Communication method, relay device, and communication system

Abstract

The application provides a communication method, a relay device and a communication system, and relates to the technical field of communication, and the method comprises the following steps: communicating between a network device and a relay device through a first wireless communication protocol, and communicating between the relay device and a terminal device through a starlink (SLE) protocol. The technical scheme provided by the application can reduce the power consumption of a battery-powered device in standby or data transmission, and prolong the endurance time of the battery-powered device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, relay device and communication system. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, smart devices have an increasing demand for low power consumption, especially battery-powered devices. These devices generally consume a lot of power during data transmission, resulting in significant battery drain and affecting their battery life.

[0003] Therefore, how to reduce the power consumption of devices during data transmission is a problem that urgently needs to be solved by those in the field. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, this application provides a communication method, a relay device, and a communication system for reducing the power consumption of the device during data transmission.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, in a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method applied to a relay device, the method comprising:

[0006] Receive the first data sent by the terminal device via the StarSignal SLE protocol;

[0007] The first data is forwarded to the network device using the first wireless communication protocol.

[0008] The communication method provided in this application involves a relay device receiving first data sent by a terminal device via the StarSignal SLE protocol and forwarding the first data to a network device via a first wireless communication protocol. Since the StarSignal SLE protocol has low power consumption, this solution can reduce the power consumption of the terminal device when sending data, thereby improving the battery life of the terminal device when it is a battery-powered device.

[0009] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving second data sent by a network device via a first wireless communication protocol;

[0010] The second data is forwarded to the terminal device via the StarSignal SLE protocol.

[0011] Through the above implementation method, the relay device can forward the second data to the terminal device through the low-power Star Flash SLE protocol, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device when receiving data and improving the battery life of the terminal device when it is a battery-powered device.

[0012] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, receiving first data sent by a terminal device via the StarSignal SLE protocol includes: receiving first data sent by a terminal device via the StarSignal SLE protocol when the quality of the StarSignal signal is higher than a quality threshold.

[0013] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, after receiving the first data sent by the terminal device, the method further includes: if the quality of the Star Flash signal is lower than or equal to a quality threshold, receiving the third data sent by the terminal device via a first wireless communication protocol, the first wireless communication protocol being different from the Star Flash SLE protocol.

[0014] Through the above implementation method, the relay device can receive data sent by the terminal device through the first wireless communication protocol even when the quality of the star flash signal is poor, thereby improving the stability of message transmission.

[0015] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, forwarding second data to a terminal device via the StarSignal SLE protocol includes: forwarding second data to the terminal device via the StarSignal SLE protocol when the quality of the StarSignal signal is higher than a quality threshold.

[0016] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, after forwarding the second data to the terminal device, the method further includes: if the quality of the Star Flash signal is lower than or equal to a quality threshold, forwarding the fourth data to the terminal device via a first wireless communication protocol, the first wireless communication protocol being different from the Star Flash SLE protocol.

[0017] Through the above implementation method, the relay device can forward data to the terminal device through the first wireless communication protocol when the quality of the star flash signal is poor, thereby improving the stability of message transmission.

[0018] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, before receiving the first data sent by the terminal device, the method further includes:

[0019] Detect the quality of the star flash signal and determine whether the quality of the star flash signal is higher than the quality threshold.

[0020] When the quality of the Star Flash signal is higher than the quality threshold and the communication protocol used between the terminal device and the terminal device is the first wireless communication protocol, a first message is sent to the terminal device to switch the communication protocol used between the terminal device and the terminal device from the first wireless communication protocol to the Star Flash SLE protocol. The first message is used to instruct the terminal device to switch the communication protocol used between the terminal device and the relay device from the first wireless communication protocol to the Star Flash SLE protocol.

[0021] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, before forwarding the second data to the terminal device, the method further includes:

[0022] The terminal device receives a second message sent by itself. The second message is sent by the terminal device to the relay device when it detects that the quality of the star flash signal is higher than the quality threshold and the communication protocol used between the terminal device and the relay device is the first wireless communication protocol. The second message is used to instruct the relay device to switch the communication protocol used between the terminal device and the terminal device from the first wireless communication protocol to the star flash SLE protocol.

[0023] According to the second message, the communication protocol with the terminal device will be switched from the first wireless communication protocol to the StarSpark SLE protocol.

[0024] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the terminal device is a battery-powered device, thereby increasing the battery life of the terminal device by reducing the power consumption of the terminal device when transmitting data.

[0025] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first wireless communication protocol is the Wi-Fi protocol.

[0026] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first data includes one or more of the following:

[0027] Video data, audio data, image data, text data, keep-alive commands, and control commands.

[0028] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device applied to a relay device, the device comprising:

[0029] Receiver module: Used to receive the first data sent by the terminal device via the StarSignal SLE protocol;

[0030] Transmitting module: used to forward first data to network devices via a first wireless communication protocol.

[0031] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the receiving module is further configured to: receive second data sent by the network device via a first wireless communication protocol;

[0032] The sending module is also used to forward second data to the terminal device via the StarSignal SLE protocol.

[0033] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the receiving module is specifically configured to: receive first data sent by the terminal device via the Star Flash SLE protocol when the quality of the Star Flash signal is higher than a quality threshold.

[0034] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the receiving module is further configured to: after receiving the first data sent by the terminal device, if the quality of the Star Flash signal is lower than or equal to a quality threshold, receive the third data sent by the terminal device via a first wireless communication protocol, wherein the first wireless communication protocol is different from the Star Flash SLE protocol.

[0035] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, before receiving the first data sent by the terminal device, the device further includes: a detection module, configured to detect the quality of the star flash signal and determine whether the quality of the star flash signal is higher than a quality threshold before receiving the first data sent by the terminal device.

[0036] The sending module is further configured to: when the quality of the Star Flash signal is higher than the quality threshold and the communication protocol used between the terminal device and the terminal device is the first wireless communication protocol, send a first message to the terminal device to switch the communication protocol used between the terminal device and the terminal device from the first wireless communication protocol to the Star Flash SLE protocol. The first message is used to instruct the terminal device to switch the communication protocol used between the terminal device and the relay device from the first wireless communication protocol to the Star Flash SLE protocol.

[0037] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the receiving module is further configured to:

[0038] Before forwarding the second data to the terminal device, the terminal device receives a second message sent by the terminal device. The second message is sent by the terminal device to the relay device when it detects that the quality of the star flash signal is higher than the quality threshold and the communication protocol used between the terminal device and the relay device is the first wireless communication protocol.

[0039] According to the second message, the communication protocol used with the terminal device will be switched from the first wireless communication protocol to the StarSpark SLE protocol.

[0040] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the sending module is specifically used to: forward second data to the terminal device via the Star Flash SLE protocol when the quality of the Star Flash signal is higher than a quality threshold.

[0041] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the transmitting module is further configured to: after forwarding the second data to the terminal device, if the quality of the Star Flash signal is lower than or equal to a quality threshold, forward the fourth data to the terminal device via a first wireless communication protocol, the first wireless communication protocol being different from the Star Flash SLE protocol.

[0042] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the terminal device is a battery-powered device.

[0043] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first wireless communication protocol is the Wi-Fi protocol.

[0044] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first data includes one or more of the following:

[0045] Video data, audio data, image data, text data, keep-alive commands, and control commands.

[0046] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a repeater, including: a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program; and the processor is used to execute the method described in the first aspect or any embodiment of the first aspect when the computer program is invoked.

[0047] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication system, including: a terminal device and the relay device described in the third aspect above, wherein the terminal device and the relay device communicate via the StarSignal SLE protocol.

[0048] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, when the relay device detects that the quality of the Star Flash signal is higher than the quality threshold and the communication protocol used between it and the terminal device is the first wireless communication protocol, it can send a first message to the terminal device and switch the communication protocol used between it and the terminal device from the first wireless communication protocol to the Star Flash SLE protocol. The first message can be used to instruct the terminal device to switch the communication protocol used between it and the relay device from the first wireless communication protocol to the Star Flash SLE protocol.

[0049] The terminal device can receive a first message and, based on the first message, switch the communication protocol used with the relay device from the first wireless communication protocol to the Star Flash SLE protocol.

[0050] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, when the terminal device detects that the quality of the star flash signal is higher than the quality threshold and the communication protocol used between it and the relay device is the first wireless communication protocol, it can send a second message to the relay device. The second message can be used to instruct the relay device to switch the communication protocol used between it and the terminal device from the first wireless communication protocol to the star flash SLE protocol.

[0051] The relay device can receive a second message and, based on the second message, switch the communication protocol used with the terminal device from the first wireless communication protocol to the StarSignal SLE protocol.

[0052] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the method described in the first aspect or any embodiment of the first aspect.

[0053] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product that, when run on a relay device, causes the relay device to perform the method described in the first aspect or any embodiment of the first aspect.

[0054] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a chip system including a processor coupled to a memory. The processor executes a computer program stored in the memory to implement the method described in the first aspect or any embodiment thereof. The chip system may be a single chip or a chip module composed of multiple chips.

[0055] It is understood that the beneficial effects of the second to seventh aspects mentioned above can be found in the relevant descriptions in the first aspect mentioned above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0056] Figure 1 and Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the communication system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0057] Figure 3 and Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a relay scenario provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 6 and Figure 7 A comparison diagram of the effects of the Wi-Fi protocol and the StarSpark SLE protocol provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0060] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0061] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the relay device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0062] The embodiments of this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terminology used in the implementation section of this application is only for explaining specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the application. The following specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be described again in some embodiments.

[0063] Currently, smart devices have an increasing demand for low power consumption, especially battery-powered devices. These devices generally consume a lot of power during data transmission, resulting in significant battery drain and affecting their battery life.

[0064] For example, such as Figure 1As shown, there are typically two communication states between smart locks and routers: a keep-alive state that maintains connectivity between the smart lock and router, and an image transmission state for transmitting video and images. In both states, a certain amount of data needs to be transmitted between the smart lock and router.

[0065] In particular, due to the large amount of data such as video and images, data is transmitted via Wi-Fi in image transmission mode. Since smart locks consume a lot of power when transmitting data via Wi-Fi, the battery power is consumed significantly, thus affecting the battery life of the smart lock.

[0066] In keep-alive mode, the high-power Wi-Fi protocol is not usually used to transmit data between the smart lock and the router. Instead, the Bluetooth protocol is used. This means that Wi-Fi needs to be woken up every time images or videos are transmitted (i.e., switching from keep-alive mode to image transmission mode), which affects the efficiency of data transmission.

[0067] Therefore, this application provides a communication method in which network devices and relay devices communicate via a first wireless communication protocol, and relay devices and terminal devices communicate via a low-power StarFlash Super Low Energy (SLE) protocol. Because the StarFlash SLE protocol has low power consumption, this solution can reduce the power consumption of the terminal device when transmitting data. In the case of a battery-powered terminal device, this solution can also improve the battery life of the terminal device by reducing its power consumption during data transmission.

[0068] In addition, due to the low power consumption of the StarSignal SLE protocol, terminal devices can communicate with relay devices in both image transmission mode and keep-alive mode. This means that when a terminal device switches from keep-alive mode to image transmission mode for image and video transmission, no additional wake-up operation is required, thereby improving data transmission efficiency.

[0069] The first wireless communication protocol can be Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, SLE, or SLB, etc. In this application, the first wireless communication protocol will be Wi-Fi as an example for illustrative purposes.

[0070] The communication method provided in this application can be applied to... Figure 2 The communication system shown. (As shown) Figure 2 As shown, the communication system may include terminal devices and relay devices. The terminal devices and relay devices communicate via the StarSignal SLE protocol, and the relay devices can communicate with network devices via a first wireless communication protocol.

[0071] The terminal device can be a battery-powered device, such as a smart door lock or a battery-powered monitoring device. Alternatively, it can be powered by an external power source, such as the power grid or a generator, like a refrigerator or air conditioner. This application will subsequently use a battery-powered terminal device as an example for illustrative purposes.

[0072] Network devices may include routers, switches, hubs, bridges, gateways, etc. This application will subsequently use a router as an example for illustrative purposes.

[0073] A repeater is a device that acts as a relay, such as a sub-router in a parent-child router system. A repeater can connect a network device to a single terminal device, or it can connect a network device to multiple terminal devices.

[0074] For example, such as Figure 3 As shown, the terminal devices include refrigerators, air conditioners, lamps, and monitoring equipment, the relay devices are sub-routers, the network devices are mother routers, the sub-routers and mother routers communicate with each other via the Wi-Fi protocol, and the sub-routers and each terminal device communicate with each other via the StarSignal SLE protocol.

[0075] In some embodiments, the relay device may also be an electronic device with relay functionality. For example, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the relay device is an electronic device with a screen that has relay function. The relay device and the router communicate via the Wi-Fi protocol, and the relay device and the smart door lock communicate via the StarFlash SLE protocol.

[0076] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application is shown below. Figure 5 As shown, the communication method provided in this application embodiment may include the following steps:

[0077] S110. The terminal device determines whether the quality of the star flash signal is higher than the quality threshold at set intervals. If the quality of the star flash signal is higher than the quality threshold, then step S120 is executed; otherwise, step S130 is executed.

[0078] The quality of a starburst signal can be measured using parameters such as received signal strength indicator (RSSI), packet loss rate, bit error rate, and interference noise.

[0079] In some embodiments, the terminal device can determine whether the quality of the star flash signal is higher than the quality threshold by detecting the aforementioned parameters between itself and the relay device.

[0080] Terminal devices can determine the quality of the star flash signal by detecting any of the above parameters. For example, a terminal device can detect the RSSI between itself and the relay device. The higher the RSSI value, the better the star flash signal quality; conversely, the lower the RSSI value, the worse the star flash signal quality.

[0081] Correspondingly, the terminal device can set an RSSI threshold as a quality threshold. The terminal device can determine whether the star flash signal quality is higher than the quality threshold by comparing the detected RSSI value with this RSSI threshold. If the detected RSSI value is higher than the RSSI threshold, it can be determined that the star flash signal quality between the terminal device and the relay device is higher than the quality threshold; if the detected RSSI value is less than or equal to the RSSI threshold, it can be determined that the star flash signal quality between the terminal device and the relay device is less than or equal to the quality threshold.

[0082] The RSSI threshold can be set according to actual needs, and this application embodiment does not impose specific limitations on it.

[0083] Terminal devices can also determine the quality of the stroboscopic signal by detecting any combination of the above parameters. For example, terminal devices can determine the quality of the stroboscopic signal by RSSI and packet loss rate. If the RSSI value is higher than the RSSI threshold and the packet loss rate is lower than the target threshold, it indicates that the quality of the stroboscopic signal between the terminal device and the relay device is higher than the quality threshold; otherwise, it indicates that the quality of the stroboscopic signal between the terminal device and the relay device is less than or equal to the quality threshold.

[0084] Specifically, the terminal device can check the quality of the star flash signal with the relay device every set time interval (such as 10 minutes, 1 hour, etc.).

[0085] Specifically, if the signal quality of the StarSignal signal is higher than a quality threshold, and the current communication protocol between the terminal device and the relay device is the StarSignal SLE protocol, the terminal device can continue to use the StarSignal SLE protocol to communicate with the relay device. If the current communication protocol between the terminal device and the relay device is a first wireless communication protocol different from the StarSignal SLE protocol, the terminal device can first send a second message to the relay device through the first wireless communication protocol, and then switch the communication protocol with the relay device to the StarSignal SLE protocol. The second message can be used to instruct the relay device to switch the communication protocol with the terminal device to the StarSignal SLE protocol.

[0086] If the quality of the StarSignal signal is lower than or equal to a quality threshold, and the current communication protocol between the terminal device and the relay device is the first wireless communication protocol, the terminal device can continue to use the first wireless communication protocol to communicate with the relay device. If the current communication protocol between the terminal device and the relay device is the StarSignal SLE protocol, the terminal device can first send a third message to the relay device via the StarSignal SLE protocol, and then switch the communication protocol with the relay device to the first wireless communication protocol. The third message can be used to instruct the relay device to switch the communication protocol with the terminal device to the first wireless communication protocol.

[0087] In some embodiments, the relay device may also detect the quality of the star flash signal and send the detection result to the terminal device. The terminal device can comprehensively judge whether the quality of the star flash signal is higher than the quality threshold based on the received detection result and its own detection result of the star flash signal quality.

[0088] For example, a relay device detects the first RSSI between itself and a terminal device. Using the current communication protocol between the relay device and the terminal device, it sends the first RSSI to the terminal device. Upon receiving the first RSSI from the relay device, the terminal device first determines the magnitude of the first RSSI and the second RSSI it detects between itself and the relay device. Then, it compares the smaller RSSI to an RSSI threshold. If the smaller RSSI is higher than the RSSI threshold, it can be determined that the starburst signal quality between the terminal device and the relay device is higher than the quality threshold; if the smaller RSSI is lower than or equal to the RSSI threshold, it can be determined that the starburst signal quality between the terminal device and the relay device is lower than or equal to the quality threshold.

[0089] In some embodiments, the terminal device may also directly determine whether the quality of the star flash signal is higher than the quality threshold based on the detection result of the star flash signal quality received from the relay device.

[0090] Specifically, the relay device can send the detected first RSSI between itself and the terminal device to the terminal device using the current communication protocol between them. After receiving the first RSSI sent by the relay device, the terminal device can compare the first RSSI with an RSSI threshold. If the first RSSI is higher than the RSSI threshold, it can be determined that the star flash signal quality between the terminal device and the relay device is higher than the quality threshold; if the first RSSI is lower than or equal to the RSSI threshold, it can be determined that the star flash signal quality between the terminal device and the relay device is lower than or equal to the quality threshold.

[0091] In some embodiments, the relay device may also directly determine whether the quality of the star flash signal is higher than the quality threshold based on its own detection results of the star flash signal quality, and decide whether to switch the communication protocol and whether to notify the terminal device to switch the communication protocol.

[0092] For example, if a relay device detects the RSSI between itself and a terminal device as the first RSSI, it can compare the first RSSI with the RSSI threshold. If the first RSSI is higher than the RSSI threshold, it can be determined that the quality of the star flash signal between itself and the terminal device is higher than the quality threshold. If the first RSSI is lower than or equal to the RSSI threshold, it can be determined that the quality of the star flash signal between itself and the terminal device is less than or equal to the quality threshold.

[0093] Specifically, if the quality of the StarSignal signal is higher than a quality threshold, and the current communication protocol between the relay device and the terminal device is the StarSignal SLE protocol, the relay device can continue to use the StarSignal SLE protocol to communicate with the terminal device. If the current communication protocol between the relay device and the terminal device is a first wireless communication protocol different from the StarSignal SLE protocol, the relay device can first send a first message to the terminal device through the first wireless communication protocol, and then switch the communication protocol with the terminal device to the StarSignal SLE protocol. The first message can be used to instruct the terminal device to switch the communication protocol with the relay device to the StarSignal SLE protocol.

[0094] If the quality of the StarSignal signal is lower than or equal to a quality threshold, and the current communication protocol between the relay device and the terminal device is the first wireless communication protocol, the relay device can continue to use the first wireless communication protocol to communicate with the terminal device. If the current communication protocol between the relay device and the terminal device is the StarSignal SLE protocol, the relay device can first send a fourth message to the terminal device via the StarSignal SLE protocol, and then switch the communication protocol with the terminal device to the first wireless communication protocol. The fourth message can be used to instruct the terminal device to switch the communication protocol with the relay device to the first wireless communication protocol.

[0095] In some embodiments, the terminal device may also send the detection result of the star flash signal quality to the relay device. The relay device can comprehensively judge whether the star flash signal quality is higher than the quality threshold based on the received detection result and its own detection result of the star flash signal quality.

[0096] For example, a terminal device can send a detected second RSSI to the relay device using the current communication protocol between the terminal device and the relay device. After receiving the second RSSI from the relay device, the terminal device can first determine the magnitude of the second RSSI and the first RSSI it detected with the relay device. Then, it can compare the smaller RSSI with an RSSI threshold. If the smaller RSSI is higher than the RSSI threshold, the starburst signal quality is determined to be higher than the quality threshold; if the smaller RSSI is lower than or equal to the RSSI threshold, the starburst signal quality is determined to be lower than or equal to the quality threshold.

[0097] In some embodiments, the relay device may also directly determine whether the quality of the star flash signal is higher than the quality threshold based on the detection result of the star flash signal quality sent by the terminal device.

[0098] For example, the terminal device can send a detected second RSSI to the relay device using the current communication protocol between the terminal device and the relay device. After receiving the second RSSI sent by the relay device, the terminal device can compare the second RSSI with an RSSI threshold. If the second RSSI is higher than the RSSI threshold, it can be determined that the star flash signal quality is higher than the quality threshold; if the second RSSI is lower than or equal to the RSSI threshold, it can be determined that the star flash signal quality is less than or equal to the quality threshold.

[0099] S120: The terminal device sends a first message to the relay device to switch the communication protocol with the relay device to the StarSignal SLE protocol.

[0100] If the quality of the StarSignal signal is higher than a quality threshold, and the current communication protocol between the terminal device and the relay device is a first wireless communication protocol different from the StarSignal SLE protocol, the terminal device can first send a first message to the relay device via the first wireless communication protocol, and then switch the communication protocol with the relay device to the StarSignal SLE protocol. The first message can be used to instruct the relay device to switch the communication protocol with the terminal device to the StarSignal SLE protocol.

[0101] S130. The relay device receives the first message sent by the terminal device and switches the communication protocol with the terminal device to Star Flash SLE according to the first message.

[0102] If the relay device receives the first message sent by the terminal device, it indicates that the quality of the Star Flash signal between the terminal device and the relay device is good at this time, and the relay device can switch the communication protocol with the terminal device to Star Flash SLE.

[0103] S140, The terminal device sends a second message to the relay device to switch the communication protocol with the relay device to the first wireless communication protocol.

[0104] If the quality of the StarSignal signal is lower than or equal to a quality threshold, and the current communication protocol between the terminal device and the relay device is the StarSignal SLE protocol, the terminal device can first send a second message to the relay device via the StarSignal SLE protocol, and then switch the communication protocol with the relay device to the first wireless communication protocol. The second message can be used to instruct the relay device to switch the communication protocol with the terminal device to the first wireless communication protocol.

[0105] S150: The relay device receives a second message sent by the terminal device, and switches the communication protocol with the terminal device to the first wireless communication protocol according to the second message.

[0106] If the relay device receives the second message sent by the terminal device, it indicates that the quality of the star flash signal between the terminal device and the relay device is poor at this time. The relay device can switch the communication protocol with the terminal device to the first wireless communication protocol.

[0107] S160. The terminal device detects that the target triggering condition is met and sends the first data to the relay device through the current communication protocol.

[0108] In some embodiments, the target triggering condition can be a set time interval (such as 1 minute, 1 hour, 1 day, etc.). For example, if the terminal device is a monitoring device, and the monitoring device sends monitored images and videos every 1 hour, the corresponding target triggering condition could be every 1 hour. In some embodiments, the target triggering condition can also be other triggering conditions. For example, if the terminal device is a smart lock, and the smart lock's camera takes a snapshot after the doorbell is triggered, the corresponding target triggering condition could be the smart lock's camera taking a snapshot.

[0109] The first data can be video data, audio data, image data, text data, keep-alive commands, control commands (such as door opening commands), etc., and this application embodiment does not specifically limit it.

[0110] The terminal device can send the first data to the relay device using the current communication protocol.

[0111] Specifically, if the quality of the star flash signal between the terminal device and the relay device is higher than the quality threshold, the communication protocol between the terminal device and the relay device can be the star flash SLE protocol. Since the power consumption of the star flash SLE protocol is low, this can reduce the power consumption of the terminal device when sending data, reduce the consumption of the terminal device's battery power, and improve the terminal device's battery life.

[0112] If the quality of the stroboscopic signal between the terminal device and the relay device is lower than or equal to the quality threshold, the communication protocol between the terminal device and the relay device can be a first wireless communication protocol different from the stroboscopic SLE protocol. In this way, the terminal device can send the first data to the relay device through the first wireless communication protocol when the stroboscopic signal quality is poor, thereby improving the stability of message transmission.

[0113] S170. After receiving the first data sent by the terminal device, the relay device forwards the first data to the network device through the first wireless communication protocol.

[0114] After receiving a message from a terminal device, the relay device can forward the received message to the network device through the first wireless communication protocol.

[0115] S180, The network device receives the first data sent by the relay device.

[0116] After receiving a message from a relay device, a network device (such as a router) can forward the first data to other devices (such as remote servers, other terminal devices, etc.).

[0117] S190. The network device sends second data to the relay device through the first wireless communication protocol.

[0118] After receiving the second data sent by a remote server or other terminal devices, the network device can forward the second data to the relay device through the first wireless communication protocol.

[0119] The second data can be a message returned by a remote server or other terminal device after receiving the first data sent by the network device. For example, the router forwards the received video captured by the smart lock to the remote server (i.e., the first data). Based on the received video captured by the smart lock, the remote server determines that the person in the video is the user corresponding to the smart lock, and then sends an opening command to the router (i.e., the second data). After receiving the second data, the router forwards the second data to the relay device through the first wireless communication protocol.

[0120] In some embodiments, the second data may also be a message actively sent to the terminal device by a remote server, other terminal devices, etc., and this application does not specifically limit this.

[0121] S200: After receiving the second data sent by the network device, the relay device forwards the second data to the terminal device through the current communication protocol.

[0122] Specifically, if the quality of the star flash signal between the relay device and the terminal device is higher than the quality threshold, the communication protocol between the relay device and the terminal device can be the star flash SLE protocol. Since the power consumption of the star flash SLE protocol is low, this can reduce the power consumption of the terminal device when receiving data, reduce the consumption of the terminal device's battery power, and improve the terminal device's battery life.

[0123] If the quality of the stroboscopic signal between the relay device and the terminal device is lower than or equal to the quality threshold, the communication protocol between the relay device and the terminal device can be a first wireless communication protocol different from the stroboscopic SLE protocol. In this way, the relay device can forward the second data to the terminal device through the first wireless communication protocol when the stroboscopic signal quality is poor, thereby improving the stability of message transmission.

[0124] S210, The terminal device receives the second data sent by the relay device.

[0125] After receiving the second data forwarded by the relay device, the terminal device can execute the instruction corresponding to the second data. For example, if the terminal device is a smart door lock and the instruction corresponding to the second data is an unlocking instruction, the terminal device can unlock the door based on the second data.

[0126] The communication method provided in this application uses a first wireless communication protocol for communication between network devices and relay devices, and a low-power StarFlash Ultra-Low Power (SLE) protocol for communication between relay devices and terminal devices. Because of the low power consumption of the StarFlash SLE protocol, this solution can reduce the power consumption of the terminal device during data transmission. In the case of battery-powered terminal devices, this solution can also improve the battery life of the terminal device by reducing its power consumption during data transmission. Furthermore, due to the low power consumption of the StarFlash SLE protocol, the terminal device can communicate with the relay device via the StarFlash SLE protocol in both image transmission mode and keep-alive mode. This allows the terminal device to switch from keep-alive mode to image transmission mode for image and video transmission without requiring additional wake-up operations, thereby improving data transmission efficiency.

[0127] For example, a smart door lock is used as the terminal device. Figure 6 As shown in (a), the keep-alive cycle of the smart lock in standby mode is 1 second. In standby mode, the smart lock consumes 80uA of power per day when using the Wi-Fi protocol and 25uA per day when using the StarFlash SLE protocol, representing a 70% reduction in daily power consumption.

[0128] Taking the transmission of 1080P video stream by a smart door lock as an example, such as Figure 6As shown in (b), the smart door lock consumes 7.6mAh of power per day when transmitting video streams using the Wi-Fi protocol, and 3.8mAh of power per day when transmitting video streams using the StarSpark SLE protocol, resulting in a 50% reduction in daily power consumption.

[0129] For example, consider a smart door lock with a battery capacity of 800mAh. Figure 7 As shown in (a), the smart door lock has a battery life of approximately 180 days when using the Wi-Fi protocol for communication and approximately 270 days when using the StarFlash SLE protocol for communication, which is longer.

[0130] like Figure 7 As shown in (b), when the smart door lock uses the Wi-Fi protocol for communication, the capture period is about 1.5 seconds, and when it uses the StarFlash SLE protocol for communication, the capture period is about 1.2 seconds. The capture period is shortened by 20%, which makes the gap between captures shorter and the smart door lock safer.

[0131] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above embodiments are exemplary and not intended to limit this application. Where possible, the execution order of one or more of the above steps can be adjusted. For example, in some embodiments, steps S180 to S210 can be executed before step S160. Selective combinations can also be made to obtain one or more other embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, steps S110 to S150 may not be executed; in some embodiments, steps S180 to S210 may not be executed; and in some embodiments, steps S110 to S150 and steps S180 to S210 may all be omitted. Those skilled in the art can arbitrarily select and combine the above steps as needed, and all combinations that do not depart from the essence of the present application fall within the protection scope of this application.

[0132] Based on the same concept, as an implementation of the above method, this application provides a communication device applied to a relay device. This device embodiment corresponds to the aforementioned method embodiment. For ease of reading, this device embodiment will not repeat the details of the aforementioned method embodiment one by one, but it should be clear that the device in this embodiment can correspondingly implement all the contents of the aforementioned method embodiment.

[0133] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application, such as... Figure 8 As shown, the device provided in this embodiment includes a receiving module 210 and a transmitting module 220.

[0134] Receiver module 210: Used to receive the first data sent by the terminal device via the StarSignal SLE protocol;

[0135] Transmitting module 220: used to forward first data to network devices via a first wireless communication protocol.

[0136] As an optional implementation, the receiving module 210 is further configured to: receive second data sent by the network device via a first wireless communication protocol;

[0137] The sending module 220 is also used to forward second data to the terminal device via the Star Flash SLE protocol.

[0138] As an optional implementation, the receiving module 210 is specifically used to: receive the first data sent by the terminal device through the Star Flash SLE protocol when the quality of the Star Flash signal is higher than the quality threshold.

[0139] As an optional implementation, the receiving module 210 is further configured to: receive second data sent by the network device via a first wireless communication protocol;

[0140] The sending module 220 is also used to forward second data to the terminal device via the Star Flash SLE protocol.

[0141] As an optional implementation, the receiving module 210 is specifically used to: receive the first data sent by the terminal device through the Star Flash SLE protocol when the quality of the Star Flash signal is higher than the quality threshold.

[0142] As an optional implementation, the receiving module 210 is further configured to: after receiving the first data sent by the terminal device, if the quality of the star flash signal is lower than or equal to a quality threshold, receive the third data sent by the terminal device via a first wireless communication protocol, wherein the first wireless communication protocol is different from the star flash SLE protocol.

[0143] As an optional implementation, the device further includes: a detection module 230, used to detect the quality of the star flash signal and determine whether the quality of the star flash signal is higher than a quality threshold before receiving the first data sent by the terminal device;

[0144] The sending module 220 is further configured to: when the quality of the Star Flash signal is higher than the quality threshold and the communication protocol used between the terminal device and the terminal device is the first wireless communication protocol, send a first message to the terminal device to switch the communication protocol used between the terminal device and the terminal device from the first wireless communication protocol to the Star Flash SLE protocol. The first message is used to instruct the terminal device to switch the communication protocol used between the terminal device and the relay device from the first wireless communication protocol to the Star Flash SLE protocol.

[0145] As an optional implementation, the receiving module 210 is further configured to:

[0146] After forwarding the second data to the terminal device, the terminal device receives the second message sent by the terminal device. The second message is sent by the terminal device to the relay device when it detects that the quality of the star flash signal is higher than the quality threshold and the communication protocol used between the terminal device and the relay device is the first wireless communication protocol.

[0147] According to the second message, the communication protocol between the terminal device and the terminal device will be switched from the first wireless communication protocol to the StarSpark SLE protocol.

[0148] As an optional implementation, the sending module 220 is specifically used to: forward second data to the terminal device via the Star Flash SLE protocol when the quality of the Star Flash signal is higher than the quality threshold.

[0149] As an optional implementation, the transmitting module 220 is further configured to: before forwarding the second data to the terminal device, if the quality of the Star Flash signal is lower than or equal to a quality threshold, forward the fourth data to the terminal device via a first wireless communication protocol, wherein the first wireless communication protocol is different from the Star Flash SLE protocol.

[0150] As an alternative implementation, the terminal device is a battery-powered device.

[0151] As an optional implementation, the first wireless communication protocol is the Wi-Fi protocol.

[0152] As an optional implementation, the first data includes one or more of the following:

[0153] Video data, audio data, image data, text data, keep-alive commands, and control commands.

[0154] The device provided in this embodiment can execute the above method embodiment, and its implementation principle and technical effect are similar, so it will not be described again here.

[0155] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the above-described division of functional units and modules is merely an example. In practical applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional units and modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional units or modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. The functional units and modules in the embodiments 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. Furthermore, the specific names of the functional units and modules are only for easy differentiation and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. The specific working process of the units and modules in the above system can be referred to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0156] Based on the same concept, embodiments of this application also provide a relay device. Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the relay device provided in the embodiments of this application, such as... Figure 9 As shown, the relay device provided in this application embodiment may include: a memory 310 and a processor 320. The memory 310 is used to store computer programs; the processor 320 is used to implement the method described in the above method embodiment when the computer program is invoked.

[0157] The relay device provided in this embodiment can execute the above method embodiment, and its implementation principle and technical effect are similar, so it will not be described again here.

[0158] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the methods described in the above-described method embodiments.

[0159] This application also provides a computer program product that, when run on a relay device, enables the relay device to implement the method described in the above-described method embodiments.

[0160] This application also provides a chip system including a processor coupled to a memory. The processor executes a computer program stored in the memory to implement the method described in the above-described method embodiments. The chip system may be a single chip or a chip module composed of multiple chips.

[0161] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted through the computer-readable storage medium. The computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0162] Those skilled in the art will understand that implementing all or part of the processes in the above embodiments can be accomplished by a computer program instructing related hardware. This program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, it can include the processes described in the above method embodiments. The aforementioned storage medium can include various media capable of storing program code, such as ROM or random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0163] The naming or numbering of steps in this application does not mean that the steps in the method flow must be executed in the time / logical order indicated by the naming or numbering. The execution order of the named or numbered process steps can be changed according to the technical purpose to be achieved, as long as the same or similar technical effect can be achieved.

[0164] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts that are not described in detail or recorded in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0165] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus / devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus / device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of modules or 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.

[0166] It should be understood that in the description of this application and the appended claims, the terms "comprising," "including," "having," and any variations thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion and mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or modules is not necessarily limited to those steps or modules that are explicitly listed, but may include other steps or modules that are not explicitly listed or that are inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0167] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this application is used to describe the relationship between the related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural.

[0168] Furthermore, in the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more. "At least one 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 of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0169] As used in this application specification and the appended claims, the term "if" may be interpreted, depending on the context, as "when," "once," "in response to determination," or "in response to detection." Similarly, the phrase "if determined" or "if detected [the described condition or event]" may be interpreted, depending on the context, as meaning "once determined," "in response to determination," "once detected [the described condition or event]," or "in response to detection [the described condition or event]."

[0170] Furthermore, in the description of this application and the appended claims, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence, nor should they be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments described herein can be implemented in a sequence other than that illustrated or described herein; features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features.

[0171] In the embodiments described in this application specification, the words "exemplarily" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplarily" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application specification should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design solutions. Specifically, the use of the words "exemplarily" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0172] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of this specification include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, phrases such as "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," and "in still other embodiments" appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0173] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to relay equipment, the method includes: Receive the first data sent by the terminal device via the StarSignal SLE protocol; The first data is forwarded to the network device via the first wireless communication protocol.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive second data sent by the network device through the first wireless communication protocol; The second data is forwarded to the terminal device via the StarSignal SLE protocol.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Receiving the first data sent by the terminal device through the StarSignal SLE protocol includes: receiving the first data sent by the terminal device through the StarSignal SLE protocol when the quality of the StarSignal signal is higher than a quality threshold.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, After receiving the first data sent by the terminal device, the method further includes: When the quality of the Star Flash signal is lower than or equal to the quality threshold, the third data sent by the terminal device is received through the first wireless communication protocol, which is different from the Star Flash SLE protocol.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of forwarding the second data to the terminal device via the StarSignal SLE protocol includes: forwarding the second data to the terminal device via the StarSignal SLE protocol when the quality of the StarSignal signal is higher than a quality threshold.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, After forwarding the second data to the terminal device, the method further includes: If the quality of the Star Flash signal is lower than or equal to the quality threshold, fourth data is forwarded to the terminal device through the first wireless communication protocol, which is different from the Star Flash SLE protocol.

7. The method according to any one of claims 3-4, characterized in that, Before receiving the first data sent by the terminal device, the method further includes: Determine whether the quality of the starburst signal is higher than the quality threshold; When the quality of the StarSignal signal is higher than the quality threshold and the communication protocol used between the terminal device and the relay device is the first wireless communication protocol, a first message is sent to the terminal device to switch the communication protocol used between the terminal device and the relay device from the first wireless communication protocol to the StarSignal SLE protocol. The first message is used to instruct the terminal device to switch the communication protocol used between the relay device and the relay device from the first wireless communication protocol to the StarSignal SLE protocol.

8. The method according to any one of claims 5-6, characterized in that, Before forwarding the second data to the terminal device, the method further includes: The terminal device receives a second message sent by the terminal device. The second message is sent by the terminal device to the relay device when it detects that the quality of the star flash signal is higher than the quality threshold and the communication protocol used between the terminal device and the relay device is the first wireless communication protocol. According to the second message, the communication protocol used with the terminal device will be switched from the first wireless communication protocol to the StarSpark SLE protocol.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The terminal device is a battery-powered device.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The first wireless communication protocol is the Wi-Fi protocol.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, The first data includes one or more of the following: Video data, audio data, image data, text data, keep-alive commands, and control commands.

12. A relay device, characterized in that, include: A memory and a processor, the memory being used to store a computer program; the processor being used to execute the method as described in any one of claims 1-11 when the computer program is invoked.

13. A communication system, characterized in that, include: The terminal device and the relay device as described in claim 12 communicate with each other via the StarSignal SLE protocol.

14. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the method as described in any one of claims 1-11.

15. A computer program product, characterized in that, When the computer program product is run on the relay device, it causes the relay device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-11.

16. A chip system, characterized in that, The chip system includes a processor coupled to a memory, the processor executing a computer program stored in the memory to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-11.

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