Communication control method and electronic equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a communication control method and electronic equipment, and relates to the technical field of communication. In view of the problem of poor communication performance of electronic tags under traditional high-density deployment, the communication control method provided by the invention comprises the following steps: sending a discovery message based on a first broadcast interval, and monitoring a scanning request message sent by equipment according to the discovery message; the scanning request message comprises equipment address information; matching an identifier in the equipment address information with a preset reference identifier, and determining a current working mode based on a matching result; adjusting the first broadcast interval to a second broadcast interval based on the current working mode, and sending the discovery message at the second broadcast interval, wherein the discovery message sent at the second broadcast interval is used for establishing communication connection with the equipment. According to the embodiment of the invention, the communication performance of the electronic tags deployed in a high-density manner can be improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of communication, in particular to a communication control method and an electronic device. BACKGROUND

[0002] In a large retail application scenario, an electronic shelf label (ESL) usually realizes wireless communication based on a Bluetooth communication protocol, and can centrally manage thousands of electronic tags through a gateway or debug and maintain a single electronic tag through a mobile phone application.

[0003] In a large-scale deployment scenario, batch electronic tags simultaneously perform intensive and frequent broadcasting, which produces serious wireless interference; and setting a longer broadcast interval reduces interference, but makes it difficult to quickly discover and connect the device; resulting in poor communication performance of the electronic tags under high-density deployment. SUMMARY

[0004] According to various embodiments of the present application, a communication control method and an electronic device are provided; the communication performance of the electronic tags under high-density deployment can be improved.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication control method applied to an electronic tag, the method comprising: sending a discovery packet based on a first broadcast interval, and listening to a scanning request packet sent by a device according to the discovery packet; the scanning request packet comprises device address information; matching an identifier in the device address information with a preset reference identifier, and determining a current working mode based on a matching result; adjusting the first broadcast interval to a second broadcast interval based on the current working mode, and sending a discovery packet at the second broadcast interval; wherein the discovery packet sent at the second broadcast interval is used to establish a communication connection with the device.

[0006] By the above manner, the device type around is quickly and accurately identified through sending the discovery packet based on the first broadcast interval and listening to the scanning request packet containing the device address information fed back by the device, and the working mode to be entered is determined, so that the working mode can be adaptively and flexibly adjusted according to the actual device to be connected, and the overall communication performance is improved; and the electronic tag receiving the scanning request packet adjusts the broadcast interval for the corresponding working mode, and sends the discovery packet at the new broadcast interval, so that the electronic tag can be discovered in time, signal conflict and resource waste caused by frequent broadcasting under high-density deployment are avoided, and the communication stability and efficiency of the electronic tag under batch deployment are improved; and the discovery packet is sent at the adjusted second broadcast interval, and the communication connection with the device is established, targeted communication is realized, so that the reliable connection with the device can be more quickly and stably established, the delay and error in the connection process are reduced, and the communication performance and reliability of the entire batch deployment system are improved; and the electronic tag has strong usability and practicality.

[0007] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the working mode includes a gateway mode and a mobile phone mode; and the matching of the identifier in the device address information with the preset reference identifier and the determination of the current working mode based on the matching result include: In a case where the matching result of the identifier in the device address information with the preset reference identifier is successful, the current working mode is determined as the gateway mode. In a case where the matching result of the identifier in the device address information with the preset reference identifier is unsuccessful, the current working mode is determined as the mobile phone mode.

[0008] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the device address information includes a fast connection flag; and in a case where the current working mode is the gateway mode, the method further includes: In a case where the fast connection flag is valid, the time length of the second broadcast interval is less than the time length of the first broadcast interval. In a case where the fast connection flag is invalid, the time length of the second broadcast interval is greater than the time length of the first broadcast interval.

[0009] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a case where the current working mode is the gateway mode and the fast connection flag is invalid, the method further includes: starting a private protocol channel, and listening to the wake-up instruction of the device based on the private protocol channel; Correspondingly, in a case where the wake-up instruction is received, the method further includes: adjust the second broadcast interval to a third broadcast interval, and send the discovery packet at the third broadcast interval; wherein a length of the third broadcast interval is shorter than a length of the second broadcast interval; and the discovery packet sent at the third broadcast interval is used to establish a communication connection with the device.

[0010] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, when the current working mode is the phone mode, the method further includes: stopping listening to the private protocol channel, and listening to a connection request of the device based on a standard protocol channel; wherein the length of the second broadcast interval is shorter than the length of the first broadcast interval.

[0011] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, when the current working mode is the gateway mode, the method further includes: after sending the discovery packet at the third broadcast interval for a preset length of time, restoring the third broadcast interval to the first broadcast interval; wherein the length of the third broadcast interval is shorter than the length of the first broadcast interval.

[0012] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: after adjusting the broadcast interval based on the current working mode, receiving a connection request sent by the device, and establishing a communication connection with the device; based on the communication connection, receiving a refresh instruction sent by the device; executing the refresh instruction to refresh the displayed content.

[0013] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the device address information includes the identifier and a fast connection flag; the identifier is used to indicate the working mode, and the fast connection flag is used to indicate a broadcast interval of sending a discovery packet.

[0014] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication control method applied to a gateway device, the method including: in response to a batch update instruction issued by a platform, when a discovery packet sent by an electronic tag at a first broadcast interval is received, sending a scanning request packet to the electronic tag; the scanning request packet includes device address information of the gateway device; the scanning request packet is used to instruct the electronic tag to determine a working mode and adjust the first broadcast interval to a second broadcast interval to send the discovery packet; receiving a discovery packet sent by an electronic tag with the working mode being a gateway mode at a second broadcast interval; based on the discovery packet, sending a connection request to the electronic tag, and establishing a communication connection with the electronic tag; The device address information includes an identifier of the gateway device and a fast connection flag bit. The identifier is used to indicate a working mode of the electronic tag, and the fast connection flag bit is used to indicate that the electronic tag adjusts a broadcast interval for sending a discovery packet.

[0015] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, after sending the scan request packet, the method further includes: when the fast connection flag bit is invalid, sending a wake-up instruction to the electronic tag based on a private protocol channel; when the fast connection flag bit is valid, sending a connection request to the electronic tag after receiving the discovery packet.

[0016] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, after establishing the communication connection with the electronic tag, the method further includes: based on the communication connection, sending a refresh instruction to the electronic tag, the refresh instruction being used to instruct the electronic tag to refresh displayed content; the refresh instruction is generated based on the batch update instruction.

[0017] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication control apparatus, including: a first sending unit configured to send a discovery packet based on a first broadcast interval; a first receiving unit configured to listen to a scan request packet sent by a device according to the discovery packet; the scan request packet includes device address information; a processing unit configured to match an identifier in the device address information with a preset reference identifier, and determine a current working mode based on a matching result; The first sending unit is further configured to adjust the first broadcast interval to a second broadcast interval based on the current working mode, and send the discovery packet at the second broadcast interval. The discovery packet sent at the second broadcast interval is used to establish a communication connection with the device.

[0018] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication control apparatus, including: a second sending unit configured to, in response to a batch update instruction issued by a platform, send a scan request packet to an electronic tag when receiving a discovery packet sent by the electronic tag at a first broadcast interval; the scan request packet includes device address information of the gateway device; the scan request packet is used to instruct the electronic tag to determine a working mode and adjust the first broadcast interval to a second broadcast interval for sending the discovery packet; The second receiving unit is configured to receive a discovery packet sent by the electronic tag in the gateway mode at a second broadcast interval. The second sending unit is further configured to send a connection request to the electronic tag and establish a communication connection with the electronic tag. The device address information includes an identifier of the gateway device and a fast connection flag bit; the identifier is used to indicate the working mode of the electronic tag, and the fast connection flag bit is used to indicate that the electronic tag adjusts the first broadcast interval to the second broadcast interval.

[0019] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides an electronic device, comprising a memory and a processor, the memory stores a computer program, and the processor implements the method in any one of the first aspect or the second aspect when executing the computer program.

[0020] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, and the computer program is executed by a processor to implement the method in any one of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0021] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which, when running on a device, causes the device to execute the method in any one of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0022] It can be understood that the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned second aspect to seventh aspect can be referred to the related description in the first aspect, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or prior art description. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can also be obtained without creative labor.

[0024] Figure 1 The system architecture schematic diagram of the application scenario provided by the embodiments of the present application; Figure 2 The implementation flowchart of the communication control method provided by the embodiments of the present application; Figure 3 The electronic tag and gateway device interaction flowchart provided by the embodiments of the present application; Figure 4 The electronic tag and mobile phone interaction flowchart provided by the embodiments of the present application; Figure 5 The implementation flowchart of the communication control method provided by the embodiments of the present application; Figure 6 A structure schematic diagram of a communication control device provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in the following table. Figure 7 A structure schematic diagram of a communication control device provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in the following table. Figure 8 A structure schematic diagram of an electronic device provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in the following table. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The embodiments of the technical solutions of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, and therefore only serve as examples, and cannot limit the protection scope of the present application.

[0026] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs; the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present application; the terms "comprising" and "having", and any variations thereof, as used in the specification and claims and the aforementioned description of the drawings, are intended to cover not exclusively inclusive.

[0027] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the technical terms "first", "second", etc. are only used to distinguish different objects, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number, specific order or primary and secondary relationship of the indicated technical features. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality of" is two or more, unless otherwise explicitly and specifically limited.

[0028] Reference herein to "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of the phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment, nor is it necessarily independent or alternative embodiments to other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0029] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "and / or" is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the three cases of A alone, A and B together, and B alone. In addition, the character " / " in this paper generally represents that the front and rear associated objects are a "or" relationship.

[0030] Electronic Shelf Label (ESL, hereinafter referred to as electronic label) is an electronic price tag device used in retail scenarios, which updates and displays content through wireless communication. In large retail scenarios, for high-density deployment of electronic labels, each gateway device manages up to thousands of electronic labels. In actual application scenarios, electronic labels need to support two application scenarios: unified management and update of batches of electronic labels through a dedicated gateway, and debugging and maintenance of a single electronic label through a mobile phone application.

[0031] Currently, electronic labels generally use broadcast mode that can be found and scanned. In order to consider the above two application scenarios, the setting of electronic label broadcast interval has become a technical problem. If a shorter broadcast interval is used, although it can improve the efficiency of being quickly found and connected by the mobile phone application, in the gateway device batch management scenario, thousands of devices will simultaneously and frequently broadcast in a short time, which will cause wireless channel congestion and serious signal interference, resulting in a significant decrease in the connection success rate between the gateway and the electronic label, and even causing system-level communication failure. If a longer broadcast interval is used, although it can effectively reduce channel interference and improve the stability of batch communication, it will make it difficult for electronic labels to be quickly found and connected. In addition, some electronic labels can use 2.4G private protocol to cooperate with gateway devices to solve the problem of signal interference, but the convenience of direct connection by mobile phones is lost. Maintaining multiple firmware versions in different scenarios also has huge management costs and upgrade risks.

[0032] To solve the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication control method, which can automatically identify different use scenarios, such as gateway device connection scenarios or mobile phone connection scenarios; dynamically adjust the broadcast parameters according to different scenarios to optimize communication efficiency; maximize communication efficiency while ensuring compatibility, use a single firmware to support all application scenarios, reduce maintenance costs, and improve the communication performance of electronic labels under high-density deployment.

[0033] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 The system architecture diagram of the application scenario provided by the embodiments of the present application. As Figure 1As shown, the system can include an electronic tag, a gateway device, and a mobile terminal (hereinafter referred to as a mobile phone as an example). The electronic tag broadcasts a discovery packet at a fixed time interval in an initial state, and listens to a scanning request packet returned by the gateway device or the mobile phone based on the discovery packet; the electronic tag can identify the scene through the scanning request packet, such as a mobile phone connection scene or a gateway connection scene, and dynamically adjust the broadcast interval based on the identified scene to adapt to the current application scene; for example, the broadcast interval can be increased for the scene of one-to-one connection of the mobile phone, so that the mobile phone is discovered and connected faster; if it is a gateway connection, it generally corresponds to a batch update scene, and the gateway needs to dynamically adjust the broadcast interval of the part of the batch electronic tags connected to adapt to the current application scene of the gateway, to maximize the communication efficiency while realizing compatibility, and to improve the stability of the overall communication of the system.

[0034] In the system architecture, the gateway device and the mobile terminal actively scan the electronic tag and send a scanning request packet to the electronic tag.

[0035] Based on the above system architecture, the implementation process of the communication control method is introduced through an embodiment.

[0036] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 The implementation flowchart of the communication control method provided for the application embodiment; the execution subject of the method can be the electronic tag in the above Figure 1 , as shown in Figure 1 , the method can include the following steps: S201, sending a discovery packet based on a first broadcast interval, and listening to a scanning request packet sent by a device based on the discovery packet.

[0037] In the embodiment of the application, the electronic tag sends a discovery packet at a first broadcast interval (such as 20 seconds) in an initial state, and the first broadcast interval can be an initial, compromised broadcast time interval, so as to balance the initial discoverability and the initial power consumption of the electronic tag, that is, the first broadcast interval is a broadcast interval reference value set for initial general compatibility.

[0038] For example, the Bluetooth chip of the electronic tag starts a timer, and sends a discovery packet based on the ordinary Bluetooth protocol on the standard low-power Bluetooth broadcast channel every first broadcast interval, for example, on the broadcast channels 37, 38, and 39. The discovery packet can include the name or identification of the electronic tag, so that when scanned by the opposite device (such as a gateway device or a mobile phone), identity recognition and determination of whether to proceed to the next step of interaction are performed based on the name or identification.

[0039] Exemplarily, after sending the discovery packet, the electronic tag listens to the scan request packet sent by the device at the opposite end based on the active scanning. For example, the radio frequency module of the electronic tag can switch from the transmitting state to the receiving state after sending the discovery packet, and listen to whether the scanner has a reply to the discovery packet.

[0040] Correspondingly, after the device at the opposite end is in the active scanning mode and receives the discovery packet sent by the electronic tag, the device at the opposite end sends the scan request packet SCAN_REQ to the electronic tag. After receiving the scan request packet SCAN_REQ, the electronic tag processes the scan request packet SCAN_REQ. If the electronic tag does not receive the scan request packet within a period of time, the electronic tag can enter the sleep state to reduce power consumption and wait for the arrival of the next broadcast interval, such as repeating the above process in another broadcast channel.

[0041] Exemplarily, the scan request packet includes 6 bytes of device address information ScanA field and 6 bytes of broadcaster address information AdvA field. The device address information ScanA is the Bluetooth Media Access Control Address (MAC) of the device sending the scan request packet. The broadcaster address information AdvA is the MAC address of the electronic tag sending the discovery packet.

[0042] Exemplarily, if the device at the opposite end is a gateway device, the device address information ScanA in the scan request packet can include 3 bytes of prefix field and 3 bytes of custom data field. The prefix field can be a unique identifier field of the device, such as an Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI), and the custom field can include a gateway identification bit, a fast connection flag bit, and a reserved bit.

[0043] For example, bits 0-9 (10 bits) are the gateway Identifier (ID), indicating different gateways in the application scenario; bit 10 (1 bit) is the fast connection flag bit, used to indicate the scanning mode, such as 0 indicating the normal scanning mode and 1 indicating the connection mode to notify the electronic tag to speed up the broadcast; bits 11-23 (13 bits) are reserved bits, which can be set to 0. When the fast connection flag bit is 0, it can be indicated that the fast connection flag bit is invalid, and when the fast connection flag bit is 1, it can be indicated that the fast connection flag bit is valid.

[0044] It should be noted that the above encoding method of the device address information is only exemplarily described, and other structures of the encoding method or identification method can also be used. The device address information of the mobile phone can be a randomly generated MAC address.

[0045] S202, match the identifier in the device address information with a preset reference identifier, and determine the current working mode based on the matching result.

[0046] In some embodiments, after receiving the scanning request message sent by the device at the other end based on the active scanning mode, the electronic tag extracts and parses the device address information in the scanning request message; based on the identification of the device address information, judges the type of the device to be connected in the current environment, and then determines the working mode to be switched at present.

[0047] Among them, the electronic tag can be provided with an identifier field matched with the gateway device or other identification fields for verifying and matching the identifier of the received gateway device; the preset identifier field or other identification field is used as a reference identifier to verify the identifier in the received device address information to determine whether they match.

[0048] For example, the electronic tag compares the preset reference identifier with the identifier in the device address information bit by bit, and determines the working mode to be switched at present based on the comparison result.

[0049] For example, in the matching process, bit-by-bit comparison of binary bits can be performed, and if they are completely consistent, the matching is successful, and if any bit is different, the matching fails; it can also be matched by list, that is, the electronic tag stores a list of trusted identifiers as reference identifiers, and if the extracted identifier of the device matches any identifier in the list, the matching is successful, thereby supporting gateway devices of different manufacturers or models, and the system has strong scalability.

[0050] For example, an identifier address range is set for the identifier of the gateway device as a reference identifier, and if the extracted identifier is within the identifier address range, the matching is successful; accordingly, the matching method can also include a hash verification method, such as calculating the extracted identifier using the same hash function to obtain a real-time hash value, and comparing whether the real-time hash value and the reference hash value (such as the hash value of the reference identifier) are consistent to determine whether the matching is successful.

[0051] The above implementation of the matching process is only illustrative, and other implementation methods can be set based on the application scenario in which the electronic tag is deployed.

[0052] In some embodiments, the working mode includes a gateway mode and a mobile phone mode; the identifier in the device address information is matched with a preset reference identifier, and the current working mode is determined based on the matching result, including: In a case where the matching result of the identifier in the device address information and the preset reference identifier is successful, it is determined that the current working mode is a gateway mode; in a case where the matching result of the identifier in the device address information and the preset reference identifier is unsuccessful, it is determined that the current working mode is a mobile phone mode.

[0053] For example, based on the matching manner described above, in a case where the matching result is successful, it is determined that the device to be connected in the current environment is a gateway device, and the current working mode needs to be switched to the gateway mode; correspondingly, in a case where the matching result is unsuccessful, it is determined that the device to be connected in the current environment is a mobile phone, and the current working mode is switched to the mobile phone mode.

[0054] S203, based on the current working mode, the first broadcast interval is adjusted to a second broadcast interval, and the discovery packet is sent at the second broadcast interval; wherein the discovery packet sent at the second broadcast interval is used to establish a communication connection with the device.

[0055] In some embodiments, for the currently determined working mode, the first broadcast interval of the initial state is adaptively adjusted to the second broadcast interval corresponding to the current working mode, and the discovery packet is continuously sent at the second broadcast interval; when the device at the opposite end receives the discovery packet sent at the second broadcast interval, a connection instruction can be sent to the electronic tag to establish a communication connection.

[0056] In some embodiments, the device address information includes a fast connection flag; when the current working mode is a gateway mode, the method further includes: When the fast connection flag is valid, the duration of the second broadcast interval is less than the duration of the first broadcast interval; when the fast connection flag is invalid, the duration of the second broadcast interval is greater than the duration of the first broadcast interval.

[0057] For example, when the current working mode is a gateway mode, in one case, the fast connection flag is 0, i.e. invalid, and it is determined to be a normal scanning mode in the gateway mode, and the electronic tag can extend the first broadcast interval to the second broadcast interval, for example, extend the broadcast interval to 5 minutes, so as to reduce wireless interference in the application scenario of high-density deployment of electronic tags.

[0058] In another case, the fast connection flag is 1, i.e. valid, and it is determined to be a fast connection mode (i.e. connection mode) in the gateway mode, and the electronic tag can shorten the first broadcast interval to the second broadcast interval, for example, shorten the broadcast interval to 100 ms. Thus, in the gateway mode, when batch image brushing is performed, the fast connection flag in the device address information can be used for pre-notification, which can greatly improve the connection success rate and connection efficiency.

[0059] In scenarios requiring batch image scanning, the gateway device can refresh all electronic tags in the application scenario in batches, such as refreshing electronic tags in different distribution areas. This allows the gateway device to return scan request messages to only a subset of electronic tags in batches. Only electronic tags that receive the scan request message will adaptively adjust their broadcast interval, such as shortening it, to be quickly discovered and establish a communication connection with the gateway device. After establishing a communication connection with one electronic tag, the gateway device can quickly discover the next electronic tag and establish a communication connection based on the increased broadcast frequency of the electronic tag. Electronic tags that do not receive the gateway's scan request message will enter a brief sleep state or send broadcast signals at a lower frequency, thus improving connection efficiency while reducing signal interference.

[0060] For example, when the current operating mode is mobile phone mode, the first broadcast interval is shortened to the second broadcast interval, for example, the discovery message is sent at a broadcast interval shortened to 5 seconds, so as to facilitate a fast connection.

[0061] In some embodiments, when the current operating mode is gateway mode and the fast connection flag is invalid, the method further includes: opening a private protocol channel and listening for device wake-up commands based on the private protocol channel.

[0062] Accordingly, upon receiving the wake-up command, the method further includes: The second broadcast interval is adjusted to a third broadcast interval, and the discovery message is sent at the third broadcast interval; wherein the duration of the third broadcast interval is shorter than the duration of the second broadcast interval; the discovery message sent at the third broadcast interval is used to establish a communication connection with the device.

[0063] For example, when the fast connection flag is 0 in the received scan request message, the electronic tag is determined to be in normal scan mode under gateway mode. For instance, when performing batch scanning, the gateway device can send scan request messages with the fast connection flag set to 0 to some electronic tags in one area, and send scan request messages with the fast connection flag set to 1 to some electronic tags in another area. Electronic tags with the fast connection flag set to 0 can enter a waiting state and reduce the broadcast frequency, that is, broadcast discovery messages with extended broadcast intervals, so that after the gateway device completes the batch update of another area, it can continue to wake up the electronic tags in that area for batch updates based on the discovery message.

[0064] like Figure 3As shown in (a), after receiving a scan request message with the fast connection flag bit set to 0, the electronic tag determines the working mode and sends a discovery message at an extended second broadcast interval (e.g., 5 minutes), and opens a private protocol listening channel, such as a 2.4G protocol channel, to listen for the wake-up command of the gateway device.

[0065] Accordingly, when the gateway device needs to perform batch image refresh, it can send a wake-up command to the electronic tags that need to be refreshed based on a private protocol channel; for example... Figure 3 As shown in (a), after receiving the wake-up command, the electronic tag switches the broadcast interval to the third broadcast interval (e.g., 100ms) and continues to send discovery messages.

[0066] The wake-up command of this proprietary protocol includes the identifier of the target electronic tag. Only electronic tags matching the identifier will respond, such as shortening the broadcast interval, while other tags continue to broadcast based on the longer broadcast interval or enter a dormant state. This allows electronic tags to enter the discoverable state in a time-division and serial manner after being accurately woken up, with only a few electronic tags broadcasting in the channel at any given time, thus avoiding broadcast storms. Furthermore, it decouples the communication load from the total number of tags, relating only to the gateway's scheduling speed, achieving scalability and high reliability of the system under large-scale deployment.

[0067] like Figure 3 As shown in (b), after receiving a scan request message with the fast connection flag set to 1, the electronic tag determines its working mode and continues to send discovery messages at a shortened second broadcast interval (e.g., 100ms).

[0068] In some embodiments, when the current operating mode is gateway mode, the method further includes: After sending discovery messages at the third broadcast interval for a preset duration, the third broadcast interval is restored to the first broadcast interval; wherein the duration of the third broadcast interval is shorter than the duration of the first broadcast interval.

[0069] For example, after sending discovery messages at a shortened third broadcast interval (e.g., 100ms) for a preset duration (e.g., 10 seconds), the electronic tag continues to restore the broadcast interval to its original initial state, such as the first broadcast interval. When the tag starts broadcasting rapidly at 100ms intervals, the gateway needs to perform a series of operations such as scanning, sending connection requests, and establishing links. By continuously setting the preset duration, the gateway device is given sufficient time to complete the process of establishing a communication connection, which greatly improves the probability of the gateway device successfully connecting.

[0070] Correspondingly, in order to avoid the electronic tag from being in a high power consumption state permanently due to failure to connect, the electronic tag automatically returns to a low power consumption silent state after a preset duration, thereby protecting the battery life of the electronic tag and the stability of the system; meanwhile, the wireless channel is vacated for the connection of the next electronic tag, thereby avoiding waste of channel resources and potential interference, and the channel is quickly released after the preset duration, so that the gateway device can quickly switch to the next electronic tag in the wake-up and connection queue, thereby improving the overall efficiency of batch operation; and the system can be stably and efficiently operated in a batch refreshing scenario.

[0071] In some embodiments, when the current working mode is the mobile phone mode, the method further comprises: stopping listening to the private protocol channel and listening to the connection request of the device based on the standard protocol channel; the duration of the second broadcast interval is shorter than the duration of the first broadcast interval.

[0072] For example, when the current working mode is the mobile phone mode, the broadcast interval is shortened to facilitate rapid connection; when the electronic tag identifies that the current working mode is the mobile phone mode, the listening to the private protocol channel is stopped to reduce power consumption and prolong the battery life of the electronic tag; the communication connection between the electronic tag and the mobile phone is a standard low-power Bluetooth interaction process, and by stopping the listening to the private protocol channel, the communication resource of the electronic tag is used to process the standard low-power Bluetooth broadcast and connection request, thereby ensuring the smoothness of the interaction with the mobile phone; by shortening the broadcast time, the mobile phone application can scan the target electronic tag in a very short time, thereby greatly improving the efficiency of debugging and maintenance.

[0073] In some embodiments, the method further comprises: after adjusting the broadcast interval based on the current working mode, receiving the connection request sent by the device and establishing a communication connection with the device; based on the communication connection, receiving the refreshing instruction sent by the device; and executing the refreshing instruction to refresh the displayed content.

[0074] For example, as shown in Figure 3 in the gateway mode, the electronic tag receives the connection request sent by the gateway device in the standard protocol channel, enters the connection state, establishes a communication connection with the gateway device, receives the update instruction sent by the gateway device, and refreshes the displayed content.

[0075] Correspondingly, as shown in Figure 4 in the mobile phone mode, after the electronic tag switches the broadcast interval, the electronic tag receives the connection request sent by the mobile phone based on the standard protocol channel, enters the connection state, establishes a communication connection with the mobile phone, receives the instruction sent by the mobile phone, and performs debugging and maintenance communication with the mobile phone.

[0076] For example, as shown in Figure 5The implementation flowchart of the communication control method provided by the embodiments of the application is shown in the figure, and the execution subject of the method can be the gateway device in the above-mentioned Figure 1 Based on the same implementation principle as in the above-mentioned embodiments, which will not be described herein again, as shown in the figure Figure 5 The method can include the following steps: S501, in response to the batch update instruction issued by the platform, sending a scanning request message to the electronic tag when receiving the discovery message sent by the electronic tag at the first broadcast interval; the scanning request message includes the device address information of the gateway device; the scanning request message is used to instruct the electronic tag to determine the working mode and adjust the first broadcast interval to the second broadcast interval for sending the discovery message.

[0077] S502, receiving the discovery message sent by the electronic tag in the gateway mode at the second broadcast interval.

[0078] S503, based on the discovery message, sending a connection request to the electronic tag and establishing a communication connection with the electronic tag.

[0079] The device address information includes the identifier of the gateway device and the fast connection flag bit; the identifier is used to indicate the working mode of the electronic tag, and the fast connection flag bit is used to indicate the adjustment of the broadcast interval for sending the discovery message by the electronic tag.

[0080] In some embodiments, after sending the scanning request message, the method further includes: When the fast connection flag bit is invalid, sending a wake-up instruction to the electronic tag based on the private protocol channel; when the fast connection flag bit is valid, sending a connection request to the electronic tag after receiving the discovery message.

[0081] In some embodiments, after establishing a communication connection with the electronic tag, the method further includes: Based on the communication connection, sending a refresh instruction to the electronic tag, the refresh instruction being used to instruct the electronic tag to refresh the displayed content; the refresh instruction is generated based on the batch update instruction.

[0082] The embodiments of the application do not need to configure additional hardware and complex protocol negotiation, and can realize the adaptation of a single firmware to multiple scenes based on the existing low-power Bluetooth protocol characteristics; one firmware can support all use scenarios, which greatly reduces the development and maintenance cost and avoids the complexity of version management; the electronic tag can sense the environmental changes in real time and automatically optimize the communication parameters without human intervention; by using the MAC address as the control channel, specific functions are realized within the standard protocol framework, so that the electronic tag maintains good compatibility, meets the requirements of low interference and fast connection, has universality, can be flexibly switched between use scenarios, and supports mixed deployment, such as partial use of gateway devices and partial use of mobile phones.

[0083] It should be understood that the size of the serial number of each step in the above embodiments does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of each process should be determined according to its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0084] Corresponding to the communication control method provided in the above embodiments, as shown in Figure 6 The structure diagram of the communication control device provided in the embodiments of the present application is shown, and only the parts related to the embodiments of the present application are shown for ease of description.

[0085] The communication control device comprises: The first sending unit 61 is configured to send a discovery packet based on a first broadcast interval; The first receiving unit 62 is configured to listen to a scanning request packet sent by a device according to the discovery packet; the scanning request packet comprises device address information; The processing unit 63 is configured to match an identifier in the device address information with a preset reference identifier, and determine a current working mode based on a matching result; The first sending unit 61 is further configured to adjust the first broadcast interval to a second broadcast interval based on the current working mode, and send the discovery packet in the second broadcast interval; The discovery packet sent in the second broadcast interval is used to establish a communication connection with the device.

[0086] In a possible implementation, the above various units and modules are used to implement the steps in the above various method embodiments.

[0087] Corresponding to the communication control method provided in the above embodiments, as shown in Figure 7 The structure diagram of the communication control device provided in the embodiments of the present application is shown, and only the parts related to the embodiments of the present application are shown for ease of description.

[0088] The communication control device comprises: The second sending unit 71 is configured to, in response to a batch update instruction issued by a platform, send a scanning request packet to an electronic tag when the electronic tag sends a discovery packet in a first broadcast interval; the scanning request packet comprises device address information of the gateway device; the scanning request packet is used to instruct the electronic tag to determine a working mode and adjust the first broadcast interval to a second broadcast interval to send the discovery packet; The second receiving unit 72 is configured to receive a discovery packet sent by an electronic tag in a second broadcast interval when the working mode of the electronic tag is a gateway mode; The second sending unit 71 is further configured to send a connection request to the electronic tag, and establish a communication connection with the electronic tag; The device address information includes the identifier of the gateway device and a quick connection flag; the identifier is used to indicate the working mode of the electronic tag, and the quick connection flag is used to indicate that the electronic tag adjusts the first broadcast interval to the second broadcast interval.

[0089] In one possible implementation, the above-mentioned units and modules are used to implement the steps in the above-described method embodiments.

[0090] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the hardware structure of electronic device 8 is shown.

[0091] like Figure 8 As shown, the electronic device 8 of this embodiment includes: at least one processor 81 ( Figure 8 Only one is shown in the diagram), and a memory 82 stores a computer program 83 that can run on the processor 81. When the processor 81 executes the computer program 83, it implements the steps in the above method embodiments, for example... Figure 2 S201 to S203 shown Figure 5 S501 to S503 are shown. Alternatively, when the processor 81 executes the computer program 83, it implements the functions of each module / unit in the above-described device embodiments.

[0092] It is understood that the structures illustrated in the embodiments of this application do not constitute a specific limitation on the electronic device 8. In other embodiments of this application, the electronic device 8 may include more or fewer components than illustrated, or combine some components, or split some components, or have different component arrangements. The illustrated components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0093] The electronic device 8 may include, but is not limited to, a processor 81 and a memory 82. Those skilled in the art will understand that... Figure 8 This is merely an example of electronic device 8 and does not constitute a limitation on electronic device 8. It may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or different components. For example, the server may also include input sending devices, network access devices, buses, etc.

[0094] The processor 81 can be a central processing unit (CPU), and can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor.

[0095] The processor 81 can also be provided with a memory for storing instructions and data. In some embodiments, the memory in the processor 81 is a cache memory. The memory can store instructions or data that have just been used or are frequently used by the processor 81. If the processor 81 needs to use the instructions or data again, it can directly call them from the memory. This avoids repeated access and reduces the waiting time of the processor 81, thereby improving the efficiency of the system.

[0096] The memory 82 can be an internal storage unit of the electronic device 8, such as a hard disk or a memory of the electronic device 8, in some embodiments. The memory 82 can also be an external storage device of the electronic device 8, such as a plug-in hard disk, a smart media card (SMC), a secure digital (SD) card, a flash card, etc. provided on the electronic device 8. Further, the memory 82 can include both the internal storage unit and the external storage device of the electronic device 8. The memory 82 is used to store an operating system, application programs, a boot loader, data, and other programs, such as program codes of computer programs, etc. The memory 82 can also be used to temporarily store data that has been transmitted or is to be transmitted.

[0097] In addition, each functional unit in each of the embodiments of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The integrated unit can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional unit.

[0098] It should be noted that the structure of the electronic device described above is only illustrative, and based on different application scenarios, other physical structures can also be included, and the physical structure of the electronic device is not limited herein.

[0099] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment focuses on different aspects, and the parts not described or recorded in a certain embodiment can be referred to the relevant description of other embodiments.

[0100] The computer program is stored in the computer readable storage medium, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps in the above-mentioned various method embodiments can be implemented.

[0101] The computer program is stored in the computer readable storage medium, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps in the above-mentioned various method embodiments can be implemented.

[0102] The integrated modules / units, if realized in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiments can also be completed by computer programs instructing related hardware, and the computer programs can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. When the processor executes the computer programs, the steps in the above-mentioned various method embodiments can be implemented. The computer programs include computer program codes, which can be in the form of source code, object code, executable files or some intermediate forms. The computer readable medium can include any entity or device capable of carrying computer program codes, recording medium, U disk, mobile hard disk, magnetic disk, optical disk, computer memory, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), electric carrier wave signal, telecommunication signal and software distribution medium, etc.

[0103] The electronic device, computer storage medium and computer program product provided by the above embodiments of the present application are all used to execute the above-mentioned methods, so the beneficial effects they can achieve can refer to the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned methods, which will not be repeated here.

[0104] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. In order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described, but as long as the combinations of the technical features do not exist contradictory, they should be considered as the scope of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the above description is only to help the person skilled in the art better understand the embodiments of the present application, and is not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. Various equivalent modifications or changes can be made by those skilled in the art according to the above examples, for example, some steps in each of the above detection methods can be unnecessary, or some steps can be newly added, etc. Or a combination of any two or more embodiments. Such modifications, changes or combinations also fall within the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0105] It should also be understood that the ways, cases, categories and divisions of embodiments in the present application are only for the convenience of description and should not be construed as special limitations. The features in various ways, categories, cases and embodiments can be combined without contradiction.

[0106] It should also be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referred to if there is no special description and no logical conflict. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0107] Those of ordinary skill in the art can realize that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized in electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are realized in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0108] In the embodiments provided by the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus / network device and method can be implemented by other ways. For example, the above-described apparatus / network device embodiments are only schematic, and the division of the modules or units is only a logical function division, and there can be another division way in actual implementation. For example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the display or discussion of the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0109] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, i.e. they can be located in one place, or distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiments of the present application.

[0110] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

[0111] Finally, it should be noted that the above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto, any change or replacement within the technical scope disclosed by the present application should be covered in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication control method, characterized in that, Applied to electronic tags, the method includes: A discovery message is sent based on a first broadcast interval, and the device listens for scan request messages sent based on the discovery message; the scan request message includes device address information. The identifier in the device address information is matched with a preset reference identifier, and the current working mode is determined based on the matching result. Based on the current working mode, the first broadcast interval is adjusted to the second broadcast interval, and the discovery message is sent at the second broadcast interval; The discovery message sent at the second broadcast interval is used to establish a communication connection with the device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The operating modes include gateway mode and mobile phone mode; The step of matching the identifier in the device address information with a preset reference identifier and determining the current working mode based on the matching result includes: If the identifier in the device address information matches the preset reference identifier successfully, the current working mode is determined to be the gateway mode. If the matching result between the identifier in the device address information and the preset reference identifier fails, the current working mode is determined to be the mobile phone mode.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The device address information includes a fast connection flag; when the current operating mode is the gateway mode, the method further includes: When the fast connection flag is active, the duration of the second broadcast interval is less than the duration of the first broadcast interval; When the fast connection flag is invalid, the duration of the second broadcast interval is greater than the duration of the first broadcast interval.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, When the current operating mode is the gateway mode and the fast connection flag is invalid, the method further includes: A private protocol channel is opened, and the device's wake-up command is listened for based on the private protocol channel; Accordingly, upon receiving a wake-up command, the method further includes: The second broadcast interval is adjusted to the third broadcast interval, and the discovery message is sent at the third broadcast interval; The duration of the third broadcast interval is shorter than that of the second broadcast interval; the discovery message sent during the third broadcast interval is used to establish a communication connection with the device.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, When the current operating mode is the gateway mode, the method further includes: After the discovery message is sent at the third broadcast interval for a preset duration, the third broadcast interval is restored to the first broadcast interval. The duration of the third broadcast interval is less than the duration of the first broadcast interval.

6. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, When the current working mode is the mobile phone mode, the method further includes: The listening to the private protocol channel is turned off, and the connection requests of the device are listened to based on the standard protocol channel; wherein the duration of the second broadcast interval is shorter than the duration of the first broadcast interval.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: After adjusting the broadcast interval based on the current working mode, receive the connection request sent by the device and establish a communication connection with the device; Based on the communication connection, receive the refresh command sent by the device; Execute the refresh command to refresh the displayed content.

8. A communication control method, characterized in that, Applied to a gateway device, the method includes: In response to a batch update command issued by the platform, when a discovery message is received from an electronic tag at a first broadcast interval, a scan request message is sent to the electronic tag; the scan request message includes the device address information of the gateway device; the scan request message is used to instruct the electronic tag to determine the working mode and adjust the broadcast interval from the first to the second broadcast interval to send the discovery message. Receive discovery messages sent at a second broadcast interval by electronic tags whose operating mode is gateway mode; Based on the discovery message, a connection request is sent to the electronic tag to establish a communication connection with the electronic tag; The device address information includes the identifier of the gateway device and a fast connection flag; the identifier is used to indicate the working mode of the electronic tag, and the fast connection flag is used to indicate the electronic tag to adjust the broadcast interval for sending discovery messages.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, After sending the scan request message, the method further includes: When the fast connection flag is invalid, a wake-up command is sent to the electronic tag based on the private protocol channel; When the fast connection flag is active, a connection request is sent to the electronic tag after receiving the discovery message.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, After establishing a communication connection with the electronic tag, the method further includes: Based on the communication connection, a refresh instruction is sent to the electronic tag, the refresh instruction being used to instruct the electronic tag to refresh the displayed content; the refresh instruction is generated based on the batch update instruction.

11. An electronic device, characterized in that, It includes a memory and a processor, the memory storing a computer program, and the processor executing the computer program to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 7 or 8 to 10.

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