Simulation and debugging system and method for wireless communication chips

Abstract

This application provides a simulation and debugging system and method for wireless communication chips. The simulation and debugging system includes: a test control module; a protocol stack module for generating transmission frames based on transmission test data and processing received frames; a media access control layer for outputting transmission frames via the transmission path and transmitting received frames via the reception path; a controller for generating mode configuration signals based on test cases and reception test configurations, and configuring received frames corresponding to the mode configuration signals; a simulation physical layer that, in response to the mode configuration signal indicating a transmission debugging mode, receives and consumes transmission frames and transmits response frames; and, in response to the mode configuration signal indicating a reception debugging mode, generates air interface received frames based on the configured received frames; and the test control module determines the transmission and reception verification results. Using the above technical solution, decoupled development of hardware and software at each level, layered debugging, and joint verification of the entire system can be achieved, reducing the project development cycle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to a simulation and debugging system and method for wireless communication chips. Background Technology

[0002] In the early stages of project development, the development progress and maturity of the software-implemented protocol stack (SW-STACK), the software-implemented media access control layer (SW-MAC), the hardware-implemented media access control layer (HW-MAC), and the physical layer (PHY) were inconsistent. System integration could not be carried out in the early stages of the project, resulting in a lack of usable hardware for the software and a lack of supporting driver software for the hardware. The various development stages were mutually constrained and waiting, significantly prolonging the project development cycle.

[0003] The information disclosed in the background section is only intended to enhance the understanding of the background of this application, and therefore may contain information that is not part of the prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a simulation and debugging system and method for wireless communication chips, which can realize decoupled development of software and hardware at each level, layered debugging and joint verification of the whole system, and reduce the project development cycle.

[0005] A first aspect of this application provides a simulation and debugging system for a wireless communication chip, comprising: The test control module is used to generate and send test data and receive test configurations based on test cases; The protocol stack module is used to generate a sending frame based on the sending test data, process the receiving frame, and generate first verification data. The media access control layer is used to output the transmitted frame through the transmission path and transmit the received frame through the reception path to the protocol stack module. The controller is configured to generate a mode configuration signal based on the test cases and the receiving test configuration, configure the receiving frame corresponding to the mode configuration signal, and generate second verification data. The simulated physical layer is connected to the media access control layer via a MAC-PHY interface and to the controller; in response to the mode configuration signal indicating a transmit debug mode, it receives and consumes the transmit frame, and when a preset response condition is met, it transmits a response frame corresponding to the transmit frame via the MAC-PHY interface; in response to the mode configuration signal indicating a receive debug mode, it generates an air interface receive frame according to the configured receive frame and transmits the air interface receive frame via the MAC-PHY interface; The test control module is used to determine the transmission and reception verification results based on the first verification data, the second verification data, and the expected verification results.

[0006] Optionally, when the media access control layer transmits the transmission frame, it also parses and obtains the type information of the transmission frame, and passes the type information through to the simulation physical layer; When the simulated physical layer receives the transmitted frame, it performs corresponding response processing based on the type information and when the preset response conditions are met.

[0007] Optionally, in response to the type information indicating that the transmitted frame is a broadcast frame or a multicast frame, the emulated physical layer determines that the response frame is no response; In response to the type information indicating that the transmitted frame is a unicast data frame, the emulated physical layer generates an acknowledgment response frame ACK after waiting for a short inter-frame interval, based on the waiting acknowledgment signal and timing signal of the media access control layer. Furthermore, the emulated physical layer also sends a frame transmission completion signal to the media access control layer at the transmission completion time based on the air transmission duration of the unicast data frame, instructing the media access control layer to switch from the frame transmission state to the frame reception state in order to receive the acknowledgment response frame ACK. In response to the type information indicating that the transmitted frame is an aggregated data frame, the emulated physical layer generates a block acknowledgment (BA) response after waiting for a short inter-frame interval, based on the waiting acknowledgment signal and timing signal of the media access control layer. Furthermore, the emulated physical layer sends a frame transmission completion signal to the media access control layer at the transmission completion time, based on the over-the-air transmission duration of the aggregated data frame, to instruct the media access control layer to switch from the frame transmission state to the frame reception state in order to receive the block acknowledgment (BA) response.

[0008] Optionally, in response to receiving a packet receive enable signal and message configuration parameters from the controller, the simulated physical layer generates the air interface receive frame according to the message configuration parameters, and outputs the air interface receive frame to the media access control layer according to the upload time and / or frame interval configured by the controller under the trigger of the packet receive enable signal; wherein, the content of the air interface receive frame and its output time are configured and triggered by the controller, and the output triggering of the air interface receive frame does not require the transmit and receive state of the media access control layer as a necessary condition.

[0009] Optionally, in response to being in receive debug mode, the emulated physical layer also sends an idle channel assessment busy signal to the media access control layer, causing the media access control layer to suspend the execution of the backoff mechanism; In response to winning the right to use the channel, the Media Access Control layer also sends a transmission opportunity valid indication signal to the emulated physical layer, causing the emulated physical layer to suspend sending the air interface receive frame; wherein, in response to receiving the enable signal and the message configuration parameters, the emulated physical layer sends the air interface receive frame to the Media Access Control layer after the current transmission opportunity for which the transmission opportunity valid indication signal was sent expires.

[0010] Optionally, in response to executing any debug mode, the test control module also outputs a reset command to the protocol stack module and the controller to clear the send test data and receive test configuration corresponding to the current test case, as well as the first verification data and the second verification data.

[0011] Optionally, the simulation debugging system also includes: The real physical layer shares the MAC-PHY interface with the simulated physical layer. The switching module is connected to the media access control layer, the real physical layer and the simulated physical layer, and is used to selectively select the communication link between the real physical layer or the simulated physical layer and the media access control layer according to the configuration information. The controller is also used to generate the configuration information; Specifically, in response to the configuration information indicating that it is in debug mode, a communication link is established between the simulated physical layer and the media access control layer; in response to the configuration information indicating that it is in communication mode, a communication link is established between the real physical layer and the media access control layer.

[0012] Optionally, the simulation physical layer includes: A control unit, connected to a controller, is configured to operate in the transmit debugging mode and the receive debugging mode according to the mode configuration signal; wherein, in the transmit debugging mode, the received frame includes a response frame corresponding to the transmit frame; and in the receive debugging mode, the received frame includes the air interface receive frame. Storage unit, used to store the received frame corresponding to the mode configuration signal; The data consumption unit, connected to the switching module, is used to consume the transmission frame and output a first trigger signal when the simulation physical layer is in the transmission debugging mode. A state machine, connected to the control unit and the data consumption unit, is used to generate a first enable signal based on the first trigger signal when in the transmit debugging mode; and to generate a second enable signal when in the receive debugging mode. A first selector, connected to the state machine, is configured to read a response frame corresponding to the transmit debugging mode from the storage unit in response to the first enable signal; and to read an air interface receive frame corresponding to the receive debugging mode from the storage unit in response to the second enable signal. The data feedback unit, connected to the first selector and the switching module, is used to transmit the response frame to the media access control layer through the MAC-PHY interface; and to transmit the air interface receive frame to the media access control layer through the MAC-PHY interface.

[0013] Optionally, the switching module includes: A strobe controller, connected to the controller, is configured to generate a first strobe signal when the configuration information indicates that the system is in the debug mode; and to generate a second strobe signal when the configuration information indicates that the system is in the communication mode. The second selector, connected to the MAC-PHY interface, the gating controller, the simulated physical layer, and the real physical layer, is used to select the path between the simulated physical layer and the MAC-PHY interface according to the first gating signal to execute the transmit debugging mode of the simulated physical layer; and to select the path between the real physical layer and the MAC-PHY interface according to the second gating signal to execute the transmit mode in the communication mode. A third selector, connected to the MAC-PHY interface, the gating controller, the simulated physical layer, and the real physical layer, is used to select the path between the simulated physical layer and the MAC-PHY interface according to the first gating signal to execute the receive debugging mode of the simulated physical layer; and to select the path between the real physical layer and the MAC-PHY interface according to the second gating signal to execute the receive mode in the communication mode.

[0014] Optionally, the real physical layer includes: A data transmission unit, connected to the switching module, is used to output a transmission frame generated by the protocol stack module when the configuration information indicates that the communication mode is in place, and transmit it to the outside via the radio frequency module; A data receiving unit, connected to the switching module, is used to receive external data via the radio frequency module and transmit it to the protocol stack module when the configuration information indicates that the communication mode is in the specified mode. A switcher, connected to the data transmitting unit, the data receiving unit, and the radio frequency module, is used to select the path between the data transmitting unit and the radio frequency module, and to select the path between the data receiving unit and the radio frequency module.

[0015] A second aspect of this application provides a simulation and debugging method for a wireless communication chip, comprising: Generate test data to send and test configuration to receive based on test cases; A transmission frame is generated based on the transmission test data, and the transmission frame is output to the simulation physical layer via the transmission path, and first verification data is generated. Based on the test cases and the receiving test configuration, a mode configuration signal is generated, and the receiving frame corresponding to the mode configuration signal is configured, and second verification data is generated. In response to the mode configuration signal indicating the sending debug mode, the system receives and consumes the sending frame, and transmits the response frame corresponding to the sending frame through the MAC-PHY interface when the preset response conditions are met. In response to the mode configuration signal indicating the receive debugging mode, an air interface receive frame is generated according to the configured receive frame, and the air interface receive frame is transmitted through the MAC-PHY interface; The send / receive verification result is determined based on the first verification data, the second verification data, and the expected verification result.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of this application embodiment has the following beneficial effects: The simulation and debugging system for wireless communication chips provided in this application embodiment includes a test control module capable of generating transmission test data and reception test configurations based on test cases. Thus, when executing the transmission debugging mode, the transmission frame generated by the protocol stack module can be transmitted to the simulation physical layer via the media access control layer and the MAC-PHY interface. Simultaneously, the controller can generate a mode configuration signal based on the test cases and reception test configurations, and configure the reception frame corresponding to the mode configuration signal, enabling the simulation physical layer to correctly respond to the transmission frame. The simulation physical layer can receive and consume the transmission frame, and when a preset response condition is met, it sends a response frame back to the protocol stack module via the MAC-PHY interface and the media access control layer. When executing the reception debugging mode, the simulation physical layer can generate an air interface reception frame based on the configured reception frame, and send the air interface reception frame back to the protocol stack module via the MAC-PHY interface and the media access control layer. During this process, the protocol stack module can generate first verification data, and the controller can generate second verification data, thereby allowing the test control module to determine the transmission and reception verification results based on the first verification data, the second verification data, and the expected verification results. By setting up a simulation physical layer and its simulation debugging mode, decoupled development of software and hardware at each level, layered debugging, and joint verification of the entire system can be achieved, reducing the project development cycle. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of this application and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments and are used to explain this application, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this application. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a simulation and debugging system for a wireless communication chip provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a partial structural diagram of a simulation and debugging system for a wireless communication chip provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a simulation and debugging method for a wireless communication chip provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0018] To make the technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the exemplary embodiments of this application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not an exhaustive list of all embodiments. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other.

[0019] Traditional development and verification solutions consist of three parts: hardware verification, software development, and hardware-software co-verification. Hardware verification relies on the Testbench simulation platform to complete modeling and unit simulation. After basic self-testing, it is then connected to the System-on-Chip (SoC) hardware platform for hardware-software integration testing.

[0020] The controller development is detached from the physical hardware. The module development and unit self-testing are completed by setting up a stub environment on the Linux system. The whole machine controller will be ported after the actual physical layer hardware is fabricated and integrated.

[0021] Hardware-software co-verification involves building a C-Test project in a simulation environment, which can only achieve limited co-verification of local hardware functions.

[0022] However, the above development and verification scheme has at least the following drawbacks.

[0023] First, the software and hardware development are highly coupled, with projects waiting for each other to complete. In the early stages of a project, neither the software nor the hardware is finalized, and there are no standard benchmarks for reference. Frequent software and hardware integration and debugging stalls, slowing down the overall development progress.

[0024] Second, the simulation is inefficient and cannot perform stress testing. Due to the limitations of server simulation speed, the execution time of a single test case ranges from tens of minutes to tens of hours, making it difficult to conduct long-term stability stress testing and ensuring the robustness of test cases. Fatigue testing and cumulative faults (bugs) accumulated over long periods of operation cannot be detected. Furthermore, it is impossible to continuously perform large-scale traversal testing and regression iteration verification.

[0025] Third, there is a lack of a complete system software operation and development environment. Traditional simulation only supports unit and single-point functional verification and cannot accommodate a complete embedded real-time operating system, protocol stack supporting library files and header files. The overall software architecture design and full-service network development cannot be implemented on the simulation platform.

[0026] Fourth, there are discrepancies between the simulation timing and the actual runtime, making later porting and debugging difficult. The simulation environment cannot reproduce the real-time timing of the chip's actual operation, and hardware and software faults are mixed together, making troubleshooting costly, difficult, and time-consuming during the later chip deployment and porting stage.

[0027] To address at least one of the aforementioned technical problems, embodiments of this application add a controllable simulation physical layer to the back end of the media access control layer. The media access control layer and the simulation physical layer use a unified MAC-PHY interface (MAC-PhyInterface, MPI) for data and timing interaction, enabling sending and receiving debugging. This achieves decoupled development of software and hardware at each level, layered debugging, and joint verification of the entire system, thereby reducing the project development cycle.

[0028] To make the technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the exemplary embodiments of this application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not an exhaustive list of all embodiments. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other.

[0029] See Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a simulation and debugging system for a wireless communication chip provided in an embodiment of this application. The simulation and debugging system 100 for a wireless communication chip may include: Test control module 110 is used to generate and send test data and receive test configurations based on test cases; Protocol stack module 120 is used to generate a transmission frame based on the transmission test data, process the received frame, and generate first verification data. The media access control layer 130 is used to output the transmitted frame through the transmission path and transmit the received frame through the reception path to the protocol stack module; The controller 150 is configured to generate a mode configuration signal based on the test cases and the receiving test configuration, configure the receiving frame corresponding to the mode configuration signal, and generate second verification data. The simulated physical layer 140 is connected to the media access control layer 130 via the MAC-PHY interface 160 and to the controller 150; in response to the mode configuration signal indicating the transmit debug mode, it receives and consumes the transmit frame, and when a preset response condition is met, it transmits a response frame corresponding to the transmit frame via the MAC-PHY interface 160; in response to the mode configuration signal indicating the receive debug mode, it generates an air interface receive frame according to the configured receive frame, and transmits the air interface receive frame via the MAC-PHY interface 160. The test control module 110 is used to determine the transmission and reception verification result based on the first verification data, the second verification data, and the expected verification result.

[0030] Specifically, by setting up a controllable simulation physical layer 140, it is possible to perform transmit and receive debugging for wireless communication chips.

[0031] During transmit debugging, the emulated physical layer 140 is in transmit debugging mode. In this way, the protocol stack module 120 can generate transmit frames based on the transmit test data. These transmit frames are then transmitted sequentially through the media access control layer 130 and the MAC-PHY interface 160 to the emulated physical layer 140.

[0032] The simulated physical layer 140 is used to receive and consume the transmitted frame. That is, when the simulated physical layer 140 receives the transmitted frame, it does not send the transmitted frame to the real air interface, but consumes the transmitted frame to realize the frame transmission process of the wireless communication chip.

[0033] Simultaneously, after the simulated physical layer 140 consumes the transmitted frame, it generates a response frame corresponding to the transmitted frame when the preset response conditions are met. The response frame is then transmitted to the transmission protocol stack module 120 via the MAC-PHY interface 160 and the media access control layer 130.

[0034] During receive debugging, the simulated physical layer 140 is in receive debugging mode. The simulated physical layer 140 acts as the transmitter, generating a simulated air interface receive frame corresponding to the receive test configuration. This simulated air interface receive frame is then transmitted to the transmission protocol stack module 120 via the MAC-PHY interface 160 and the media access control layer 130.

[0035] The receive frames used in both receive debugging and transmit debugging are provided by the controller 150.

[0036] Specifically, the test control module 110 can initiate corresponding configuration commands based on the test cases. For example, to test the complete transmission sequence of 100,000 TX-DATA followed by RX-ACK, the test control module 110 will send the test number corresponding to the test case and the receive test configuration to the controller 150 (Fake Phy ctrl Driver).

[0037] Based on this number and the receive test configuration, controller 150 prepares the receive frame (for the media access control layer) and writes it to the simulated physical layer. Once the debugging process is started, data interaction is simulated according to the actual transmission and reception process.

[0038] During this process, the protocol stack module 120 can generate first verification data. Specifically, during the transmission debugging process, the protocol stack module 120 generates transmission-side verification information based on the transmission processing result of the transmission frame; and during the reception debugging process, it generates reception-side verification information based on the processing result of the reception frame; the transmission-side verification information and the reception-side verification information serve as the first verification data.

[0039] In this embodiment, the sending-side verification information includes at least one of the following: sending completion status, number of successful sending, number of failed sending, number of sent frames, number of retransmissions, and sending error statistics; the receiving-side verification information includes at least one of the following: number of received frames, received data content, received frame verification result, deframe result, number of successful receiving, number of failed receiving, and receiving error statistics.

[0040] Accordingly, the controller 150 can generate second verification data for the simulated physical layer 140 side after receiving and consuming the transmit frame, sending back the response frame, generating the air interface receive frame, and / or injecting the simulated air interface receive frame.

[0041] In this embodiment, the second verification data includes at least one of the following: the number of received transmission frames, the number of consumed transmission frames, the number of returned response frames, the number of generated air interface received frames, the number of injected simulated air interface received frames, the number of lost frames, the number of errors, and the simulated physical layer working state.

[0042] In this way, the test control module 110 can receive the first verification data and the second verification data, and then determine the transmission and reception verification results based on the expected verification results, thereby realizing the transmission and reception test verification for the wireless communication chip.

[0043] In the above solution, the simulated physical layer 140 is used to replace the real physical layer, enabling the four modules—HW-MAC, SW-MAC, WiFi protocol stack, and RF PHY—to operate independently. This allows for full-path debugging without waiting for the real physical layer and hardware to be available. The software and hardware teams can develop in parallel, shortening the development cycle and resolving the pain point of previous solutions where software and hardware were often delayed.

[0044] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, a received frame refers to a frame input to the protocol stack module via the receiving path of the media access control layer. Received frames may include response frames and air interface received frames. A response frame is an acknowledgment frame sent back by the simulated physical layer in response to a sent frame during the transmission verification process. An air interface received frame is a frame generated and injected into the receiving path by the simulated physical layer according to the reception test configuration during the reception verification process.

[0045] In some embodiments, the test control module is an automatic control test engine that works in conjunction with the wireless communication chip.

[0046] Specifically, the Automated Test Engine (ATE) interfaces with the upper control drive layer (i.e., the controller) of the simulated physical layer. It can batch configure the working mode, preset messages, and transmission and reception timing of the simulated physical layer through scripts, and automatically traverse thousands of test cases such as scanning, access, data transmission and reception, and abnormal disconnection to achieve full-link automated regression testing and adapt to the continuous verification needs of project iteration.

[0047] Example 1: Perform a send test.

[0048] The ATE prepares test cases, and the controller configures the simulated physical layer's operating mode and pre-stored frame pool according to the test cases. For example, to test unicast frames, it is necessary to configure the simulated physical layer to reply with an ACK frame after sending the unicast frame.

[0049] ATE initiates transmission, and data flows sequentially from each protocol stack layer into the simulated physical layer. The simulated physical layer consumes the data from the upper layers, simulating the operation of sending data into the air.

[0050] Then, the simulated physical layer can retrieve ACK frames from the pre-stored frame pool and send them back to the media access control layer via the receive loop. The media access control layer receiving the ACK frame signifies the completion of the transmission and then proceeds to subsequent processing.

[0051] Example 2: Perform a send test.

[0052] Based on the testing requirements of ATE, the controller needs to first configure the simulated physical layer to enable the simulated physical layer to send air interface receive frames.

[0053] The ATE can receive the first verification data and the second verification data, and then, based on the expected verification result, can determine the transmission and reception verification result, thereby realizing the transmission and reception test verification for the wireless communication chip.

[0054] In some embodiments, in response to executing any debug mode, the test control module also outputs a reset command to the protocol stack module and the controller to clear the send test data and receive test configuration corresponding to the current test case, as well as the first verification data and the second verification data.

[0055] The protocol stack module is the WiFi controller protocol stack, used to implement upper-layer services such as WiFi packet framing and deframing, device scanning, wireless connection, and link status management.

[0056] The media access control layer includes SW-MAC and HW-MAC. SW-MAC acts as an intermediate adaptation layer between the protocol stack modules and HW-MAC, shielding the underlying register operation logic and handling system memory allocation and management. HW-MAC implements high real-time hardware MAC functions, including time-sensitive processing logic such as channel contention and microsecond-level acknowledgments.

[0057] It should be noted that in this application, the SW-MAC, HW-MAC, and protocol stack modules can be implemented using existing functional modules in the field.

[0058] This application does not focus on improvements to the internal structure or internal processing logic of SW-MAC, HW-MAC, or the protocol stack module itself, but rather on the connection relationships, data interaction methods, control flow, and / or collaborative working mechanisms between SW-MAC, HW-MAC, the protocol stack module, and other modules.

[0059] In this embodiment, when the media access control layer transmits the transmission frame, it also parses and obtains the type information of the transmission frame and passes the type information through to the simulation physical layer; when the simulation physical layer receives the transmission frame, it performs the corresponding response processing according to the type information and when the preset response condition is met.

[0060] Specifically, when transmitting a transmission frame, the Media Access Control (MAC) layer can obtain the MAC header information and transmission descriptor information corresponding to the transmission frame.

[0061] The Media Access Control (MAC) layer can determine the transmission response type corresponding to the transmitted frame based on the MAC header information and the transmission descriptor information. The transmission response types include no response, Acknowledgment (ACK) response, or Block Acknowledgment (BA) response.

[0062] In this way, the media access control layer transparently transmits the type information to the emulated physical layer. Upon receiving a transmission frame, the emulated physical layer performs the corresponding response processing based on the type information and when the preset response conditions are met, thereby achieving effective transmission testing.

[0063] Accordingly, the simulated physical layer, when performing response processing, includes the following situations: Case 1: In response to the type information indicating that the transmitted frame is a broadcast frame or a multicast frame, the emulated physical layer determines that the response frame is no response.

[0064] In scenario 2, in response to the type information indicating that the transmitted frame is a unicast data frame, the emulated physical layer generates an acknowledgment response frame (ACK) after waiting for a short inter-frame interval, based on the waiting acknowledgment signal and timing signal from the media access control layer. Furthermore, the emulated physical layer sends a frame transmission completion signal to the media access control layer at the transmission completion time, based on the over-the-air transmission duration of the unicast data frame, to instruct the media access control layer to switch from the frame transmission state to the frame reception state in order to receive the acknowledgment response frame (ACK).

[0065] Specifically, when the transmitted frame is a unicast data frame, on the one hand, the simulated physical layer generates an acknowledgment response frame ACK after a short inter-frame interval based on the waiting acknowledgment signal (wait ack signal, which is used to indicate that the media access control layer is in a state of waiting for ACK reply) and timing signal (SIFS timing signal) of the media access control layer.

[0066] On the other hand, the simulated physical layer sends a frame transmission completion signal to the media access control layer at the transmission completion time based on the air transmission duration of the unicast data frame, causing the media access control layer to switch from the frame transmission state to the frame reception state.

[0067] For example, after detecting that the waiting acknowledgment signal is valid, the simulated physical layer (specifically, the Fake PHY RX) determines the transmission time of the ACK frame based on the SIFS timing signal.

[0068] In this way, when the simulated physical layer replies with an ACK response frame, the media access control layer can receive the ACK response frame and simulate the automatic reply logic of the air interface ACK.

[0069] In scenario 3, in response to the type information indicating that the transmitted frame is an aggregated data frame, the emulated physical layer generates a block acknowledgment (BA) response after waiting for a short inter-frame interval, based on the waiting acknowledgment signal and timing signal from the media access control layer. Furthermore, the emulated physical layer sends a frame transmission completion signal to the media access control layer at the transmission completion time, based on the over-the-air transmission duration of the aggregated data frame, to instruct the media access control layer to switch from the frame transmission state to the frame reception state in order to receive the block acknowledgment (BA) response.

[0070] Specifically, when the transmitted frame is an aggregated data frame (e.g., MPDU), on the one hand, the simulated physical layer generates a block acknowledgment response (BA) after a short inter-frame interval based on the waiting acknowledgment signal and timing signal from the media access control layer.

[0071] On the other hand, the simulated physical layer sends a frame transmission completion signal to the media access control layer at the transmission completion time based on the over-the-air transmission duration of the aggregated data frame, causing the media access control layer to switch from the frame transmission state to the frame reception state.

[0072] For example, after detecting that the waiting confirmation signal is valid, the simulated physical layer (specifically, the Fake PHY RX) determines the transmission time of the BA frame based on the SIFS timing signal.

[0073] In this way, when the simulated physical layer replies with a block acknowledgment (BA) response, the media access control layer can receive the BA response and simulate the automatic reply logic of the air interface BA.

[0074] In examples 2 and 3 above, the frame recovery process of the simulated physical layer is controlled by the state of the media access control layer.

[0075] In some embodiments, in response to receiving a packet receive enable signal and message configuration parameters from the controller, the simulated physical layer generates the air interface receive frame according to the message configuration parameters, and outputs the air interface receive frame to the media access control layer according to the upload time and / or frame interval configured by the controller under the trigger of the packet receive enable signal; wherein, the content of the air interface receive frame and its output time are configured and triggered by the controller, and the output triggering of the air interface receive frame does not require the transmit / receive state of the media access control layer as a necessary condition.

[0076] That is, when the trigger condition for the simulated physical layer to send a message upward is the packet receive enable signal sent by the controller, it is not subject to the transmit and receive timing constraints of the media access control layer.

[0077] In this way, the simulated physical layer's receiving path can generate specified data frames under the control of the controller and output them to the media access control layer according to preset trigger times, frame intervals, or transmission sequences. This enables flexible simulation of different packet receiving scenarios, improves the verification coverage of the media access control layer's receiving path, concurrent transmission and reception processing capabilities, buffer management capabilities, and abnormal frame handling capabilities, and meets the needs of different application scenarios. For example, scenarios with different timing requirements for different data frames and frame intervals.

[0078] Furthermore, since the message content and message upload time of the simulated physical layer can be controlled by the controller, the same test scenario can be triggered stably and repeatedly, which is beneficial for reproducing sporadic timing problems, reducing the difficulty of problem localization, and improving debugging efficiency.

[0079] In some embodiments, since the simulated physical layer does not transmit the frame into the air, it is necessary to ensure the consistency and stability of the transmission timing.

[0080] In this embodiment, in response to being in receive debugging mode, the simulated physical layer also sends an idle channel assessment busy signal (CCA Busy) to the media access control layer, causing the media access control layer to suspend the execution of the backoff mechanism.

[0081] Specifically, when the simulated physical layer initiates the RX to send data upwards, it simultaneously outputs a CCA Busy signal to the Media Access Control (MAC) layer (specifically, the HW-MAC). The MAC layer then pauses its backoff mechanism to prevent uplink and downlink data transmission conflicts while the MAC layer is in the sending state.

[0082] In this embodiment, in response to winning the right to use the channel, the media access control layer also sends a transmission opportunity valid indication signal to the emulated physical layer, causing the emulated physical layer to suspend the transmission of the air interface receive frame.

[0083] Specifically, in response to receiving the enable signal and the message configuration parameters, the simulated physical layer sends the air interface receive frame to the media access control layer after the current transmission opportunity of the transmission opportunity valid indication signal expires.

[0084] In the above example, by configuring the data interaction logic between the simulation physical layer and the media access control layer, the orderly transmission and reception of sent and received frames during the debugging process is realized, thereby avoiding problems such as timing disorder, data misalignment or abnormal response of sent and received frames during the simulation debugging process, and improving the stability, controllability and debugging efficiency of data interaction between the simulation physical layer and the media access control layer.

[0085] The MAC-PHY interface is the data channel and timing control interface between the media access control layer and the simulated physical layer, or between the media access control layer and the real physical layer.

[0086] In this embodiment, the MAC-PHY interface includes a data bus, timing synchronization signals, and status control signal lines. The hardware pins and interface protocols of the simulated physical layer (Fake PHY) and the mass-produced real physical layer are fully compatible. Hardware implementation uses register configuration to achieve two-to-one path switching.

[0087] When the register is configured to 0, the link is connected to the simulated physical layer for early development and verification; when the register is configured to 1, it switches to the real physical layer chip / RF hardware without modifying the MAC layer software and hardware code.

[0088] In some embodiments, the simulated physical layer has two core functions: simulating the real physical layer (Real PHY) to consume the data sent down by the media access control layer and feeding simulated air interface data up.

[0089] During TX channel debugging, the data sent down from the upper-layer protocol stack passes through SW-MAC and HW-MAC in sequence before being sent to the simulated physical layer for reception and consumption, realizing the full-process simulation of the whole machine's transmission link. It can complete the item-by-item testing of software framing, hardware frame sending, memory management, queue anomalies, and HW-MAC functions.

[0090] During RX path debugging, the simulated physical layer generates pre-configured simulated data and pushes it upward to HW-MAC, which is then delivered to the upper-layer protocol stack via SW-MAC. This simulates the real air interface packet receiving process and verifies functions such as receive buffer exception handling, protocol stack frame de-framing, and system control logic.

[0091] Among them, by setting up a control module and upper-level driver for the simulation physical layer, the controller can configure the working mode of the simulation physical layer and read the running status in real time.

[0092] After the upper-layer protocol stack, SW-MAC, and HW-MAC are all debugged, the link is switched from the simulated physical layer to the real physical layer by switching the configuration, so as to realize real air interface transmission and reception.

[0093] In this embodiment, the receiving module of the simulated physical layer is divided into an immediate response mode and a normal packet receiving mode. Both modes require the controller to configure the receive vector (RX Vector) parameters and MPDU message data in the storage area in advance.

[0094] In this embodiment, the simulation debugging system further includes: The real physical layer shares the MAC-PHY interface with the simulated physical layer. The switching module is connected to the media access control layer, the real physical layer and the simulated physical layer, and is used to selectively select the communication link between the real physical layer or the simulated physical layer and the media access control layer according to the configuration information. The controller is also used to generate the configuration information; Specifically, in response to the configuration information indicating that it is in debug mode, a communication link is established between the simulated physical layer and the media access control layer; in response to the configuration information indicating that it is in communication mode, a communication link is established between the real physical layer and the media access control layer.

[0095] Specifically, the switching module can perform path switching operations to selectively connect the communication link between the real physical layer and the media access control layer, or simulate the communication link between the physical layer and the media access control layer.

[0096] For example, when the configuration information indicates that the system is in debug mode, a communication link is established between the simulated physical layer and the media access control layer; in response to the configuration information indicating that the system is in communication mode, a communication link is established between the real physical layer and the media access control layer. Furthermore, the real physical layer and the simulated physical layer share the MAC-PHY interface, thereby enabling a seamless replacement scheme for initial verification operations performed through the simulated physical layer and later mass production of the real physical layer.

[0097] In other words, the verification operation has a real operating environment consistent with mass-produced hardware, and is fully equipped with the WiFi upper-layer software protocol stack, system dependency libraries and header files. It is no longer limited to unit-level simulation verification. Software developers can complete the development of full-scenario functions such as whole-machine protocol, networking, and interaction, which greatly reduces the workload and porting failures of software across environments in the later stage.

[0098] During this process, the controller can interact with the test control module to output corresponding configuration information to the switching module.

[0099] Simultaneously, it can generate mode debugging signals to the simulation physical layer, enabling the simulation physical layer to be in either transmit debugging mode or receive debugging mode.

[0100] Furthermore, configuration parameters corresponding to the debug mode are pre-configured in the simulation physical layer. This ensures that the simulation physical layer can correctly reply with a response frame corresponding to the sent frame, or correctly simulate an air interface received frame.

[0101] Combination Figure 1 See Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a partial structural diagram of a simulation and debugging system for a wireless communication chip provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0102] The simulation physical layer 140 may include: Control unit 141, connected to controller 150, is configured to be in the transmit debugging mode and the receive debugging mode according to the mode configuration signal; wherein, in the transmit debugging mode, the receive frame includes the response frame corresponding to the transmit frame; in the receive debugging mode, the receive frame includes the air interface receive frame. Storage unit 142 is used to store the received frame corresponding to the mode configuration signal; The data consumption unit 143, connected to the switching module 170, is used to consume the transmission frame and output a first trigger signal when the simulation physical layer 140 is in the transmission debugging mode. State machine 144, connected to the control unit 141 and the data consumption unit 143, is used to generate a first enable signal according to the first trigger signal when in the transmit debugging mode; and to generate a second enable signal when in the receive debugging mode. A first selector 145, connected to the state machine 144, is used to read a response frame corresponding to the transmit debugging mode from the storage unit 142 in response to the first enable signal; and to read an air interface receive frame corresponding to the receive debugging mode from the storage unit 142 in response to the second enable signal. The data feedback unit 146 is connected to the first selector 145 and the switching module 170, and is used to transmit the response frame to the media access control layer 130 through the MAC-PHY interface 160; and to transmit the air interface receive frame to the media access control layer 130 through the MAC-PHY interface 160.

[0103] Specifically, the controller 150 can pre-configure configuration parameters for the debugging process in the storage unit 142, enabling the simulation physical layer 140 to respond and send data frames in a targeted manner.

[0104] In this embodiment, the configuration parameters stored in storage unit 142 include: acknowledgment frame (ACK), block acknowledgment frame (BA), data frame (data), beacon frame (beacon), authentication second frame (auth-2), association response frame (assoc-rsp), authentication handshake first frame (eapol-1), and authentication handshake third frame (eapol-3).

[0105] It should be noted that the frame types listed above are for illustrative purposes only. They can be adapted to different application scenarios.

[0106] In this way, when in debug mode, controller 150 can send a configuration signal indicating debug mode to switching module 170, thereby switching module 170 selects the communication link between data consumption unit 143 and media access control layer 130, or the communication link between data feedback unit 146 and media access control layer 130.

[0107] During the transmission test, the transmission frame is received and consumed by the data consumption unit 143 through the media access control layer 130 and the MAC-PHY interface 160. At the same time, the data consumption unit 143 also outputs a first trigger signal to the state machine 144 to enable the state machine 144.

[0108] Since the control unit 141 is also connected to the state machine 144, the state machine 144 can select the path corresponding to one of the configuration parameters. In this way, the data feedback unit 146 can select the response frame corresponding to the transmitted frame through the first selector 145.

[0109] The data feedback unit 146 can transmit the response frame to the media access control layer 130 through the MAC-PHY interface 160 to complete a send-receive test verification.

[0110] During the reception test, the control unit 141 is connected to the state machine 144, so the state machine 144 can select the path corresponding to one of the configuration parameters by outputting a second enable signal to the first selector 145.

[0111] In this way, the data feedback unit 146 can select an air interface receive frame through the first selector 145.

[0112] The data feedback unit 146 can transmit the air interface received frame to the media access control layer 130 through the MAC-PHY interface 160 to complete a reception test verification.

[0113] In some embodiments, see next. Figure 2 The switching module 170 includes: A gating controller 171, connected to the controller 150, is configured to generate a first gating signal when the configuration information indicates that the system is in the debug mode; and to generate a second gating signal when the configuration information indicates that the system is in the communication mode. The second selector 172, connected to the MAC-PHY interface 160, the gating controller 171, the emulated physical layer 140, and the real physical layer 180, is used to select the path between the emulated physical layer 140 and the MAC-PHY interface 160 according to the first gating signal, so as to execute the transmit debugging mode of the emulated physical layer 140; and to select the path between the real physical layer 180 and the MAC-PHY interface 160 according to the second gating signal, so as to execute the transmit mode in the communication mode. The third selector 173, connected to the MAC-PHY interface 160, the gating controller 171, the emulated physical layer 140, and the real physical layer 180, is used to select the path between the emulated physical layer 140 and the MAC-PHY interface 160 according to the first gating signal, so as to execute the receive debugging mode of the emulated physical layer 140; and to select the path between the real physical layer 180 and the MAC-PHY interface 160 according to the second gating signal, so as to execute the receive mode in the communication mode.

[0114] Specifically, during debug mode, the path between the simulated physical layer 140 and the MAC-PHY interface 160 is enabled. Furthermore, during transmit debug mode, the second selector 172 is enabled; and during receive debug mode, the third selector 173 is enabled.

[0115] When the communication mode is executed, the path between the physical layer 180 and the MAC-PHY interface 160 is enabled. Furthermore, when the transmit mode is executed, the second selector 172 is enabled; and when the receive mode is executed, the third selector 173 is enabled.

[0116] In some embodiments, see next. Figure 2 The physical layer 180 includes: The data transmission unit 181 is connected to the switching module 170 and is used to output the transmission frame generated by the protocol stack module 120 when the configuration information indicates that the communication mode is in place, and transmit it to the outside via the radio frequency module (not shown). The data receiving unit 182 is connected to the switching module 170 and is used to receive external data via the radio frequency module and transmit it to the protocol stack module 120 when the configuration information indicates that the communication mode is in the communication mode. Switch 183 is connected to the data transmitting unit 181, the data receiving unit 182 and the radio frequency module, and is used to select the path between the data transmitting unit 181 and the radio frequency module, and to select the path between the data receiving unit 182 and the radio frequency module.

[0117] In this way, by configuring the MPI interface of the simulated physical layer and the real physical layer to be compatible and switching paths, after the initial full-link verification is completed, it can be replaced with the real physical layer and radio frequency by simply switching the hardware configuration. The amount of architectural changes is minimal, and the transition from simulation verification to real air interface testing is seamless, shortening the mass production and deployment cycle of the whole machine.

[0118] This application also provides a simulation and debugging method for wireless communication chips. See also... Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a simulation and debugging method for a wireless communication chip provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0119] This simulation and debugging method can be applied to the simulation and debugging system of the wireless communication chip in any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0120] Accordingly, simulation debugging methods may include: S301 generates test data to be sent and test configuration to be received based on test cases; S302, Generate a transmission frame based on the transmission test data, and output the transmission frame to the simulation physical layer via the transmission path, and generate the first verification data; S303, Based on the test cases and the receiving test configuration, generate a mode configuration signal, configure the receiving frame corresponding to the mode configuration signal, and generate second verification data; S304, in response to the mode configuration signal indicating the send debugging mode, receive and consume the send frame, and when the preset response condition is met, transmit the response frame corresponding to the send frame through the MAC-PHY interface; S305, in response to the mode configuration signal indicating the receive debugging mode, generates an air interface receive frame according to the configured receive frame, and transmits the air interface receive frame through the MAC-PHY interface; S306, Determine the transmit / receive verification result based on the first verification data, the second verification data, and the expected verification result.

[0121] Although preferred embodiments of this application have been described, those skilled in the art, upon learning the basic inventive concept, can make other changes and modifications to these embodiments. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments as well as all changes and modifications falling within the scope of this application.

[0122] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A simulation and debugging system for wireless communication chips, characterized in that, include: The test control module is used to generate and send test data and receive test configurations based on test cases; The protocol stack module is used to generate a sending frame based on the sending test data, process the receiving frame, and generate first verification data. The media access control layer is used to output the transmitted frame through the transmission path and transmit the received frame through the reception path to the protocol stack module. The controller is configured to generate a mode configuration signal based on the test cases and the receiving test configuration, configure the receiving frame corresponding to the mode configuration signal, and generate second verification data. The simulated physical layer is connected to the media access control layer via a MAC-PHY interface and to the controller; in response to the mode configuration signal indicating a transmit debug mode, it receives and consumes the transmit frame, and when a preset response condition is met, it transmits a response frame corresponding to the transmit frame via the MAC-PHY interface; in response to the mode configuration signal indicating a receive debug mode, it generates an air interface receive frame according to the configured receive frame and transmits the air interface receive frame via the MAC-PHY interface; The test control module is used to determine the transmission and reception verification results based on the first verification data, the second verification data, and the expected verification results.

2. The simulation debugging system according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the media access control layer transmits the transmission frame, it also parses and obtains the type information of the transmission frame, and passes the type information through to the simulation physical layer; When the simulated physical layer receives the transmitted frame, it performs corresponding response processing based on the type information and when the preset response conditions are met.

3. The simulation debugging system according to claim 2, characterized in that, When the type information indicates that the transmitted frame is a broadcast frame or a multicast frame, the emulated physical layer determines that the response frame is no response; In response to the type information indicating that the transmitted frame is a unicast data frame, the emulated physical layer generates an acknowledgment response frame ACK after waiting for a short inter-frame interval, based on the waiting acknowledgment signal and timing signal of the media access control layer. Furthermore, the emulated physical layer also sends a frame transmission completion signal to the media access control layer at the transmission completion time based on the air transmission duration of the unicast data frame, instructing the media access control layer to switch from the frame transmission state to the frame reception state in order to receive the acknowledgment response frame ACK. In response to the type information indicating that the transmitted frame is an aggregated data frame, the emulated physical layer generates a block acknowledgment (BA) response after waiting for a short inter-frame interval, based on the waiting acknowledgment signal and timing signal of the media access control layer. Furthermore, the emulated physical layer sends a frame transmission completion signal to the media access control layer at the transmission completion time, based on the over-the-air transmission duration of the aggregated data frame, to instruct the media access control layer to switch from the frame transmission state to the frame reception state in order to receive the block acknowledgment (BA) response.

4. The simulation debugging system according to claim 1, characterized in that, In response to receiving a packet receive enable signal and message configuration parameters from the controller, the simulated physical layer generates the air interface receive frame according to the message configuration parameters, and outputs the air interface receive frame to the media access control layer according to the upload time and / or frame interval configured by the controller under the trigger of the packet receive enable signal; wherein, the content of the air interface receive frame and its output time are configured and triggered by the controller, and the output triggering of the air interface receive frame does not require the transmit and receive status of the media access control layer as a necessary condition.

5. The simulation debugging system according to claim 4, characterized in that, In response to being in receive debug mode, the simulated physical layer also sends an idle channel assessment busy signal to the media access control layer, causing the media access control layer to suspend the execution of the backoff mechanism; In response to winning the right to use the channel, the Media Access Control layer also sends a transmission opportunity valid indication signal to the emulated physical layer, causing the emulated physical layer to suspend sending the air interface receive frame; wherein, in response to receiving the enable signal and the message configuration parameters, the emulated physical layer sends the air interface receive frame to the Media Access Control layer after the current transmission opportunity for which the transmission opportunity valid indication signal was sent expires.

6. The simulation debugging system according to claim 1, characterized in that, In response to executing any debug mode, the test control module also outputs a reset command to the protocol stack module and the controller to clear the send test data and receive test configuration corresponding to the current test case, as well as the first verification data and the second verification data.

7. The simulation debugging system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The real physical layer shares the MAC-PHY interface with the simulated physical layer. The switching module is connected to the media access control layer, the real physical layer and the simulated physical layer, and is used to selectively select the communication link between the real physical layer or the simulated physical layer and the media access control layer according to the configuration information. The controller is also used to generate the configuration information; Specifically, in response to the configuration information indicating that it is in debug mode, a communication link is established between the simulated physical layer and the media access control layer; in response to the configuration information indicating that it is in communication mode, a communication link is established between the real physical layer and the media access control layer.

8. The simulation debugging system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The simulation physical layer includes: A control unit, connected to a controller, is configured to operate in the transmit debugging mode and the receive debugging mode according to the mode configuration signal; wherein, in the transmit debugging mode, the received frame includes a response frame corresponding to the transmit frame; and in the receive debugging mode, the received frame includes the air interface receive frame. Storage unit, used to store the received frame corresponding to the mode configuration signal; The data consumption unit, connected to the switching module, is used to consume the transmission frame and output a first trigger signal when the simulation physical layer is in the transmission debugging mode. A state machine, connected to the control unit and the data consumption unit, is used to generate a first enable signal based on the first trigger signal when in the transmit debugging mode; and to generate a second enable signal when in the receive debugging mode. A first selector, connected to the state machine, is configured to read a response frame corresponding to the transmit debugging mode from the storage unit in response to the first enable signal; and to read an air interface receive frame corresponding to the receive debugging mode from the storage unit in response to the second enable signal. The data feedback unit, connected to the first selector and the switching module, is used to transmit the response frame to the media access control layer through the MAC-PHY interface; and to transmit the air interface receive frame to the media access control layer through the MAC-PHY interface.

9. The simulation debugging system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The switching module includes: A strobe controller, connected to the controller, is configured to generate a first strobe signal when the configuration information indicates that the system is in the debug mode; and to generate a second strobe signal when the configuration information indicates that the system is in the communication mode. The second selector, connected to the MAC-PHY interface, the gating controller, the simulated physical layer, and the real physical layer, is used to select the path between the simulated physical layer and the MAC-PHY interface according to the first gating signal to execute the transmit debugging mode of the simulated physical layer; and to select the path between the real physical layer and the MAC-PHY interface according to the second gating signal to execute the transmit mode in the communication mode. A third selector, connected to the MAC-PHY interface, the gating controller, the simulated physical layer, and the real physical layer, is used to select the path between the simulated physical layer and the MAC-PHY interface according to the first gating signal to execute the receive debugging mode of the simulated physical layer; and to select the path between the real physical layer and the MAC-PHY interface according to the second gating signal to execute the receive mode in the communication mode.

10. The simulation debugging system according to claim 8, characterized in that, The real physical layer includes: A data transmission unit, connected to the switching module, is used to output a transmission frame generated by the protocol stack module when the configuration information indicates that the communication mode is in place, and transmit it to the outside via the radio frequency module; A data receiving unit, connected to the switching module, is used to receive external data via the radio frequency module and transmit it to the protocol stack module when the configuration information indicates that the communication mode is in the specified mode. A switcher, connected to the data transmitting unit, the data receiving unit, and the radio frequency module, is used to select the path between the data transmitting unit and the radio frequency module, and to select the path between the data receiving unit and the radio frequency module.

11. A simulation and debugging method for wireless communication chips, characterized in that, include: Generate test data to send and test configuration to receive based on test cases; A transmission frame is generated based on the transmission test data, and the transmission frame is output to the simulation physical layer via the transmission path, and first verification data is generated. Based on the test cases and the receiving test configuration, a mode configuration signal is generated, and the receiving frame corresponding to the mode configuration signal is configured, and second verification data is generated. In response to the mode configuration signal indicating the sending debug mode, the system receives and consumes the sending frame, and transmits the response frame corresponding to the sending frame through the MAC-PHY interface when the preset response conditions are met. In response to the mode configuration signal indicating the receive debugging mode, an air interface receive frame is generated according to the configured receive frame, and the air interface receive frame is transmitted through the MAC-PHY interface; The send / receive verification result is determined based on the first verification data, the second verification data, and the expected verification result.

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