A wireless frame adaptation method and product

Abstract

The application provides a wireless frame adaptation method and product, which are applied to the technical field of communication, and the method comprises the following steps: obtaining service data; if the wireless communication is used to transmit the service data, generating a wireless frame according to the service data at the link layer of a second communication protocol; transmitting the wireless frame through the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol; if the power line communication is used to transmit the service data, generating a power line frame according to the service data at the link layer of a first communication protocol; and transmitting the power line frame through the power line physical layer of the first communication protocol. The wireless frame comprises a first payload field, and the length of the first payload field is equal to the actual length of the service data. The power line frame comprises a second payload field, the second payload field comprises a data block with a fixed length, and the data block comprises the service data and padding bytes. When the wireless communication is used, the wireless frame with the length of the first payload field equal to the actual length of the service data is generated, so that the invalid transmission cost caused by the use of the fixed length data block for encapsulation is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to a wireless frame adaptation method and product. Background Technology

[0002] In dual-mode communication scenarios supporting both power and wireless communication, the link layer of the first communication protocol typically employs a fixed-length data block encapsulation mechanism. However, in wireless communication scenarios, since the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol supports variable-length transmission mechanisms, directly using the aforementioned data block encapsulation mechanism would result in inefficient transmission overhead. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this application is to provide a wireless frame adaptation method and product to solve the technical problem of invalid transmission overhead in dual-mode communication scenarios that support power communication and wireless communication in the prior art.

[0004] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a wireless frame adaptation method. This method can be executed by a communication device, or by a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the communication device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication device. This application does not limit the scope of this method. The following description uses a communication device as an example, which supports both power line communication and wireless communication.

[0005] The method includes: acquiring service data; if wireless communication is used to transmit the service data, generating a wireless frame based on the service data at the link layer of the second communication protocol; and sending the wireless frame through the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol; if power line communication is used to transmit the service data, generating a power line frame based on the service data at the link layer of the first communication protocol; and sending the power line frame through the power line physical layer of the first communication protocol.

[0006] The wireless frame includes a first payload field, the length of which is equal to the actual length of the service data. The power line frame includes a second payload field, which includes a fixed-length data block containing service data and padding bytes.

[0007] In the above scheme, different frame formats are used in the same communication device depending on the transmission method. Specifically, when using wireless communication, a wireless frame with a first payload field length equal to the actual length of the service data is generated, avoiding the invalid transmission overhead caused by using fixed-length data block encapsulation; when using power communication, a power line frame containing fixed-length data blocks is generated, so that power communication remains compatible with existing technologies, ensuring the consistency and interoperability of dual-mode communication.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the wireless frame also includes a frame control header field, which includes a payload length field that indicates the actual length of the first payload field.

[0009] In the above scheme, the wireless frame also includes a frame control header field, which enables the receiver to perform frame synchronization and type identification based on the frame control header field, ensuring the correct parsing of the wireless frame, while retaining the core control field compatible with power communication, maintaining consistency with the first communication protocol.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the frame control header field also includes an encapsulation type flag, which is used by the receiver to identify whether the current frame is a radio frame or a power line frame.

[0011] In the above scheme, the frame control header field also includes an encapsulation type flag, which enables the receiver to quickly identify the frame type by reading the encapsulation type flag after receiving the wireless frame, and select the corresponding parsing method according to the frame type, thereby achieving accurate differentiation and correct parsing of wireless frames and power line frames in dual-mode communication scenarios.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the frame control header field also includes a protocol identifier field, which is used by the receiver to identify the protocol version or protocol type corresponding to the current frame.

[0013] In the above scheme, the frame control header field also includes a protocol identifier field, which enables the receiving end to use the corresponding parsing protocol to parse the frame according to different values ​​of the protocol identifier field. Different identifiers represent different parsing protocols, thereby achieving forward compatibility and evolution of the protocol.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the wireless frame is generated by placing the frame control header field and the second payload field of the first communication protocol together into the data field of the second communication protocol.

[0015] In the above scheme, the complete structure consisting of the frame control header field and payload field specified by the first communication protocol is encapsulated as the content of the data field of the second communication protocol, thus achieving the initial merging of the two protocols at the frame structure level.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the wireless frame adaptation method provided in this application embodiment further includes: determining the transmission time information of the wireless frame based on the actual length of the first payload field of the wireless frame; adjusting the transmission time of the target node based on the transmission time information; and / or adjusting the transmission parameters of the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol based on the actual length of the first payload field of the wireless frame.

[0017] In the above scheme, upon receiving a radio frame, the message latency can be calculated based on its actual length, and the message transmission time can be adjusted accordingly to optimize channel utilization. Furthermore, when transmitting a radio frame, the physical layer transmission parameters can be adjusted based on the actual length of the radio frame, ensuring success rate while reducing latency.

[0018] In one possible implementation, before generating a wireless frame based on service data at the link layer of the second communication protocol, the wireless frame adaptation method provided in this application further includes: configuring configuration parameters of the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol. The configuration parameters are used to transmit wireless frames through the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol, and include one or more of wireless operating modes, transmission rate levels, and physical layer access timing.

[0019] In the above scheme, before generating a wireless frame, the configuration parameters of the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol are configured, so that the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol can send wireless frames in an adapted working mode, rate level and access timing, filling the gap in the definition of the working parameters of the wireless physical layer in the first communication protocol standard, and enabling the first communication protocol to be directly implemented in wireless communication applications.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the steps of configuring the configuration parameters of the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol specifically include: establishing a cooperative interaction interface between the link layer of the first communication protocol and the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol; determining the configuration parameters according to the current scenario at the link layer of the first communication protocol; sending the configuration parameters to the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol through the link layer of the first communication protocol based on the cooperative interaction interface; and receiving the configuration parameters through the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol.

[0021] In the above scheme, by establishing a collaborative interaction interface between the link layer of the first communication protocol and the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol, and after the configuration parameters are determined at the link layer of the first communication protocol, the configuration parameters are sent to the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol based on the collaborative interaction interface, thus realizing deep collaborative adaptation between the link layer of the first communication protocol and the physical layer of the second communication protocol.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the wireless operating mode includes one or more of the following: low-power standby mode, beacon-enabled mode, and non-beacon-enabled mode. In low-power standby mode, the radio frequency module powers on but does not transmit or receive data. In beacon-enabled mode, service data is transmitted in the allocated time slots. In non-beacon-enabled mode, a contention mechanism is used to access the channel and transmit service data.

[0023] In the above solution, by configuring corresponding working modes according to different business scenarios, flexible adaptation to diverse industrial IoT business needs is achieved.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the transmission rate level includes at least two different rate levels, which are determined based on the signal strength and channel busyness fed back in real time by the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol.

[0025] In the above scheme, the transmission rate level includes at least two different rate levels. The transmission rate level is determined based on the signal strength and channel busyness fed back in real time by the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol. This enables the link layer to dynamically switch the transmission rate level according to the actual quality of the current wireless channel, realizing the adaptive adjustment of the transmission rate to the channel environment and improving the robustness and transmission efficiency of wireless communication.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the physical layer access timing employs a carrier sense multiple access and collision avoidance algorithm.

[0027] In the above scheme, the physical layer access timing adopts a carrier sense multiple access and collision avoidance algorithm, which enables the wireless physical layer to perform channel detection before sending a wireless frame. If the channel is idle, it will send; if the channel is busy, it will perform random backoff and retry, thereby effectively avoiding channel collisions caused by multiple nodes sending at the same time, and ensuring the reliability and fairness of wireless communication.

[0028] In one possible implementation, the radio frame further includes a first frame check sequence, which is a frame check sequence specified by the second communication protocol. The power line frame further includes a second frame check sequence, which is a frame check sequence specified by the first communication protocol. The proportion of the first frame check sequence in the radio frame is less than the proportion of the second frame check sequence in the power line frame.

[0029] In the above scheme, the wireless frame adopts the first frame verification sequence specified by the second communication protocol, and the power line frame adopts the second frame verification sequence specified by the first communication protocol. The proportion of the first frame verification sequence in the wireless frame is less than the proportion of the second frame verification sequence in the power line frame. This significantly reduces the frame verification overhead of wireless communication compared to the native redundancy verification of power communication, further reducing the invalid data load in wireless communication and improving the effective transmission rate of the wireless channel.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the first frame check sequence includes a check sequence based on cyclic redundancy check.

[0031] In the above scheme, the first frame verification sequence includes a verification sequence based on cyclic redundancy check, which enables the wireless frame to complete frame verification using the cyclic redundancy check mechanism built into the physical layer of the second communication protocol, without the need for additional software verification calculations, thus reducing device power consumption.

[0032] In one possible implementation, after acquiring the service data, the wireless frame adaptation method provided in this application embodiment further includes: determining the transmission mode based on one or more factors selected from channel quality, service priority, and message length. The transmission mode includes wireless communication and / or power communication.

[0033] In the above scheme, after acquiring the service data, the transmission mode is determined based on one or more factors such as channel quality, service priority, and message length. This enables the communication device to flexibly select wireless communication and / or power communication for data transmission according to the actual transmission requirements of different services, thereby improving the adaptability of the wireless frame adaptation method to diverse industrial IoT service scenarios.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the first communication protocol is IEEE 1901.3 and the second communication protocol is IEEE 802.15.4.

[0035] In the above scheme, this method can be directly applied to IEEE 1901.3 dual-mode communication equipment. It adapts the IEEE 1901.3 link layer frame structure to the IEEE 802.15.4 wireless physical layer for wireless communication, while retaining the native IEEE 1901.3 frame format for power communication, thus filling the gap in the wireless physical layer adaptation scheme in the IEEE 1901.3 standard.

[0036] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a wireless frame adaptation method. This method can be executed by a communication device, or by a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the communication device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication device. This application does not limit this. The following description uses a communication device as an example, which supports wireless communication.

[0037] The method includes: receiving a wireless frame through the wireless physical layer of a second communication protocol; and parsing the wireless frame. The wireless frame is generated by the sending end at the link layer of the second communication protocol based on service data, and is transmitted by the sending end through the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol. The wireless frame includes a first payload field, the length of which is equal to the actual length of the service data.

[0038] In the above scheme, wireless frames are received through the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol. The wireless frames, where the length of the first payload field is equal to the actual length of the service data, avoid the invalid transmission overhead caused by using fixed-length data block encapsulation.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the wireless frame also includes a frame control header field, which includes a payload length field that indicates the actual length of the first payload field.

[0040] In the above scheme, the wireless frame also includes a frame control header field, which enables the receiver to perform frame synchronization and type identification based on the frame control header field, ensuring the correct parsing of the wireless frame, while retaining the core control field compatible with power communication, maintaining consistency with the first communication protocol.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the frame control header field also includes an encapsulation type flag, which is used by the receiver to identify whether the current frame is a radio frame or a power line frame.

[0042] In the above scheme, the frame control header field also includes an encapsulation type flag, which enables the receiver to quickly identify the frame type by reading the encapsulation type flag after receiving the wireless frame, and select the corresponding parsing method according to the frame type, thereby achieving accurate differentiation and correct parsing of wireless frames and power line frames in dual-mode communication scenarios.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the step of receiving a wireless frame through the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol specifically includes: receiving the current frame through the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol; and determining that the current frame is a wireless frame based on the encapsulation type flag of the current frame.

[0044] In the above scheme, the current frame is received through the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol, and the current frame is determined to be the wireless frame according to the encapsulation type flag bit of the current frame, so that the receiving end can clearly identify its frame type by reading the encapsulation type flag bit after receiving a frame.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the frame control header field also includes a protocol identifier field, which is used by the receiver to identify the protocol version or protocol type corresponding to the current frame.

[0046] In the above scheme, the frame control header field also includes a protocol identifier field, which enables the receiving end to use the corresponding parsing protocol to parse the frame according to different values ​​of the protocol identifier field. Different identifiers represent different parsing protocols, thereby achieving forward compatibility and evolution of the protocol.

[0047] In one possible implementation, the steps for parsing the wireless frame described above specifically include: reading the protocol identifier field of the wireless frame; determining the protocol version or protocol type corresponding to the wireless frame based on the protocol identifier field; and parsing the first payload field of the wireless frame according to the parsing method corresponding to the protocol version or protocol type of the wireless frame.

[0048] In the above scheme, by reading the protocol identifier field of the wireless frame, the receiving end can accurately select the parsing method according to the value of the protocol identifier field, ensuring that wireless frames of different protocol versions or protocol types can be parsed correctly.

[0049] In one possible implementation, the wireless frame is generated by placing the frame control header field and the second payload field of the first communication protocol together into the data field of the second communication protocol.

[0050] In the above scheme, the complete structure consisting of the frame control header field and payload field specified by the first communication protocol is encapsulated as the content of the data field of the second communication protocol, thus achieving the initial merging of the two protocols at the frame structure level.

[0051] In one possible implementation, the wireless frame also includes a first frame check sequence, which is a frame check sequence specified by the second communication protocol.

[0052] In the above scheme, the wireless frame also includes a first frame verification sequence, which enables the receiving end to use the verification mechanism built into the physical layer of the second communication protocol to verify the received wireless frame and ensure the integrity of the received data.

[0053] In one possible implementation, the first frame check sequence includes a check sequence based on cyclic redundancy check.

[0054] In the above scheme, the first frame verification sequence includes a verification sequence based on cyclic redundancy check, which enables the wireless frame to complete frame verification using the cyclic redundancy check mechanism built into the physical layer of the second communication protocol, without the need for additional software verification calculations, thus reducing device power consumption.

[0055] In one possible implementation, before parsing the wireless frame, the wireless frame adaptation method provided in this application embodiment further includes: verifying the wireless frame based on the first frame verification sequence; if the verification fails, the wireless frame is discarded.

[0056] In the above scheme, before parsing the wireless frame, the wireless frame is checked based on the first frame check sequence. If the check fails, the wireless frame is discarded. This allows the physical layer of the receiving end to directly discard the frame without notifying the upper layer when it detects an error in the frame check sequence, thereby reducing invalid data processing and lowering device power consumption.

[0057] The second aspect is the implementation of the counterpart to the first aspect. The explanations, supplements, and descriptions of the beneficial effects of the first aspect also apply to the second aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0058] Thirdly, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes: a module for performing the method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects, such as a communication module and a processing module. For example, the communication module is used to instruct the transmission and reception functions of the communication device, and the processing module is used to perform functions of the communication device other than the transmission and reception functions.

[0059] Optionally, the communication module may include a transmitting module and a receiving module. The transmitting module implements the transmitting function of the communication device of the third aspect, and the receiving module implements the receiving function of the communication device of the third aspect.

[0060] Optionally, the communication device of the third aspect may further include a storage module storing programs or instructions. When the processing module executes the program or instructions, the communication device can perform the methods in any of the possible implementations of any of the above aspects.

[0061] It is understood that the communication device in the third aspect can be a terminal device or a network device, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly that can be disposed in the terminal device or the network device, or a device that includes the terminal device or the network device. This application does not limit this.

[0062] Furthermore, the technical effects of the communication device in the third aspect can be referenced from the technical effects of any possible implementation method in any of the above aspects, and will not be elaborated here.

[0063] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, including at least one processor. The at least one processor is coupled to a memory storing programs or instructions. The processor executes the programs or instructions in the memory, causing the communication device to perform a method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, to which the processor is coupled.

[0064] In one implementation, the communication interface may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0065] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in a terminal device or network device. When the communication device is a chip configured in a terminal device or network device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0066] Fifthly, a processor is provided, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive signals through the input circuit and transmit signals through the output circuit, causing the processor to execute a method in any possible implementation of any aspect.

[0067] In specific implementation, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be input pins, the output circuit can be output pins, and the processing circuit can be transistors, gate circuits, flip-flops, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example, but not limited to, a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be output to, for example, but not limited to, a transmitter and transmitted by the transmitter. Furthermore, the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0068] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor and a memory. The processor is used to read instructions stored in the memory and to receive signals via a receiver and transmit signals via a transmitter to execute the method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects.

[0069] Optionally, the processor may be one or more, and the memory may be one or more.

[0070] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a chip system including one or more processors for calling and executing instructions stored in memory, causing the methods in any of the above aspects or any possible implementations of the above aspects to be executed. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0071] The chip system may include input circuits or interfaces for transmitting information or data, and output circuits or interfaces for receiving information or data.

[0072] Eighthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program or instructions, which, when executed, cause a computer to perform the method in any possible implementation of any of the preceding aspects.

[0073] Ninthly, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: a computer program or instructions, which, when the computer program is run, causes the method in any possible implementation of any of the preceding aspects to be executed.

[0074] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, including the aforementioned terminal device and network device. Optionally, the communication system may further include other devices that communicate with the terminal device and / or network device.

[0075] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, embodiments of this application are described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0076] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments of this application will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this application and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0077] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system applied in an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the dual-mode communication protocol stack provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of a wireless frame provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a wireless frame adaptation method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of another wireless frame adaptation method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 6 This is a schematic block diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 7 This is another schematic block diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0078] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0079] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) systems, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, sidelink communication systems, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication systems, non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication systems, 5th generation (5G) mobile communication systems, or new radio access technology (NR). Among these, 5G mobile communication systems can include non-standalone (NSA) and / or standalone (SA) networking. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems. This application does not limit the scope of these applications.

[0080] The communication system provided in this application embodiment may include at least two communication devices. One communication device is a transmitter, which is a dual-mode device that supports both power communication and wireless communication, such as a dual-mode gateway, a dual-mode data concentrator, or a dual-mode electricity meter. The other communication device is a receiver, which is a single-mode device that only supports wireless communication, such as a pure IEEE 802.15.4 terminal node.

[0081] For example, the communication device at the sending end can be a network device, and the communication device at the receiving end can be a terminal device. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system applied in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 An exemplary communication system is shown, comprising a network device 110 and a terminal device 120, which can communicate wirelessly via a link. Optionally, the communication system 100 may further include multiple network devices and / or multiple terminal devices.

[0082] The network device in this application can be a network-side device such as an access network or core network device. Access network devices are sometimes also called access nodes. Access network devices have wireless transceiver capabilities and are used to communicate with terminals. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the access network device. In this application, the access network device is simply referred to as a network device.

[0083] In this application, the means for implementing the functions of a network device can be a network device itself, or a means capable of supporting the network device in implementing those functions, such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system. This means can be installed in or connected to the network device. In the technical solutions provided in this application, the example of a network device being used to implement the functions of a network device is used to describe the technical solutions provided in this application.

[0084] The terminal device in this application can be a wireless terminal device capable of receiving network device scheduling and instruction information. The wireless terminal device can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, a handheld device with wireless connectivity, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. The embodiments of this application do not limit the form of the terminal device.

[0085] In this application, the apparatus for implementing the functions of a terminal device can be the terminal device itself, or any apparatus capable of supporting the terminal device in implementing those functions, such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system. This apparatus can be installed in or connected to the terminal device. In the technical solutions provided in this application, the example of a terminal device being used to implement the functions of a terminal device is used to describe the technical solutions provided in this application.

[0086] This application does not limit the application scenarios of access network equipment and terminal equipment.

[0087] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the terminology used in this application is first briefly explained. Optionally, the explanation of some terms can also refer to the explanations in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard protocol. It should be understood that the technical terms in this application are only examples and not limitations. For example, as technology evolves, technical terms may also change; where the technical meaning remains the same, other technical terms should also apply to this application.

[0088] 1. The first communication protocol refers to the protocol standard used for power line communication. In one optional implementation, the first communication protocol is the IEEE 1901.3 standard. The IEEE 1901.3 standard is a core standard in the field of power line communication. Its link layer frame format is designed based on the characteristics of power line physical layer communication and adopts a fixed PB block (136PB, 520PB) encapsulation mechanism.

[0089] 2. The second communication protocol refers to the protocol standard used for wireless communication. In one optional implementation, the second communication protocol is the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. The IEEE 802.15.4 wireless physical layer employs a variable-length transmission mechanism where the actual message length is the transmission length.

[0090] 3. The link layer is a protocol layer located above the physical layer in the communication protocol stack. It is responsible for functions such as frame encapsulation and decapsulation, media access control, and addressing. In this embodiment, the link layer includes the link layer of a first communication protocol and the link layer of a second communication protocol. The link layer of the first communication protocol is used to generate power line frames, and the link layer of the second communication protocol is used to generate radio frames. That is, radio frames and power line frames are generated at the link layer according to their respective protocols.

[0091] 4. The wireless physical layer refers to the physical layer defined by the second communication protocol, which is responsible for converting frames from the link layer into wireless signals and transmitting them via radio frequency, as well as demodulating the received wireless signals and sending them up to the link layer. In the embodiments of this application, the wireless physical layer refers to the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol.

[0092] 5. The power line physical layer refers to the power line physical layer defined by the first communication protocol, which is responsible for converting frames from the link layer into power line signals and transmitting them through the power line, as well as demodulating the received power line signals and sending them up to the link layer. In this embodiment, the power line physical layer refers to the power line physical layer of the first communication protocol.

[0093] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the dual-mode communication protocol stack provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 The protocol architecture of the communication device is shown in three layers: layer 1, layer 2, and layer 3.

[0094] Layer 1 (L1 layer) is the physical layer (PHY), responsible for converting data from Layer 2 into physical signals and transmitting them over the communication medium, as well as demodulating the received physical signals and restoring them to data before sending them to Layer 2. In this application, the communication device supports dual-mode communication, and the physical layer includes a power line physical layer of a first communication protocol and a wireless physical layer of a second communication protocol. Specifically, the power line physical layer is used to transmit power line frames over power lines, and the wireless physical layer is used to transmit wireless frames over wireless channels.

[0095] Layer 2 (L2) is the data link layer, located above the physical layer, and is responsible for data link connections between communication devices through the physical layer. Layer 2 includes a medium access control (MAC) sublayer. In this application, the MAC sublayer is the MAC layer of the first communication protocol. The MAC sublayer provides functions such as frame encapsulation and decapsulation, medium access control, addressing, and error detection. The MAC sublayer is also responsible for the mapping between logical channels and transport channels, as well as the multiplexing of logical channels.

[0096] In this application, the MAC sublayer is further configured to encapsulate frames using different frame formats depending on the transmission method: wireless communication or power line communication. Specifically, when the service data is transmitted wirelessly, the MAC sublayer generates a wireless frame based on the service data, wherein the length of the first payload field of the wireless frame is equal to the actual length of the service data, without padding with null bytes, and the wireless frame is transmitted through the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol; when the service data is transmitted using power line communication, the MAC sublayer generates a power line frame based on the service data, wherein the second payload field of the power line frame includes a fixed-length data block, the data block including the service data and padding bytes, and the power line frame is transmitted through the power line physical layer of the first communication protocol.

[0097] Optionally, the radio frame further includes a frame control header field, which includes a payload length field indicating the actual length of the first payload field. Additionally, the frame control header field may include one or more of the following: a beacon timestamp, a frame type identifier, and a source TEI.

[0098] Optionally, the frame control header field further includes an encapsulation type flag and / or a protocol identifier field. The encapsulation type flag is used by the receiver to identify whether the current frame is the wireless frame or the power line frame, and the protocol identifier field is used by the receiver to identify the protocol version or protocol type corresponding to the current frame.

[0099] It should be noted that the transmission timing of wireless frames originally used for IEEE 1901.3 remains unchanged after being adapted to IEEE 802.15.4.

[0100] In this application, the MAC sublayer is further used to configure the configuration parameters of the wireless physical layer. Optionally, the configuration parameters include one or more of the following: wireless operating mode, transmission rate level, and physical layer access timing.

[0101] The wireless operating mode includes one or more of the following: low-power standby mode, beacon-enabled mode, and non-beacon-enabled mode. In the low-power standby mode, the radio frequency module is powered on but does not transmit or receive data. In the beacon-enabled mode, the service data is transmitted in the allocated time slot. In the non-beacon-enabled mode, a contention mechanism is used to access the channel and transmit the service data.

[0102] The transmission rate level includes at least two different rate levels, which are determined based on the signal strength and channel congestion level fed back by the wireless physical layer in real time. The physical layer access timing employs a carrier sense multiple access and collision avoidance algorithm.

[0103] Layer 3 (L3) is the network and application layer, located above Layer 2. It is responsible for establishing, maintaining, and releasing network connections, as well as generating and processing service data. Layer 3 passes the service data to be sent to the MAC sublayer of Layer 2 for frame encapsulation, and receives service data extracted from radio frames or power line frames reported by the MAC sublayer of Layer 2.

[0104] Among them, what is understandable is Figure 2 The layers in this document are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limiting. During data transmission, each protocol layer is executed by its corresponding entity. For ease of description in this embodiment, the processing procedures between protocol entity units during data transmission may be omitted.

[0105] For example, Figure 1 The communication device shown can be the communication device of the sending end in the aforementioned method embodiments, or it can be the communication device of the receiving end, or it can be a dual-mode communication device that has both sending and receiving functions. When the communication device is a sending end device, its Layer 2 MAC sublayer generates the corresponding frame according to the transmission mode and sends it through the corresponding physical layer; when the communication device is a receiving end device, it receives the frame through the physical layer, and the Layer 2 MAC sublayer parses the received frame to extract service data.

[0106] 6. A radio frame is a data frame generated by the link layer of a second communication protocol based on the service data to be transmitted, and used for transmission through the radio physical layer of the second communication protocol when a communication device transmits service data wirelessly. A radio frame may include a beacon frame and a start-of-frame (SOF) frame. This radio frame has variable-length transmission characteristics; the length of its first payload field is equal to the actual length of the service data, and it does not include null byte padding. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of a wireless frame provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0107] The first payload field refers to the field in the radio frame used to carry service data. The length of this field is equal to the actual length of the service data to be transmitted, and does not include null byte padding.

[0108] For example, a wireless frame is generated by placing the frame control header field and the second payload field of the first communication protocol together into the data field of the second communication protocol.

[0109] In one possible implementation, the wireless frame also includes a frame control header (FCH) field. The FCH field is a control field located at the beginning of the frame and is used for control functions such as frame synchronization, type identification, length indication, and address indication. In this application, the wireless frame retains the necessary FCH fields from the frame structure of the first communication protocol without making substantial changes to the FCH content. For example, the FCH field may specifically include one or more of the following: beacon timestamp, frame type identifier, payload length, and source TEI.

[0110] Please refer to Tables 1 and 2. Table 1 shows the variable region of a beacon frame control header provided in an embodiment of this application, and Table 2 shows the variable region of an SOF frame control header provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0111]

[0112] Table 1. Variable regions of a beacon frame control header

[0113] Table 2. Variable regions of a SOF frame control header In one possible implementation, the frame control header field also includes an encapsulation type flag. The encapsulation type flag is a flag in the frame control header field used to indicate whether the current frame is a radio frame or a power line frame, allowing the receiving communication device to identify whether the current frame is a radio frame or a power line frame. For example, the encapsulation type flag can occupy one bit; a value of 1 indicates a radio frame, and a value of 0 indicates a power line frame. The receiving communication device can identify the frame type of the current frame by reading this flag, thereby selecting the corresponding parsing method.

[0114] In one possible implementation, the frame control header field also includes a protocol identifier field. The protocol identifier field is a field located in the frame control header field used to indicate the protocol version or type corresponding to the radio frame, allowing the receiving communication device to identify the protocol version or type corresponding to the current frame. For example, this protocol identifier field can be located in bytes 13-15 of the radio frame (the parity bit area originally filled with zeros), with different identifiers representing different parsing protocols; for example, identifier 1 corresponds to the current protocol, and identifier 2 corresponds to a future new protocol. The receiving communication device selects the corresponding protocol parsing method based on the value of this protocol identifier field, thereby achieving backward compatibility and evolution of the protocol.

[0115] 7. A power line frame is a data frame generated by the link layer of a first communication protocol based on the service data to be transmitted, and used for transmission via the power line physical layer of the first communication protocol when a communication device uses power line communication to transmit service data. This power line frame adopts the native frame format of the first communication protocol, and its second payload field includes a fixed-length data block (e.g., a 136PB block or a 520PB block). For example, a power line channel is equivalent to a carrier channel.

[0116] The second load field refers to the field in the power line frame used to carry service data. This field includes a fixed-length data block, which contains both service data and padding bytes (empty bytes).

[0117] 8. Configuration parameters refer to the operating parameters of the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol. In one possible implementation, configuration parameters include one or more of the following: wireless operating mode, transmission rate level, and physical layer access timing. By configuring these parameters, the link layer enables the wireless physical layer to adapt to different service requirements and channel conditions under different operating states.

[0118] The wireless operating mode refers to the operating state and access method of the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol. In this application, the wireless operating mode may include one or more of the following: low-power standby mode, beacon-enabled mode, and non-beacon-enabled mode.

[0119] Specifically, in low-power standby mode, the RF module powers on but does not transmit or receive data, only maintaining basic clock oscillation; the communication device automatically enters this mode during non-communication periods, consuming only microamps of current. In beacon-enabled mode, the network coordinator periodically sends beacon frames, and the communication device synchronizes its clock and performs time-slotted communication through these beacon frames; this mode is suitable for latency-sensitive industrial control scenarios and can guarantee deterministic communication. In non-beacon-enabled mode, the communication device uses a non-time-slotted carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA-CA) mechanism to compete for the channel, without periodic beacons; this mode is suitable for sensor data reporting scenarios with strong data bursts and power sensitivity.

[0120] Transmission rate level refers to the modulation scheme and transmission rate used by the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol when transmitting data. Different rate levels correspond to different modulation schemes and applicable scenarios. In this application, the transmission rate level includes three levels. For example, Level 1 uses binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation, which is suitable for long-distance, high-interference-resistant scenarios; Level 2 uses quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation, which is suitable for medium-distance, default mode; Level 3 uses high-speed QPSK modulation, which is suitable for short-distance, large-data-volume transmission.

[0121] For example, the transmission rate level is determined based on the signal strength and channel busyness fed back in real time by the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol.

[0122] Physical layer access timing refers to the timing rules and channel access algorithms adopted by the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol when accessing the channel. In this application, the physical layer access timing adopts a carrier sense multiple access and collision avoidance algorithm.

[0123] 9. The collaborative interaction interface refers to the interface established between the link layer of the first communication protocol and the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol, which is used to realize parameter configuration and frame data transmission between the link layer and the physical layer.

[0124] 10. The Frame Check Sequence (FCS) is a check field located at the end of a frame, used to verify whether all data from the start-of-frame delimiter to the end of the payload field has been correctly received. The first FCS of a radio frame is the FCS specified by the second communication protocol, while the second FCS of a power line frame is the FCS specified by the first communication protocol. The proportion of the first FCS in a radio frame is less than that of the second FCS in a power line frame.

[0125] For example, the first frame verification sequence includes a verification sequence based on cyclic redundancy check (CR). For instance, it may be a 32-bit or 24-bit CR. It is understood that, in addition to the aforementioned CR-based verification sequence, other verification sequences may be used in the embodiments of this application, and those skilled in the art can make appropriate adjustments according to the actual situation.

[0126] The IEEE 1901.3 standard is a core standard in the field of power line communication. Although it is explicitly compatible with the wireless physical layer of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, it does not provide detailed definitions for key parameters such as the working mode, transmission rate, and access rules of the wireless physical layer, which leads to obstacles in the application and implementation of the IEEE 1901.3 standard in wireless communication scenarios.

[0127] Meanwhile, the link layer frame format of the IEEE 1901.3 standard is designed based on the physical layer communication characteristics of power line communication (PLC) channels. It adopts a fixed payload block (PB) encapsulation mechanism (136PB, 520PB), requiring all service data to be encapsulated according to the fixed PB block size. When the actual service data length does not match the PB block size, empty bytes (0 bytes) need to be filled and redundant frame checks need to be added.

[0128] The IEEE 802.15.4 standard's wireless physical layer uses a variable-length transmission mechanism where the actual message length is the transmission length. The two have inherent differences in frame structure and encapsulation rules. Direct adaptation will result in unnecessary empty byte transmission and redundant check overhead, reducing wireless channel utilization and increasing transmission latency and device power consumption.

[0129] There are currently no effective solutions to the technical pain points of the IEEE 1901.3 and IEEE 802.15.4 standards, such as the lack of detailed wireless physical layer adaptation rules, frame structure mismatch, and large wireless transmission redundancy overhead. There is an urgent need for a technical solution that can achieve deep adaptation between the two standards, eliminate redundant transmission, and improve communication efficiency.

[0130] To address the aforementioned issues, this application proposes a wireless frame adaptation method that solves the technical problems of incompatibility between the wireless physical layer of the first and second communication protocols, large wireless transmission redundancy overhead, low channel utilization, high transmission latency, and high device power consumption. This method achieves full matching of the frame structure, timing, and verification rules of the two protocols, improving wireless communication efficiency while ensuring the practicality and feasibility of the solution, thus meeting the needs of industrial-grade dual-mode communication and IoT networking.

[0131] The solution provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the corresponding flowcharts. It is understood that the illustrative flowcharts provided in this application primarily use different devices (such as terminal devices and network devices) as examples of the execution subjects of this interactive illustration to illustrate the method, but this application does not limit the execution subjects of the interactive illustrations. For example, the devices (such as terminal devices and network devices) in the illustrative flowcharts can also be chips, chip systems, or processors that support the implementation of this method on the device, or they can be logic modules or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the device.

[0132] As a general statement, the message or signaling interactions involved in the interaction process of this application embodiment can be standard messages or signaling or newly introduced messages or signaling. This application embodiment does not make specific limitations on this.

[0133] The wireless frame adaptation method provided in this application can be applied to a communication device that supports both power line communication and wireless communication. This communication device may be, for example, a dual-mode communication device, a dual-mode communication module, or an IoT node. The communication device runs a protocol stack of a first communication protocol (e.g., the IEEE 1901.3 standard), which includes a link layer and a physical layer. The physical layer includes a power line physical layer (for power line communication) and a wireless physical layer (for wireless communication). In this application, wireless communication uses the wireless physical layer of a second communication protocol (e.g., the IEEE 802.15.4 standard) for transmission.

[0134] For example, the wireless frame adaptation method provided in this application involves high-speed power line carrier (HPLC) dual-mode communication technology. The dual-mode network is built on two channel links, power line carrier (PLC) and radio frequency (RF), into a single communication network. The wireless channel and the carrier channel can relay each other to maximize communication performance.

[0135] The RF module transmits messages wirelessly, selecting appropriate frequencies based on specific application requirements, complementing power line communication in the network. The HPLC physical layer transmitter processes the frame control data and payload data input from the data link layer. The frame control data, after Turbo encoding, undergoes channel interleaving and frame control diversity copying. The payload data, after scrambling, Turbo encoding, channel interleaving, and payload diversity copying, is then subcarrier mapped with the frame control encoded data. The mapped data undergoes inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) processing, and a cyclic prefix is ​​added to form orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. Finally, a preamble is added before the transmitted signal to the channel, forming a complete signal sent to the power line channel.

[0136] First, we will introduce the process of transmitting service data using wireless communication. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a wireless frame adaptation method provided in an embodiment of this application. It can be understood that... Figure 4 The communication device at the transmitting end and the communication device at the receiving end can be any communication device, or a component within a communication device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system). For example... Figure 4 As shown, the above wireless frame adaptation method includes the following steps: S401: The communication device at the sending end acquires service data.

[0137] The sending communication device first acquires the service data to be sent. For example, the service data may include meter reading data, control commands, firmware upgrade packages, node status reports, and other IoT service data. The service data can originate from the communication device's upper-layer application, service queue, or other data sources.

[0138] In one possible implementation, after acquiring service data, the communication device at the sending end can determine the transmission mode to be used for this communication based on the current transmission requirements. The transmission mode may include wireless communication transmission and / or power communication transmission. Specifically, the communication device at the sending end can determine the transmission mode based on one or more factors, such as channel quality, service priority, and message length.

[0139] Specifically, prior to S401 above, the wireless frame adaptation method provided in this application embodiment may further include the following steps: determining the transmission mode based on one or more factors among channel quality, service priority, and message length.

[0140] For example, when the wireless channel quality is good (e.g., high signal strength, high signal-to-noise ratio) and the service data is a short message, the transmitting communication device can prioritize wireless communication transmission. When the power line channel quality is good and the service data is a long message, the transmitting communication device can prioritize power line communication transmission. For high-reliability services (e.g., emergency alarms, control commands), the transmitting communication device can simultaneously use both wireless and power line communication to ensure transmission reliability.

[0141] In other embodiments of this application, transmission requirements may also include factors such as the remaining battery power of the terminal and the current network congestion level. The communication device at the sending end can make a comprehensive judgment based on one or more of the above factors to select the most suitable transmission channel.

[0142] S402: If wireless communication is used to transmit service data, the communication device at the transmitting end generates a wireless frame based on the service data at the link layer of the second communication protocol.

[0143] Specifically, the original frame structure included a frame control header field and a payload field, with the payload field employing a fixed petabyte (PB) block encapsulation mechanism. When constructing a wireless frame, the link layer of the second communication protocol removes the fixed PB block encapsulation constraint, meaning it no longer encapsulates service data in blocks of a fixed size of 136 bytes or 520 bytes. Instead, the link layer of the second communication protocol sets the length of the payload field (i.e., the first payload field described in this application) to be equal to the actual length of the service data, and does not pad with empty bytes.

[0144] For example, suppose the length of the service data to be transmitted is 50 bytes. In the traditional native frame format of the IEEE 1901.3 standard, this 50 bytes of service data needs to be encapsulated into a 136PB block, with the remaining 86 bytes filled with null bytes (0 bytes). The actual transmitted payload is 136 bytes, of which 86 bytes are invalid data. However, in the embodiment of this application, when the link layer of the second communication protocol constructs the wireless frame, it directly sets the length of the first payload field to 50 bytes, which is equal to the actual length of the service data, without filling in any null bytes.

[0145] It should be noted that if the actual length of the service data is less than the minimum frame length requirement specified by the second communication protocol, a small amount of padding can be added to the end of the first payload field. However, this amount of padding is much smaller than the amount of empty bytes in the fixed PB block encapsulation scheme.

[0146] In one possible implementation, the wireless frame also includes a first frame check sequence, which is a frame check sequence specified by the second communication protocol.

[0147] Specifically, when constructing a wireless frame, the link layer removes the native redundancy check fields of the first communication protocol (such as the extra check bytes designed to accommodate fixed PB blocks on power lines), retaining only the frame check information specified by the second communication protocol. For example, the first frame check sequence is a 32-bit cyclic redundancy check as specified in IEEE 802.15.4.

[0148] The frame check sequence is located at the end of the frame (after the physical layer protocol data unit and before the payload) and is used to verify all data from the start-of-frame delimiter to the end of the payload. If the physical layer detects an error in the frame check sequence, it discards the frame directly without notifying the upper layer, thereby reducing invalid data processing and lowering power consumption.

[0149] S403: The communication device at the transmitting end transmits a wireless frame through the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol; correspondingly, the communication device at the receiving end receives a wireless frame through the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol.

[0150] After the link layer completes the construction of the radio frame, it passes the radio frame to the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol through the cooperative interaction interface.

[0151] For example, after receiving a radio frame, the wireless physical layer first modulates it according to the transmission rate level specified in the configuration parameters, and then adds a preamble and a start-of-frame delimiter (SFD) to form a complete physical layer frame. The preamble is used for clock synchronization and gain adjustment at the receiver, and the SFD is used to identify the start of the frame. After adding the preamble and SFD, the wireless physical layer performs channel detection and contention access according to the configured physical layer access timing, and finally transmits the radio frame via radio frequency.

[0152] The receiving end's communication device (which can be a dual-mode communication device or a non-dual-mode communication device that only supports the second communication protocol's wireless physical layer) receives wireless frames through the second communication protocol's wireless physical layer.

[0153] For example, the receiving end's wireless physical layer listens to the channel and begins receiving wireless frames after detecting the preamble and start-of-frame delimiter. The physical layer verifies the wireless frame according to the verification rules of the second communication protocol. If the verification fails, the physical layer directly discards the frame without notifying the upper layer, thereby reducing invalid data processing and lowering power consumption. If the verification passes, the physical layer strips the preamble and start-of-frame delimiter and sends the payload data (including the frame control header field and payload field) to the link layer of the first communication protocol through the cooperative interaction interface.

[0154] S404: The communication device at the receiving end parses the radio frame.

[0155] The link layer extracts the first payload field based on the payload length in the frame control header to obtain the service data. If the radio frame is a segmented frame, the link layer temporarily stores each segment in a reassembly buffer based on the segment sequence number and total number of segments in the segment header. After all segments are collected, they are merged into a complete service data packet. The link layer then delivers the parsed service data to the upper-layer application or protocol stack, completing one data communication cycle.

[0156] In one possible implementation, the frame control header field also includes an encapsulation type flag, which is used by the receiver to identify whether the current frame is a radio frame or a power line frame. Upon receiving the current frame, the receiver's communication device first reads the encapsulation type flag and selects the corresponding parsing method based on its value.

[0157] For example, in such a possible implementation, S403 above may specifically include the following steps: Step 1), the receiving end's communication device receives the current frame through the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol.

[0158] Step 2): The receiving end's communication device determines that the current frame is a wireless frame based on the encapsulation type flag of the current frame.

[0159] After receiving the payload data, the link layer first reads the encapsulation type flag in the frame control header field to identify the current frame as a radio frame. If the encapsulation type flag indicates that the current frame is a radio frame, the link layer parses it according to the radio frame parsing method.

[0160] In one possible implementation, the frame control header field also includes a protocol identifier field, which is used by the receiving end to identify the protocol version or type corresponding to the current frame. The receiving end's communication device selects the corresponding protocol parsing method based on the value of the protocol identifier field, thereby achieving backward compatibility and evolution of the protocol.

[0161] For example, S404 above may specifically include the following steps: Step 1), the receiving end's communication device reads the protocol identifier field of the wireless frame.

[0162] Step 2), the receiving end's communication device determines the protocol version or protocol type corresponding to the wireless frame based on the protocol identifier field.

[0163] Step 3): The receiving end's communication device parses the first payload field of the wireless frame according to the parsing method corresponding to the protocol version or protocol type of the wireless frame.

[0164] The link layer reads the protocol identifier field from the frame control header and determines the protocol version or type corresponding to the current frame based on this field. For example, if the value of the protocol identifier field is "1", it is parsed according to the current protocol; if the value of the protocol identifier field is "2", it is parsed according to a future new protocol.

[0165] Furthermore, the wireless frame adaptation method provided in this application embodiment may also include the following steps: Step 1) Determine the transmission time information of the wireless frame based on the actual length of the first payload field of the wireless frame.

[0166] After the communication device generates a wireless frame in the manner described above, the communication device or other communication devices that receive the wireless frame can determine the transmission time information of the wireless frame based on the actual length of the first payload field of the wireless frame.

[0167] In this embodiment, since the length of the first payload field of the wireless frame is equal to the actual length of the service data, it is not necessary to calculate the transmission time according to a fixed length as in the traditional fixed PB block encapsulation scheme. Instead, the time required for the frame to be transmitted in the air can be accurately calculated based on the actual payload length.

[0168] Step 2), adjust the sending time of the target node according to the transmission time information.

[0169] After determining the transmission time information of the wireless frame, the communication device can adjust the transmission time of the target node according to the transmission time information to optimize channel utilization and reduce message collisions.

[0170] In some embodiments of this application, after receiving a radio frame sent by node A, node B calculates the transmission time based on the actual length of the first payload field of the radio frame, thereby determining when node A's message will finish transmitting. Node B adjusts its own message transmission time based on this information to avoid initiating transmission while the channel is still occupied, thus avoiding collisions with messages from node A or other nodes on the channel.

[0171] In some other embodiments of this application, the transmission time adjustment of the target node can be uniformly scheduled by the network coordinator (CCO). The CCO can calculate the transmission time of each node based on the message length of the service data to be transmitted by each node, and allocate different time slots to each node in the beacon frame accordingly, so as to avoid collisions between messages of different nodes on the channel.

[0172] Furthermore, the wireless frame adaptation method provided in this application embodiment may also include the following steps: The transmission parameters of the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol are adjusted according to the actual length of the first payload field of the wireless frame.

[0173] In some embodiments of this application, when transmitting a wireless frame, the transmitting end can dynamically adjust the transmission parameters of the physical layer according to the actual length of the first payload field. The transmission parameters include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: modulation scheme, transmission rate, transmit power, and coding rate.

[0174] Specifically, when the actual length of the first payload field is short (e.g., less than or equal to a preset first threshold), the transmitter can use a higher transmission rate and / or a higher modulation order to send the radio frame to reduce transmission latency. Since short messages have short transmission times, the probability of drastic changes in channel conditions during transmission is low; therefore, using high-rate transmission can significantly reduce latency while ensuring success rates.

[0175] When the actual length of the first payload field is long (e.g., greater than a preset second threshold), the transmitter can use a lower transmission rate and / or a more robust modulation scheme to send the radio frame, thereby improving transmission reliability. Since long messages have long transmission times, the channel conditions are more likely to change during transmission; using a lower transmission rate can improve anti-interference capabilities and ensure a higher transmission success rate.

[0176] In some embodiments of this application, the two optimization mechanisms (transmission time adjustment and physical layer transmission parameter adjustment) can be implemented independently or in combination. When implemented in combination, the transmitting end adaptively adjusts the physical layer transmission parameters according to the message length, and the receiving end calculates the transmission time based on the message length after receiving the message and adjusts its own transmission time. The two work together to improve the overall performance of wireless communication: on the one hand, the latency and power consumption of a single transmission are reduced through physical layer parameter optimization, and on the other hand, channel collisions and retransmissions are reduced through coordinated optimization of transmission time, ultimately achieving an overall improvement in channel utilization and network throughput.

[0177] Furthermore, in some embodiments of this application, if the length of the service data to be transmitted exceeds the maximum load capacity of a single frame (e.g., exceeds the maximum frame length specified by IEEE 802.15.4), the link layer can initiate a segmented transmission process: splitting the service data into multiple radio frames, the length of the first payload field of each radio frame being equal to the actual data length of the segment, and the first payload field of each radio frame containing a segment header, which is used to indicate the position of the segment in the service data (e.g., segment sequence number and total number of segments).

[0178] After receiving multiple segmented frames, the receiving end reassembles each segment into complete service data based on the segment sequence number and total number of segments in the segment header.

[0179] Furthermore, in some embodiments of this application, for service data that requires encryption, the link layer first encrypts the service data and then constructs a radio frame. The encrypted data is used as the content of the payload field, and the link layer calculates the length of the encrypted data and fills it into the payload length field of the frame control header.

[0180] Furthermore, prior to step S402 above, the wireless frame adaptation method provided in this application embodiment may further include the following steps: The communication device at the transmitting end configures the configuration parameters of the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol.

[0181] The configuration parameters are used to send wireless frames through the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol. The configuration parameters include one or more of the following: wireless operating mode, transmission rate level, and physical layer access timing.

[0182] In one possible implementation, the steps for configuring the wireless physical layer parameters of the second communication protocol may specifically include the following steps: Step 1), the communication device at the transmitting end establishes a cooperative interaction interface between the link layer of the first communication protocol and the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol.

[0183] First, a collaborative interaction interface is established between the link layer of the first communication protocol and the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol. This interface is a standardized interaction channel between the link layer and the physical layer, used for parameter configuration and frame data transmission.

[0184] For example, the cooperative interaction interface includes at least one of the following functions: Interaction Mechanism 1: The link layer of the first communication protocol sends the operating mode, channel number, and transmit power to the radio physical layer of the second communication protocol through the cooperative interaction interface. Interaction Mechanism 2: The link layer of the first communication protocol transmits the encapsulated radio frame to the radio physical layer of the second communication protocol through the cooperative interaction interface, and the radio physical layer is responsible for adding the preamble and start-of-frame delimiter. Interaction Mechanism 3: After receiving and demodulating the radio signal, the radio physical layer of the second communication protocol strips the preamble and start-of-frame delimiter, and sends the payload data (including FCH and Payload) to the link layer of the first communication protocol through the cooperative interaction interface.

[0185] Step 2), the communication device at the sending end determines the configuration parameters based on the current scenario at the link layer of the first communication protocol.

[0186] The link layer can select an appropriate operating mode based on the current business scenario and network environment. For example, when the communication device is not in a communication period, a low-power standby mode can be selected to save power. When it is necessary to transmit latency-sensitive industrial control commands, a beacon-enabled mode can be selected to ensure deterministic communication. When it is necessary to report sensor data, a non-beacon-enabled mode can be selected to adapt to sudden data transmission needs.

[0187] The physical layer provides real-time feedback to the link layer on received signal strength and channel busy levels. The link layer uses this feedback to comprehensively assess the current channel quality and dynamically switch transmission rate levels. For example, when the signal strength is high and the channel is idle, the link layer can select a high rate level (Level 3) to improve transmission efficiency; when the signal strength is low or the channel is busy, the link layer can select a low rate level (Level 1) to ensure transmission reliability.

[0188] Step 3): The communication device at the sending end sends configuration parameters to the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol through the link layer of the first communication protocol based on the cooperative interaction interface.

[0189] After determining the configuration parameters, the link layer sends these parameters to the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol via a cooperative interaction interface. Specifically, the link layer sends the selected wireless operating mode, transmission rate level, and physical layer access timing parameters to the wireless physical layer through the cooperative interaction interface. The wireless physical layer receives the configuration parameters and activates the radio frequency module accordingly.

[0190] Step 4), the communication device at the sending end receives the configuration parameters through the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol.

[0191] After transmission is completed, the wireless physical layer can send the transmission result (success / failure / number of retries / reason for channel contention failure) back to the link layer so that the link layer can decide whether to retransmit or switch channels.

[0192] It should be noted that the above configuration steps can be performed when the network status changes, not every time data is transmitted. For example, the configuration is performed once when the communication device is powered on and initialized; when the network environment changes significantly (such as a sudden deterioration in signal quality or loss of beacons), the link layer can re-execute the configuration steps to adjust the operating parameters of the wireless physical layer to adapt to the new network environment.

[0193] Next, we will introduce the process of transmitting service data using power communication. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating another wireless frame adaptation method provided in an embodiment of this application. It can be understood that... Figure 5The communication device at the transmitting end and the communication device at the receiving end can be any communication device, or a component within a communication device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system). For example... Figure 5 As shown, the above wireless frame adaptation method includes the following steps: S501: The communication device at the sending end acquires service data.

[0194] S502: If power communication is used to transmit service data, the communication device at the sending end generates power line frames based on the service data at the link layer of the first communication protocol.

[0195] Specifically, the link layer generates power line frames according to the native frame format of the first communication protocol, wherein the native frame format refers to the frame format originally defined in the first communication protocol, and its payload field (i.e. the second payload field described in this application) includes a data block of fixed length.

[0196] When generating power line frames, the link layer encapsulates service data into fixed-length data blocks. When the actual length of the service data is less than the length of the fixed data block, the link layer fills the data block with null bytes (0 bytes) to make the data block reach the fixed length. For example, assuming the length of the service data to be sent is 50 bytes, and the length of the fixed data block is 136 bytes, the link layer puts 50 bytes of service data into the data block, and fills the remaining 86 bytes with null bytes to form a complete 136-byte data block.

[0197] In one possible implementation, the power line frame also includes a second frame verification sequence, which is a redundant verification field (such as PB block verification, residual frame verification, etc.) in the native frame format of the first communication protocol, used for data integrity verification in power line communication scenarios.

[0198] S503: The communication device at the transmitting end transmits power line frames through the power line physical layer of the first communication protocol; correspondingly, the communication device at the receiving end receives power line frames through the power line physical layer of the first communication protocol.

[0199] After the link layer completes the construction of the power line frame, it passes the power line frame to the power line physical layer of the first communication protocol. The power line physical layer converts the power line frame into a power line signal and sends it out through the power line.

[0200] S504: The communication device at the receiving end parses the power line frame.

[0201] When the receiving device receives a power line frame through the power line physical layer, it parses it according to the native frame format of the first communication protocol. The link layer identifies the current frame as a power line frame based on the encapsulation type flag in the frame control header field, and then extracts the service data according to the fixed PB block decapsulation method, that is, extracts the service data from the fixed-length data block and discards the null byte padding.

[0202] Furthermore, if the transmitting end's communication device determines to simultaneously transmit service data using both wireless and power line communication (i.e., a dual-transmission scenario), the link layer of the second communication protocol generates a wireless frame, and the link layer of the first communication protocol generates a power line frame, which are then transmitted through the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol and the power line physical layer of the first communication protocol, respectively. The specific implementation method is the same as the method described above that uses either wireless communication or only power line communication, and will not be repeated here.

[0203] It should be understood that Figures 1 to 5 The flowcharts or scene diagrams shown are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the embodiments of this application to the examples illustrated. In fact, those skilled in the art can interpret the embodiments based on... Figures 1 to 5 The examples in the document can be transformed into equivalent ways to obtain more implementations.

[0204] The above text combined Figures 1 to 5 This paper describes in detail the wireless frame adaptation method provided in the embodiments of this application. The following will combine... Figures 6 to 7 The apparatus embodiments of this application are described in detail below. It should be understood that the communication apparatus of this application embodiments can execute the various wireless frame adaptation methods described in the foregoing embodiments of this application. That is, the specific working processes of the various products described below can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0205] In the embodiments described above, the communication device may execute some or all of the steps in each embodiment. These steps or operations are merely examples, and other operations or variations thereof may also be performed in the embodiments of this application. Furthermore, the steps may be executed in different orders as presented in the embodiments, and it is not necessary to execute all the operations in the embodiments of this application. Moreover, the sequence number of each step does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0206] Figure 6 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 6 As shown, the communication device 600 may include a communication module 620. The communication module 620 can implement corresponding communication functions, which can be internal communication functions of the communication device 600 or communication functions between the communication device 600 and other devices. Optionally, the communication module 620 may also be referred to as a communication interface or transceiver module. Optionally, the communication device 600 further includes a processing module 610. The processing module 610 can implement corresponding processing functions.

[0207] Figure 7This is another schematic block diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. The communication device 700 may be a chip, chip system, or processor, etc., in a terminal device or network device that implements the above-described methods. The communication device 700 can be used to implement the methods described in the above-described method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above-described method embodiments.

[0208] like Figure 7 As shown, the communication device 700 may include one or more processors 710, which may also be referred to as processing units or processing modules, and can implement certain control functions. The processor 710 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device 700 (e.g., a base station, baseband chip, user, user chip), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0209] In an alternative design, the processor 710 may also store instructions and / or data that can be executed by the processor 710 to cause the communication device 700 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0210] In another alternative design, the communication device 700 may include a communication interface 720 for implementing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the communication interface 720 may be a transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver. The transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver for implementing receiving and transmitting functions may be separate or integrated. The aforementioned transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver may be used for reading and writing code / data, or it may be used for transmitting or relaying signals.

[0211] Optionally, the communication device 700 may include one or more memories 730, which may store instructions that can be executed on the processor 710, causing the communication device 700 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memories 730 may also store data. Optionally, the processor 710 may also store instructions and / or data. The processor 710 and the memories 730 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0212] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the technical solution of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A wireless frame adaptation method, characterized in that, Applied to a communication device that supports power communication and wireless communication, the method includes: Obtain business data; If the service data is transmitted using the wireless communication, a wireless frame is generated based on the service data at the link layer of the second communication protocol; the wireless frame is then transmitted through the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol; wherein the wireless frame includes a first payload field, the length of which is equal to the actual length of the service data; If the service data is transmitted using the power communication method, then at the link layer of the first communication protocol, a power line frame is generated based on the service data; the power line frame is transmitted through the power line physical layer of the first communication protocol; wherein, the power line frame includes a second payload field, the second payload field includes a data block of fixed length, and the data block includes the service data and padding bytes.

2. The wireless frame adaptation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wireless frame also includes a frame control header field, which includes a payload length field, and the payload length field represents the actual length of the first payload field.

3. The wireless frame adaptation method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The frame control header field also includes a protocol identifier field, which is used by the receiving end to identify the protocol version or protocol type corresponding to the current frame.

4. The wireless frame adaptation method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The wireless frame is generated by placing the frame control header field and the second payload field of the first communication protocol into the data field of the second communication protocol.

5. The wireless frame adaptation method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the actual length of the first payload field of the wireless frame, the transmission time information of the wireless frame is determined; Based on the transmission time information, adjust the sending time of the target node; And / or, The transmission parameters of the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol are adjusted according to the actual length of the first payload field of the wireless frame.

6. The wireless frame adaptation method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, Before generating a radio frame based on the service data at the link layer of the second communication protocol, the method further includes: Configure the configuration parameters of the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol, wherein the configuration parameters are used to send the wireless frame through the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol, and the configuration parameters include one or more of wireless operating mode, transmission rate level and physical layer access timing.

7. The wireless frame adaptation method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The configuration parameters of the wireless physical layer for configuring the second communication protocol include: Establish a collaborative interaction interface between the link layer of the first communication protocol and the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol; At the link layer of the first communication protocol, the configuration parameters are determined based on the current scenario; The configuration parameters are sent to the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol through the link layer of the first communication protocol based on the cooperative interaction interface; The configuration parameters are received via the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol.

8. The wireless frame adaptation method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The wireless operating mode includes one or more of the following: low-power standby mode, beacon-enabled mode, and non-beacon-enabled mode. In the low-power standby mode, the radio frequency module is powered on but does not transmit or receive data. In the beacon-enabled mode, the service data is transmitted in the allocated time slot. In the non-beacon-enabled mode, a contention mechanism is used to access the channel and transmit the service data.

9. The wireless frame adaptation method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The transmission rate level includes at least two different rate levels, which are determined based on the signal strength and channel busyness fed back in real time by the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol.

10. The wireless frame adaptation method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The wireless frame further includes a first frame check sequence, which is a frame check sequence specified by the second communication protocol. The power line frame further includes a second frame check sequence, which is a frame check sequence specified by the first communication protocol. The proportion of the first frame check sequence in the wireless frame is less than the proportion of the second frame check sequence in the power line frame.

11. The wireless frame adaptation method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The first frame check sequence includes a check sequence based on cyclic redundancy check.

12. The wireless frame adaptation method according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that, After acquiring the business data, the method further includes: The transmission mode is determined based on one or more factors, including channel quality, service priority, and message length; wherein the transmission mode includes the wireless communication and / or the power communication.

13. The wireless frame adaptation method according to any one of claims 1-12, characterized in that, The first communication protocol is IEEE 1901.3, and the second communication protocol is IEEE 802.15.

4.

14. A wireless frame adaptation method, characterized in that, Applied to a communication device that supports wireless communication, the method includes: A wireless frame is received through the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol; wherein the wireless frame is generated by the sending end at the link layer of the second communication protocol based on service data, and the wireless frame is sent by the sending end through the wireless physical layer of the second communication protocol, and the wireless frame includes a first payload field, the length of which is equal to the actual length of the service data; Analyze the wireless frame.

15. The wireless frame adaptation method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The wireless frame also includes a frame control header field, which includes a payload length field, and the payload length field represents the actual length of the first payload field.

16. The wireless frame adaptation method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The frame control header field also includes a protocol identifier field, which is used by the receiving end to identify the protocol version or protocol type corresponding to the current frame.

17. The wireless frame adaptation method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The parsing of the wireless frame includes: Read the protocol identifier field of the wireless frame; The protocol version or protocol type corresponding to the wireless frame is determined based on the protocol identifier field; The first payload field of the wireless frame is parsed according to the parsing method corresponding to the protocol version or protocol type of the wireless frame.

18. The wireless frame adaptation method according to any one of claims 14-17, characterized in that, The wireless frame is generated by placing the frame control header field and the second payload field of the first communication protocol into the data field of the second communication protocol.

19. The wireless frame adaptation method according to any one of claims 14-18, characterized in that, The wireless frame also includes a first frame check sequence, which is a frame check sequence specified by the second communication protocol.

20. The wireless frame adaptation method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The first frame check sequence includes a check sequence based on cyclic redundancy check.

21. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes: a computer program or instructions that, when the computer program is run, cause the wireless frame adaptation method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10 to be executed.

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