Frame sending method based on HaLow protocol and Wi-SUN protocol, dual-protocol WiFi chip, storage medium and wireless network equipment

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses a frame sending method and device based on a HaLow protocol and a Wi-SUN protocol, a storage medium and wireless network equipment, and belongs to the field of wireless communication. The LMAC layer controller, the physical layer controller comprising the FSK and OFDM modulation modules and the RF module are integrated. And the LMAC layer controller dynamically switches frequency bands and executes clear channel assessment according to frame types through a HaLow CCA module and a Wi-SUN CCA module, and intelligently selects a HaLow protocol or a Wi-SUN protocol to transmit data. The chip supports HaLow frame aggregation and Wi-SUN frame independent transmission, realizes priority processing and mixed frequency band operation of frames, realizes a WiFi chip supporting double protocols at the same time, reduces hardware cost, power consumption and equipment volume while ensuring transmission performance, and improves spectrum utilization rate and system flexibility.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wireless communication, and in particular, to a frame sending method, a chip, a storage medium, and a wireless network device based on the HaLow protocol and the Wi-SUN protocol. Background Art

[0002] In the rapid development of modern wireless communication technology, with the continuous expansion of fields such as the Internet of Things (IoT), smart home, and industrial automation, the demand for low-power, long-distance, and high-reliability wireless communication is increasing day by day. To meet these demands, the industry has developed a variety of wireless communication protocol standards. Among them, WiFi-HaLow and Wi-SUN, as two important wireless communication technologies, each have unique technical advantages and application scenarios.

[0003] WiFi-HaLow, based on the IEEE 802.11ah standard, is an extension of traditional WiFi technology and is designed specifically for low-power wide area networks (LPWANs). It operates in the Sub-1GHz frequency band and has a longer transmission distance and lower power consumption compared to traditional 2.4GHz or 5GHz WiFi. It is very suitable for IoT devices that need to run for a long time and have a small amount of data transmission, such as smart meters, environmental sensors, agricultural monitoring devices, etc.

[0004] On the other hand, the Wi-SUN protocol is based on the IEEE 802.15.4g standard and is a wireless communication technology designed specifically for smart utility networks. It is widely used in fields such as smart grids, water management, and gas monitoring. Wi-SUN emphasizes network self-organization, self-healing capabilities, and high reliability, and can support large-scale device access and complex network topologies. It is one of the key technologies for realizing urban-level smart infrastructure.

[0005] However, although WiFi-HaLow and Wi-SUN each show great potential in their application fields, in the current technical implementation, if a wireless communication device needs to support both protocols simultaneously, it usually requires integrating two independent chips separately: one for implementing the WiFi-HaLow function and the other for Wi-SUN communication. This design not only increases the hardware cost but also may lead to an increase in device volume, power consumption, and system complexity, limiting the market competitiveness and deployment flexibility of the product.

[0006] Therefore, how to develop an efficient and low-cost solution that enables wireless communication devices to support both the WiFi-HaLow and Wi-SUN protocols simultaneously has become an urgent problem to be solved in the current technical field. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The embodiments of the present application provide a frame sending method, a chip, a storage medium, and a wireless network device based on the HaLow protocol and the Wi-SUN protocol, which can solve the problem of high hardware cost of wireless communication devices implementing dual-protocol communication in the related art. The technical solutions are as follows:

[0008] In a first aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a frame sending method based on the HaLow protocol and the Wi-SUN protocol, including:

[0009] When the frame buffer is not empty, detecting the frame type of the frame to be sent in the frame buffer;

[0010] Determining whether there is a Wi-SUN frame in the frame buffer;

[0011] If not, keeping the current HaLow frequency band unchanged, starting the idle channel assessment of the HaLow protocol, determining the channel type of the idle HaLow channel with successful competition, traversing at least one HaLow frame associated with the channel type in the frame buffer, and sequentially performing a fetch operation on the at least one found HaLow frame from the frame buffer, and sending the fetched at least one HaLow frame out through the idle HaLow channel in an aggregated manner;

[0012] If so, determining whether the bottom frame of the frame buffer is a Wi-SUN frame;

[0013] If so, determining the sending frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame. If the sending frequency band of the Wi-SUN does not lie within the current HaLow frequency band, switching the current HaLow frequency band to the sending frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame, and then starting the channel idle assessment of the Wi-SUN protocol. After competing for an idle Wi-SUN channel, sending the Wi-SUN frame through the idle Wi-SUN channel;

[0014] If not, finding the Wi-SUN frame closest to the bottom frame in the frame buffer;

[0015] Determining whether the sending frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame lies within the current HaLow frequency band;

[0016] If it is yes, keep the current HaLow frequency band unchanged, and at the same time start the idle channel assessment of the Wi-SUN protocol and the idle channel assessment of the HaLow protocol; if an idle HaLow channel is competed for, determine the channel type of the successfully competed idle HaLow channel, traverse at least one HaLow frame associated with the channel type in the frame buffer, and perform a fetch operation on the at least one found HaLow frame in sequence from the frame buffer, and send the fetched at least one HaLow frame in an aggregated manner through the idle HaLow channel; if an idle Wi-SUN channel is competed for, fetch the frontmost Wi-SUN frame from the frame buffer, and then send the fetched Wi-SUN frame through the idle Wi-SUN channel;

[0017] If it is no, keep the current HaLow frequency band unchanged, start the idle channel assessment of the HaLow protocol, determine the channel type of the successfully competed idle HaLow channel according to the channel type of the competed idle HaLow channel, traverse at least one HaLow frame associated with the channel type in the frame buffer, and perform a fetch operation on the at least one found HaLow frame in sequence from the frame buffer, and send the fetched at least one HaLow frame in an aggregated manner through the idle HaLow channel.

[0018] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a dual-protocol WiFi chip, including: an LMAC layer controller, a physical layer controller, and an RF module;

[0019] Wherein, the physical layer controller includes: an FSK modulation module and an OFDM modulation module;

[0020] The physical layer is used to select a modulation module to adjust the frame from the LMAC layer controller to obtain an adjusted signal;

[0021] The RF module is used to generate a radio frequency signal from the modulation signal from the physical layer controller and transmit the radio frequency signal;

[0022] The LMAC layer controller includes: a control module, a HaLow CCA module, and a Wi-SUN CCA module;

[0023] The control module is used to detect the frame type of the frame to be sent in the frame buffer when the frame buffer is not empty;

[0024] Judge whether there is a Wi-SUN frame in the frame buffer;

[0025] If the answer is no, keep the current HaLow frequency band unchanged, start the idle channel assessment of the HaLow protocol through the HaLow CCA module, determine the channel type of the idle HaLow channel with successful competition, traverse at least one HaLow frame associated with the channel type in the frame buffer, and perform the extraction operation on the at least one found HaLow frame from the frame buffer in sequence, and send the at least one extracted HaLow frame out through the idle HaLow channel in an aggregated manner;

[0026] If the answer is yes, determine whether the bottom frame of the frame buffer is a Wi-SUN frame;

[0027] If the answer is yes, determine the transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame. If the transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN is not within the current HaLow frequency band, switch the current HaLow frequency band to the transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame, and then start the channel idle assessment of the Wi-SUN protocol through the Wi-SUN CCA module. After competing for an idle Wi-SUN channel, send the Wi-SUN frame through the idle Wi-SUN channel;

[0028] If the answer is no, find the Wi-SUN frame closest to the bottom frame in the frame buffer;

[0029] Determine whether the transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame is within the current HaLow frequency band;

[0030] If the answer is yes, keep the current HaLow frequency band unchanged, and start the idle channel assessment of the Wi-SUN protocol and the idle channel assessment of the HaLow protocol simultaneously through the HaLow CCA module and the Wi-SUN CCA module; if an idle HaLow channel is competed for, determine the channel type of the idle HaLow channel with successful competition, traverse at least one HaLow frame associated with the channel type in the frame buffer, and perform the extraction operation on the at least one found HaLow frame from the frame buffer in sequence, and send the at least one extracted HaLow frame out through the idle HaLow channel in an aggregated manner; if an idle Wi-SUN channel is competed for, extract the frontmost Wi-SUN frame from the frame buffer, and then send the extracted Wi-SUN frame through the idle Wi-SUN channel;

[0031] If not, keep the current HaLow frequency band unchanged, start the idle channel assessment of the HaLow protocol through the HaLow CCA module, determine the channel type of the successfully competed idle HaLow channel according to the channel type of the competed idle HaLow channel, traverse at least one HaLow frame associated with the channel type in the frame buffer, and sequentially perform the fetch operation on the at least one found HaLow frame from the frame buffer, and send the fetched at least one HaLow frame out through the idle HaLow channel in an aggregated manner.

[0032] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer storage medium storing multiple instructions adapted to be loaded and executed by a processor to perform the above method steps.

[0033] In a fifth aspect, a wireless network device provided by an embodiment of the present application includes any one of the above dual-protocol WiFi chips.

[0034] The beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions provided by some embodiments of the present application at least include:

[0035] Through the highly integrated dual-protocol WiFi chip design, the problems of high hardware cost, large volume, increased power consumption, and increased system complexity caused by two independent chips in the prior art are effectively solved. The present application not only reduces the hardware cost, but also improves the spectrum utilization rate, transmission efficiency, and system flexibility, providing strong support for the miniaturization, low power consumption, and intelligent development of Internet of Things devices. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0037] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the dual-protocol WiFi chip provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 2 is a schematic flowchart of the frame sending method based on the HaLow protocol and the Wi-SUN protocol provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the principle of the frame buffer provided by the embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0040] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following will further describe the embodiments of this application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0041] See Figure 1 , which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the dual-protocol Wi-Fi chip provided by the embodiments of this application.

[0042] The dual-protocol Wi-Fi chip supports both the Wi-SUN protocol and the Wi-Fi HaLow protocol. The LMAC layer ((Local Media Access Control Layer, local media access control layer)) of the chip is provided with a frame buffer, which is used to store Wi-SUN frames and HaLow frames. The physical layer (PHY) of the chip is provided with an FSK modulation module and an OFDM modulation module. The Wi-SUN protocol and the Wi-Fi HaLow protocol of the chip share an RF module.

[0043] Among them, the LMAC layer is provided with an LMAC layer controller, and the physical layer is provided with a physical layer controller.

[0044] The physical layer controller includes: an FSK modulation module and an OFDM modulation module;

[0045] The physical layer is used to select a modulation module to adjust the frame from the LMAC layer controller to obtain an adjusted signal;

[0046] The RF module is used to generate a radio frequency signal from the modulation signal from the physical layer controller and transmit the radio frequency signal;

[0047] The LMAC layer controller includes: a control module, a HaLow CCA module, and a Wi-SUN CCA module;

[0048] The control module is used to detect the frame type of the frame to be sent in the frame buffer when the frame buffer is not empty;

[0049] Judge whether there is a Wi-SUN frame in the frame buffer;

[0050] If not, keep the current HaLow frequency band unchanged, start the idle channel assessment of the HaLow protocol through the HaLow CCA module, determine the channel type of the idle HaLow channel with successful competition, traverse at least one HaLow frame associated with the channel type in the frame buffer, and perform the operation of taking out at least one found HaLow frame from the frame buffer in sequence, and send out the at least one taken-out HaLow frame through the idle HaLow channel in an aggregated manner;

[0051] If so, judge whether the bottom frame of the frame buffer is a Wi-SUN frame;

[0052] If it is yes, determine the transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame. If the transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN is not within the current HaLow frequency band, switch the current HaLow frequency band to the transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame, then start the channel idle assessment of the Wi-SUN protocol through the Wi-SUN CCA module. After competing for an idle Wi-SUN channel, send the Wi-SUN frame through the idle Wi-SUN channel;

[0053] If it is no, find the Wi-SUN frame closest to the bottom frame in the frame buffer;

[0054] Judge whether the transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame is within the current HaLow frequency band;

[0055] If it is yes, keep the current HaLow frequency band unchanged, and start the idle channel assessment of the Wi-SUN protocol and the idle channel assessment of the HaLow protocol through the HaLow CCA module and the Wi-SUN CCA module at the same time; if an idle HaLow channel is competed for, determine the channel type of the successfully competed idle HaLow channel, traverse at least one HaLow frame associated with the channel type in the frame buffer, and perform the fetch operation on the at least one found HaLow frame in sequence from the frame buffer, and send the fetched at least one HaLow frame through the idle HaLow channel in an aggregated manner; if an idle Wi-SUN channel is competed for, fetch the frontmost Wi-SUN frame from the frame buffer, and then send the fetched Wi-SUN frame through the idle Wi-SUN channel;

[0056] If it is no, keep the current HaLow frequency band unchanged, start the idle channel assessment of the HaLow protocol through the HaLow CCA module, determine the channel type of the successfully competed idle HaLow channel according to the channel type of the competed idle HaLow channel, traverse at least one HaLow frame associated with the channel type in the frame buffer, and perform the fetch operation on the at least one found HaLow frame in sequence from the frame buffer, and send the fetched at least one HaLow frame through the idle HaLow channel in an aggregated manner.

[0057] The embodiment of the present application further provides a wireless network device, including the above dual-protocol WiFi chip. The wireless network device can be a WiFi device such as a wireless router, a wireless bridge, a mobile terminal, a tablet computer, etc.

[0058] Please refer to Figure 2, which is a schematic flowchart of a frame sending method based on the HaLow protocol and the Wi-SUN protocol provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method of the present application may include the following steps:

[0059] S201. When the frame buffer is not empty, detect the frame type of the frames to be sent in the frame buffer.

[0060] Among them, the frame buffer built in the chip adopts a circular buffer or a linked list structure to store the frames to be sent (HaLow frames / Wi-SUN frames). The frame type field (such as Frame Type or Protocol ID) is extracted through frame header parsing to distinguish between HaLow frames and Wi-SUN frames. The frame buffer is provided with multiple storage units, each storage unit stores a frame respectively, and the size of the frame buffer can be set according to actual needs. For example, the typical size of the frame buffer is 16, that is, a maximum of 16 frames can be stored. When generating a new frame, the new frame is added from the top of the frame buffer; when taking out a frame, it is taken out from the top area of the frame buffer. The priority of the frames in the frame buffer is arranged in descending order from bottom to top, that is, the frame at the bottom has the highest priority and the frame at the top has the lowest priority.

[0061] Both the Wi-SUN protocol and the WiFi-HaLow protocol are in the Sub-1G frequency band. In most countries, the frequency bands are similar or overlapping, and are basically concentrated in the 755MHz - 928MHz frequency band. Therefore, a dual-protocol WiFi chip only sets one Sub-1G RF module. If the configured HaLow frequency band is 755MHz - 928MHz, it can meet the requirements of both the HaLow protocol and the Wi-SUN protocol at the same time. The Wi-SUN protocol can choose to use 770 - 787MHz in China and does not use 470 - 510MHz.

[0062] Both the Wi-SUN protocol and the WiFi-HaLow protocol use the OFDM modulation method (the Wi-SUN FAN1.1 specification supports FSK&OFDM, and FAN1.0 only supports FSK). Therefore, most of the functions of the OFDM modulation module in the PHY layer of the dual-protocol WiFi chip can be reused, and only a new FSK modulation module needs to be added for Wi-SUN specifically, that is, the physical layer of the dual-protocol WiFi chip is provided with an FSK modulation module and an OFDM modulation module.

[0063] S202. Determine whether there is a Wi-SUN frame in the frame buffer.

[0064] Among them, according to the detection result of S201, it is determined whether there is at least one Wi-SUN frame in the frame buffer. If there is a Wi-SUN frame, it is marked as "exists" and S204 is executed; otherwise, it is marked as "does not exist" and S203 is executed.

[0065] S203. If the judgment result of S202 is no, keep the current HaLow frequency band unchanged, start the idle channel assessment of the HaLow protocol, determine the channel type of the successfully competed idle HaLow channel, traverse at least one HaLow frame associated with the channel type in the frame buffer, and sequentially perform the extraction operation on the at least one found HaLow frame from the frame buffer, and send the at least one extracted HaLow frame out through the idle HaLow channel in an aggregated manner.

[0066] Among them, keep the current HaLow frequency band unchanged. Under this condition, start the idle channel assessment (CCA, Clear Channel Assessment) of the HaLow protocol, determine the channel type of the idle channel according to the competition result, and the channel type is AC-VO, AC-VI, AC-BK or AC-BE. Each HaLow frame in the frame buffer will be assigned a channel type when enqueued. The chip traverses the frame buffer to find all HaLow frames associated with the current idle channel type. Sequentially extract the found HaLow frames. If the number of the found HaLow frames is multiple, send them out through the idle HaLow channel in an aggregated manner (such as A-MPDU aggregation).

[0067] S204. If the judgment result of S202 is yes, judge whether the bottom frame of the frame buffer is a Wi-SUN frame.

[0068] Among them, check the type of the bottom frame of the frame buffer: if it is a Wi-SUN frame, mark it as "yes" and execute S205; if it is a HaLow frame, mark it as "no" and execute S206.

[0069] S205. If the judgment result of S204 is yes, determine the transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame. If the transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN is not within the current HaLow frequency band, switch the current HaLow frequency band to the transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame, then start the channel idle assessment of the Wi-SUN protocol, and after competing for an idle Wi-SUN channel, send the Wi-SUN frame out through the idle Wi-SUN channel.

[0070] Among them, the Wi-SUN frame is sent in a frequency hopping manner. The transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame in the frame buffer is determined according to the frequency hopping pattern, and it is judged whether the transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame is within the current HaLow frequency band. The judgment method can be: set the current HaLow frequency band as F0~F1, with the unit of MHz, and the transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame at the head of the frame buffer as F2~F3, with the unit of MHz. When F2≥F0 and F3≤F1 are satisfied, it is determined that the transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame at the head of the frame buffer is within the current HaLow frequency band. Then, switch the radio frequency front end to the Wi-SUN frequency band. Start the channel idle assessment of the Wi-SUN protocol. After competing for an idle Wi-SUN channel, send the Wi-SUN frame at the head of the frame buffer through this channel. The Wi-SUN frame is not sent in an aggregation manner, that is, only one Wi-SUN frame can be sent each time.

[0071] S206. If the judgment result of S204 is negative, find the Wi-SUN frame closest to the bottom frame in the frame buffer.

[0072] Among them, since the bottom frame of the frame buffer is not a Wi-SUN frame and there is at least one Wi-SUN frame in the frame buffer. The chip starts traversing the frame buffer from the bottom frame to the top frame to find the Wi-SUN frame closest to the bottom frame.

[0073] S207. Judge whether the transmission frequency band of this Wi-SUN frame is within the current HaLow frequency band.

[0074] Among them, to judge whether the transmission frequency band of the closest Wi-SUN frame is within the current HaLow frequency band, the judgment method refers to S205. If the judgment result is positive, execute S208. If the judgment result is negative, execute S209.

[0075] S208. If the judgment result of S207 is positive, keep the current HaLow frequency band unchanged, and at the same time start the idle channel assessment of the Wi-SUN protocol and the idle channel assessment of the HaLow protocol; if an idle HaLow channel is competed for, determine the channel type of the successfully competed idle HaLow channel, traverse at least one HaLow frame associated with the channel type in the frame buffer, and perform the take-out operation on the at least one found HaLow frame from the frame buffer in sequence, and send the at least one taken-out HaLow frame through the idle HaLow channel in an aggregation manner; if an idle Wi-SUN channel is competed for, take out the frontmost Wi-SUN frame from the frame buffer, and then send the taken-out Wi-SUN frame through the idle Wi-SUN channel.

[0076] Among them, keep the current HaLow frequency band unchanged, and simultaneously start the idle channel assessment of Wi-SUN and HaLow protocols. If an idle HaLow channel is competed for, send a HaLow frame according to the process of S203. If an idle Wi-SUN channel is competed for, take out the frontmost Wi-SUN frame from the frame buffer and send it.

[0077] It should be noted that the dual-protocol WiFi chip of this application is only equipped with one RF module, so it is impossible to perform CCA (CCA is essentially also a kind of RX behavior) on two frequency bands beyond the HaLow frequency band range at the same time. Therefore, only when the transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame is within the HaLow frequency band configured by the chip, can the CCA of the Wi-SUN protocol and the CCA of the HaLow protocol be started simultaneously.

[0078] Furthermore, the dual-protocol WiFi chip is respectively equipped with a HaLow CCA module and a Wi-SUN CCA module. That is, independent CCA modules are used for different protocols. On the one hand, this is convenient for management, and on the other hand, the EDCA parameters of the Wi-SUN protocol can be set separately to control the CCA duration of Wi-SUN alone and adapt to different application scenarios. For example: Since the number of Wi-SUN frames is small, the CCA duration of the Wi-SUN protocol can be set to be less than that of the HaLow protocol to improve the transmission efficiency of Wi-SUN frames.

[0079] S209: If the judgment result of S207 is no, keep the current HaLow frequency band unchanged, start the idle channel assessment of the HaLow protocol, determine the channel type of the competed idle HaLow channel according to the channel type of the competed idle HaLow channel, traverse at least one HaLow frame associated with the channel type in the frame buffer, and perform the operation of taking out the at least one found HaLow frame from the frame buffer in sequence, and send the taken out at least one HaLow frame out through the idle HaLow channel in an aggregated manner.

[0080] Among them, keep the current HaLow frequency band unchanged, start the idle channel assessment of the HaLow protocol, and determine the channel type of the idle channel. Traverse the frame buffer to find the HaLow frame associated with the current idle channel type. Take out the found HaLow frames in sequence and send them out through the idle HaLow channel in an aggregated manner.

[0081] It should be noted that in this technical solution, for the HaLow frame at the bottom of the frame buffer, due to the randomness of CCA different AC competitions, the sending order may be slightly adjusted, and it is possible that the Wi-SUN frame or the HaLow frame of other ACs behind it is sent before this HaLow frame.

[0082] For example, see the structure of the frame buffer in Figure 3 shown below.

[0083] In the frame buffer (TXBUF) of the dual-protocol WiFi chip, there are 7 frames to be sent, and the frame types and configurations are as follows:

[0084] The frame arrangement order (from bottom to top) is respectively: HaLow Frame 1 (channel type: AC_BE)

[0085] Wi-SUN Frame 1 (transmission frequency band: not the current HaLow frequency band), HaLow Frame 2 (channel type: AC_BE), HaLow Frame 3 (channel type: AC_BK), HaLow Frame 4 (channel type: AC_BK), Wi-SUN Frame 2 (transmission frequency band: the current HaLow frequency band), HaLow Frame 5 (channel type: AC_BK)

[0086] The default frequency band setting of the dual-protocol WiFi chip is the HaLow frequency band, that is, the current HaLow frequency band is active and the Wi-SUN frequency band is not enabled. There are multiple protocol frames in the frame buffer, and scheduling needs to be performed according to the frequency band and channel type.

[0087] The following describes the specific frame sending process.

[0088] Step 1: Determine that Wi-SUN Frame 1 is not at the bottom and its transmission frequency band does not match the current HaLow frequency band, so there is no need to switch the frequency band. Start the CCA (Clear Channel Assessment) of the HaLow protocol to compete for the AC_BE channel. After successful competition, take out HaLow Frame 1 and HaLow Frame 2 from the frame buffer. Aggregate the two frames into an A-MPDU to generate an aggregated frame and send it. HaLow Frame 1 and HaLow Frame 2 are successfully sent, and the frame buffer is updated to: [Wi-SUN Frame 1, HaLow Frame 3, HaLow Frame 4, Wi-SUN Frame 2, HaLow Frame 5].

[0089] Step 2: Determine that Wi-SUN Frame 1 becomes the bottom frame in the updated frame buffer and its transmission frequency band does not match the current HaLow frequency band, and the frequency band needs to be switched. Switch the HaLow frequency band to the transmission frequency band of Wi-SUN Frame 1. Start the CCA of the Wi-SUN protocol to compete for the channel. After successful competition, take out Wi-SUN Frame 1 and send it. After sending is completed, switch back to the HaLow frequency band. Wi-SUN Frame 1 is successfully sent, and the frame buffer is updated to: [HaLow Frame 3, HaLow Frame 4, Wi-SUN Frame 2, HaLow Frame 5].

[0090] Step 3: Determine that the transmission frequency band of Wi-SUN frame 2 matches the current HaLow frequency band, and there is no need to switch frequency bands. Start the CCA of HaLow protocol and Wi-SUN protocol at the same time. Assume that AC_Wi-SUN competes for the channel and sends Wi-SUN frame 2. After successful transmission, the frame buffer is updated to: [HaLow frame 3, HaLow frame 4, HaLow frame 5].

[0091] Step 4: All remaining frames in the frame buffer are HaLow frames, and the channel type is AC_BK, which matches the current HaLow frequency band. Start the CCA of the HaLow protocol to compete for the AC_BK channel. After the competition is successful, take out HaLow frame 3, HaLow frame 4, and HaLow frame 5 from the frame buffer. Aggregate the three frames into A-MPDU, generate an aggregate frame, and send it. All HaLow frames are successfully sent, and the frame buffer is cleared

[0092] The technical solution of this application has the following technical effects:

[0093] Highly integrated design: By integrating the LMAC layer controller, physical layer controller (including FSK modulation module and OFDM modulation module) and RF module into a single chip, the number of hardware components is significantly reduced, which directly reduces the material cost and PCB layout complexity.

[0094] Dynamic frequency band switching and multi-protocol compatibility: Intelligent frequency band management: The LMAC layer controller can dynamically evaluate the current frequency band status through the HaLow CCA module and the Wi-SUN CCA module, and intelligently switch the frequency band according to the frame type (HaLow or Wi-SUN), avoiding the waste of resources caused by the fixed frequency bands of the two chips in the traditional solution.

[0095] Protocol adaptive transmission: The chip can support the idle channel assessment (CCA) of HaLow and Wi-SUN protocols at the same time. After competing for an idle channel, it automatically selects the optimal protocol (HaLow or Wi-SUN) for data transmission, improving spectrum utilization and transmission efficiency.

[0096] Frame aggregation and efficient transmission: In the HaLow frequency band, the chip supports aggregating multiple HaLow frames and sending them at one time, reducing control overhead and improving transmission throughput. For Wi-SUN frames, the chip can independently evaluate and select idle Wi-SUN channels for transmission, ensuring the real-time and reliability of the Wi-SUN protocol.

[0097] Flexible frame scheduling strategy: The LMAC layer controller intelligently schedules the transmission order of frames according to the frame type and frequency band information in the frame buffer to ensure that high-priority frames (such as Wi-SUN control frames) can be transmitted in a timely manner. Under specific conditions, the chip can simultaneously start the CCA for HaLow and Wi-SUN, and flexibly select to send HaLow frames or Wi-SUN frames according to the competition result, further improving the flexibility and adaptability of the system.

[0098] Power consumption and volume reduction: Compared with the traditional dual-chip solution, this technical solution significantly reduces the number of chips and peripheral circuits, thereby reducing power consumption and device volume, which is beneficial to the portability and low-power design of Internet of Things devices. Through intelligent frequency band switching and frame aggregation technologies, the chip can further reduce power consumption while ensuring transmission performance and extend the device's battery life.

[0099] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer storage medium, which can store multiple instructions, and the instructions are suitable for being loaded and executed by a processor to perform the method steps of the embodiments as described above Figure 2 The specific execution process can be referred to Figure 2 the specific description of the embodiments shown, and will not be elaborated here.

[0100] The present application also provides a computer program product, which stores at least one instruction, and the at least one instruction is loaded and executed by the processor to implement the frame sending method based on the HaLow protocol and the Wi-SUN protocol as described in the above various embodiments.

[0101] Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that all or part of the processes of implementing the methods in the above embodiments can be completed by instructing relevant hardware through a computer program. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when the program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above methods. Among them, the storage medium can be a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a read-only memory, or a random access memory, etc.

[0102] The above-disclosed is only a preferred embodiment of the present application. Of course, it cannot be used to limit the scope of rights of the present application. Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand all or part of the processes of implementing the above embodiments, and the equivalent changes made according to the claims of the present application still fall within the scope covered by the invention.

Claims

1. A frame sending method based on HaLow protocol and Wi-SUN protocol, characterized in that: include: When the frame buffer is not empty, detecting the frame type of the frame to be sent in the frame buffer; Determining whether there is a Wi-SUN frame in the frame buffer; If not, keep the current HaLow frequency band unchanged, start the idle channel assessment of the HaLow protocol, determine the channel type of the idle HaLow channel that has successfully competed, traverse at least one HaLow frame associated with the channel type in the frame buffer, and sequentially perform an operation of taking out the at least one HaLow frame found from the frame buffer, and send the at least one HaLow frame taken out through the idle HaLow channel in an aggregated manner; If yes, determining whether the bottom frame of the frame buffer is a Wi-SUN frame; If yes, determine the transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame. If the transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame is not within the current HaLow frequency band, switch the current HaLow frequency band to the transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame, and then start the channel idleness assessment of the Wi-SUN protocol. After competing for an idle Wi-SUN channel, send the Wi-SUN frame through the idle Wi-SUN channel. If not, searching the frame buffer for the Wi-SUN frame closest to the bottom frame; Determine whether the transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame is within the current HaLow frequency band; If yes, keep the current HaLow frequency band unchanged, and start the idle channel assessment of the Wi-SUN protocol and the idle channel assessment of the HaLow protocol at the same time; If an idle HaLow channel is competed for, determine the channel type of the idle HaLow channel that is successfully competed for, traverse at least one HaLow frame associated with the channel type in the frame buffer, and sequentially take out the at least one HaLow frame found from the frame buffer, and send the at least one HaLow frame taken out through the idle HaLow channel in an aggregated manner; if an idle Wi-SUN channel is competed for, take out the front Wi-SUN frame from the frame buffer, and then send the taken out Wi-SUN frame through the idle Wi-SUN channel; If not, the current HaLow frequency band is kept unchanged, idle channel evaluation of the HaLow protocol is started, and the channel type of the idle HaLow channel successfully competed for is determined according to the channel type of the idle HaLow channel competed for, at least one HaLow frame associated with the channel type is traversed in the frame buffer, and the at least one HaLow frame found is sequentially taken out from the frame buffer, and the at least one HaLow frame taken out is sent out through the idle HaLow channel in an aggregated manner.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The CCA duration of the Wi-SUN protocol is shorter than that of the HaLow protocol.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The configured current HaLow frequency band ranges from 755 MHz to 928 MHz.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The frame buffer has a depth of 16.

5. The method according to claim 1, 2 or 4, characterized in that: The transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame is determined according to the preset frequency hopping pattern.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The channel type of the HaLow frame is: AC-VO, AC-VI, AC-BK, or AC-BE.

7. A dual-protocol WiFi chip, characterized in that: include: LMAC layer controller, physical layer controller and RF module; Wherein, the physical layer controller includes: an FSK modulation module and an OFDM modulation module; The physical layer is used to select a modulation module to adjust the frame from the LMAC layer controller to obtain an adjustment signal; The RF module is used to generate a radio frequency signal from a modulated signal from a physical layer controller, and transmit the radio frequency signal; The LMAC layer controller includes: a control module, a HaLow CCA module and a Wi-SUN CCA module; A control module, used for detecting the frame type of the frame to be sent in the frame buffer when the frame buffer is not empty; Determining whether there is a Wi-SUN frame in the frame buffer; If not, keep the current HaLow frequency band unchanged, start the idle channel assessment of the HaLow protocol through the HaLow CCA module, determine the channel type of the idle HaLow channel that has successfully competed, traverse at least one HaLow frame associated with the channel type in the frame buffer, and sequentially perform an operation of taking out the at least one HaLow frame found from the frame buffer, and send the at least one HaLow frame taken out through the idle HaLow channel in an aggregated manner; If yes, determining whether the bottom frame of the frame buffer is a Wi-SUN frame; If yes, determine the transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame. If the transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame is not within the current HaLow frequency band, switch the current HaLow frequency band to the transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame, and then start the channel idleness assessment of the Wi-SUN protocol through the Wi-SUN CCA module. After competing for an idle Wi-SUN channel, send the Wi-SUN frame through the idle Wi-SUN channel. If not, searching the frame buffer for the Wi-SUN frame closest to the bottom frame; Determine whether the transmission frequency band of the Wi-SUN frame is within the current HaLow frequency band; If yes, keep the current HaLow frequency band unchanged, and simultaneously start the idle channel assessment of the Wi-SUN protocol and the idle channel assessment of the HaLow protocol through the HaLow CCA module and the Wi-SUN CCA module; if an idle HaLow channel is competed for, determine the channel type of the idle HaLow channel that is successfully competed for, traverse at least one HaLow frame associated with the channel type in the frame buffer, and sequentially perform an operation of taking out the at least one HaLow frame found from the frame buffer, and send the at least one HaLow frame taken out through the idle HaLow channel in an aggregated manner; if an idle Wi-SUN channel is competed for, take out the front Wi-SUN frame from the frame buffer, and then send the taken out Wi-SUN frame through the idle Wi-SUN channel; If not, the current HaLow frequency band is kept unchanged, idle channel assessment of the HaLow protocol is started through the HaLow CCA module, the channel type of the idle HaLow channel that has successfully competed is determined according to the channel type of the idle HaLow channel that has competed, at least one HaLow frame associated with the channel type is traversed in the frame buffer, and the at least one HaLow frame found is sequentially taken out from the frame buffer, and the at least one HaLow frame taken out is sent out through the idle HaLow channel in an aggregated manner.

8. A computer storage medium, characterized in that The computer storage medium stores a plurality of instructions, and the instructions are suitable for being loaded by a processor and executing the method steps according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

9. A wireless communication device, characterized in that: include: The dual-protocol WiFi chip as described in claim 7 or 9.

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