device discovery instruction to the power line communication device based on the lowest delay threshold; If the power line communication network does not receive device information reported by a power line communication device within a preset interval threshold, stop sending the device discovery instruction or manually stop device discovery, and enable the whitelist of the power line communication gateway.

[0035] It should be noted that by sending the device information of the power line communication device to the power line communication gateway after the random sleep interval, a large number of message communications can be evenly distributed within an interval, so that the message communication frequency at each moment does not exceed the communication frequency supported by the PLC network bandwidth, ensuring the success rate of message sending; by issuing and storing the application address, the power line communication device reports messages only when it has not obtained the application address, reducing the total number of communications, lowering the bandwidth requirement during the communication process, effectively reducing the overall time consumption of device discovery, and improving the operation efficiency.

[0036] It should be noted that the minimum delay threshold can be 1s or can be set according to actual needs. If the power line communication network does not receive device information reported by a power line communication device within a preset interval threshold, it means that all power line communication devices remain silent. At this time, stop device discovery.

[0037] Exemplarily, as Figure 2 shown, the device discovery process provided by the embodiment of the present application is as follows: 1). The PLC gateway (i.e., the power line communication gateway) starts the device discovery process, closes the whitelist of the PLC gateway, and starts network formation, reads and judges the routing table; 2). The PLC device 1 (i.e., the power line communication device) and the PLC device 2 first join the PLC network, and the routing table information of the PLC gateway contains the PLC device 1 and the PLC device 2 that have joined the network; 3). The PLC gateway reads the routing table for the first time. The current number of nodes is 2. Since there is no previous routing table data, no device discovery instruction is sent; 4). The PLC device 3 joins the PLC network; 5). The routing table information of the PLC gateway will contain the PLC device 1, the PLC device 2, and the PLC device 3 that have joined the network; 6). The PLC gateway reads the routing table for the second time. The current number of nodes is 3. Compare it with the previously read routing table. The number of nodes is inconsistent, and no device discovery instruction is sent; 7). The PLC gateway reads the routing table for the third time. The current number of nodes is 3. Compare it with the previously read routing table. The number of nodes is the same (both are 3), indicating that there are no devices in the process of network formation currently; 8). The PLC gateway reads the device list, calculates the number of unadded devices, which is currently 3. Divide the number of unadded devices by 10 to get a delay parameter of 0.3. Since it is less than 1 second, it is changed to 1 second, and a device discovery instruction is generated; 9). The PLC gateway broadcasts and sends the device discovery instruction; 10). After receiving the device discovery instruction, the three PLC devices read and judge their own application addresses. The application addresses of the three devices are all initial application addresses; 11). PLC Device 1 and PLC Device 2 send their own device information to the PLC gateway. After receiving the message, the PLC gateway creates new devices and issues application addresses to PLC Device 1 and PLC Device 2. PLC Device 1 and PLC Device 2 store the application addresses in their own storage media; 12). PLC Device 3 sends its own device information to the PLC gateway, but due to insufficient communication bandwidth or network interference fluctuations, the message sending fails; 13). The PLC gateway reads the routing table for the 4th time. The current number of nodes is 3. Compare it with the previously read routing table. The number of nodes is the same (both are 3), indicating that there are no devices currently in the process of network formation; 14). The PLC gateway reads the device list, calculates the number of unadded devices, which is currently 1. Divide the number of unadded devices by 10 to get a delay parameter of 0.1. Since it is less than 1 second, it is changed to 1 second, and a device discovery instruction is generated; 15). The PLC gateway broadcasts and sends the device discovery instruction; 16). After receiving the device discovery instruction, the three PLC devices read and judge their own application addresses. The application addresses of PLC Device 1 and PLC Device 2 are non-initial application addresses, and the application address of PLC Device 3 is the initial application address; 17). PLC Device 1 and PLC Device 2 remain silent, and PLC Device 3 sends its own device information to the PLC gateway; 18). After receiving the message, the PLC gateway creates a new device and issues an application address to PLC Device 3. PLC Device 3 stores the application address in its own storage media; 19). The PLC gateway reads the routing table for the 5th time. The current number of nodes is 3. Compare it with the previously read routing table. The number of nodes is the same (both are 3), indicating that there are no devices currently in the process of network formation; 20). The PLC gateway reads the device list, calculates the number of unadded devices, which is currently 0. Divide the number of unadded devices by 10 to get a delay parameter of 0. Since it is less than 1 second, it is changed to 1 second, and a device discovery instruction is generated; 21), After the three PLC devices receive the device discovery instruction, they read and judge their own application addresses. If the application addresses of all three devices are uninitialized, they all go silent; 22), After manual operation to stop device discovery or when the timeout is reached, the PLC gateway stops device discovery; 23), The PLC gateway enables the whitelist; 24), Device discovery is completed, and all three devices are added to the device list of the PLC gateway.

[0038] In summary, the embodiment of the present application provides a method for discovering power line communication devices, including: obtaining the previous routing table of the previous device discovery cycle of the power line communication gateway and the current routing table of the current device discovery cycle; if the number of nodes in the current routing table is the same as the number of nodes in the previous routing table, obtaining the current device list of the power line communication gateway; obtaining the current number of unadded devices based on the number of nodes in the current routing table and the current device list; generating the current delay parameter based on the current number of unadded devices; and broadcasting the device discovery instruction to the power line communication devices based on the current delay parameter, which can reduce the number of communications in the device discovery process, evenly distribute the communication messages in the device discovery process, ensure the success rate of message sending and the device discovery efficiency, and can solve the problems of easy message sending failure, long device discovery time, and low efficiency existing in the current device discovery through power line communication.

[0039] In a second aspect, as Figure 3 shown, the embodiment of the present application provides a device for discovering power line communication devices, including: An obtaining module 310, configured to obtain the previous routing table of the previous device discovery cycle of the power line communication gateway and the current routing table of the current device discovery cycle; if the number of nodes in the current routing table is the same as the number of nodes in the previous routing table, obtain the current device list of the power line communication gateway; A calculating module 320, configured to obtain the current number of unadded devices based on the number of nodes in the current routing table and the current device list; generate the current delay parameter based on the current number of unadded devices; A sending module 330, configured to broadcast the device discovery instruction to the power line communication devices based on the current delay parameter.

[0040] In a third aspect, as Figure 4 shown, the embodiment of the present application provides a system for discovering power line communication devices, including the device for discovering power line communication devices described in the second aspect, a power line communication gateway, and at least one power line communication device.

[0041] It should be noted that the power line communication gateway is a core device integrating functions such as control, management, calculation, and communication. It can communicate with sub-devices (i.e., power line communication devices) through the power line communication module, and is responsible for completing functions such as communication networking control, network maintenance management, device discovery, and intelligent control. The power line communication device can communicate with the power line communication gateway and other sub-devices through the power line communication module, and can include various forms of devices, such as control panels, relay switches, LED drivers, curtain motors, and HVAC equipment.

[0042] This application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, devices (apparatus, systems), and / or computer program products according to the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that each process and / or block in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of processes and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to the processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing devices to generate a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing devices generate a device for implementing the functions specified in Figure 1 one process or multiple processes and / or blocks Figure 1 or multiple blocks.

[0043] These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to work in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory generate a manufactured article including an instruction device, and the instruction device implements the functions specified in Figure 1 one process or multiple processes and / or blocks Figure 1 or multiple blocks.

[0044] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device, so that a series of operation steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to generate a computer-implemented process, and thus the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in Figure 1 one process or multiple processes and / or blocks Figure 1 or multiple blocks.

[0045] The specific embodiments described above further elaborate on the purpose, technical solutions, and beneficial effects of the present application. It should be understood that the above are only specific embodiments of the present application and are not used to limit the protection scope of the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for discovering a power line communication device, characterized in that: include: Obtain the previous routing table of the previous device discovery cycle of the power line communication gateway and the current routing table of the current device discovery cycle; If the number of nodes in the current routing table is the same as the number of nodes in the previous routing table, obtaining a current device list of the power line communication gateway; Obtaining the number of currently unadded devices based on the number of nodes in the current routing table and the current device list; Generate this delay parameter based on the number of devices not currently added; The device discovery instruction is broadcasted to the power line communication device based on the current delay parameter.

2. The method for discovering a power line communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before obtaining the previous routing table of the previous device discovery cycle of the power line communication gateway and the current routing table of the current device discovery cycle, the method further includes: Close the whitelist of the power line communication gateway.

3. The method for discovering a power line communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method of broadcasting the device discovery instruction to the power line communication device based on the current delay parameter also includes: Obtaining device information reported by the power line communication device; If the device information is not in the current device list, a new communication device is created based on the device information, and the new communication device is added to the current device list.

4. The method for discovering a power line communication device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The obtaining of the device information reported by the power line communication device further includes: Sending a device application address to a power line communication device that reports the device information; The device application address is stored in a storage medium of the power line communication device.

5. The method for discovering a power line communication device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The obtaining of device information reported by the power line communication device includes: Reading a current application address of the power line communication device; If the current application address is an initialization application address, the device information of the power line communication device is sent to the power line communication gateway.

6. The method for discovering a power line communication device according to claim 5, characterized in that: If the current application address is an initialization application address, sending the device information of the power line communication device to the power line communication gateway includes: If the current application address is an initialization application address, obtaining the current delay parameter in the device discovery instruction; Generate a random sleep interval according to the current delay parameter, wherein the random sleep interval is smaller than the current delay parameter; After the random sleep interval, the device information of the power line communication device is sent to the power line communication gateway.

7. The method for discovering a power line communication device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The reading of the current application address of the power line communication device further includes: If the current application address is a non-initialized application address, the power line communication device is silenced.

8. The method for discovering a power line communication device according to claim 7, characterized in that: If the current application address is a non-initialized application address, making the power line communication device silent further includes: If the number of the currently unadded devices is zero, sending the device discovery instruction to the power line communication device based on a minimum delay threshold; If the power line communication network does not receive the device information reported by the power line communication device within the preset interval threshold, it stops sending the device discovery instruction or stops device discovery manually, and opens the whitelist of the power line communication gateway.

9. A power line communication device discovery device, characterized in that: include: An acquisition module, used to acquire a previous routing table of a previous device discovery cycle of a power line communication gateway and a current routing table of a current device discovery cycle; if the number of nodes in the current routing table is the same as the number of nodes in the previous routing table, then acquire a current device list of the power line communication gateway; A calculation module, used for obtaining the number of currently unadded devices based on the number of nodes in the current routing table and the current device list; Generate this delay parameter based on the number of devices not currently added; The sending module is used to broadcast the device discovery instruction to the power line communication device based on the current delay parameter.

10. A power line communication device discovery system, characterized in that: It comprises the power line communication device discovery apparatus as claimed in claim 9, a power line communication gateway and at least one power line communication device.

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