Deterministic communication method of ultra-short-distance shared medium network and related equipment
By employing periodic time slot partitioning and multiple response modes in a full-duplex shared medium network within the robot, the problems of bandwidth limitation, hardware complexity, and determinism in internal robot communication are solved, achieving efficient deterministic communication.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- GREATER BAY AREA UNIV (IN PREPARATION)
- Filing Date
- 2026-01-16
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-26
AI Technical Summary
Existing technologies for internal robot communication suffer from several problems, including half-duplex mechanisms limiting bandwidth utilization, non-shared medium architecture increasing hardware complexity, long-distance communication protocol overhead being unsuitable for ultra-short-distance scenarios, lack of deterministic communication guarantees, and excessive load on the master node.
An ultra-short-range full-duplex shared medium network is adopted. Each slave node is assigned a dedicated communication window by periodically dividing the time slots. Combined with multiple response modes and guard band mechanisms, communication parameters are dynamically updated to achieve deterministic communication.
It improves the determinism and system efficiency of internal robot communication, reduces the processing load and hardware complexity of the master node, and adapts to the changing communication needs of multi-node scenarios.
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Figure CN122093341A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a deterministic communication method and related equipment for ultra-short-range shared medium networks. Background Technology
[0002] With the rapid development of intelligent manufacturing and robotics, the communication system within a robot has placed higher demands on the real-time performance, determinism, and reliability of data transmission. A robot typically contains a main control board (master node) and multiple actuators such as motors and sensors (slave nodes), requiring high-frequency, low-latency data interaction between these nodes.
[0003] Currently, two main industrial bus technologies are used for communication within robots: One type is the CAN (Controller Area Network) bus. The CAN bus is half-duplex, meaning that at any given time, only the master node can send data to the slave node, or vice versa; it cannot support bidirectional communication simultaneously. This half-duplex characteristic limits the utilization of communication bandwidth, making it difficult to meet the high-speed, real-time communication requirements of modern robotic systems.
[0004] Another approach is EtherCat (Ethernet for Control Automation Technology). From a communication medium perspective, EtherCat is not a true shared-medium network. Each node forms a point-to-point standard Ethernet communication link with its upstream neighbor. After receiving information from upstream, the node adds its own information and forwards it to the downstream circuit. Therefore, each node terminates the link from upstream, and communication with downstream is based on an independent physical medium. While this architecture improves communication efficiency, it increases hardware complexity and cost, making it unsuitable for ultra-short-range, low-cost intra-robot communication scenarios.
[0005] From the perspective of shared-medium full-duplex communication, the existing PON (Passive Optical Network) technology is similar to the communication topology of this invention. However, PON networks are typically designed for communication distances ranging from several kilometers to tens of kilometers, while the communication distance within a robot is only an ultra-short distance of 1 to 2 meters. This difference in distance leads to a significant difference in the optimal communication mechanism: PON requires complex clock synchronization and power control mechanisms to compensate for signal attenuation and jitter caused by long-distance transmission, while these overheads are unnecessary in ultra-short-distance scenarios. Instead, the protocol should be simplified to reduce latency and cost.
[0006] In addition, although common WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) networks also use a shared medium, WiFi is half-duplex and based on the statistical multiplexing mechanism of CSMA / CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access / Collision Detection), which cannot provide deterministic communication that ensures quality of service. Therefore, it cannot be directly applied to scenarios with strict requirements for latency jitter, such as internal robot communication.
[0007] In summary, the existing technologies have the following shortcomings: 1) the half-duplex mechanism limits bandwidth utilization; 2) the non-shared medium architecture increases hardware complexity; 3) the overhead of long-distance communication protocols is not suitable for ultra-short-distance scenarios; 4) there is a lack of deterministic communication guarantee mechanisms; 5) the master node has a heavy load and it is difficult to support a large-scale slave node cluster. Summary of the Invention
[0008] In view of this, the purpose of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a deterministic communication method and related equipment for ultra-short-range shared medium networks, so as to solve one or more technical problems existing in the prior art and provide at least one beneficial option or create conditions.
[0009] On one hand, embodiments of the present invention provide a deterministic communication method for ultra-short-range shared medium networks, the method comprising the following steps: Obtain communication parameters for an ultra-short-range full-duplex shared medium network, the network comprising a master node and multiple slave nodes, the communication parameters including communication period, exclusive communication window for each slave node, shared contention communication window, and guard band; The master node sends control messages to each slave node through the downlink communication channel. The control messages indicate the response mode of each slave node in the uplink communication channel. The response mode includes at least one of the following: immediate response mode, on-time response mode, periodic response mode, and multi-period array command mode. According to the response mode and the communication parameters, the slave node sends a response message to the master node through the uplink communication channel within the corresponding dedicated communication window or shared contention communication window. The dedicated communication window is a dedicated time slot allocated to a specific slave node within the communication period, and the shared contention communication window is a shared time slot accessed by multiple slave nodes through contention. During communication, the master node dynamically updates communication parameters based on network status and sends the updated communication bandwidth map to the slave nodes in an incremental manner.
[0010] Optionally, obtaining the communication parameters of the ultra-short-range full-duplex shared medium network includes: The uplink communication bandwidth is divided into periodic communication cycles, with the start time of each communication cycle being the hour and second timestamp. Within each communication cycle, a dedicated communication window is allocated to each slave node. The start time and window length of the dedicated communication window are determined according to the communication needs of the slave node. A guard band is set for each slave node. The length of the guard band is determined based on the time synchronization error of the corresponding slave node measured by the master node. When the slave node sends a message, it reduces the header and tail of its exclusive communication window by one guard band length. In the time zone outside of the exclusive communication window, a shared contention communication window is configured. The shared contention communication window adopts a centralized or interspersed layout. The centralized layout refers to arranging all exclusive communication windows in a centralized manner, and using the remaining time as the shared contention communication window. The interspersed layout refers to arranging the shared contention communication window interspersed among the various exclusive communication windows.
[0011] Optionally, the method further includes an automatic calculation method for equal-length windows: The master node sends a bandwidth map message to all slave nodes, the bandwidth map message carrying the base window length and guard band parameters; Each slave node calculates its exclusive communication window position in the next communication cycle based on its unique sequence number pre-configured in the shared medium network.
[0012] Optionally, the master node dynamically updates communication parameters based on network status, including: The master node monitors the actual communication load and time synchronization accuracy of each slave node; When a change in the communication requirements of a slave node is detected or the time synchronization error exceeds a threshold, the master node generates an updated communication bandwidth map, which includes the new dedicated communication window parameters for the affected slave nodes. The master node incrementally sends the updated communication bandwidth map to all slave nodes via downlink control messages. After receiving the update, the slave node checks whether its exclusive communication window overlaps with the windows of adjacent nodes. If there is an overlap, it sends an exclusive window conflict alarm to the master node.
[0013] Optionally, the immediate response mode includes: The master node sets an immediate response flag in the downlink message. After the slave node receives the message, it searches for the nearest dedicated communication window in the current communication cycle. If it exists, it sends a response message in that window. If it does not exist, it sends a response message in the nearest shared contention communication window. If the contention fails, the above process is repeated in the next communication cycle. The sending strategy adopts a greedy strategy to give priority to the use of dedicated communication windows.
[0014] Optionally, the on-time response mode includes: The master node carries a target timestamp parameter in the downlink message, the target timestamp indicating the time point at which the master node expects to receive the response message; After receiving the message from the node, a response message is sent within the exclusive communication window closest to the target timestamp. If the window has expired or does not exist, the response message is sent within the nearest shared contention communication window. The sending strategy adopts a greedy strategy to ensure that the response message is sent near the target timestamp.
[0015] Optionally, the periodic response pattern includes: The master node carries the period number parameter N in the downlink message. N is a positive integer. When N=0, it indicates a continuous response mode. After receiving the message from the node, in the next N consecutive communication cycles, the same type of response message is sent in each cycle. When sending, the dedicated communication window is used first, and then the shared contention communication window is used. The sending strategy adopts a greedy strategy. In continuous response mode, the slave node continuously sends response messages until it receives a new message with a non-zero period number parameter.
[0016] Optionally, the multi-period array command mode includes: The master node carries a batch processing command array in the downlink message, which contains multiple control instructions and corresponding execution timing information; After receiving the message, the slave node executes the control command and sends response messages sequentially in multiple subsequent communication cycles according to the execution timing information, without the master node needing to issue commands separately in each cycle.
[0017] On the other hand, embodiments of the present invention provide a deterministic communication device for an ultra-short-range shared medium network, comprising: The parameter configuration module is used to acquire and manage the communication parameters of the ultra-short-range full-duplex shared medium network. The communication parameters include the communication period, the exclusive communication window of each slave node, the shared contention communication window, and the guard band. The mode control module is used to send control messages to each slave node through the downlink communication channel to indicate the response mode of each slave node in the uplink communication channel. The response mode includes at least one of the following: immediate response mode, on-time response mode, periodic response mode, and multi-period array command mode. The scheduling execution module is used to send or receive messages through the uplink communication channel within the corresponding exclusive communication window or shared contention communication window, according to the response mode and communication parameters. The dynamic update module is used to monitor network status and dynamically update communication parameters, and sends the updated communication bandwidth map to slave nodes in an incremental manner.
[0018] On the other hand, embodiments of the present invention provide a deterministic communication system for an ultra-short-range shared medium network, comprising: A master node device includes at least one first processor and a first memory, wherein the first memory stores a first program, and the first program, when executed by the first processor, implements the steps of the above method. Multiple slave node devices, each slave node device including at least one second processor and a second memory, the second memory storing a second program, the second program being executed by the second processor to implement the steps of the above method; An ultra-short-range shared medium is used to connect the master node device and each slave node device, supporting full-duplex communication. The communication distance of the ultra-short-range shared medium is 1 to 2 meters.
[0019] The embodiments of the present invention have the following beneficial effects: This invention employs a periodic time-slot partitioning mechanism to assign a dedicated communication window to each slave node on an ultra-short-distance shared medium, achieving deterministic communication guarantees and avoiding the conflicts and uncertainties inherent in traditional shared-medium networks. Furthermore, through an automatic equal-length window calculation method, slave nodes can automatically calculate their sending windows based on preset sequence numbers, greatly simplifying configuration complexity and making it particularly suitable for scenarios with a large number of slave nodes and equal communication needs. Multiple response modes (immediate response, on-time response, periodic response, and multi-period array commands) provide a flexible communication scheduling mechanism. The periodic response and multi-period array command modes significantly reduce the frequency of control message transmission by the master node, lowering its processing load and downlink bandwidth overhead. A guard band mechanism effectively tolerates time synchronization errors between nodes, improving system robustness. A dynamic incremental update mechanism allows the communication bandwidth map to be adjusted in real-time according to network load changes, while the window conflict verification mechanism for slave nodes ensures the correctness of the configuration. This invention can solve the problems of half-duplex bandwidth limitation, complex non-shared medium hardware, excessive overhead of long-distance protocols, lack of deterministic guarantees, and excessive load on master nodes in robot internal communication. In practical applications, it can significantly improve the communication determinism and overall system efficiency of ultra-short distance shared medium networks. Attached Figure Description
[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0021] Figure 1This is a flowchart illustrating the steps of a deterministic communication method for an ultra-short-range shared medium network provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 This is a topology diagram of an ultra-short-range full-duplex shared medium network provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of uplink communication bandwidth allocation provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a structural block diagram of a deterministic communication device for an ultra-short-range shared medium network provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0022] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention. It should be noted that although modular divisions are shown in the device schematic diagram and a logical order is illustrated in the flowchart, in some cases, the shown or described steps may be performed in a different order than the modular divisions in the device or the order shown in the flowchart. The terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and the aforementioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.
[0023] 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 invention pertains. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing embodiments of the invention only and is not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided to give a full understanding of embodiments of the invention. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the technical solutions of the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or other methods, components, apparatuses, steps, etc., may be employed. In other instances, well-known methods, apparatuses, implementations, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention.
[0024] The block diagrams shown in the accompanying drawings are merely functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically independent entities. That is, these functional entities can be implemented in software, in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different network and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices. The flowcharts shown in the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative and do not necessarily include all content and operations / steps, nor do they necessarily have to be performed in the described order. For example, some operations / steps can be decomposed, while others can be combined or partially combined; therefore, the actual execution order may change depending on the specific circumstances.
[0025] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention proposes a deterministic communication method and related equipment for ultra-short-range shared medium networks. By constructing a periodic time slot partitioning mechanism and various flexible response modes, deterministic communication is achieved on ultra-short-range shared media, effectively improving communication real-time performance and reducing the load on the master node.
[0026] like Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 A deterministic communication method for an ultra-short-range shared medium network provided in this embodiment of the invention includes the following steps: S100, acquire the communication parameters of an ultra-short-range full-duplex shared medium network, the network including a master node and multiple slave nodes, the communication parameters including the communication period, the exclusive communication window of each slave node, the shared contention communication window, and the guard band.
[0027] Specifically, this invention is applicable to ultra-short-range shared-medium full-duplex networks with communication distances of 1 to 2 meters, and application scenarios include, but are not limited to, intra-robot communication. The network topology is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, there is one master node and multiple slave nodes. The physical medium can be fiber optic, wireless signal, or wired cable, connected through a shared medium. The master node's transmitter (Tx) sends control messages to the receivers (Rx) of each slave node through the downlink communication channel shown by the red dashed line; the slave node's transmitter (Tx) sends response messages to the master node's receivers (Rx) through the uplink communication channel shown by the blue solid line, forming full-duplex communication. The diagram clearly illustrates the physical architecture of the uplink and downlink channels operating in parallel on the same medium in full-duplex communication mode.
[0028] S200, the master node sends control messages to each slave node through the downlink communication channel. The control messages indicate the response mode of each slave node in the uplink communication channel. The response mode includes at least one of the following: immediate response mode, on-time response mode, periodic response mode, and multi-period array command mode.
[0029] S300, the slave node sends a response message to the master node through the uplink communication channel within the corresponding dedicated communication window or shared contention communication window according to the response mode and the communication parameters. The dedicated communication window is a dedicated time slot allocated to a specific slave node within the communication period, and the shared contention communication window is a shared time slot accessed by multiple slave nodes through contention.
[0030] In the S400 communication process, the master node dynamically updates communication parameters based on the network status and sends the updated communication bandwidth map to the slave nodes in an incremental manner.
[0031] This invention proposes a deterministic communication method and related equipment for ultra-short-range shared-medium networks. By periodically dividing the uplink communication bandwidth into dedicated communication windows and shared contention communication windows through time slot partitioning, and combining multiple flexible response modes, deterministic communication is achieved in ultra-short-range shared-medium networks. Specifically, the dedicated communication window ensures the determinism and real-time performance of critical communications, while the shared contention communication window provides a flexible bandwidth replenishment mechanism. Multiple response modes allow the master node to precisely control the response behavior of slave nodes; periodic response and multi-period array command modes significantly reduce the control overhead of the master node. A guard band mechanism tolerates time synchronization errors between nodes, improving system robustness. An incremental update mechanism supports dynamic bandwidth adjustment to adapt to changing communication needs.
[0032] The deterministic communication method for ultra-short-range shared medium networks proposed in this invention will be described in detail below according to the processing steps in engineering practice: In this embodiment, the basic communication parameters of the ultra-short-range shared medium network are first configured. The ultra-short-range shared medium network consists of one master node and multiple slave nodes, with the communication distance limited to 1-2 meters. It adopts a full-duplex shared medium communication mode, and the deterministic communication mechanism of the present invention is implemented at the Media Access Control (MAC) layer above the physical layer.
[0033] I. Uplink communication bandwidth allocation mechanism; The uplink communication bandwidth is divided into periodic communication cycles, each corresponding to a fixed time length, such as 1 millisecond. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of uplink communication bandwidth allocation provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The diagram shows the bandwidth allocation within a communication cycle in the form of a timeline, extending from left to right. The cycle start point is marked "Cycle Start," followed by the dedicated communication windows of Slave1, Slave2, and Slave3, respectively. Each dedicated window is preceded and followed by a guideband area. Shared contention windows are interspersed between the dedicated windows, and the remaining bandwidth at the end is also used as a shared contention window. This diagram visually illustrates the time slot allocation and window layout.
[0034] like Figure 3 As shown, each communication cycle includes the following elements: (1) The communication cycle start time is usually configured as an hourly and secondly time stamp to facilitate synchronization of all network nodes.
[0035] (2) Allocate a dedicated communication window (Guaranteed Window) to each slave node. This window is exclusively used by the specific slave node, and other slave nodes are not allowed to send messages within this window. For example, Slave1's window lags behind the start time of the cycle by 0.1 milliseconds, Slave2's window lags behind by 0.2 milliseconds, and so on. The window length is determined according to the actual communication needs of each slave node, and can be of different lengths or the same length.
[0036] (3) Set a guard band for each slave node. The length of the guard band is determined based on the time synchronization error of the corresponding slave node measured by the master node, and is usually set to 3 times the time synchronization error. When the slave node sends a message, it needs to reduce the header and tail of the exclusive communication window by one guard band length to avoid window conflicts caused by time synchronization errors.
[0037] (4) Configure a shared contention communication window (ContentionWindow) in the time zone outside the exclusive communication window. Multiple slave nodes can access this window through a contention mechanism. The shared contention communication window can be arranged in two ways: centralized layout, which centrally arranges all exclusive communication windows at the beginning of the cycle and uses the remaining time as a whole as the shared contention communication window; and interspersed layout, which intersperses the shared contention communication window between the exclusive communication windows, providing more flexible access opportunities.
[0038] The bandwidth allocation described above constitutes a "communication bandwidth map". The master node sends the communication bandwidth map to all slave nodes via downlink control messages. When the communication bandwidth map needs to be updated, the master node uses an incremental sending method, sending only the changed parts, such as reducing the exclusive sending window of slave node 1 and increasing the exclusive sending window of slave node 2, thereby reducing control overhead.
[0039] After receiving the communication bandwidth map, the slave node will verify its own dedicated communication window. If the slave node finds that its dedicated sending window overlaps with the sending windows of neighboring nodes, it will immediately send a "dedicated window conflict" alarm message to the master node. After receiving the alarm, the master node will readjust the window allocation to ensure window isolation.
[0040] II. Automatic calculation method for equal-length windows; For scenarios where all slave nodes have equal communication needs and the number of slave nodes is large, this invention provides an efficient method for automatically calculating equal-length windows: The master node sends a bandwidth map message to all slave nodes. This message carries two parameters: the base window size and the guide band.
[0041] Each slave node automatically calculates its exclusive communication window position in the next communication cycle based on its pre-configured unique index in the shared medium network using the following formula: Send start time = sequence number × (base window length + 2 × guard band); Actual usable window length = basic window length - 2 × protective tape; For example, assuming a base window length of 100 microseconds and a guard band of 5 microseconds, the slave node with sequence number 3 calculates: transmission start time = 3 × (100 + 2 × 5) = 330 microseconds, and the actual usable window is 90 microseconds. This method avoids the master node configuring window parameters separately for each slave node, significantly reducing configuration complexity and control message overhead.
[0042] III. Response mode of uplink communication; The master node indicates to each slave node in the downlink frame which response mode to adopt. This invention provides four flexible response modes to meet the needs of different application scenarios.
[0043] (1) Immediate Response mode; The master node sends a message with an immediate response flag set to a slave node. Upon receiving the message, the slave node searches for the nearest dedicated communication window within the current communication cycle. If an available dedicated communication window is found, a response message is sent within that window; if no dedicated communication window is available within the current cycle, it attempts to send within the nearest shared contention communication window; if contention fails and the message cannot be sent, the search and sending process is repeated in the next communication cycle. This sending strategy is called the "Greedy Strategy," prioritizing the use of dedicated communication windows to ensure determinism.
[0044] Example application scenario: The master node sends a command to the slave node to read the register, and the slave node needs to return the register value immediately.
[0045] (2) Just-on-Time Response mode; The master node carries a target timestamp parameter in its downlink message, indicating the time at which it expects to receive the response message. Upon receiving this message, the slave node calculates the nearest exclusive communication window to the target timestamp. If the window is available, the response message is sent within that window; otherwise, it is sent within the nearest shared contention communication window. This greedy strategy ensures that the response message is sent near the target timestamp, allowing the master node to accurately predict the response arrival time.
[0046] Application scenario example: Multi-motor synchronous control scenario, where the master node requires each motor to report its current position information at a precise moment.
[0047] (3) Periodic Response; The master node carries a cycle count parameter N in the downlink message, where N is a positive integer. When N=0, it indicates a continuous response mode. After receiving this message, the slave node sends a response message of the same type in each of the next N consecutive communication cycles, prioritizing the use of a dedicated communication window and then a shared contention communication window. In continuous response mode, the slave node continues to send response messages until it receives a new message with a non-zero cycle count parameter.
[0048] Application scenario example: The master node requires the temperature sensor to report temperature data periodically. Setting N=1000 means reporting once per cycle for the next 1000 cycles, or setting N=0 means reporting continuously until a stop command is received.
[0049] (4) Multi-period array command mode; The master node sends a batch command array to the slave node. This array contains multiple control commands and their corresponding execution timing information. After receiving this message, the slave node executes the control commands sequentially in subsequent communication cycles according to the execution timing information and sends response messages, without the master node needing to issue commands separately in each cycle.
[0050] Specific application example: The master node sends a position sequence array [1,2,3] to the motor control slave node, requiring the motor to rotate to position 1, position 2, and position 3 sequentially over the next three cycles. This method can significantly reduce the workload of the master node and is particularly suitable for multi-axis linkage motion control scenarios.
[0051] IV. Dynamic updates of the communication bandwidth map; During communication, the master node continuously monitors the actual communication load and time synchronization accuracy of each slave node. When a change in the communication requirements of a slave node is detected (such as increasing or decreasing the data reporting frequency) or the time synchronization error exceeds a preset threshold, the master node generates an updated communication bandwidth map.
[0052] The update process employs an incremental delivery mechanism: the master node only sends the new dedicated communication window parameters to the affected slave nodes, rather than retransmitting the entire bandwidth map. Upon receiving the update, the slave nodes recalculate or configure their own window parameters and perform conflict checks. If the newly configured dedicated communication window overlaps with the windows of adjacent nodes, the slave node immediately sends a dedicated window conflict alarm message to the master node. Upon receiving the alarm, the master node adjusts its window allocation strategy to ensure no conflicts.
[0053] V. Network Initialization and Synchronization; During network startup, the master node first sends a broadcast message carrying basic network parameters (such as communication cycle length and guard band baseline value). Upon receiving the broadcast, each slave node synchronizes its local clock and registers its own information with the master node (including device type, communication requirements, and preset sequence number). Based on the registration information, the master node allocates an initial dedicated communication window to each slave node, generates an initial communication bandwidth map, and distributes it. After the slave nodes complete window verification, the network enters normal operation.
[0054] VI. Error handling and recovery mechanism; This invention includes a robust error handling mechanism: if a slave node sends a message within its dedicated communication window and does not receive an acknowledgment from the master node within a predetermined time, the transmission is deemed a failure. The slave node can choose to retransmit within the next shared contention communication window or report the communication anomaly to the master node. If the master node detects that a slave node has not received a response message for several consecutive periods, it can determine that the slave node is offline, readjust the bandwidth map, and release the slave node's dedicated window for other nodes to use.
[0055] See Figure 4 This invention provides a deterministic communication device for an ultra-short-range shared medium network, comprising: The parameter configuration module is used to acquire and manage the communication parameters of the ultra-short-range full-duplex shared medium network. The communication parameters include the communication period, the exclusive communication window of each slave node, the shared contention communication window, and the guard band.
[0056] The mode control module is used to send control messages to each slave node through the downlink communication channel to indicate the response mode of each slave node in the uplink communication channel. The response mode includes at least one of the following: immediate response mode, on-time response mode, periodic response mode, and multi-period array command mode.
[0057] The scheduling execution module is used to send or receive messages through the uplink communication channel within the corresponding exclusive communication window or shared contention communication window, according to the response mode and communication parameters.
[0058] The dynamic update module is used to monitor network status and dynamically update communication parameters, and sends the updated communication bandwidth map to slave nodes in an incremental manner.
[0059] It is evident that the content of the above method embodiments is applicable to this device embodiment. The specific functions implemented in this device embodiment are the same as those in the above method embodiments, and the beneficial effects achieved are also the same as those achieved in the above method embodiments.
[0060] This invention provides a deterministic communication system for an ultra-short-range shared medium network, comprising: A master node device includes at least one first processor and a first memory, the first memory storing a first program, which, when executed by the first processor, implements the steps of the above method.
[0061] Multiple slave node devices, each slave node device including at least one second processor and a second memory, the second memory storing a second program, the second program being executed by the second processor to implement the steps of the above method.
[0062] An ultra-short-range shared medium is used to connect the master node device and each slave node device, supporting full-duplex communication. The communication distance of the ultra-short-range shared medium is 1 to 2 meters.
[0063] It is evident that the content of the above method embodiments is applicable to this system embodiment. The specific functions implemented in this system embodiment are the same as those in the above method embodiments, and the beneficial effects achieved are also the same as those achieved in the above method embodiments.
[0064] Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention also disclose a computer program product or computer program stored in a computer-readable storage medium. A processor of a computer device can read the computer program from the computer-readable storage medium, and the processor executes the computer program, causing the computer device to perform the described method. Similarly, the content of the above method embodiments is applicable to this storage medium embodiment. The specific functions implemented in this storage medium embodiment are the same as those in the above method embodiments, and the beneficial effects achieved are also the same as those achieved in the above method embodiments.
[0065] The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.
[0066] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or some of the steps in the methods disclosed above, as well as the functional modules / units in the systems and devices, can be implemented as software, firmware, hardware, or suitable combinations thereof.
[0067] The terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," etc. (if present) in the specification and accompanying drawings of this invention are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of the invention described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.
[0068] It should be understood that in this invention, "at least one (item)" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. "And / or" is used to describe the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: only A exists, only B exists, and both A and B exist simultaneously, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one (item) of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.
[0069] In the several embodiments provided by this invention, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.
[0070] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.
[0071] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present invention can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.
[0072] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes multiple instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing programs, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.
[0073] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but this does not limit the scope of the claims of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention should be within the scope of the claims of the present invention.
Claims
1. A deterministic communication method for ultra-short-range shared medium networks, characterized in that, The method includes the following steps: Obtain communication parameters for an ultra-short-range full-duplex shared medium network, the network comprising a master node and multiple slave nodes, the communication parameters including communication period, exclusive communication window for each slave node, shared contention communication window, and guard band; The master node sends control messages to each slave node through the downlink communication channel. The control messages indicate the response mode of each slave node in the uplink communication channel. The response mode includes at least one of the following: immediate response mode, on-time response mode, periodic response mode, and multi-period array command mode. According to the response mode and the communication parameters, the slave node sends a response message to the master node through the uplink communication channel within the corresponding dedicated communication window or shared contention communication window. The dedicated communication window is a dedicated time slot allocated to a specific slave node within the communication period, and the shared contention communication window is a shared time slot accessed by multiple slave nodes through contention. During communication, the master node dynamically updates communication parameters based on network status and sends the updated communication bandwidth map to the slave nodes in an incremental manner.
2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The acquisition of communication parameters for the ultra-short-range full-duplex shared medium network includes: Divide the uplink communication bandwidth into periodic communication cycles; Within each communication cycle, a dedicated communication window is allocated to each slave node. The start time and window length of the dedicated communication window are determined according to the communication needs of the slave node. A guard band is set for each slave node. The length of the guard band is determined based on the time synchronization error of the corresponding slave node measured by the master node. When the slave node sends a message, it reduces the header and tail of its exclusive communication window by one guard band length. In the time zone outside of the exclusive communication window, a shared contention communication window is configured. The shared contention communication window adopts a centralized or interspersed layout. The centralized layout refers to arranging all exclusive communication windows in a centralized manner, and using the remaining time as the shared contention communication window. The interspersed layout refers to arranging the shared contention communication window interspersed among the various exclusive communication windows.
3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method also includes an automatic calculation method for equal-length windows: The master node sends a bandwidth map message to all slave nodes, the bandwidth map message carrying the base window length and guard band parameters; Each slave node calculates its exclusive communication window position in the next communication cycle based on its unique sequence number pre-configured in the shared medium network.
4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The master node dynamically updates communication parameters based on network status, including: The master node monitors the actual communication load and time synchronization accuracy of each slave node; When a change in the communication requirements of a slave node is detected or the time synchronization error exceeds a threshold, the master node generates an updated communication bandwidth map, which includes the new dedicated communication window parameters for the affected slave nodes. The master node incrementally sends the updated communication bandwidth map to all slave nodes via downlink control messages. After receiving the update, the slave node checks whether its exclusive communication window overlaps with the windows of adjacent nodes. If there is an overlap, it sends an exclusive window conflict alarm to the master node.
5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The immediate response mode includes: The master node sets an immediate response flag in the downlink message. After the slave node receives the message, it searches for the nearest dedicated communication window in the current communication cycle. If it exists, it sends a response message in that window. If it does not exist, it sends a response message in the nearest shared contention communication window. If the contention fails, the above process is repeated in the next communication cycle. The sending strategy adopts a greedy strategy to give priority to the use of dedicated communication windows.
6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The on-time response mode includes: The master node carries a target timestamp parameter in the downlink message, the target timestamp indicating the time point at which the master node expects to receive the response message; After receiving the message from the node, a response message is sent within the exclusive communication window closest to the target timestamp. If the window has expired or does not exist, the response message is sent within the nearest shared contention communication window. The sending strategy adopts a greedy strategy to ensure that the response message is sent near the target timestamp.
7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The periodic response patterns include: The master node carries the period number parameter N in the downlink message. N is a positive integer. When N=0, it indicates a continuous response mode. After receiving the message from the node, in the next N consecutive communication cycles, the same type of response message is sent in each cycle. When sending, the dedicated communication window is used first, and then the shared contention communication window is used. The sending strategy adopts a greedy strategy. In continuous response mode, the slave node continuously sends response messages until it receives a new message with a non-zero period number parameter.
8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multi-period array command mode includes: The master node carries a batch processing command array in the downlink message, which contains multiple control instructions and corresponding execution timing information; After receiving the message, the slave node executes the control command and sends response messages sequentially in multiple subsequent communication cycles according to the execution timing information, without the master node needing to issue commands separately in each cycle.
9. A deterministic communication device for an ultra-short-range shared medium network, characterized in that, include: The parameter configuration module is used to acquire and manage the communication parameters of the ultra-short-range full-duplex shared medium network. The communication parameters include the communication period, the exclusive communication window of each slave node, the shared contention communication window, and the guard band. The mode control module is used to send control messages to each slave node through the downlink communication channel to indicate the response mode of each slave node in the uplink communication channel. The response mode includes at least one of the following: immediate response mode, on-time response mode, periodic response mode, and multi-period array command mode. The scheduling execution module is used to send or receive messages through the uplink communication channel within the corresponding exclusive communication window or shared contention communication window, according to the response mode and communication parameters. The dynamic update module is used to monitor network status and dynamically update communication parameters, and sends the updated communication bandwidth map to slave nodes in an incremental manner.
10. A deterministic communication system for an ultra-short-range shared medium network, characterized in that, include: A master node device includes at least one first processor and a first memory, the first memory storing a first program, which, when executed by the first processor, implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8; Multiple slave node devices, each slave node device including at least one second processor and a second memory, the second memory storing a second program, the second program being executed by the second processor to implement the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8; An ultra-short-range shared medium is used to connect the master node device and each slave node device, supporting full-duplex communication.