Internet of Things communication device based on directional antenna and power consumption management method

Abstract

The invention relates to a radio antenna technology, and discloses an Internet of Things communication device based on a directional antenna and a power consumption management method, and the Internet of Things communication device comprises a main control module and a radio frequency module. The radio frequency module comprises a directional antenna and a feed network; the directional antenna comprises an artificial magnetic conductor reflecting surface located on the upper layer and a gradient metamaterial layer located on the lower layer. The artificial magnetic conductor reflecting surface comprises metamaterial units arranged in a 5 * 5 array. In each metamaterial unit, the upper layer is a metamaterial patch covering a 2.4 GHz frequency band, the lower layer is a slot coupling antenna covering a Sub-1GHz frequency band, and the central axis of the central aperture of the upper layer metamaterial patch coincides with the central axis of the central aperture of the lower layer slot coupling antenna; the main control module is used for controlling the radio frequency module to be switched among an activation mode, a monitoring mode and a sleep mode. The invention aims to reduce the power consumption of Internet of Things communication, and improve the communication anti-interference capability while realizing long-distance and high-penetration communication transmission.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of radio antennas, and particularly to an Internet of Things (IoT) communication device based on a directional antenna and a power consumption management method for the IoT communication device. Background Art

[0002] Currently, in order to ensure accurate transceiver of wireless signals, IoT communication devices generally use omnidirectional antennas for large-range signal coverage.

[0003] However, due to the low radiation efficiency of omnidirectional antennas, in order to ensure sufficient signal coverage, more energy needs to be consumed, which directly shortens the battery life of IoT communication devices; and in a complex electromagnetic environment, omnidirectional antennas are vulnerable to the effects of multipath and co-channel interference (multipath effects cause signals to reach the receiving end through different paths, resulting in signal fading and distortion; co-channel interference will be superimposed on the useful signal, reducing signal quality); moreover, omnidirectional antennas use non-directional transmission methods, making it difficult to meet the communication requirements of long-distance and high-penetration scenarios (such as signal coverage of large areas of farmland in smart agriculture and signal penetration through pipeline walls in underground pipeline network monitoring).

[0004] The above content is only used to assist in understanding the technical solution of this application, and does not represent an admission that the above content is prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main purpose of this application is to provide an IoT communication device based on a directional antenna and a power consumption management method for the IoT communication device, aiming to reduce the power consumption of IoT communication, achieve long-distance and high-penetration communication transmission, and improve the communication anti-interference ability.

[0006] To achieve the above object, this application provides an IoT communication device based on a directional antenna. The IoT communication device includes a main control module and a radio frequency module; the radio frequency module includes a directional antenna and a feeding network, and the directional antenna is electrically connected to the main control module through the feeding network; The directional antenna includes an artificial magnetic conductor reflector on the upper layer and a gradient metamaterial layer on the lower layer. The artificial magnetic conductor reflector includes a 5×5 array of metamaterial units; In each metamaterial unit, the upper layer is a metamaterial patch covering the 2.4 GHz frequency band, and the lower layer is a slot-coupled antenna covering the Sub-1 GHz frequency band, and the central axis of the central aperture of the upper-layer metamaterial patch coincides with the central axis of the central aperture of the lower-layer slot-coupled antenna; The main control module is used to control the radio frequency module to switch between the active mode, the listening mode, and the sleep mode; Among them, in the listening mode, the main control module controls the radio frequency module to operate in a low-power state and periodically wakes up the radio frequency module to check if there is a signal to be processed; if so, it controls the radio frequency module to switch to the active mode and makes the radio frequency module operate at full power. In the sleep mode, the main control module turns off the radio frequency module and enables the main control chip in the main control module to retain only the real-time clock function.

[0007] Optionally, the metamaterial patch is a fractal split ring resonator.

[0008] Optionally, the slot-coupled antenna is a nested hexagonal ring.

[0009] Optionally, a duplex filter adapted to the 2.4 GHz band and the Sub-1 GHz band is integrated in the feeding network.

[0010] Optionally, the directional antenna is electrically connected to the feeding network through a Sub-1 GHz front end, and an SX1262 chip is integrated in the Sub-1 GHz front end, supporting LoRaWAN Class A / B / C.

[0011] An NB-IoT module is also provided in the radio frequency module, enabling the main control module to control Quectel BC95 through an SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) interface, so that the radio frequency module is in the PSM (Power Saving Mode) / eDRX (Extended Discontinuous Reception) power-saving mode in the listening mode.

[0012] To achieve the above object, the present application also provides a power consumption management method for an Internet of Things communication device, where the Internet of Things communication device is the Internet of Things communication device based on a directional antenna as described above; the power consumption management method for the Internet of Things communication device includes: Based on the Q-Learning algorithm, predict the future network load situation according to historical data and the current network state; According to the prediction result, optimize the wake-up strategy of the radio frequency module; among them, the wake-up strategy includes setting the working mode and working duration of the radio frequency module at different time periods, so that the radio frequency module switches between the active mode, the listening mode and the sleep mode.

[0013] Optionally, after the step of optimizing the wake-up strategy of the radio frequency module according to the prediction result, it further includes: When the radio frequency module operates in the active mode, judge whether it is necessary to dynamically switch the working mode of the radio frequency module according to the real-time monitored RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) value and / or channel occupancy rate.

[0014] Optionally, after the step of optimizing the wake-up strategy of the RF module according to the prediction result, the following steps are further included: When the RF module operates in the active mode, the PA bias voltage of the feeding network is dynamically adjusted according to the current transmit power requirement.

[0015] Optionally, the power consumption management method of the Internet of Things communication device further includes: Optimize the protocol stack of the communication protocol adopted by the main control module in advance to shorten the signaling interaction time, so as to reduce the activation duration of the main control module for the RF module.

[0016] An Internet of Things communication device based on a directional antenna and a power consumption management method of the Internet of Things communication device provided by the present application. The directional antenna adopts a unique design of an upper artificial magnetic conductor reflector and a lower gradient metamaterial layer, which greatly improves the radiation efficiency, can accurately receive and transmit wireless signals, effectively reduces energy consumption compared with an omnidirectional antenna, and significantly extends the battery life of the device; and in terms of anti-interference performance, it avoids the problems of the omnidirectional antenna being vulnerable to multipath effects and co-frequency interference, greatly improving the signal quality of the Internet of Things communication device; in terms of scenario applicability, the Internet of Things communication device based on the directional antenna can well meet the communication requirements of long-distance and high-penetration scenarios by virtue of the directional transmission method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the Internet of Things communication device in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the directional antenna in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 3 It is a side view schematic diagram of the metamaterial unit in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 4 It is a comparison diagram of the absorption spectrum and different magnetic field distributions of a square resonant ring based on FDTD simulation in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 5 It is a top view of the shared aperture architecture of a nested hexagonal ring and a square resonant ring in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the steps of the power consumption management method of the Internet of Things communication device in an embodiment of the present application.

[0018] The realization, functional features and advantages of the purpose of the present application will be further described with reference to the embodiments and the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, where the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below by referring to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to explain the present application, and should not be construed as a limitation to the present application. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present application without creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0020] In addition, if the description in the present application involves "first", "second", etc., it is only for descriptive purposes (such as for distinguishing the same or similar features), and should not be construed as indicating or implying its relative importance or implicitly indicating the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. In addition, the technical solutions between various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the ability of those of ordinary skill in the art to implement. When the combination of technical solutions results in contradictions or cannot be implemented, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the present application.

[0021] In one embodiment, an Internet of Things communication device based on a directional antenna is provided. Referring to Figures 1 to 3 , the Internet of Things communication device includes a main control module and a radio frequency module; the radio frequency module includes a directional antenna and a feeding network, and the directional antenna is electrically connected to the main control module through the feeding network; The directional antenna includes an artificial magnetic conductor reflector on the upper layer and a gradient metamaterial layer on the lower layer. The artificial magnetic conductor reflector includes metamaterial units arranged in a 5×5 array; In each metamaterial unit, the upper layer is a metamaterial patch covering the 2.4 GHz band, and the lower layer is a slot-coupled antenna covering the Sub-1 GHz band. The central axis of the central aperture of the upper-layer metamaterial patch coincides with the central axis of the central aperture of the lower-layer slot-coupled antenna; The main control module is used to control the radio frequency module to switch between an active mode, a listening mode, and a sleep mode; Among them, in the listening mode, the main control module controls the radio frequency module to operate in a low-power state and periodically wakes up the radio frequency module to check whether there is a signal that needs to be processed; if so, it controls the radio frequency module to switch to the active mode and makes the radio frequency module operate at full power; In the sleep mode, the main control module turns off the radio frequency module and makes the main control chip in the main control module only retain the real-time clock function.

[0022] In this embodiment, the main control module is the core control unit of the entire Internet of Things communication device. Its main function is to manage and control the radio frequency module, enabling it to switch between different operating modes to adapt to different communication requirements and save power. The specific control modes include: (1) Active mode: When the main control module receives an indication to process a signal, it controls the radio frequency module to switch to the active mode. In this mode, the radio frequency module operates at full power and can transmit and receive signals with maximum performance to ensure fast and accurate data transmission.

[0023] (2) Listening mode: In the listening mode, the main control module controls the radio frequency module to operate in a low-power state to reduce energy consumption. At the same time, the main control module periodically wakes up the radio frequency module to check if there is a signal to be processed. If a signal to be processed is detected, the main control module immediately controls the radio frequency module to switch to the active mode for signal processing.

[0024] (3) Sleep mode: When the device is in a period when communication is not required, the main control module turns off the radio frequency module to avoid unnecessary energy waste. At the same time, only the real-time clock function is retained in the main control chip of the main control module. The real-time clock function allows the main control chip to record time in a low-power state so that the device can be accurately awakened when needed for subsequent operations.

[0025] The radio frequency module is responsible for signal transmission and reception. It mainly consists of a directional antenna and a feeding network, where the directional antenna is electrically connected to the main control module through the feeding network.

[0026] Refer to Figure 2 , the directional antenna adopts a special layered design, including an artificial magnetic conductor reflector on the upper layer and a gradient metamaterial layer on the lower layer. This layered structure can optimize the performance of the antenna, improve the directivity and gain of the signal; among them, the artificial magnetic conductor reflector can enhance the forward radiation efficiency of the antenna; the gradient metamaterial layer is used for phase compensation and can achieve beam focusing, enabling the directional gain of the antenna to be greater than 8 dBi and the coverage distance to be increased by 30%.

[0027] It should be noted that artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) is an artificially designed electromagnetic material that can exhibit characteristics similar to those of an ideal magnetic conductor within a specific frequency range (i.e., having a high impedance on the surface and a zero phase when reflecting electromagnetic waves); the gradient metamaterial layer is an artificially designed metamaterial layer, characterized in that its internal structural parameters (such as permittivity, permeability, etc.) change in a gradient along a specific direction, and this gradient change is carefully designed to achieve specific regulation of electromagnetic waves.

[0028] Optionally, the gradient metamaterial layer can adopt a gradient index lens, because the gradient index lens can achieve different focusing effects and beam characteristics by precisely designing the refractive index distribution inside.

[0029] Among them, the artificial magnetic conductor reflector is composed of metamaterial units arranged in a 5×5 array. This array structure can enhance the radiation characteristics of the antenna, making the signal more concentrated in a specific direction.

[0030] Refer to Figure 3 , each metamaterial unit also has a unique double-layer structure, that is, the upper layer is a metamaterial patch covering the 2.4 GHz frequency band. This patch is specifically designed for the 2.4 GHz frequency band and can effectively transmit and receive signals in this frequency band; the lower layer is a slot-coupled antenna covering the Sub-1 GHz frequency band, which is suitable for Sub-1 GHz frequency band communication at lower frequencies.

[0031] Among them, the metamaterial patch is a special patch structure designed based on metamaterial technology. It is an artificial composite structure or composite material with extraordinary physical properties that natural materials do not have. By precisely designing and arranging the microstructure of the material, special regulation of electromagnetic waves can be achieved. The metamaterial patch uses its unique microstructure to respond to electromagnetic waves in a specific frequency band, thereby realizing the function of enhancing signal transmission and reception.

[0032] Among them, the slot-coupled antenna is an antenna form based on the slot structure. Its working principle is to open a slot on the conductor surface. When an alternating current passes through the conductor, a radiated electromagnetic field will be generated around the slot, thereby realizing signal transmission and reception.

[0033] There are apertures in the centers of both the upper-layer metamaterial patch and the lower-layer slot-coupled antenna, and the central axes of the central apertures of the upper-layer metamaterial patch and the lower-layer slot-coupled antenna coincide. This shared aperture design can avoid mutual interference between signals in different frequency bands, ensure the effective transmission and coupling of signals in different frequency bands, and thus improve the overall performance of the antenna.

[0034] The role of the feeding network is to transmit the electrical signals output by the main control module to the directional antenna, and at the same time transmit the signals received by the directional antenna back to the main control module. It acts as a bridge connecting the main control module and the directional antenna to ensure stable signal transmission.

[0035] An example of the working mode switching process of the radio frequency module is as follows: When the main control module sets the radio frequency module to the listening mode, at this time the radio frequency module is in a low-power state, and the main control module will wake up the radio frequency module according to a preset period to detect signals in the surrounding environment. If a signal that needs to be processed is detected during the wake-up period, the main control module will immediately control the radio frequency module to switch to the active mode.

[0036] In the active mode, the RF module operates at full power and can efficiently process the received signals for data transmission and communication. After the signal processing is completed, according to the actual situation, the main control module can choose to switch the RF module back to the listening mode or the sleep mode.

[0037] When the device does not need to communicate for a period of time, the main control module will turn off the RF module and enable the main control chip to retain only the real-time clock function. When communication is required again, the main control chip can wake up the device at an appropriate time according to the information of the real-time clock and switch the RF module to the listening mode or the active mode.

[0038] Among them, in the active mode, although the RF module works at full power, the current required for the 2.4GHz band is within 50mA, and the current required for the Sub-1GHz band is within 20mA; the wake-up period of the listening mode can be set as needed (such as an interval of 1s), and the required current is within 5mA; the current required for the sleep mode is within 1μA.

[0039] This IoT communication device based on a directional antenna realizes multi-band communication and low-power operation through a unique antenna design and a flexible mode switching mechanism, and is suitable for various IoT application scenarios.

[0040] Optionally, the IoT communication device adopts an integrated RF module design, and a low-noise amplifier (LNA) and a power amplifier (PA) are also integrated in the RF module.

[0041] When the noise amplifier acts on the 2.4GHz band, the noise figure (NF) does not exceed 1.5dB, which means that the noise introduced during the signal amplification process is very small, and the purity of the signal can be guaranteed to the greatest extent; at the same time, the gain of the noise amplifier is greater than or equal to 20dB, which can effectively amplify the weak input signal and provide a signal with sufficient strength for subsequent signal processing.

[0042] When the power amplifier acts on the Sub-1GHz band, the output power can reach +20dBm, which is sufficient to meet the signal transmission requirements in this band; moreover, the efficiency of the power amplifier is not less than 35%, which indicates that it can work with high efficiency during the process of converting electrical energy into RF signal power, reduce energy waste, and contribute to reducing the power consumption of the entire system.

[0043] The main control chip in the main control module can use the low-power nRF9160 chip, which integrates a Cortex-M33 processor and an LTE-M / NB-IoT modem. Among them, the Cortex-M33 processor has high performance and low power consumption, and can meet the system's requirements for data processing and control; while the LTE-M / NB-IoT modem enables the Internet of Things communication device to easily access the Internet of Things network, realize remote communication functions, and provides good support for Internet of Things applications.

[0044] In addition, a hardware watchdog can also be integrated in the main control module to prevent software deadlocks. During the operation of the system, the software may encounter anomalies for various reasons, resulting in the program getting into an infinite loop or losing response; the hardware watchdog can monitor the running state of the system in real time. When it detects software anomalies, it will take timely measures to reset, ensuring the stability and reliability of the system.

[0045] The main control chip can support the μC / OS-III real-time operating system, which has efficient task scheduling capabilities. Compared with traditional operating systems, it can improve the task scheduling efficiency by 30%. This means that the system can respond to various task requests more quickly and accurately, reasonably allocate system resources, and improve the overall performance and real-time performance of the system.

[0046] In this way, by adopting the electromagnetic metasurface technology, miniaturization and high-gain directional radiation of the Internet of Things communication device can be achieved; at the same time, a low-power MCU is integrated to achieve μA-level standby current; SPI interface control is supported, and it is compatible with mainstream Internet of Things communication chips.

[0047] When conducting conduction tests on the directional antenna of this Internet of Things communication device, the measured gain at the 2.4GHz frequency band is 8.2dBi, and the radiation efficiency is ≥75%; the omnidirectional gain at the Sub-1GHz frequency band is 5.5dBi, and the directional gain can reach 8.5dBi.

[0048] The power consumption comparison of the corresponding radio frequency modules of the Internet of Things communication device based on the directional antenna and the traditional Internet of Things communication device using omnidirectional antennas in different modes during conduction tests is shown in Table (1) below: Table (1): Mode Omnidirectional antenna Directional antenna Active mode 120 mA 50 mA Monitoring mode 15 mA 5 mA Sleep mode 10 μA 1 μA When conducting road tests on the directional antenna of this Internet of Things communication device, in an urban environment, the coverage distance of the directional antenna at the Sub-1GHz frequency band is more than 2km compared with the 1.2km coverage range of the traditional solution; during directional transmission, the transmission distance of the directional antenna at the 2.4GHz frequency band is more than 300m (only 100m for the omnidirectional antenna).

[0049] On this basis, the IoT communication device can also combine GPS / Beidou positioning to dynamically adjust the beam direction, so that the positioning error is within 5m.

[0050] In one embodiment, for the IoT communication device based on a directional antenna, its directional antenna adopts a unique design of an upper-layer artificial magnetic conductor reflector and a lower-layer gradient metamaterial layer, which greatly improves the radiation efficiency, can accurately transmit and receive wireless signals, effectively reduces the energy consumption compared with an omnidirectional antenna, and significantly extends the device's battery life; and in terms of anti-interference performance, it avoids the problems of the omnidirectional antenna being vulnerable to multipath effects and co-frequency interference, greatly improving the signal quality of the IoT communication device; in terms of scenario applicability, the IoT communication device based on a directional antenna can well meet the communication requirements of long-distance and high-penetration scenarios by virtue of its directional transmission method.

[0051] Taking the IoT communication device powered by a CR2032 battery as an example, the sleep algorithm extends the device's battery life to more than 3 years; and it can support long-distance transmission in the Sub-1GHz band and high-speed backhaul in the 2.4GHz band based on a single antenna.

[0052] In one embodiment, on the basis of the above embodiment, the metamaterial patch is a fractal split-ring resonator.

[0053] In this embodiment, the fractal split-ring resonator (FSRR) is an artificial electromagnetic material unit that combines fractal geometry and the split-ring resonator (SRR) structure, and has advantages such as multi-band response, miniaturization, and adjustable electromagnetic characteristics.

[0054] When electromagnetic waves irradiate the fractal split-ring resonator, due to its special fractal structure and split design, induced currents will be generated in the ring. These currents will generate a magnetic field that interacts with the incident electromagnetic waves, causing the fractal split-ring resonator to resonate at a specific frequency. Near the resonance frequency, the fractal split-ring resonator will exhibit special electromagnetic characteristics, such as strong absorption, reflection, or transmission of electromagnetic waves, and changing the propagation direction of electromagnetic waves.

[0055] Designing the metamaterial patch as a fractal split-ring resonator can enhance the antenna's response ability to electromagnetic waves in a specific frequency band (such as 2.4GHz), improve the antenna's radiation efficiency and performance, thereby enhancing the signal transmission and reception quality and communication effect of the entire IoT communication device.

[0056] Optionally, the fractal split-ring resonator is a double-layer square resonator with different opening directions.

[0057] This fractal split-ring resonator structure is composed of two layers of square resonator rings. Each layer of the resonator ring has an opening, but the openings of the two layers face different directions, and the superposition of the opening centers forms the corresponding central aperture. In terms of electromagnetic principles, when external electromagnetic waves are incident, the double-layer structure will form a more complex current distribution and magnetic field interaction; different opening directions cause the two layers of resonator rings to have different responses to electromagnetic waves, and thus resonance effects are generated in multiple frequency bands.

[0058] Optionally, a square resonator ring with a side length of about 12 mm (preferably 12 mm) is designed and realized through PCB technology (such as fabricated based on an FR4 substrate), and the unit period is λ / 4 (about 31 mm).

[0059] Among them, the unit structure can be optimized by FDTD (Finite-Difference Time-Domain) simulation to match the impedance characteristics of the target frequency band. The comparison diagrams of the absorption spectra and different magnetic field distributions of the square resonator ring based on FDTD simulation (involving the comparison of absorption spectra of two different magnetic field distributions of wl1 and wl2) are as Figure 4 shown.

[0060] Optionally, the metamaterial patch structure can be realized through PCB technology, and the material cost can be greatly reduced.

[0061] In terms of performance, this design can achieve a wider frequency response range, meet the requirements for multi-band signal processing in Internet of Things communication, further improve the radiation efficiency and signal transceiver ability of the antenna in different frequency bands, enhance the adaptability and stability of the device in a complex electromagnetic environment, contribute to improving communication quality, ensuring accurate and efficient data transmission, and providing more powerful support for the stable operation of Internet of Things communication devices.

[0062] In one embodiment, on the basis of the above embodiment, the slot-coupled antenna is a nested hexagonal ring.

[0063] In this embodiment, the nested hexagonal ring can be formed by nesting multiple hexagonal rings. This structure is more compact and has a unique symmetry compared to traditional shapes. The form of nesting multiple hexagonal rings increases the effective current path length of the antenna, and at the same time, using the unique geometric shape of the hexagon, a more complex current distribution can be achieved in a limited space.

[0064] In terms of electromagnetic performance, the slot-coupled antenna with nested hexagonal rings can achieve excellent resonance characteristics in the Sub-1GHz frequency band. Multiple nested hexagonal rings can generate multiple resonance modes, thus expanding the bandwidth of the antenna and enabling it to better cover different communication frequencies within this frequency band. This is crucial for Internet of Things applications that require stable communication in the Sub-1GHz frequency band, effectively reducing signal distortion and interference and improving the reliability of communication.

[0065] Optionally, referring to Figure 5 , the nested hexagonal rings are composed of multiple hexagons with different sizes combined in a nested manner, and the multiple hexagons are nested with the same center point to ensure the symmetry of the structure (the inner circle of the innermost hexagon is the corresponding central aperture).

[0066] Hexagonal rings of different sizes correspond to different resonance frequencies. After being nested together, the antenna can resonate at multiple frequency bands. This enables the slot-coupled antenna to cover a wider frequency range, meet the requirements for multi-band signal processing in Internet of Things communication, and adapt to different communication standards and application scenarios.

[0067] There is an electromagnetic coupling effect between adjacent hexagonal rings. The nested structure increases the complexity and intensity of this coupling, and can more effectively transfer energy from the feed source to various parts of the antenna, thereby improving the radiation efficiency and gain of the antenna.

[0068] In antenna design, the electromagnetic performance of the antenna can be precisely controlled by adjusting parameters such as the number, size, spacing, and nesting method of the hexagons. For example, increasing the number of hexagons may further expand the frequency band range; adjusting the spacing between adjacent hexagons can optimize the coupling effect, thereby achieving fine adjustment of the antenna performance to meet specific design requirements.

[0069] Optionally, for the nested hexagonal rings, the side length of the outermost hexagonal ring is about 30mm (preferably 30mm), and the thickness is preferably 4mm. In this way, the overall size of the nested hexagonal rings can be preferably 60mm×(30 )mm×4mm.

[0070] Optionally, the nested hexagonal rings can be made of a flexible LCP substrate to support far-field coupling.

[0071] Referring to Figure 5, due to the shared aperture design of the metamaterial patch and the slot-coupled antenna, when the nested hexagonal ring is combined with the fractal split-ring resonator (a double-layer square resonator with different opening orientations), this slot-coupled antenna can cooperate with the upper-layer 2.4GHz band antenna. It can not only achieve dual-band high-efficiency operation, but also when antennas of different frequency bands work together in the same device, it can not only meet the communication requirements of the Internet of Things communication device in different scenarios, but also reduce the interference between each other through the optimized structural design, further improving the comprehensive performance of the entire Internet of Things communication device, enabling it to operate stably and efficiently in a complex electromagnetic environment.

[0072] In one embodiment, based on the above embodiment, a duplex filter adapted to the 2.4GHz band and the Sub-1GHz band is integrated in the feeding network.

[0073] In this embodiment, a duplex filter is integrated in the feeding network to suppress the interference between the 2.4GHz and Sub-1GHz bands.

[0074] The 2.4GHz band is commonly used in Internet of Things communication for short-distance and high-rate communication scenarios, such as applications like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The duplex filter will perform targeted processing on the signals of the 2.4GHz band to ensure that the signals of this band can pass through the feeding network smoothly, while preventing interference signals from other bands from entering, guaranteeing the purity and intensity of the 2.4GHz signals. This can improve the stability and reliability of the 2.4GHz band communication, enabling the Internet of Things communication device to perform short-distance data transmission more efficiently.

[0075] The Sub-1GHz band has characteristics such as long propagation distance, strong penetration ability, and small signal loss, and is suitable for long-distance and low-rate Internet of Things communication, such as technologies like LoRa and SigFox. The duplex filter will also optimize the signals of the Sub-1GHz band to enable them to be stably transmitted in the feeding network. By suppressing the interference from other bands, the quality of the Sub-1GHz band signals is improved, ensuring the accuracy and stability of long-distance communication.

[0076] The duplex filter can achieve effective isolation between the 2.4GHz band and the Sub-1GHz band. Through the filtering characteristics of the duplex filter, the signals of the two bands are isolated from each other, avoiding interference between the bands, enabling the communication of the two bands to be carried out simultaneously and independently, and improving the efficiency and reliability of communication.

[0077] By filtering out unwanted frequency band signals and interference signals, the duplex filter can significantly improve the signal quality of the 2.4 GHz frequency band and the Sub-1 GHz frequency band. At the transmitting end, the duplex filter can ensure that the transmitted signal has an accurate frequency and stable power; at the receiving end, the duplex filter can reduce noise and interference, making the received signal clearer and more accurate. This helps to reduce the bit error rate, improve the accuracy of data transmission, and thus enhance the performance of the entire Internet of Things communication device.

[0078] The duplex filter works closely with the directional antenna to jointly complete the tasks of signal transmission and reception. The directional antenna is responsible for transmitting and receiving signals in the 2.4 GHz frequency band and the Sub-1 GHz frequency band in a specific direction, while the duplex filter processes and optimizes these signals. Through their collaborative work, the advantages of the directional antenna can be fully utilized to improve the signal transmission efficiency and coverage range.

[0079] The main control module controls the operating mode and signal processing flow of the entire Internet of Things communication device. The duplex filter processes signals in different frequency bands according to the instructions of the main control module. For example, in different communication modes, the duplex filter can adjust the processing methods of signals in the 2.4 GHz frequency band and the Sub-1 GHz frequency band according to requirements to meet different communication needs.

[0080] In summary, integrating a duplex filter that adapts to the 2.4 GHz frequency band and the Sub-1 GHz frequency band in the feed network can effectively improve the communication performance and stability of the device, enabling it to better adapt to different Internet of Things application scenarios.

[0081] In one embodiment, based on the above embodiment, the directional antenna is electrically connected to the feed network through the Sub-1 GHz front end, and the Sub-1 GHz front end integrates an SX1262 chip, supporting LoRaWAN Class A / B / C.

[0082] In this embodiment, the Sub-1 GHz front end, as a bridge between the directional antenna and the feed network, undertakes the important task of preprocessing and adapting Sub-1 GHz frequency band signals. It performs preliminary amplification, filtering and other operations on the weak Sub-1 GHz signals received by the directional antenna to make them better adapt to the transmission requirements of the feed network; at the same time, for the signal to be transmitted from the feed network, it will also perform corresponding processing to ensure that the signal can be transmitted through the directional antenna in the best state.

[0083] The directional antenna is connected to the feeding network through a Sub-1GHz front end. With the support of the SX1262 chip, it can efficiently process signals in the Sub-1GHz frequency band. At the same time, it supports three LoRaWAN Class A / B / C modes, enabling this Internet of Things communication device to flexibly select the appropriate communication mode according to different application scenarios and requirements, realizing long-distance, low-power, and reliable Internet of Things communication, and further expanding the application scope and practicality of the device.

[0084] In one embodiment, based on the above embodiment, an NB-IoT module is further provided in the radio frequency module, enabling the main control module to control Quectel BC95 through the SPI interface, so that the radio frequency module is in the PSM / eDRX power-saving mode in the listening mode.

[0085] In this embodiment, Quectel BC95 is a high-performance NB-IoT module that integrates core components such as the radio frequency front end, baseband processor, and memory required for NB-IoT communication. The main control module communicates with Quectel BC95 through the SPI interface to control its working state and parameters.

[0086] In the listening mode, when the radio frequency module enters the PSM mode, Quectel BC95 will stop most functions from running and only retain a timer to wake up the device. In this mode, the power consumption of the device is extremely low and can be almost ignored. When the timer reaches the preset time, the device will be woken up to check if there are signals that need to be processed. If there are no signals, the device will enter the PSM mode again.

[0087] The eDRX mode is an optimized energy-saving mechanism in the NB-IoT network. In the listening mode, the device will wake up periodically to check if the network has sent downlink data to itself. Compared with the traditional DRX mode, the eDRX mode has a longer wake-up period, thus reducing the power consumption of the device. In the eDRX mode, the device can flexibly adjust the wake-up period according to the network situation and application requirements to balance power consumption and communication timeliness.

[0088] The main control module is responsible for controlling Quectel BC95 to enter the PSM / eDRX power-saving mode. In the listening mode, the main control module will send corresponding instructions to Quectel BC95 through the SPI interface according to preset rules and algorithms to make it enter the PSM or eDRX mode. At the same time, the main control module will monitor the state of the device and the timing of the timer to ensure that the device is woken up at the appropriate time to process possible incoming signals. When it detects signals that need to be processed, the main control module will control Quectel BC95 to exit the power-saving mode and enter the normal working state to run at full power to complete signal processing and communication tasks.

[0089] By introducing an NB-IoT module into the RF module and using Quectel BC95, combined with the PSM / eDRX power-saving mode, the IoT communication device significantly reduces power consumption while ensuring communication capabilities. This enables the device to operate stably for a long time when powered by a battery, reducing maintenance costs and the frequency of battery replacement.

[0090] In one embodiment, based on the above embodiment, referring to Figure 6 , a power consumption management method for an IoT communication device is proposed, which is applied to the IoT communication device based on a directional antenna described in the above embodiment; the power consumption management method of the IoT communication device includes: Step S10: Based on the Q-Learning algorithm, predict the future network load situation according to historical data and the current network state; Step S20: According to the prediction result, optimize the wake-up strategy of the RF module; wherein, the wake-up strategy includes setting the working mode and working duration of the RF module at different time periods, so that the RF module switches between the active mode, the listening mode, and the sleep mode.

[0091] As described in step S10, Q-Learning is a model-free reinforcement learning algorithm, and its core is to learn an action value function Q(s,a), which represents the cumulative reward that can be obtained after taking action a in state s. In this scenario, state s can be defined as the current network state and historical data features, and action a can be different prediction results for the future network load situation.

[0092] Since state s needs to comprehensively consider historical data and the current network state to be defined in order to fully reflect the network situation for predicting future load, state s can be defined as a multi-dimensional vector.

[0093] Among them, collect the network usage records of the IoT communication device in the past period of time, including information such as data transmission volume, connection duration, signal strength, etc. These data can be used as historical data features to reflect the variation law of network load over time.

[0094] And, obtain the current network parameters in real time, such as signal strength, number of connected devices, data transmission rate, etc., as part of the current network state.

[0095] Optionally, extract historical data from the log records of the IoT communication device, including information such as data transmission volume, number of connected devices, signal strength, etc., and organize them according to the previously defined historical data features; obtain the current network state in real time through sensors, such as the current data transmission rate, number of connected devices, and signal strength.

[0096] Action a represents different prediction categories for the future network load situation, for example: (1) Low load: It is predicted that the network data transmission volume will be small and the number of connected devices will be small in a future period of time; (2) Medium load: It is predicted that the future network load will be at a medium level; (3) High load: It is predicted that there will be a large amount of data transmission and a large number of device connections in the future network.

[0097] And, set the reward r according to the matching degree between the actual network load situation and the prediction result to measure the accuracy of the prediction. For example: If the prediction is accurate, a positive reward is given. For example, if the prediction is high load and the actual is also high load, the reward can be set to +10; If the prediction deviation is large, a negative reward is given. For example, if the prediction is low load and the actual is high load, the reward can be set to -20; If the prediction has a certain deviation but not very large, a small positive or negative reward is given. For example, if the prediction is medium load and the actual is high load, the reward can be set to -5.

[0098] Initialize the Q-table. The Q-table is a two-dimensional table used to store the expected cumulative rewards for taking each action in each state. Among them, the number of rows is equal to the number of states, and the number of columns is equal to the number of actions. At the beginning of the algorithm, all values in the Q-table are initialized to 0. For example, if there are 100 different states and 3 actions, the Q-table is a 100×3 matrix.

[0099] During the prediction process, at each time step, select the action a with the maximum Q value from the Q-table according to the current state s as the prediction of the future network load situation. After performing the prediction action, obtain a reward r according to the actual network load situation.

[0100] Optionally, use the ϵ-greedy strategy to select the action a. For example, randomly select an action a with probability ϵ for algorithm exploration; select the action with the maximum Q value in the current state s of the Q-table with probability 1−ϵ (this is to make a decision using the information that has been learned).

[0101] Use the Q-Learning update formula Q(s,a)=Q(s,a)+α[r+γmax a' Q(s',a')−Q(s,a)] to update the Q-table, where α is the learning rate, γ is the discount factor, s' is the next state; a' is the action that makes Q(s',a') reach the maximum value among all possible actions in the state s' when calculating the update value.

[0102] Repeat the prediction process for multiple iterative trainings. As the number of iterations increases, the values in the Q-table will gradually converge, and the algorithm can learn the strategy of selecting the optimal action in different states, so as to more accurately predict the future network load according to historical data and the current network state.

[0103] In practical applications, when it is necessary to predict the future network load, determine the current state s, and select the action with the largest Q value in the Q-table for this state as the prediction result.

[0104] As described in step S20, after obtaining the prediction result of the future network load, different time periods are first divided into different load levels according to the high or low load, such as being divided into low-load time periods, medium-load time periods, and high-load time periods.

[0105] Low-load time period: It is predicted that the data transmission volume in the network is extremely small, the number of connected devices is very small, or there are almost no new connection requests. For example, in the late-night period, the usage frequency of some Internet of Things communication devices is low.

[0106] Medium-load time period: There is a certain amount of data transmission and device connection activities in the network, but it has not reached a busy state, such as the non-peak period on normal working days.

[0107] High-load time period: It is predicted that there will be a large number of data transmission tasks, many devices will be connected simultaneously and interact frequently. For example, during the business peak period on weekdays or during the period when relevant Internet of Things communication devices are intensively used during large-scale events.

[0108] Optionally, in the low-load time period, the network has a low response requirement for devices. Letting the radio frequency module enter the sleep mode can minimize power consumption. In the sleep mode, most of the circuits of the radio frequency module stop working, and only a small number of necessary circuits for maintaining extremely low power consumption operation are retained, such as the clock circuit. In order to be able to respond in a timely manner to the possible sudden small amount of data transmission requirements or connection requests, the radio frequency module can be set to periodically switch to the listening mode briefly in the sleep mode. For example, wake up once every 10 minutes to enter the listening mode and last for 100 milliseconds to detect whether there is a signal.

[0109] Optionally, in the medium-load time period, the listening mode is mainly used. In the listening mode, the radio frequency module can detect external signals, but it does not need to operate at full power like in the active mode, and it can reduce power consumption while meeting certain response requirements. The radio frequency module remains in the listening state at all times, ready to receive data or connection requests at any time. When it detects an actual data transmission or connection request, the radio frequency module is switched to the active mode to complete the corresponding task. After the task is completed, if it is predicted that the subsequent state is still a medium-load state, it is quickly switched back to the listening mode.

[0110] Optionally, during high-load periods, the active mode is the main mode. A large amount of data transmission and frequent device interactions are required during high-load periods. Therefore, the RF module should be in the active mode for a long time to ensure the efficiency and stability of data transmission. In the active mode, parameters such as the transmit power and receive sensitivity of the RF module are in the optimal working state.

[0111] Optionally, during low-load periods, the duration of the sleep mode can be determined based on the duration of the low-load period and the occasional signal activity patterns in historical data. If the low-load period is long and signal activity is extremely low, the sleep duration can be set relatively long, such as continuously sleeping for 5 minutes. The listening duration should be short enough to reduce power consumption but long enough to ensure signal detection. It is generally set to tens of milliseconds to hundreds of milliseconds, for example, 100 milliseconds.

[0112] Optionally, the listening mode is the main state during medium-load periods. The listening duration can be determined based on the predicted network activity frequency. If the network activity is relatively stable, it can be set to continuous listening; if the activity is intermittent to a certain extent, a short low-power check (similar to light sleep) can be performed after listening for a period of time, such as performing a 5-second low-power check after listening for 30 seconds. The active duration depends on the actual data transmission task volume. For small data volume transmission tasks, the active duration may only be a few hundred milliseconds; for large data volume transmissions, it may require several seconds or even longer. The active duration can be estimated based on historical data and the current transmission rate.

[0113] Optionally, during high-load periods, the RF module is in the active state for most of the time. The active duration can be determined based on the predicted high-load duration. If the high-load period is expected to last for 1 hour, then the RF module may need to be continuously active for 1 hour. Before the end of the high-load period, gradually reduce the active mode duration in advance according to the predicted load decline trend and prepare to switch to the listening mode.

[0114] Optionally, during actual operation, by real-time monitoring network status, such as parameters like data transmission rate, number of connected devices, signal strength, etc., and comparing with the predicted results. If a deviation between the actual network status and the predicted results is detected, promptly adjust the working mode and working duration of the RF module. For example, during a predicted low-load period, if a large number of data transmission requests are suddenly detected, immediately switch the RF module from the sleep mode to the active mode and adjust the active duration according to actual requirements; if during a high-load period, network activity suddenly decreases, the RF module can be switched from the active mode to the listening mode in advance to save power consumption.

[0115] In one embodiment, the power consumption management based on the Q-Learning algorithm can intelligently adjust the wake-up strategy of the radio frequency module according to the dynamic changes of the network load, thereby effectively reducing the power consumption of the Internet of Things communication device (the energy consumption is reduced by at least 40%). By using historical data and real-time network status for prediction, the prediction accuracy of future network load is improved, making the wake-up strategy more reasonable and efficient. At the same time, the dynamic working mode switching and working duration setting can save energy to the greatest extent, extend the battery life of the device, and improve the overall performance and reliability of the Internet of Things communication device on the premise of ensuring communication requirements.

[0116] In one embodiment, based on the above embodiment, after the step of optimizing the wake-up strategy of the radio frequency module according to the prediction result, it further includes: When the radio frequency module is operating in the active mode, judge whether it is necessary to dynamically switch the working mode of the radio frequency module according to the real-time monitored RSSI value and / or channel occupancy rate.

[0117] In this embodiment, the radio frequency module is equipped with corresponding sensors and monitoring circuits for real-time measurement of the RSSI value and channel occupancy rate. These measurement data will be used as an important basis for judging whether to switch the working mode.

[0118] Optionally, determine a reasonable data collection frequency according to the actual application scenario and the speed of network change. For example, in a scenario where the network status changes rapidly, such as a busy urban Internet of Things environment, it may be necessary to collect the RSSI value and channel occupancy rate once per second; while in a relatively stable rural Internet of Things environment, the collection frequency can be reduced to once every 10 seconds or longer.

[0119] Optionally, when the RSSI value is lower than a certain low threshold, it indicates that the received signal strength is very weak, which may be that the device is far from the signal source or the signal is severely blocked. For example, the low threshold is set to -90dBm.

[0120] Optionally, when the channel occupancy rate is higher than a certain high threshold, it indicates that the channel is very congested and data transmission may be severely affected. For example, the high occupancy rate threshold is set to 80%.

[0121] Optionally, if the real-time monitored RSSI value is lower than the low threshold and lasts for a certain period of time (such as 10 seconds), it means that the current signal is too weak, and continuing to work in the active mode may waste a large amount of energy and cannot effectively transmit data. At this time, the radio frequency module can be switched from the active mode to the listening mode to reduce power consumption.

[0122] Optionally, if the RSSI value is lower than the low threshold for a long time (such as 60 seconds) and no new signal change trend is detected, it indicates that the device may be in an area with extremely poor signal. At this time, the RF module can be switched from the active mode to the sleep mode to further save energy.

[0123] Optionally, when the channel occupancy rate is higher than the high occupancy rate threshold, it indicates that the current channel is very congested and data transmission may experience delays or packet losses. At this time, the RF module is switched from the active mode to the listening mode, and data transmission is carried out after waiting for the channel to be idle to improve the transmission efficiency.

[0124] Optionally, if the channel occupancy rate continues to be higher than the high occupancy rate threshold and shows no downward trend within a certain period of time (such as 30 seconds) and there is no urgent data transmission task, the RF module can be switched to the sleep mode and woken up after the channel condition improves.

[0125] Optionally, the RSSI value and the channel occupancy rate can also be comprehensively considered to determine whether to switch the corresponding working mode: If it is detected in real time that the RSSI value is lower than the low threshold and lasts for a certain period of time (such as 10 seconds), and at the same time the channel occupancy rate is higher than the high threshold, the RF module can be switched from the active mode to the listening mode. Because weak signals will affect the data reception quality at this time, and channel congestion will cause data transmission delays or packet losses. The listening mode can not only reduce power consumption but also continuously monitor the signal and channel conditions.

[0126] If the RSSI value is lower than the low threshold for a long time (such as 60 seconds) and there is no new signal change trend, and at the same time the channel occupancy rate is higher than the high threshold and there is no urgent data transmission task. Then the RF module is switched from the active mode to the sleep mode. In this case, continuing to maintain the active mode can neither effectively transmit data nor will consume a large amount of energy, and the sleep mode can save energy to the greatest extent and wait for the signal and channel conditions to improve.

[0127] In one embodiment, when the RF module is in the active mode, it is determined whether to switch the working mode according to the real-time RSSI value and / or the channel occupancy rate. When it is detected that the signal is weak (low RSSI value) and / or the channel is congested (high channel occupancy rate), the module is timely switched to the listening mode or the sleep mode to avoid continuously operating in the high-energy-consuming active mode under adverse conditions, thereby significantly reducing the overall energy consumption of the device.

[0128] In one embodiment, on the basis of the above embodiment, after the step of optimizing the wake-up strategy of the RF module according to the prediction result, it further includes: When the RF module is operating in the active mode, the PA bias voltage of the feeding network is dynamically adjusted according to the current transmit power requirement.

[0129] In this embodiment, when the radio frequency module is in the active mode, the main control module evaluates the required transmission power based on factors such as the current communication task, signal strength, and communication distance. For example, when transmitting data to a nearby device, the required transmission power is relatively low; while when communicating with a distant device or in an environment with strong interference, a higher transmission power is required.

[0130] The main control module can determine the specific transmission power requirement value through built-in algorithms or preset rules. For example, a correspondence table or mathematical model between the transmission power requirement and the PA bias voltage is established in advance. This correspondence table or model is obtained through a large number of experiments and tests, and can accurately reflect the optimal PA bias voltage required under different transmission powers.

[0131] For example, when the transmission power requirement is P1, the corresponding PA bias voltage is V1; when the transmission power requirement is P2, the corresponding PA bias voltage is V2.

[0132] The main control module looks up the corresponding PA bias voltage value from the correspondence table or model according to the evaluated transmission power requirement. Then, it sends an instruction to the power supply network through the control circuit to adjust the PA bias voltage to the target value. The control circuit can use devices such as digital potentiometers and DACs (digital-to-analog converters) to achieve precise adjustment of the bias voltage.

[0133] After adjusting the PA bias voltage, continuously monitor the transmission power and signal quality of the radio frequency module. The actual transmission power can be measured through a power detection circuit, and indicators such as signal strength and distortion degree can be evaluated through a signal quality detection circuit.

[0134] If there is a deviation between the actual transmission power and the expected requirement or the signal quality does not meet the requirements, the main control module further fine-tunes the PA bias voltage according to the monitoring results until the best transmission effect is achieved.

[0135] The function of dynamically adjusting the PA bias voltage can cooperate with the previously optimized radio frequency module wake-up strategy, that is, after the wake-up strategy makes the radio frequency module enter the active mode, the PA bias voltage is adjusted in a timely manner according to the transmission power requirement to ensure maximum energy savings while meeting the communication requirements.

[0136] In one embodiment, based on the above embodiment, the power consumption management method of the Internet of Things communication device further includes: Optimize the protocol stack of the communication protocol adopted by the main control module in advance to shorten the signaling interaction time, so as to reduce the activation duration of the main control module for the radio frequency module.

[0137] In this embodiment, the protocol stack of the communication protocol is a series of software hierarchical structures for implementing data communication in the Internet of Things communication device, which stipulates processes such as data encapsulation, transmission, and decapsulation. During the actual communication process, various signaling interactions in the protocol stack will occupy a certain amount of time and resources, resulting in an increase in the activation time of the radio frequency module, thereby consuming more energy. By optimizing the protocol stack, removing unnecessary signaling processes, and simplifying data processing steps, the communication efficiency can be improved and the overall signaling interaction time can be reduced.

[0138] Optionally, the specific way to shorten the signaling interaction time can be to shorten the ACK (acknowledgment character) window.

[0139] During communication, ACK is used by the receiver to inform the sender that the data has been successfully received. The ACK window refers to the time range during which the sender waits for the receiver to return the ACK after sending the data. A longer ACK window means that the sender needs to keep the radio frequency module active for a longer time to wait for the ACK signal. By shortening the ACK window, the waiting time of the sender can be reduced, thereby reducing the activation duration of the radio frequency module.

[0140] Optionally, in the design of the protocol stack, adjust the parameter settings of the ACK window. For example, the original ACK window was set to 100 ms, and after optimization, it was shortened to 50 ms.

[0141] There may be some unnecessary signaling interactions in the protocol stack. These signals do not substantially help in the effective transmission of data but will increase the communication time and power consumption. These redundant signals can also be further identified and removed, which can simplify the communication process and improve efficiency.

[0142] Optionally, conduct a detailed analysis of the signals in the protocol stack to find out those signals that can be omitted. For example, some handshake signals can be implemented in a more concise way in specific communication scenarios, or the sending frequency of some periodic status report signals can be appropriately reduced during stable data transmission.

[0143] After shortening the signaling interaction time, the processes of data sending, receiving, and confirmation can be completed faster. The main control module can complete communication with other devices in a shorter time, thereby reducing the activation time of the radio frequency module. For example, the original signaling interaction time for a data transmission was 500 ms, and after optimization, it was shortened to 300 ms, and the activation duration of the radio frequency module was correspondingly reduced by 200 ms.

[0144] Reducing the activation duration of the radio frequency module can reduce power consumption, thereby extending the battery life of the Internet of Things communication device. For some Internet of Things devices powered by batteries, such as sensor nodes and smart bracelets, this optimization can significantly increase the device's usage time and reduce the trouble of frequent battery replacement.

[0145] Due to the shortened signaling interaction time, data can be transmitted between devices faster, and the response speed of the system is improved. In some application scenarios with high real-time requirements, such as industrial automation control and intelligent transportation, data can be acquired and processed in a timely and accurate manner, improving the reliability and performance of the system.

[0146] Optimizing the protocol stack reduces unnecessary signaling interactions, decreases the probability of errors and conflicts during communication, thereby improving the stability of the system. Fewer signaling conflicts and data retransmissions can reduce communication latency and ensure the accurate transmission of data.

[0147] In summary, a power consumption management method for an Internet of Things communication device and an Internet of Things communication device based on a directional antenna provided in the embodiments of the present application. The directional antenna adopts a unique design of an upper-layer artificial magnetic conductor reflector and a lower-layer gradient metamaterial layer, which greatly improves the radiation efficiency, can accurately transmit and receive wireless signals, effectively reduces energy consumption compared with an omnidirectional antenna, and significantly extends the battery life of the device; and in terms of anti-interference performance, it avoids the problems of the omnidirectional antenna being vulnerable to multipath effects and co-frequency interference, greatly improving the signal quality of the Internet of Things communication device; in terms of scenario applicability, the Internet of Things communication device based on the directional antenna can well meet the communication requirements of long-distance and high-penetration scenarios by virtue of the directional transmission method.

[0148] Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments can be completed by instructing relevant hardware through a computer program. The computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above methods. Among them, any reference to a memory, storage, database, or other medium provided in the present application and used in the embodiments can include non-volatile and / or volatile memories. Non-volatile memories can include read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memories can include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in various forms, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), Rambus direct RAM (RDRAM), direct memory bus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and Rambus dynamic RAM (RDRAM), etc.

[0149] It should be noted that in this document, the terms "including", "comprising", or any other variant thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, apparatus, article, or method that includes a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements that are inherent to such process, apparatus, article, or method. Without further limitation, an element defined by the statement "including one..." does not exclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, apparatus, article, or method that includes such element.

[0150] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present application, and do not limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent structural or equivalent process transformation made by using the specification and drawings of the present application, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, shall be equally included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An Internet of Things communication device based on a directional antenna, characterized in that, The Internet of Things communication device includes a main control module and a radio frequency module; the radio frequency module includes a directional antenna and a feeding network, and the directional antenna is electrically connected to the main control module through the feeding network; The directional antenna includes an artificial magnetic conductor reflection surface located on the upper layer and a gradient metamaterial layer located on the lower layer, and the artificial magnetic conductor reflection surface includes metamaterial units arranged in a 5×5 array; In each metamaterial unit, the upper layer is a metamaterial patch covering the 2.4 GHz frequency band, the lower layer is a slot-coupled antenna covering the Sub-1 GHz frequency band, and the central axis of the central aperture of the upper-layer metamaterial patch coincides with the central axis of the central aperture of the lower-layer slot-coupled antenna; The main control module is used to control the radio frequency module to switch between an active mode, a listening mode, and a sleep mode; Among them, in the listening mode, the main control module controls the radio frequency module to operate in a low-power state and periodically wakes up the radio frequency module to check whether there is a signal that needs to be processed; if so, it controls the radio frequency module to switch to the active mode and makes the radio frequency module operate at full power; In the sleep mode, the main control module turns off the radio frequency module and makes the main control chip in the main control module only retain the real-time clock function.

2. The Internet of Things communication device based on a directional antenna according to claim 1, wherein The metamaterial patch is a fractal split-ring resonator.

3. The Internet of Things communication device based on a directional antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The slot-coupled antenna is a nested hexagonal ring.

4. The Internet of Things communication device based on a directional antenna according to claim 1, wherein A duplex filter adapted to the 2.4 GHz frequency band and the Sub-1 GHz frequency band is integrated in the feeding network.

5. The Internet of Things communication device based on a directional antenna according to claim 1, wherein, The directional antenna is electrically connected to the feeding network through a Sub-1 GHz front end, and an SX1262 chip is integrated in the Sub-1 GHz front end, supporting LoRaWAN Class A / B / C.

6. The Internet of Things communication device based on a directional antenna according to claim 1, wherein, An NB-IoT module is also provided in the radio frequency module, so that the main control module controls Quectel BC95 through an SPI interface, so that the radio frequency module is in the PSM / eDRX power-saving mode in the listening mode.

7. A power consumption management method for an Internet of Things communication device, characterized in that, The Internet of Things communication device is the Internet of Things communication device based on a directional antenna according to any one of claims 1-6; The power consumption management method of the Internet of Things communication device includes: Based on the Q-Learning algorithm, predicting the future network load situation according to historical data and the current network state; According to the prediction result, optimizing the wake-up strategy of the radio frequency module; among them, the wake-up strategy includes setting the working mode and working duration of the radio frequency module at different time periods, so that the radio frequency module switches between an active mode, a listening mode, and a sleep mode.

8. The power consumption management method of the Internet of Things communication device according to claim 7, characterized in that, After the step of optimizing the wake-up strategy of the radio frequency module according to the prediction result, it further includes: When the radio frequency module operates in the active mode, judging whether it is necessary to dynamically switch the working mode of the radio frequency module according to the real-time monitored RSSI value and / or channel occupancy rate.

9. The power consumption management method of the Internet of Things communication device according to claim 7, characterized in that, After the step of optimizing the wake-up strategy of the radio frequency module according to the prediction result, it further includes: When the radio frequency module operates in the active mode, dynamically adjusting the PA bias voltage of the feeding network according to the current transmit power requirement.

10. The power consumption management method of the Internet of Things communication device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The power consumption management method of the Internet of Things communication device further includes: Pre-optimizing the protocol stack of the communication protocol adopted by the main control module to shorten the signaling interaction time, so as to reduce the activation duration of the main control module for the radio frequency module.

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