Gateway

Abstract

The invention provides a gateway, and the gateway comprises a first module and a control module, the first module comprises a long-distance wireless LoRa communication module, and the LoRa communication module is used for achieving the communication between the first module and a LoRa node; the control module is used for powering off the first module in a first time period when a first condition is met, the length of the first time period is greater than the discharge time of an energy storage capacitor in the first module, and the discharge time of the energy storage capacitor in the first module is greater than the discharge time of the energy storage capacitor in the first module. The first condition is that the control module does not receive a heartbeat signal sent by the first module to the control module according to a first period in a second time period, the length of the second time period is greater than the startup time of the first module, and the length of the second time period is greater than the length of the first period; and the control module is also used for electrifying the first module after the first time period is ended.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, and particularly to a gateway. Background Art

[0002] A gateway is a network device used to connect different protocols, different architectures, or different types of networks, enabling the transmission, conversion, and communication of data between heterogeneous networks. It is equivalent to a "translator" between networks, solving the problem that different networks cannot communicate directly due to protocol incompatibility, and is the core hub in a complex network architecture. In existing long-range radio (LoRa) Internet of Things systems, gateways are usually deployed in remote areas (such as mountains, farmlands, forests, etc.) to achieve wide-area signal coverage.

[0003] When a gateway experiences a failure such as a crash, and this kind of hanging problem cannot be solved by a soft reset, personnel need to be dispatched to the site to restart the gateway. Due to the remote geographical location, the response time for manual maintenance is long, seriously affecting network availability. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a gateway that can actively restart when it enters a hanging state due to a failure.

[0005] In a first aspect, a gateway is provided, including: a first module and a control module.

[0006] The first module includes a long-range radio (LoRa) communication module, and the LoRa communication module is used to implement communication between the first module and LoRa nodes.

[0007] The control module is configured to power off the first module within a first time period when a first condition is met, where the length of the first time period is greater than the discharge time of the energy storage capacitor in the first module, the first condition is that the control module does not receive a heartbeat signal sent by the first module to the control module according to a first period within a second time period greater than the startup time of the first module, and the length of the second time period is greater than the length of the first period.

[0008] The control module is further configured to power on the first module after the end of the first time period.

[0009] In the above solution, when the gateway fails and hangs, the first module will stop sending heartbeat signals to the control module. When the control module does not receive the heartbeat signals sent by the first module within the second time period, it will cut off the power supply to the first module within the first time period. Moreover, the length of the first time period is greater than the discharge time of the energy storage capacitor in the first module, so as to avoid the situation that the entire first module is not actually completely powered off, and the first module cannot be successfully restarted. In addition, since the restart time of the first module is relatively long, the length of the second time period must be greater than the startup time of the first module. Otherwise, it will cause continuous shutdown and the first module cannot be restarted.

[0010] In some possible designs, the gateway further includes a logic device and a switch. Among them, the output end of the control module is connected to the first input end of the logic device, the second input end of the logic device is connected to the power input end, the output end of the logic device is connected to the control end of the switch, the input end of the switch is connected to the power input end, the output end of the switch is connected to the power output end, the power output end is connected to the input end of the first module, and the communication end of the control module is connected to the communication end of the first module;

[0011] The control module is configured to send a first control signal to the logic device through the output end of the control module within the first time period when the first condition is met;

[0012] The logic device is configured to output a first level to the control end of the switch through the output end of the logic device when receiving the first control signal;

[0013] The switch is configured to open the circuit between the power input end and the power output end when receiving the first level, so as to cut off the power supply to the first module;

[0014] The control module is configured to send a second control signal to the logic device through the output end of the control module after the first time period ends;

[0015] The logic device is configured to output a second level to the control end of the switch through the output end of the logic device when receiving the second control signal;

[0016] The switch is configured to conduct the circuit between the power input end and the power output end when receiving the second level, so as to power on the first module.

[0017] In some possible designs, the logic device is an exclusive OR gate, the first control signal is a low level, the first level is a high level, the second control signal is a high level, and the second level is a low level.

[0018] In some possible designs, the control module is further configured to power off the first module within a third time period when receiving a long-term shutdown instruction sent by the first module.

[0019] The control module is further configured to power on the first module after the end of the third time period, where the third time period is greater than the first time period.

[0020] In the above solution, the user can set a long-term shutdown instruction according to their own needs, instructing the first module to shut down at any required time.

[0021] In some possible designs, the order of magnitude of the first time period is minutes, and the order of magnitude of the third time period is months.

[0022] In the above solution, in some special scenarios, the first module can be shut down for a long time. For example, in the agricultural monitoring scenario, there is no need to collect temperature and humidity data in winter, but the gateway still consumes power continuously, resulting in energy waste. Therefore, the first module can be shut down for a long time to save energy.

[0023] In some possible designs, the long-term shutdown instruction is received by the first module from the server.

[0024] In some possible designs, the long-term shutdown instruction is generated by the first module.

[0025] In some possible designs, the first module further includes one or more of a processor module and a Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication module, and the energy storage capacitor is connected to one or more of the LoRa communication module, the processor module, and the LTE communication module.

[0026] In some possible designs, the power input terminal is used to input the output voltage of the photovoltaic module.

[0027] In some possible designs, the first module is configured to stop sending a heartbeat signal to the control module when the output voltage of the photovoltaic module is less than a voltage threshold.

[0028] In the above solution, the gateway is usually deployed in remote areas (such as mountains, farmlands, forests, etc.), so it often relies on photovoltaic modules for power supply. However, in high-latitude or winter scenarios, the sunshine time is short and the radiation intensity is weak, resulting in the energy output by the photovoltaic module being unable to meet the power consumption requirements for the continuous operation of the gateway, thus causing faults such as the gateway crashing. Therefore, it is necessary for the first module to stop sending a heartbeat signal to the control module when the output voltage of the photovoltaic module is less than the voltage threshold, thereby triggering the first module to restart. Description of the Drawings

[0029] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a LoRa system involved in this application;

[0030] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of a gateway provided by this application;

[0031] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of a gateway powered by a photovoltaic module provided by this application;

[0032] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of another gateway powered by a photovoltaic module provided by this application. Detailed implementation manners

[0033] Refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 which is a schematic structural diagram of a LoRa system provided by this application. As Figure 1 shown, the LoRa system includes a plurality of LoRa nodes 110 and a gateway 120.

[0034] The LoRa node 110 is a terminal device in the LoRa system, responsible for collecting data or executing instructions, and is connected to the gateway 120 through LoRa wireless communication technology. The LoRa node 110 is usually deployed at the network edge and directly interacts with the physical world. The LoRa node 110 may include a LoRa transmission module, a processor, a sensor / actuator, a power manager, and so on.

[0035] The LoRa transmission module is used to achieve long-distance and low-power data transmission based on the spread-spectrum communication technology (Chirp Spread Spectrum, CSS). Since the environment where LoRa is applied is usually relatively complex, spread-spectrum technology can be used for modulation. Because the signal modulated by spread-spectrum technology can achieve reliable communication at a lower signal power, it reduces the power consumption at the transmitting end and extends the battery life of the terminal device. Spread-spectrum technology enables the signal to travel a longer distance at a lower power level, which is very important for Internet of Things applications that require long-distance communication and have requirements for power consumption. Spread-spectrum technology enables the signal to better penetrate buildings, obstacles, etc., and is suitable for various complex environments. Spread-spectrum technology makes the signal spectrum wider, has a strong resistance to narrowband interference, and can maintain good communication quality in a complex electromagnetic environment. Although a single signal occupies a wider spectrum, signals with multiple different spread-spectrum codes can coexist in the same frequency band, thus improving the spectrum utilization rate to a certain extent. The LoRa transmission module usually consists of two parts: a transmitter and a receiver, and can communicate bidirectionally. When sending data, the LoRa transmission module converts the digital signal into a unique chirp spread-spectrum signal of LoRa and transmits it into the air through the antenna. When receiving data, the LoRa transmission module captures the wireless signal from the antenna, demodulates it into a digital signal, and then transmits it to the processor of the LoRa node.

[0036] The processor can be a microprocessor or a microcontroller unit (MCU), and can be a common LoRa transceiver chip. The controller executes control algorithms and logic, and coordinates the power manager, sensors, storage modules, and LoRa transmission modules to work. Or, the processor can include one or more processor cores. In one implementation, the processor can be a multi-core chip, that is, a chip containing multiple processing cores. In another implementation, the processor can include one or more processor cores. For example, it can be a chip with one processing core.

[0037] The power manager is responsible for managing the power supply of the LoRa node 110 and providing working current for the processor, sensors, LoRa transmission module, etc. The power manager can convert the input power (such as battery, mains power, etc.) into the voltage levels required by different modules, and can also manage the battery, such as battery charging control, power monitoring, and low-power protection, etc. The power manager can real-time monitor parameters such as the voltage, current, and power of the power supply to ensure the stability and safety of the power supply. The power manager can also reduce the power consumption of the system, extend the battery life or improve the power efficiency through energy-saving modes and power management strategies. The power manager can also be a battery, rechargeable or non-rechargeable.

[0038] Sensors are used to sense and measure various parameters in the physical world and convert them into electrical signals. For example, they collect temperature, humidity, pressure, light, position, speed, etc. in the physical world. Therefore, sensors can be temperature sensors (such as thermistors, thermocouples), humidity sensors (capacitive, resistive), pressure sensors (strain gauge, piezoelectric), position sensors (potentiometer type, photoelectric, inductive, magnetoresistive, capacitive), speed sensors (optical encoders, Hall effect speed sensors, Doppler radar speed sensors, vibration type speed sensors), optical sensors (photodiodes, cameras), etc.

[0039] It can be understood that the above LoRa node 110 is only a specific example. In actual applications, it may also include more or fewer modules, or replace some of the modules, which is not specifically limited here.

[0040] As Figure 2 shown, the gateway 120 is the core hub of the LoRa system, used to implement protocol conversion and manage the LoRa node 110. The gateway 120 may include a first module 121 and a control module 122.

[0041] The first module 121 includes a LoRa communication module 1211, and may also include one or more of a processor module 1212 and a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) communication module 1213, etc. In addition, the first module 121 further includes an energy storage capacitor 1214. Among them, the energy storage capacitor 1214 is connected to one or more of the LoRa communication module 1211, the processor module 1212, and the LTE communication module 1213.

[0042] The LoRa communication module 1211 is basically similar to the LoRa transmission module in the above-mentioned LoRa node 110, and will not be elaborated here. The LoRa communication module is used to realize the communication between the first module and the LoRa node.

[0043] The processor module 1212 can have various specific implementation forms. For example, the processor module 1212 can be a microprocessor or a microcontroller unit (MCU). The processor module 1212 can include one or a combination of a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor unit (MPU), a neural-network processing unit (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), or a data processing unit (DPU), etc. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations. The processor module 1212 can also be a single-core processor or a multi-core processor. The processor module 1212 can be a combination of a CPU and a hardware chip. The above-mentioned hardware chip can be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The above-mentioned PLD can be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof. The processor module 1212 can also be implemented by a logic device with built-in processing logic alone, such as an FPGA or a digital signal processor (DSP), etc.

[0044] The LTE communication module 1213 supports communication protocols compliant with the LTE standard and can access cellular networks (such as 3G, 4G, 5G, and 6G networks) to achieve wide-area wireless networking. The LTE communication module 1213 divides spectrum resources through Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and Single-Carrier Frequency-Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) technologies, improves the rate using Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) multi-antenna technology, ensures data reliability with the aid of the Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) mechanism, and supports mobility management functions such as cell reselection and base station handover.

[0045] It can be understood that the above first module 121 is merely a specific example. In actual applications, there may be more or fewer modules, or some of the modules may be replaced. No specific limitation is provided here.

[0046] The control module 122 can be one or more of a Microcontroller Unit (MCU), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a Programmable Logic Device (PLD), a System on a Chip (SoC), an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), and so on.

[0047] The energy storage capacitor 1214 (Energy Storage Capacitor) can be, for example, a supercapacitor (Supercapacitor / Ultracapacitor), an electrolytic capacitor (Electrolytic Capacitor), and so on.

[0048] Optionally, the control module is usually smaller than the first module. For example, the physical size of the control module is smaller than that of the first module, and the function of the control module is simpler than that of the first module. Therefore, the number of components on the control module is usually less than that on the first module. The energy consumption of the control module is usually less than that of the first module.

[0049] Optionally, as Figure 3As shown, the gateway can be powered by the photovoltaic module 130 and the battery 140. Among them, the photovoltaic module, also known as the solar panel, is used to convert solar energy into direct current using the photovoltaic effect. The photovoltaic module includes one or more of monocrystalline silicon photovoltaic modules, polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic modules, thin-film photovoltaic modules, concentrating photovoltaic modules, and so on. The battery is used to store excess electrical energy and plays the role of a "power bank". When the photovoltaic module 130 generates electricity, the electrical energy is stored; when the power generation of the photovoltaic module is insufficient or the power demand is high, the stored electrical energy is released to ensure the stability and continuity of power supply. Among them, the battery can be one or more of a lead-acid battery energy storage device, a lithium-ion battery energy storage device, a sodium-sulfur battery energy storage device, a supercapacitor energy storage device, a superconducting energy storage device, and so on. The energy storage device usually includes a battery cluster, a PCS, and an EMS. In an actual operation scenario, the EMS real-time collects the operating state parameters of the battery cluster and the PCS, including the battery cluster power, voltage, and the real-time power of the PCS, etc. The EMS then issues control commands for controlling the operating state of the battery cluster and the PCS according to the above operating state parameters and user instructions. When the EMS collects the operating state parameters and issues control commands, its communication depends on the communication channels (or communication connections) between the battery cluster, the PCS, and the EMS.

[0050] Next, it is assumed that the gateway is powered by a photovoltaic module plus a battery to introduce in detail the principle of the control module in the gateway 120 to restart the first module.

[0051] See Figure 3 , Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a gateway powered by a photovoltaic module provided by the present application. As Figure 3 shown, the gateway powered by a photovoltaic module in this embodiment includes a gateway 120, a photovoltaic module 130, and a battery 140. The gateway 120 includes a first module 121 and a control module 122.

[0052] When the battery has sufficient power, the photovoltaic module 130 generates enough voltage to power the gateway. Therefore, both the first module 121 and the control module 122 can work normally. The first module 121 sends a heartbeat signal to the control module 122 according to the first period. Among them, the first period can be set by the user according to needs. For example, the order of magnitude of the first period can be several milliseconds, dozens of milliseconds, hundreds of milliseconds, several seconds, dozens of seconds, and so on. When the control module 122 receives the heartbeat signal sent by the first module 121, it triggers the timer 1 in the first module 121 to restart timing.

[0053] When the battery runs out of power and sunlight is insufficient, the photovoltaic module 130 cannot generate enough voltage to power the gateway. Therefore, both the first module 121 and the control module 122 will shut down, or the first module 121 cannot work properly, but the control module 122 can work. Here, taking the case where both the first module 121 and the control module 122 shut down as an example, after the voltage is restored, the control module 122 is restarted first. However, since the first module 121 has an energy storage capacitor, the first module 121 cannot be restarted until the power in the energy storage capacitor is not completely discharged. Therefore, in order to ensure that the first module can be restarted normally, the control module 122 must force the first module 121 to shut down, and the length of the first shutdown period must be greater than the discharge time of the energy storage capacitor to ensure that the power in the energy storage capacitor is completely discharged. After the discharge is complete, the control module 122 powers on the first module 121 to restart the first module 121.

[0054] The control module 122 forces the first module 121 to shut down, and then, the restart can be carried out in the following way: after the control module 122 is restarted and before the first module 121 is restarted, the first module 121 cannot send a heartbeat signal to the control module 122. The timer 1 in the control module 122 will keep timing when it does not receive the heartbeat signal sent by the first module 121. When the timing duration of the timer 1 is greater than the length of the second period, the control module 122 cuts off the power of the first module 121 within the first period through a control signal. Among them, the length of the second period is greater than the startup time of the first module 121, and the length of the second period is greater than the length of the first cycle. Here, if the length of the second period is less than the startup time of the first module or less than the length of the first cycle, it will cause the control module to never receive the heartbeat signal, resulting in the control module 122 forcing the first module 121 to shut down all the time, leading to the failure of restarting the first module 121.

[0055] The control module 122 starts the timer 2 at the same time when sending the control signal. Until the timing duration of the timer 2 is greater than the first period, it is estimated that the energy storage capacitor is completely discharged, and the control module 122 powers on the first module 121 to restart the first module 121.

[0056] It can be understood that the above gateway 120 is only a specific example. In actual applications, it may also include more or fewer modules, or replace some of the modules, which is not specifically limited here.

[0057] It is assumed below that the gateway is powered by a photovoltaic module. Taking the gateway also including a logic device and a switch as an example, the principle of the control module in the gateway 120 for restarting the first module will be introduced in detail.

[0058] See Figure 4 , Figure 4 which is a schematic structural diagram of another gateway powered by a photovoltaic module provided by this application. As Figure 4 shown, the gateway powered by a photovoltaic module in this embodiment includes a gateway 120, a photovoltaic module 130, and a battery 140.

[0059] The gateway 120 includes a first module 121, a control module 122, a logic device 123, and a switch 124. Among them, the output end of the control module 122 is connected to the first input end of the logic device 123, the second input end of the logic device 123 is connected to the input end of the photovoltaic module 130, the output end of the logic device 123 is connected to the control end of the switch 124, the input end of the switch 124 is connected to the input end of the photovoltaic module, the output end of the switch 124 is connected to the output end of the photovoltaic module 130, the output end of the photovoltaic module 130 is connected to the input end of the first module 121, and the communication end of the control module 122 is connected to the communication end of the first module 121.

[0060] For the introduction of the first module 121 and the control module 122, please refer to Figure 3 and related descriptions, which will not be repeated here.

[0061] Logic Gates are basic elements of digital circuits and are used to implement Boolean logic operations. They perform specific logical operations on input signals (high level / low level, usually represented by 1 / 0) to generate output signals. Here, when the first input of the logic device 123 is high level and the second input is high level, the output of the logic device is low level, and when the first input is high level and the second input is low level, the output of the logic device is high level. For example, the logic device can be an exclusive - OR gate or an exclusive - NOR gate, or an exclusive - NOR gate + NOT gate, etc. In practical applications, the function of the above - mentioned exclusive - OR gate can also be realized through the combination of two or more of AND gates, OR gates, NOT gates, NAND gates, NOR gates, etc. No specific limitation is made here.

[0062] The switch 124 is a device that controls the on / off of a circuit by utilizing the characteristics of electronic components. For example, the switch 124 can be one or a combination of a bipolar junction transistor (BJT), a field-effect transistor (FET), a metal-oxide-semiconductor FET (MOSFET), an insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), a thyristor, a silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR), a triode for alternating current (TRIAC), etc.

[0063] When the battery has sufficient power, the photovoltaic module 130 generates enough voltage to supply power to the gateway. Therefore, both the first module 121 and the control module 122 can operate normally. The first module 121 sends a heartbeat signal to the control module 122 at the first period through the communication terminal of the first module 121. Among them, the first period can be set by the user according to needs. For example, the order of magnitude of the first period can be in the order of milliseconds, tens of milliseconds, hundreds of milliseconds, seconds, tens of seconds, etc. When the control module 122 receives the heartbeat signal sent by the first module 121, it triggers the timer 1 in the first module 121 to restart timing.

[0064] When the battery runs out of power and the sunlight is insufficient, the photovoltaic module 130 cannot generate enough voltage to supply power to the gateway. Therefore, both the first module 121 and the control module 122 will shut down, or the first module 121 cannot work properly, but the control module 122 can work. Here, taking the case where both the first module 121 and the control module 122 shut down as an example, after the voltage recovers, the control module 122 is restarted first. However, since the first module 121 has an energy storage capacitor, the first module 121 cannot be restarted until the power in the energy storage capacitor is not completely discharged. Therefore, in order to ensure that the first module can be restarted normally, the control module 122 must force the first module 121 to shut down, and the length of the first shutdown period must be greater than the discharge time of the energy storage capacitor to ensure that the power in the energy storage capacitor is completely discharged. After the discharge is complete, the control module 122 powers on the first module 121 to restart the first module 121.

[0065] The control module 122 forces the first module 121 to shut down, and then, the restart can be carried out in the following way: after the control module 122 has restarted and before the first module 121 has restarted, the first module 121 cannot send a heartbeat signal to the control module 122 through the control terminal of the first module 121. When the timer 1 in the control module 122 does not receive the heartbeat signal sent by the first module 121, it will keep timing. When the timing duration of the timer 1 is greater than the length of the second time period, the control module 122 sends a first control signal to the first input terminal of the logic device 123 through the output terminal. When the logic device 123 receives the first control signal, it outputs a first level to the control terminal of the switch 124 through the output terminal of the logic device 123. When the switch 124 receives the first level, it opens the input terminal of the photovoltaic module and the power output terminal of the photovoltaic module, thereby cutting off the power supply to the first module 121. Among them, the length of the second time period is greater than the startup time of the first module 121, and the length of the second time period is greater than the length of the first cycle. Here, if the length of the second time period is less than the startup time of the first module or less than the length of the first cycle, it will cause the control module to not receive the heartbeat signal all the time, resulting in the control module 122 forcing the first module 121 to shut down all the time, leading to the failure of restarting the first module 121.

[0066] When the control module 122 issues the first control signal, it starts the timer 2. Until the timing duration of the timer 2 is greater than the first time period, it is estimated that the energy storage capacitor is completely discharged. The control module 122 sends a second control signal to the logic device 123 through the output terminal of the control module 122. When the logic device 123 receives the second control signal, it outputs a second level to the control terminal of the switch 124 through the output terminal of the logic device 123. When the switch 124 receives the second level, it conducts the input terminal of the photovoltaic module 130 and the output terminal of the photovoltaic module 130, thereby energizing the first module 121 and restarting the first module 121.

[0067] Here, the logic device 123 and the switch 124 correspond to each other. When the logic device 123 is an exclusive - OR gate and the switch 124 is turned on by a low level, the first control signal is a low level, the first level is a high level, the second control signal is a high level, and the second level is a low level. When the switch device is turned on by a high level, the logic device 123 can be a coincidence gate. At this time, the first control signal is a low level, the first level is a low level, the second control signal is a high level, and the second level is a high level. Next, the specific implementation process of the control module 122 forcing the first module 121 to shut down and then restarting will be introduced in detail under these two methods.

[0068] In the first method, when the logic device 123 is an exclusive-OR gate and the switch 124 is turned on when the input is low, if the first control signal is low, the first level is high, the second control signal is high, and the second level is low, the control module 122 forces the first module 121 to shut down. Then, the restart can be performed in the following way:

[0069] After the control module 122 has completed restarting and before the first module 121 has restarted, the first module 121 cannot send a heartbeat signal to the control module 122 through the control terminal of the first module 121. When the timer 1 in the control module 122 does not receive the heartbeat signal sent by the first module 121, it will keep timing. When the timing duration of the timer 1 is greater than the length of the second time period, the control module 122 inputs a low level to the first input terminal of the logic device 123, and the input terminal of the photovoltaic module inputs a high level to the second input terminal of the logic device 123. Therefore, the output terminal of the logic device 123 will output a high level. Since the switch 124 is turned on when the input is low and turned off when the input is high, when the switch 124 receives a high level, it opens the input terminal and the power output terminal of the photovoltaic module, thereby cutting off the power supply to the first module 121.

[0070] When the control module 122 issues a high level, it starts the timer 2. Until the timing duration of the timer 2 is greater than the first time period, it is estimated that the energy storage capacitor is completely discharged. Then, the control module 122 sends a high level to the first input terminal of the logic device 123 through the output terminal of the control module 122. When the logic device 123 receives a high level at the first input terminal and a high level at the second input terminal, the logic device 123 outputs a low level to the control terminal of the switch 124 through the output terminal of the logic device 123. Since the switching device is turned on when the input is low and turned off when the input is high, when the switch 124 receives a low level, it conducts the input terminal and the output terminal of the photovoltaic module 130, supplies power to the first module 121, and thus restarts the first module 121.

[0071] In the second method, when the switching device is turned on when the input is high, the logic device 123 can be an exclusive-NOR gate. At this time, if the first control signal is low, the first level is low, the second control signal is high, and the second level is high, the control module 122 forces the first module 121 to shut down. Then, the restart can be performed in the following way:

[0072] After the control module 122 has finished restarting and before the first module 121 has restarted, the first module 121 cannot send a heartbeat signal to the control module 122 through the control terminal of the first module 121. When the timer 1 in the control module 122 does not receive the heartbeat signal sent by the first module 121, it will keep timing. When the timing duration of the timer 1 is greater than the length of the second time period, the control module 122 inputs a low level to the first input terminal of the logic device 123, and the input terminal of the photovoltaic module inputs a high level to the second input terminal of the logic device 123. Therefore, the output terminal of the logic device 123 will output a low level. And, the switch 124 is turned on by a high level and cut off by a low level. Therefore, when the switch 124 receives a low level, it opens the input terminal of the photovoltaic module and the power output terminal of the photovoltaic module, thereby powering off the first module 121.

[0073] When the control module 122 sends out a low level, it starts the timer 2. Until the timing duration of the timer 2 is greater than the first time period, it is estimated that the energy storage capacitor has completely discharged. The control module 122 sends a high level to the first input terminal of the logic device 123 through the output terminal of the control module 122. When the first input terminal of the logic device 123 receives a high level and the second input terminal of the logic device 123 receives a high level, the logic device 123 outputs a high level to the control terminal of the switch 124 through the output terminal of the logic device 123. Since the switching device is turned on by a high level and cut off by a low level, when the switch 124 receives a high level, it conducts the input terminal and the output terminal of the photovoltaic module 130, powers on the first module 121, and thereby restarts the first module 121.

[0074] It can be understood that the above two methods are only specific examples. In actual applications, there may be other implementation methods, which are not specifically limited here.

[0075] In addition to being able to forcibly shut down the first module within the first time period and then restart it when the gateway fails, the user can also forcibly shut down the first module for a long time (the specific time can be set as needed).

[0076] When the control module 122 receives the long-term shutdown instruction sent by the first module 121, it powers off the first module 121 within the third time period and powers on the first module 121 after the end of the third time period. Here, the long-term shutdown instruction can be received from a server or generated by the first module. The long-term shutdown instruction may or may not include the shutdown time. When the long-term shutdown instruction includes the shutdown time, the third time period can be set as the shutdown time. When the long-term shutdown instruction does not include the shutdown time, a preset shutdown time can be set in the control module 122 and the third time period can be set as the preset shutdown time. Here, the duration of the third time period is greater than the duration of the first time period. For example, the order of magnitude of the first time period is in minutes and the order of magnitude of the third time period is in months. Of course, in addition to setting it in units of months, the duration of the third time period can be set as needed. For example, the duration of the third time period can be set in units of hours or days, and no specific limitation is made here.

[0077] In the above embodiments, they can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, they wholly or partly generate the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present invention. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one network site, computer, server, or data center to another network site, computer, server, or data center in a wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line) or wireless (such as infrared, microwave, etc.) manner. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer, or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (such as a floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, etc.), an optical medium (such as a DVD, etc.), or a semiconductor medium (such as a solid-state drive), etc. In the above embodiments, the descriptions of the various embodiments have their own focuses. For parts not detailed in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

Claims

1. A gateway, characterized in that, Comprising: A first module and a control module, The first module includes a long-distance wireless LoRa communication module, and the LoRa communication module is used to implement communication between the first module and the LoRa node; The control module is used to power off the first module within a first time period when a first condition is met, wherein the length of the first time period is greater than the discharge time of the energy storage capacitor in the first module, and the first condition is that the control module does not receive a heartbeat signal sent by the first module to the control module according to a first period within a second time period greater than the startup time of the first module, and the length of the second time period is greater than the length of the first period; The control module is further used to power on the first module after the end of the first time period.

2. The gateway according to claim 1, characterized in that The gateway further includes a logic device and a switch, wherein the output end of the control module is connected to the first input end of the logic device, the second input end of the logic device is connected to the power input end, the output end of the logic device is connected to the control end of the switch, the input end of the switch is connected to the power input end, the output end of the switch is connected to the power output end, the power output end is connected to the input end of the first module, and the communication end of the control module is connected to the communication end of the first module; The control module is used to send a first control signal to the logic device through the output end of the control module within the first time period when the first condition is met; The logic device is used to output a first level to the control end of the switch through the output end of the logic device when receiving the first control signal; The switch is used to open the circuit between the power input end and the power output end when receiving the first level, so as to power off the first module; The control module is used to send a second control signal to the logic device through the output end of the control module after the end of the first time period; The logic device is used to output a second level to the control end of the switch through the output end of the logic device when receiving the second control signal; The switch is used to conduct the power input end and the power output end when receiving the second level, so as to power on the first module.

3. The gateway according to claim 2, wherein The logic device is an exclusive-OR gate, the first control signal is a low level, the first level is a high level, the second control signal is a high level, and the second level is a low level.

4. The gateway according to claim 1, wherein The control module is further used to power off the first module within a third time period when receiving a long-term shutdown instruction sent by the first module; The control module is further used to power on the first module after the end of the third time period, wherein the third time period is greater than the first time period.

5. The gateway according to claim 4, characterized in that, The order of magnitude of the first time period is minutes, and the order of magnitude of the third time period is months.

6. The gateway according to claim 4, characterized in that The long-term shutdown instruction is received by the first module from the server.

7. The gateway according to claim 4, characterized in that, The long-term shutdown instruction is generated by the first module.

8. The gateway according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The first module further includes one or more of a processor module and a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) communication module, and the energy storage capacitor is connected to one or more of the LoRa communication module, the processor module, and the LTE communication module.

9. The gateway according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The power input terminal is used to input the output voltage of the photovoltaic module.

10. The gateway according to claim 9, characterized in that, The first module is used to stop sending heartbeat signals to the control module when the output voltage of the photovoltaic module is less than the voltage threshold.

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