METHOD FOR COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TWO PIECES OF EQUIPMENT AND EQUIPMENT FOR IMPLEMENTING THE METHOD

Abstract

A method of communication between a first piece of equipment and a second piece of equipment is proposed, the first piece of equipment being a low-power wireless terminal equipment of an LP-WAN type data communication network, and the second piece of equipment being a low-power wireless equipment not belonging to the LP-WAN type data communication network, the first piece of equipment being configured to behave towards the second piece of equipment as a relay node.The process is implemented by the first device and includes: receiving, via an application layer of the first device, a wake-up message from the second device; sending, to the second device, an acknowledgment message of receipt of the wake-up message and synchronization with the second device; receiving, from the second device, a data packet and sending back, to the LP-WAN data communication network, the data packet embedded in an uplink data transmission message of an LP-WAN data communication protocol. Abstract: Figure 2a.

Description

Title of the invention: METHOD FOR COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TWO PIECES OF EQUIPMENT AND EQUIPMENT FOR IMPLEMENTING THE METHOD technical field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a method of communication between two pieces of equipment and a device for implementing this method. It applies in particular to communication between equipment, including low-power wireless terminal equipment in an LP-WAN data communication network. Prior art

[0002] The development of communication techniques between two devices within the framework of the Internet of Things (IoT) has led to the emergence of low-power wide area network (LP-WAN) data communication networks, such as the LoRaWAN network. LP-WAN technologies, which include communication protocols between nodes of an LP-WAN, address, among other things, the energy management needs of terminal devices (or nodes), which are connected objects that generally operate on batteries. Due to this energy management constraint on terminal devices, the range of radio transmissions for battery-powered objects is limited to a few kilometers.

[0003] Various LP-WAN network technologies have been deployed within operated networks, which further imposes an additional constraint on users of these networks, as each terminal device in these networks operates with a subscription from the network operator. These commercial solutions become less attractive for use cases potentially requiring a very large number of terminal devices with low or exceptional communication intensity for each terminal, not justifying a subscription.

[0004] There is therefore a need for a communication method between two pieces of equipment to avoid or mitigate the aforementioned disadvantages. Summary

[0005] This disclosure improves the situation.

[0006] According to a first aspect, a method of communication between a first piece of equipment and a second piece of equipment is proposed, the first piece of equipment being a low-power wireless terminal device of an LP-WAN type data communication network, and the second piece of equipment being a wireless device low power consumption not belonging to the LP-WAN type data communication network, the first equipment being configured to behave towards the second equipment as a relay node, the process being implemented by the first equipment, and comprising: receiving, by an application layer of the first equipment, from the second equipment, on one or more frequency channels defined for wireless communications between the first equipment and the second equipment, a wake-up message; transmitting, by the application layer of the first equipment, to the second equipment, an acknowledgment message of receipt of the wake-up message;receive, via the application layer of the first device, from the second device, a data packet (for example on a frequency channel announced by the wake-up message), and transfer, to an application server, via a node of the LP-WAN type data communication network, data from the data packet inserted in an uplink data transmission message of a communication protocol of the LP-WAN type data communication network. ;

[0007] By using an application layer of low-power wireless terminal equipment in an LP-WAN data communication network configured for data exchange as described in this disclosure, the proposed method advantageously eliminates the need for a public network subscription for all devices in a fleet, particularly when the density of devices already connected to the public network is sufficient. Indeed, the proposed method defines a new relay-type mode at the application level, which advantageously allows data to be relayed in payload data messages (also known as "payload" or "user payload") transparently to the public network operator.

[0008] The method proposed according to the first aspect can advantageously be implemented within any LP-WAN type data communication network, such as, for example, a data communication network including a LoRaWAN type network. The first piece of equipment configured for the implementation of an embodiment of a proposed method can, for example, be equipment configured as an end node of a LoRaWAN type network and further configured to implement certain LoRaWAN type network relay node functionalities at the application layer configured within the equipment. For example, the first piece of equipment configured for the implementation of an embodiment of a proposed method can be equipment configured as an end node of a LoRaWAN type network and configured with a software application configured to implement certain LoRaWAN type network relay node functionalities.The LP-WAN type data communication network can therefore include, . In one or more embodiments, a network configured to implement one or more features of one of the LoRaWAN standards, as published by the LoRa Alliance consortium, and / or their evolutions. In this context, an application relay mode is proposed by this disclosure, which differs from the relay mode specified by the LoRa Alliance consortium that uses Media Access Control (MAC) sublayer frames, known as "MAC commands," which, as specified, are usable only by the network operator to relay messages from a second device.

[0009] The features described in the following paragraphs may optionally be implemented. They may be implemented independently of each other or in combination with each other.

[0010] In one or more embodiments, the proposed method may further include: sending a configuration command message to the second device, including a switchover command to a transponder-type operating mode. In one or more embodiments, this method may further include: sending data exchanged with the second device in radar mode to a location server configured to receive data from an LP-WAN data communication network.

[0011] In one or more embodiments, the proposed method may further include: performing a detection listening for radio signals emitted on one or more wake-up frequency channels over listening periods, detecting radio activity during one listening period among the listening periods, and switching to a reception mode to receive the wake-up message.

[0012] In one or more embodiments, the proposed method may further include: determining, by the application layer of the first piece of equipment, whether the second piece of equipment corresponds to one or more pieces of equipment listed in a predefined equipment list.

[0013] According to another aspect, a method of communication between a first piece of equipment and a second piece of equipment is proposed, the first piece of equipment being a low-power wireless terminal device of an LP-WAN type data communication network, and the second piece of equipment being a low-power wireless device not belonging to the LP-WAN type data communication network, the method being implemented by the second piece of equipment, and comprising: transmitting, to an application layer of the first piece of equipment, a wake-up message on a frequency channel defined for wireless communication between the first piece of equipment and the second piece of equipment; receiving, from the application layer of the first piece of equipment, an acknowledgment message of receipt of the wake-up message; and transmitting, to the application layer of the first piece of equipment, a data packet (for example on a channel with a frequency announced by the wake-up message).

[0014] In one or more embodiments, this proposed method may further include: receiving, from (the application layer) of the first equipment, a configuration command message including a switchover command in a transponder-type operating mode.

[0015] In one or more embodiments of any of the methods proposed in this disclosure, the data communication network may include a LoRaWAN network, and the first piece of equipment may be an end node of the LoRaWAN network configured to implement, at the application level (via its application layer), LoRaWAN network relay node functionalities. In one or more embodiments, one or more of the wake-up message, acknowledgment message, and uplink data transmission message may be LoRaWAN Relay protocol messages.For example, in one or more embodiments, the wake-up message may be a "Wake-On-Radio Relay Join-Request" message of the LoRaWAN Relay protocol, the acknowledgment message may be a "Wake-On-Radio Acknowledge" message of the LoRaWAN Relay protocol, and the uplink data transmission message may be a "Class A" message of the LoRaWAN Relay protocol.

[0016] In one or more embodiments of one of the methods proposed in this disclosure, the wake-up message may include a hash code obtained by cryptographic hashing of an extended universal identifier, EUI, of the second equipment.

[0017] According to another aspect, a wireless communication device is proposed comprising: a radio transmitter / receiver; a memory; at least one processor operationally coupled to the radio transmitter / receiver and the memory, and configured for the implementation of an embodiment of a method as proposed in this disclosure.

[0018] According to another aspect, a method for locating equipment is proposed, implemented by a location server configured to receive data from an LP-WAN type data communication network, the method comprising: obtaining location information from a first piece of equipment, the first piece of equipment being a low-power wireless terminal device of the LP-WAN type data communication network; receiving, from the first piece of equipment, a data packet containing an identifier of a second piece of equipment, the second piece of equipment being a low-power wireless device not belonging to the LP-WAN type data communication network, and determine location information for the second piece of equipment based on location information for the first piece of equipment.

[0019] In one or more embodiments, this proposed method may further include: sending a control command to the first piece of equipment to request the transmission, by the first piece of equipment, of a configuration command message to the second piece of equipment, including a command to switch to a radar-type operating mode. In one or more embodiments, this proposed method may further include: receiving data exchanged with the second piece of equipment in radar mode from the first piece of equipment. In one or more embodiments, this proposed method may further include: determining a precise location of the second piece of equipment based on the data exchanged by the first piece of equipment with the second piece of equipment in radar mode.

[0020] According to another aspect, a computer server is proposed comprising: a memory; at least one processor operationally coupled to the memory, and configured for the implementation of an embodiment of a localization method proposed in this disclosure.

[0021] According to another aspect, a non-transient storage medium for a computer-executable program is proposed, comprising a data set representing one or more programs, said one or more programs comprising instructions for, during the execution of said one or more programs by a computer comprising a processing unit operationally coupled to memory means and an input / output interface module, to cause the computer to implement a method proposed in this disclosure.

[0022] According to another aspect, a computer server is proposed, which includes: a processor and a memory operationally coupled to the processor, in which the processor is configured for the implementation of an embodiment of a proposed process.

[0023] According to another aspect, a computer program, loadable into a memory associated with a processor, and comprising portions of code for the implementation of one or more embodiments of a method proposed in this disclosure during the execution of said program by the processor, is proposed.

[0024] Another aspect concerns a set of data representing, for example by means of compression or encoding, a computer program as proposed.

[0025] According to another aspect, a non-transient storage medium for a computer executable program is proposed, which comprises a set of data representing one or more programs, said one or more programs including instructions for, during the execution of said one or more programs by a computer comprising a processing unit operationally coupled to memory means and an input / output interface module, to lead the computer to implement one or more embodiments of a proposed process.

[0026] According to another aspect, a computer program is proposed comprising instructions for the implementation of all or part of a process as proposed herein when this program is executed by a processor.

[0027] According to another aspect, a non-transient, computer-readable recording medium is proposed on which such a program is recorded. Brief description of the drawings

[0028] Other features, details and advantages will become apparent from the following description of non-limiting embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1

[0029] [Fig.1] shows an example of a communication system for the implementation of a proposed process according to one or more embodiments. Fig. 2a

[0030] [Fig.2a] shows a diagram illustrating an example of the implementation of a process offered for initial equipment according to one or more implementation methods. Fig. 2b

[0031] [Fig.2b] shows a diagram illustrating an example of the implementation of a process proposed for a second piece of equipment according to one or more embodiments. Fig. 2c

[0032] [Fig.2c] shows a diagram illustrating an example of the implementation of a process proposed for a computer server according to one or more embodiments. Fig. 3

[0033] [Fig.3] shows a diagram illustrating a non-limiting example of exchanges of message between a first piece of equipment and a second piece of equipment, according to a process proposed according to one or more embodiments. Fig. 4a

[0034] [Fig.4a] shows a diagram illustrating an example of the architecture of a first equipment for the implementation of a proposed process according to one or more embodiments. Fig. 4b

[0035] [Fig.4b] shows a diagram illustrating an example of the architecture of a second piece of equipment for the implementation of a proposed process according to one or more embodiments. Description of the implementation methods

[0036] In the detailed description below of embodiments of the invention, numerous specific details are presented to provide a more complete understanding. Nevertheless, those skilled in the art can see that some embodiments can be implemented without these specific details. In other cases, well-known features are not described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the description.

[0037] This description refers to systems, subsystems, functions, motors, units, modules, platforms, and diagram illustrations of methods and devices according to one or more embodiments. Each of the systems, subsystems, functions, motors, modules, platforms, units, and diagrams described can be implemented in hardware, software (including embedded software (“firmware”), or “middleware”), microcode, or any combination thereof.In the case of implementation in software form, systems, subsystems, functions, engines, units, modules, platforms and / or diagram illustrations may be implemented by computer program instructions or software code, which may be stored or transmitted on a computer-readable medium, including non-transient media, or media loaded into the memory of a generic, specific, or other programmable data processing apparatus or device for producing a machine, such that the computer program instructions or software code executed on the computer or the programmable data processing apparatus or device constitute means of implementation of these systems, subsystems, functions, engines, units, modules, platforms and / or diagram illustrations.

[0038] Embodiments of a computer-readable medium include, but are not limited to, computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one location to another. "Computer storage media" means any physical medium that can be accessed by a computer. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, flash memory disks or components or any other flash memory devices (e.g., USB flash drives, memory sticks, memory sticks, key disks), CD-ROMs or other optical data storage devices, DVDs, magnetic disk data storage devices or other magnetic data storage devices, Data memory components, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, memory cards (“smart cards”), SSD (“Solid State Drive”) type memories, and any other form of media usable for transporting, storing, or remembering data or data structures that can be read by a computer processor.

[0039] In addition, various forms of computer-readable media can transmit or carry instructions to a computer, such as a router, gateway, server, or any data transmission equipment, whether wired (via coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, telephone wires, DSL cable, or Ethernet cable), wireless (via infrared, radio, cellular, microwave), or virtualized transmission equipment (virtual router, virtual gateway, virtual tunnel endpoint, virtual firewall).The instructions may, depending on the embodiment, include code in any computer programming language or computer program element, such as, without limitation, assembly language, C, C++, Visual Basic, HyperText Markup Language (HTML), Extensible Markup Language (XML), HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP), SQL, MySQL, Java, JavaScript, JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), Python, and bash scripting.

[0040] In addition, the terms "in particular", "for example", "example", "typically" are used in this description to designate examples or illustrations of non-limiting embodiments, which do not necessarily correspond to preferred or advantageous embodiments compared to other possible aspects or embodiments.

[0041] The terms "operationally coupled," "coupled," "mounted," "connected," and their various forms used in this description refer to couplings, connections, and mountings, which may be direct or indirect, and include, in particular, connections between electronic equipment or between portions of such equipment that enable operations and functions as described herein. Furthermore, the terms "connected" and "coupled" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections or couplings. For example, an operationally coupled connection may include one or more wired and / or wireless connections between two or more pieces of equipment that enable simplex and / or duplex communication links between the equipment or portions of the equipment.In another example, an operational coupling or connection may include a wired and / or wireless link coupling to enable data communications between a server in the proposed system and other equipment in the system.

[0042] In this description, "server" means any service point (virtualized or not) or device performing data processing, one or more databases data, and / or data communication functions. For example, and without limitation, the term "server" may refer to a physical processor operationally coupled with associated communication, database and data storage functions, or to a network, group, set or complex of processors and associated data storage and networking devices, together with an operating system and one or more database system(s) and application software in support of the services and functions provided by the server.

[0043] The terms "network" and "communication network" as used in this description refer to one or more data links that can couple or connect devices, possibly virtualized, to allow the transport of electronic data between computer systems and / or modules and / or other electronic devices or equipment. A network may include, in whole or in part, the Internet, one or more local area networks (LANs), one or more wide area networks (WANs), wired connections, wireless connections, cellular connections, or any combination of these different networks.

[0044] The terms "application layer" and "application" as used in this description refer to an implementation by an application layer (for example, as defined in the OSI model) configured in a device. Communication mechanisms offered to user applications can typically be implemented by the application layer. The application layer may include an access point to network services. The application layer may represent data for the user as well as encoding and control of the dialogue.In one or more embodiments, the application layer can correspond to a means of communication (of data, such as messages) over any communication channel between a terminal device and a server (for example, an application server), the server being accessible by any node of the LP-WAN network, as opposed to internal infrastructure messages of the LP-WAN network which are not accessible to the end user.

[0045] The term "application" as used in this description refers to any tool that functions and is operated by means of a computer to provide or perform one or more functions or tasks for a user or another application program. To interact with and control an application, a user interface (for example, a graphical user interface, or GUI) may be provided on the equipment on which the application is implemented.

[0046] The term "terminal" is used in this description to refer to any entity, such as a software entity, capable of establishing or receiving communications based on the use of one or more transport protocols, such as, for example, Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and / or any entity capable of functioning as an endpoint of a communication established according to the terms of a communication protocol, such as, but not limited to, an LP-WAN network protocol like LoRaWAN. For a given communication, a terminal that implements a communication protocol can act as a client, a server, or both. Examples of terminals include, but are not limited to, connected objects, fixed or mobile terminals, smart devices (smartphones), personal computers (PCs), tablets, Internet network servers, etc.

[0047] The term "packet," as used in this description, means, without limitation, any unit of data capable of being transported or transmitted between two network nodes, two stations, two terminals, or across one or more data networks. A "packet" may refer to one or more frames, one or more Protocol Data Units (PDUs), one or more datagrams, or any other data unit. A packet, for example, may include a group of bits, which may include one or more address fields, one or more control (or signaling) fields, and / or one or more payload data fields.

[0048] By "LP-WAN type network", or for short "LP-WAN network" or "LP-WAN", means any low-power wide area data communication network used in the field of the Internet of Things and / or in inter-machine communication, or any protocol used for data communication between two nodes of the network.

[0049] Although the examples of embodiments described below are illustrated with an example of an LP-WAN type data communication network comprising a LoRaWAN type network, a person skilled in the art will understand that this example is not limiting, in that the proposed method can also be implemented, in other embodiments, using other types of LP-WAN network, such as for example a Mioty type network or a SigFox type network.

[0050] Fig. 1 illustrates an example of a communication system (1) in which one or more embodiments of the proposed processes and devices can be implemented.

[0051] The system (1) comprises a second device (2) and an LP-WAN data communication network (7). The LP-WAN data communication network (7) comprises a first device (3) configured for the Implementation of data communications with an application server (8) via a network server (6) and a network gateway (5) of a data communication network (4). In the example shown in [Fig. 1], the second device (2), first device (3), network gateway (5), network server (6), and application server (8) are configured to be operationally coupled for data communications between the first device (3) and the application server (8) according to one or more embodiments of this disclosure.

[0052] In one or more embodiments, the first device (3) is a wireless terminal device of the LP-WAN data communication network (7). The first device (3) can thus be configured to perform wireless data communications (over the air interface) according to any appropriate protocol with the network gateway (5). For example, in one or more embodiments, the first device (3) can be a low-power wireless terminal device of the LP-WAN network (7). In one or more embodiments, the first device can further be configured to perform wireless data communications (over the air interface) according to any appropriate protocol with the second device (2).

[0053] Advantageously, in one or more embodiments, the first device can, for example, be a user-type device subscribed to the LP-WAN network. Thus, the proposed method does not require the first device to be configured to implement one or more characteristics of a "network device" that is part of the operator's infrastructure, i.e., one that has the rights to issue network commands accessible only to infrastructure devices, as opposed to user devices. The proposed method can therefore advantageously be implemented in a first device that is, from the perspective of the LP-WAN network, a user-type device (terminal device), as opposed to network infrastructure equipment, such as, for example, an LP-WAN relay node.

[0054] In one or more embodiments, the second device (2) can be configured to perform wireless data communications (over the air interface) according to any suitable protocol with the first device (3) of the LP-WAN network (7). However, as illustrated by [Fig. 1], in one or more embodiments, the second device (2) is not a node of the LP-WAN network (7).

[0055] Thus, in one or more embodiments, a first device (3) can be envisaged which is a device (a node) of the LP-WAN network (7) and which therefore has authorizations to communicate on the LP-WAN network (7) with other network equipment (for example, in the case where the LP-WAN network is operated, the first piece of equipment (3) may be associated with a subscription to the LP-WAN network) and a second piece of equipment (2) which, unlike the first piece of equipment (3), is not a piece of equipment (a node) of the LP-WAN network (7).

[0056] The proposed method can thus, for example, be implemented by an end user who has a fleet of equipment, including a first piece of equipment (3) which is an LP-WAN network (7) equipment and a second piece of equipment (2) which is not an LP-WAN network (7) equipment, the first and second pieces of equipment being configured for the implementation of the embodiments of the proposed method.

[0057] In one or more embodiments, the first device (3) can be further configured, for example at the application layer of embedded software, to behave as a relay node with respect to the second device (2). In one or more embodiments, the first device (3) can be further configured, for example at the application layer of embedded software, to behave as a relay node with respect to the second device (2) of the LP-WAN data communication network (7). In some embodiments, since the first device (3) is an end-user device of the LP-WAN network (7), certain relay node functionalities of the LP-WAN network (7) can be implemented at the application layer of the first device (3) (since the network layer will be configured with the end-user functionalities of the LP-WAN network (7)).Thus, the first device (3) can be configured in one or more embodiments to provide certain LP-WAN network relay node functionalities (7) by means of a relay mode instantiation configured at the application level of the first device (3).

[0058] By way of non-limiting example, the LP-WAN type data communication network may be a LoRaWAN type network, and the first device may be an end-node or an end-device of the LoRaWAN network configured to implement LoRaWAN type network relay node functionalities, for example by instantiating these functionalities at the application level of the first device (3). For example, in one or more embodiments, the first device may be configured at the network layer (of the OSI model, according to the IEEE 802 computer networking standards), or at one or more other lower layers of the OSI model to implement the functionalities of a LoRaWAN network end device, as specified by the LoRa Alliance in the LoRa specification (for example, version 1.0.x or 1.1).x of the LoRaWAN specification available at the URL https: / / resources.lora-alliance.org / technical-specifications), and be further configured at the application level. to implement certain aspects of the relay mechanism specified in the "LoRaWAN Relay Specification TSOll-lOO" (or any evolution thereof) which are used for the implementation of an embodiment of a proposed method. The first piece of equipment (3) can thus, for example, be a LoRaWAN network terminal device configured at the application level with a relay mode to implement LoRaWAN relay functionalities defined in the "LoRaWAN Relay Specification TSOll-lOO", which advantageously allows the use of certain functionalities of a LoRaWAN relay within a device which remains, from the point of view of the LoRaWAN network to which it belongs, a terminal device and not a relay-type network device.

[0059] In one or more embodiments, the LP-WAN network (7) can thus be a LoRaWAN type network, and the first device (3) of the LP-WAN network (7) can be a terminal device of the LoRaWAN network configured to implement one or more of the relay functionalities of the LoRaWAN network, for example by instantiating these functionalities at the application level of the first device (3).

[0060] The implementation of relay functions by the first device (3) can advantageously be used to relay data received from the second device (2) by the first device (3) to the network server (6), for example using a tunneling mechanism, even though the second device (2) is not a node of the LP-WAN network (7) to which the network server (6) belongs. Data from a device (2) that does not belong to the LP-WAN network (7) can thus be routed to one (6) of the servers of this LP-WAN network (7).

[0061] Thus, advantageously, the second equipment (2), which can be one of the communicating equipment of a fleet of end-user equipment without however being an equipment of the LP-WAN network (7), can transmit data which are routed to one (6) of the servers of this LP-WAN network (7) using the first equipment (3) as a relay, without themselves needing to be part of the LP-WAN network (7).

[0062] Fig. 2a illustrates a non-limiting example of implementation (10a), by the first equipment, of a proposed process according to one or more embodiments.

[0063] With reference to [Fig. 2a], we consider a first piece of equipment and a second piece of equipment, the first piece of equipment being a low-power wireless terminal device of an LP-WAN type data communication network, and the second piece of equipment being a low-power wireless device not belonging to the LP-WAN type data communication network. For example, the first piece of equipment, the second piece of equipment, and the LP-WAN type data communication network can be implemented respectively by the first piece of equipment (3), second piece of equipment (2), and LP-WAN network (7) illustrated in [Fig. 1].

[0064] In one or more embodiments, the first device can be configured, for example at the application level, to behave with respect to the second device as a relay node. For example, the first device can be a low-power wireless terminal device of an LP-WAN type data communication network, i.e., be a user node device of an LP-WAN type data communication network, but be configured, for example at the application level, to emulate one or more of the functions of a relay node of the LP-WAN type data communication network used for the implementation of an embodiment of a proposed method.

[0065] In one or more embodiments, the first equipment can be configured to receive (1 la), by an application layer of said first equipment, a wake-up message from the second equipment.

[0066] In certain embodiments, the first device can be configured to receive the wake-up message on a frequency channel (or several frequency channels) defined for wireless communication between the first and second devices. In these embodiments, the wake-up message received from the second device can thus also be a synchronization message between the first and second devices.

[0067] In one or more embodiments, the application layer of the first device can further be configured to send (12a) to the second device an application acknowledgment message of receipt of the wake-up message, for example, upon receipt of the wake-up message. In one or more embodiments in which the received message operates as a wake-up and synchronization message, the application acknowledgment message of receipt of the wake-up and synchronization message can further operate as a synchronization message with the second device, in that the second device can transition to a synchronized state with the first device upon receipt of this acknowledgment. For example, the second device can consider the receipt of the acknowledgment as informing it of the first device's agreement to wireless communication on the frequency channel announced in the wake-up message.

[0068] In one or more embodiments, the application layer of the first equipment can further be configured to receive (13a), from the second equipment, a data packet, for example on a frequency channel announced by the wake-up message, in a synchronized or non-synchronized manner depending on the embodiment.

[0069] In one or more embodiments, the application layer of the first device can be configured so that the first device operates as a relay for transmitting the data packet received from the second equipment. Thus, the application layer of the first piece of equipment can be configured to transfer (14a), to a node of the LP-WAN data communication network, data from the data packet inserted in an uplink data transmission message of a communication protocol of the LP-WAN data communication network. For example, the data packet can be relayed to the LP-WAN data communication network by being inserted in an uplink data transmission message of a communication protocol of the LP-WAN data communication network.

[0070] In one or more embodiments, the application layer of the first equipment can be configured to transfer data from the data packet received from the second equipment to an application server, through the LP-WAN type data communication network, by transferring this data to a node of the LP-WAN network.

[0071] The first device thus behaves as an application relay configured within an LP-WAN data communication network terminal device, and is advantageously capable of relaying data received from the second device (2) to an application server using the LP-WAN data communication network. Since the second device is not a node of the LP-WAN data communication network, no LP-WAN data communication network subscription is required for the second device.

[0072] This advantageously allows for the definition of two operating modes for the second device: A first operating mode, called nominal, in which the second device uses only the fleet's application relays according to one or more embodiments of this disclosure, for cost-saving reasons. Connectivity is then opportunistic, depending on the proximity of the fleet's "application" relays. A second operating mode, called emergency: In case of emergency (for example, during a theft of a vehicle carrying a second device), a subscription to the LP-WAN network can be used so that the second device can benefit from the full coverage of the public LPWAN network for its data communications.In emergency mode, the data packet from the second device, which may be in a LoRaWAN network context conforming to LoRa standards, can also be captured at any time by the LP-WAN network as soon as its user has subscribed it to the LPWAN network to benefit from enhanced coverage.

[0073] Thus, in one or more embodiments, the first piece of equipment can be configured, at its application layer level, to reproduce the operations of an LP-WAN type data communication network relay, in that it returns, and therefore relays the data packet received from the second piece of equipment to the LP-WAN type data communication network, while the first piece of equipment is, from the point of view of the LP-WAN type data communication network, only a terminal piece of equipment of this network.

[0074] This advantageously allows data from the second piece of equipment to be transmitted to the LP-WAN type data communication network, for example to a server of this network, even though the second piece of equipment does not belong to, i.e. is not a node of the LP-WAN type data communication network.

[0075] Thus, in the case of an LP-WAN type data communication network operated by a network operator, data from equipment that is not a network node can be obtained by a network terminal device, which can advantageously be configured to relay, for example at the application level, this data to a network server.

[0076] For example, in one or more embodiments, a low-power wireless terminal device in an LP-WAN network may be equipped with an application configured to implement in software form a method proposed in this disclosure.

[0077] In one or more embodiments, the first piece of equipment can further be configured to transmit, to the second piece of equipment, a configuration command message including a switchover command to a transponder-type operating mode. Transponder-type operation is understood to mean an operating mode in which the first piece of equipment is configured to automatically respond, via a radio transceiver of the first piece of equipment, to an external signal, for example from a radar, a positioning system, etc.

[0078] Thus, in certain embodiments, when data communication has been established between the first and second devices, the first device can control the second device so that the second device switches to transponder mode. In these embodiments, the second device is thus configured to be able to switch to a transponder operating mode, that is, an operating mode in which it responds to radio frequency messages authenticated by a radio frequency "echo" whose delay with the reception of the first device is precise to within a few meters of radio propagation, thus allowing for a precise distance assessment by the transmitter, similar to radar, and enabling the location of the second device to be completely independent of the LPWAN network, through successive distance measurements. For example, a stolen vehicle may be out of range of the LPWAN network with a type 2 device. It is not locatable. However, randomly, a fleet vehicle equipped with a repeater will detect wake-up messages from the second device and then relay its application messages. The network application server, recognizing that it is a stolen vehicle, can then activate the second device's answering mode. From then on, any vehicle equipped with the location message transmitter function can locate the stolen vehicle, even if it is intentionally hidden outside the network's range, if it manages to get close to the network.

[0079] Data can then be exchanged between the first and second pieces of equipment operating in radar mode. In one or more embodiments, this data can advantageously be relayed to a location server, for example via one or more nodes of the LP-WAN type data communication network, which makes it possible to locate the second piece of equipment using the data exchanged with the first piece of equipment, which is a terminal piece of the LP-WAN type data communication network.

[0080] In one or more embodiments, the proposed method can advantageously be used to perform proximity detection of the second piece of equipment, when the first piece of equipment, which can for example be mounted on a mobile vehicle, is in close proximity to the second piece of equipment.

[0081] For example, in one or more embodiments, the first equipment can further be configured to perform a detection listening for radio signals emitted on one or more wake-up frequency channels over listening periods, detect radio activity during one listening period among the listening periods, and switch to a receive mode to receive the wake-up message.

[0082] In these embodiments, the first equipment can thus be equipped with a wireless transmission / reception device configured to perform a detection listening of radio signals emitted on one or more wake-up frequency channels over listening periods, the wake-up frequency channels being preconfigured on the first and second equipment so as to allow frequency synchronization of data exchanges between the first and second equipment.

[0083] The first and second equipment being low power consumption equipment, they can be configured to allow time synchronization of data communications.

[0084] For example, the first device can be configured to perform, for example periodically or substantially periodically, a radio signal detection listening over a potentially very short predefined listening period (for example, 1 ms every 2 seconds), and the second device can be configured to transmit, for example periodically or substantially periodically, a radio signal (carrying data, such as a preamble) on the wake-up frequency channel(s) for a predefined transmission period, typically chosen to be longer than the predefined listening period (for example 2.5 seconds).

[0085] In one or more embodiments, the first equipment can further be configured to, upon detection of radio activity during a listening period, switch to a reception mode to receive the wake-up message and implement the proposed method, an example of which is illustrated by [Fig.2a].

[0086] In one or more embodiments, the use of a proposed method for a use case of locating the second piece of equipment or detecting proximity to the second piece of equipment can be enhanced by using a predefined equipment list, and by determining, for example by the application layer of the first piece of equipment, whether the second piece of equipment corresponds to one or more pieces of equipment listed in the predefined equipment list.

[0087] In certain embodiments, when it is determined that the second piece of equipment corresponds to one or more pieces of equipment listed in the predefined equipment list, the first piece of equipment can control the second piece of equipment so that the second piece of equipment switches to an operating mode (for example, transponder type) allowing it to be located geographically.

[0088] Conversely, in certain embodiments, when it is determined that the second piece of equipment does not correspond to any of the equipment listed in the predefined equipment list, the first piece of equipment can interrupt the operations aimed at controlling the second piece of equipment, for example to locate it geographically.

[0089] Fig. 2b illustrates a non-limiting example of implementation (10b) by the second piece of equipment of a proposed process according to one or more embodiments.

[0090] With reference to [Fig. 2b], we consider a first piece of equipment and a second piece of equipment, the first piece of equipment being a low-power wireless terminal device of an LP-WAN type data communication network, and the second piece of equipment being a low-power wireless device not belonging to the LP-WAN type data communication network. For example, the first piece of equipment, the second piece of equipment, and the LP-WAN type data communication network can be respectively implemented by the first piece of equipment (3), second piece of equipment (2), and LP-WAN network (7) illustrated by [Fig. 1].

[0091] In one or more embodiments, the second device can be configured to transmit (11b) a wake-up message to an application layer of the first device. In some embodiments, the second device can be configured to transmit the wake-up message on a frequency channel (or several frequency channels) defined for wireless communication between the first and second devices. The wake-up message sent by the second device can thus also act as a synchronization request message between the first and second devices.

[0092] In one or more embodiments, the second device may further be configured to receive (12b), from the application layer of the first device, an acknowledgment message of receipt of the wake-up message. In one or more embodiments in which the transmitted message operates as a wake-up and synchronization message, the application acknowledgment message of receipt of the wake-up message received by the second device may further operate as a synchronization message with the second device, in that the second device may transition to a synchronized state with the first device upon receipt of this acknowledgment. For example, the second device may consider the receipt of the acknowledgment as informing it of the first device's agreement to wireless communication on the frequency channel advertised in the wake-up message.In one or more embodiments, the second piece of equipment can also be configured to transmit (13b), towards the application layer of the first piece of equipment, a data packet, for example on a frequency channel announced by the wake-up message.

[0093] In one or more embodiments, the second device can be configured to behave, with respect to the relay functions emulated by the first device, as a terminal device of the LP-WAN data communication network, without, however, being a node of that network. This advantageously allows data exchange with the second device without requiring an operator subscription for the second device in cases where the LP-WAN data communication network is a managed network.

[0094] Thus, it is possible to consider use cases of a proposed process in which a large number of corresponding equipment for the implementation of an embodiment of a proposed process is deployed, allowing for example proximity detection or localization of each of these pieces of equipment by implementing an embodiment of a proposed process.

[0095] For example, the second piece of equipment can be implemented within a tracker, installed on a vehicle (such as a bicycle, a scooter, a car, etc.) in order to geolocate the vehicle in case of theft.

[0096] In embodiments where the second piece of equipment is a tracker mounted on a vehicle, the proposed method can advantageously be used in the event of vehicle theft, particularly when the stolen vehicle is kept in a location Locations with limited radio frequency signal reception, such as basements, where GPS (Global Positioning System) (or any other satellite-based positioning system) or radio frequency signals (e.g., Wi-Fi) cannot be used, are particularly vulnerable. In such cases, the first device can be advantageously mounted on a vehicle traveling through target areas to detect the tracker when it is nearby.

[0097] Fig. 2c illustrates a non-limiting example of implementation (10c) by a computer server (for example a location server) of a proposed method according to one or more embodiments.

[0098] With reference to [Fig. 2c], a computer server is considered to be configured to receive data from an LP-WAN type data communication network, for example the LP-WAN network (7) illustrated by [Fig. 1]. For example, the computer server can be implemented by the network server (6) illustrated by [Fig. 1], or by any computer server connected for data exchange with the nodes of the LP-WAN network (7), for example via the network server (6).

[0099] In one or more embodiments, the computer server can be configured to obtain (11c) location information from a first piece of equipment, the first piece of equipment being a low-power wireless terminal device of the LP-WAN type data communication network.

[0100] According to the embodiment, the first equipment being a terminal equipment of the LP-WAN network, the location data may be calculated by the computer server from data received by the computer server, or be received, for example from the first equipment, by the computer server.

[0101] In one or more embodiments, the computer server may further be configured to receive (12c), from the first equipment, a data packet including an identifier of a second equipment, the second equipment being a low-power wireless device not belonging to the LP-WAN type data communication network.

[0102] For example, in some embodiments, identification data of a second low-power wireless device that is not a node of the LP-WAN data communication network (and in particular not a terminal device of the LP-WAN data communication network), may have been obtained by the first device by implementing an embodiment of the method proposed for the first device.

[0103] In one or more embodiments, the computer server can further be configured to determine (13c) location information for the second piece of equipment based on location information for the first piece of equipment.

[0104] For example, the computer server can be configured so that, once the second device has been identified, it determines the location of the second device based on the location obtained for the first device. This determination can, for example, take advantage of the fact that the first and second devices are low-power devices for which the proposed methods can be used for proximity detection of the second device by the first device.

[0105] In one or more embodiments, the computer server can be configured to further issue, to the first piece of equipment, a control command to request the issuance, by the first piece of equipment, to the second piece of equipment, of a configuration command message including a switchover command to a radar-type operating mode.

[0106] The control of the second equipment by the first equipment can thus be carried out under the control of the computer server, in particular to take into account the fact that in one or more embodiments, the computer server can be configured to control a fleet of a plurality of first equipment deployed, and / or to manage a database of second equipment, some of which are identified as needing to be located.

[0107] In these embodiments, the first equipment can be configured to relay data exchanged with the second equipment in radar mode, if necessary, and the computer server can correspondingly be configured to receive, from the first equipment, data exchanged with the second equipment in radar mode.

[0108] The computer server can also be configured, in certain embodiments, to determine a precise location of the second piece of equipment on the basis of the data exchanged by the first piece of equipment with the second piece of equipment in radar mode.

[0109] A precise location of the second piece of equipment can thus be obtained following a proximity detection of the second piece of equipment by the first piece of equipment, based on the data provided by the first piece of equipment to the computer server.

[0110] Fig. 3 shows a diagram illustrating a non-limiting example of message exchanges between a first piece of equipment and a second piece of equipment, according to a method proposed in one or more embodiments.

[0111] With reference to [Fig.3], we consider a first piece of equipment (3) and a second piece of equipment (2), the first piece of equipment (3) being a low-power wireless terminal equipment of an LP-WAN type data communication network (7), and the second piece of equipment (2) being a low-power wireless equipment not belonging to the LP-WAN type data communication network (7). For example, the first piece of equipment, the second piece of equipment, and the LP-WAN type data communication network can respectively be implemented by the first piece of equipment (3), second piece of equipment (2) and LP-WAN network (7) illustrated by [Fig.1].

[0112] In particular, the first equipment (3) may be a terminal equipment of a LoRaWAN network (7) used to perform proximity detection of the second equipment (2) according to a method of this disclosure.

[0113] In one or more embodiments, the first device (3) can be configured, for example at the application level, to behave with respect to the second device (2) as a relay node, even if the second device (2) is not a node of the LoRaWAN network (7). For example, the first device can be a LoRaWAN network terminal device (7) that is not a relay node of the LoRaWAN network (7), but is configured, not at the lower layers of the OSI model (as a LoRaWAN relay node (7) would be), but at the higher layers of the OSI model, for example at the application level, to emulate one or more of the functions of a relay node of the LoRaWAN network (7), and use these functions for the implementation of an embodiment of a method proposed in this disclosure.In one or more embodiments, the sending and receiving of messages for the application-level implementation of LoRaWAN network relay node functions (7) may use a mechanism for encapsulating MAC commands ("MAC commands") exchanged by LoRaWAN network nodes (7) within application messages.

[0114] In one or more embodiments, the second device (2) can be configured, for example at the application level, to transmit a wake-up message of the type "Wake-On-Radio" or "WOR" message on the air interface, for example by broadcasting this message so that it can be detected by a nearby detection device. The WOR wake-up message can be broadcast on a frequency channel from among one or more frequency channels configured for wireless communications involving the first and second devices. In one or more embodiments, the WOR wake-up message broadcast by the second device (2) can conform to the LoRaWAN specification, and in particular include advertising data for a frequency channel for sending data to a LoRaWAN relay node.Thus, even if the second device (2) is not a node of the LoRaWAN network (7), this device can be configured to reuse, but at the application level and not at the MAC level, certain messages used by the nodes of the LoRaWAN network (7), and to behave, with respect to the LoRaWAN relay functions implemented by the first device, as a node discoverable by a relay node. In one or more embodiments, . the sending and receiving of messages for the application-level implementation of LoRaWAN network node message exchange (7) can use a mechanism for encapsulating MAC commands (“MAC commands”) exchanged by LoRaWAN network nodes (7) within application messages.

[0115] In [Fig.3], references (2) and (3) thus designate respectively, in one or more embodiments, the application layer of the second equipment (“APP EQP2”) and the application layer of the first equipment (“APP EQP1”).

[0116] With reference to [Fig. 3], in one or more embodiments, the first device can be configured to broadcast an application message whose payload includes a LoRaWAN WOR message, for example, as specified in Section 3.2 of the "LoRaWAN Relay Specification TS011-1.0.0". The first device (3) can receive the broadcast application WOR message, for example, when it is sufficiently close to the second device (2) to be within radio coverage of the application WOR message transmission.

[0117] In one or more embodiments, upon receipt of the application WOR message, the first equipment (3) can generate an application acknowledgment message (WOR Ack) based on the information contained in the received application WOR message, and transmit this application acknowledgment message to the second equipment (2).

[0118] In one or more embodiments, the second equipment (2), initially in a state not synchronized with the LoRaWAN network (7), transitions to a synchronized state upon receipt of the application acknowledgment message, a state in which it can transmit messages on the frequency channel announced in its wake-up message WOR.

[0119] In one or more embodiments, upon receiving the application acknowledgment message, the second device (2) can generate and then transmit, on the frequency channel advertised by the wake-up message WOR, a data packet embedded in an uplink LoRaWAN data transmission message, such as a "LoRaWAN class A uplink" message. To be transmitted at the application level, the "LoRaWAN class A uplink" message can be encapsulated within an application message. The data packet can, for example, be configured to detect the presence of the second device (2) in its vicinity, particularly when the second device (2) is considered lost.

[0120] In one or more embodiments, upon receiving the "LoRaWAN class A uplink" data transmission message, the first device (3), operating in application-level relay mode with respect to this received message, generates an application message comprising a "Relay class A uplink" LoRaWAN network relay frame containing data received from the second The equipment then transmits this network relay frame, encapsulated in the application message, to an application server (6) on a data communication network (possibly via one or more LoRaWAN network nodes (7)), which can be configured to process this data according to the intended use case. The first device (3) thus transfers data received from the second device (2) to the application server (6).

[0121] Fig. 4a schematically illustrates an example of a first piece of equipment configured for the implementation of an embodiment of a process proposed in one or more embodiments.

[0122] As illustrated in [Fig. 4a], the first piece of equipment (100a) may include a radio frequency (RF) unit (101a), a controller (102a), a memory (103a), a power supply unit (105a), and a communication unit (104a). Depending on the embodiment, the radio frequency (RF) unit (101a), the memory (103a), the power supply unit (105a), and the communication unit (104a) may be operationally coupled to the controller (102a) by a communication bus (106a), or by any communication link, optionally including one or more hardware connectors. In the architectural example of the first piece of equipment (100a) illustrated in [Fig.4a], the radio frequency (RF) unit (101a), controller (102a), memory (103a), operating system (104a), power supply unit (105a) and communication unit (104a) together form a first set of equipment, which may also include other components, units, functions, not shown in the figure.

[0123] The controller (102a) may include one or more processors, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or other hardware processor, associated memory (e.g. random access memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory, etc.), and be configurable to drive the radio frequency (RF) unit (101a), memory (103a), power supply unit (105a) and communication unit (104a), in order to control the use of the first equipment (100a) according to one or more embodiments of a proposed method, for example by executing a computer program comprising portions of code for the implementation of a method as proposed in this description.Depending on the embodiment, the memory (103a) and / or an associated memory of the controller (102a) contain instructions which, when executed by the controller (102a), cause the controller (102a) to perform or control the RF unit (101a) and communication unit (104a) components to carry out implementation examples of an embodiment of a proposed method described herein. The controller (102a) may be a component implementing a processor or a computing unit for driving a first piece of equipment according to the proposed method and control. of the communication unit (104a) of the device (100a), such as a microcontroller.

[0124] The memory (103a) preferably comprises non-volatile memory, for example of the flash type, and depending on the embodiment chosen, can be implemented in the form of one or more memory components mounted on an electronic card, in the form of one or more electronic circuits integrated into an electronic component of the first equipment, in the form of or integrated into a standalone device not necessarily comprising other elements of the first equipment, such as for example in the form of a memory card (SD memory card (from the English Secure Digital), micro SD (from the English Micro Secure Digital Card), SD High Capacity (SDHC, from the English Secure Digital High Capacity), SD Extended Capacity (SDXC, from the English Secure Digital eXtended Capacity).

[0125] The communication unit (104a) can be implemented, depending on the chosen embodiment, as one or more software programs, or a combination of hardware and software, configured to implement embodiments of the process described herein. The communication unit (104a) can be configured to implement an application software layer for implementing an embodiment of a process proposed by the first piece of equipment through one or more applications. The communication unit (104a) can also constitute or be part of a communication application software for the first piece of equipment. In the following, "communication software" will refer to a set of one or more application software programs configured to implement a process proposed in this description.Depending on the architecture of the first piece of equipment, the communication software is configured to be executable on a processor of the first piece of equipment, and / or on a processor of an electronic piece of equipment to which a part of the first piece of equipment (including the memory (103a)) is connected.

[0126] In one or more embodiments, the communication unit (104a) may be configured to control, via the controller (102a), the RF unit (101a) to transmit and receive radio frequency signals for the implementation of an embodiment of a proposed process for the first equipment.

[0127] The RF unit (101a) can be implemented, depending on the chosen embodiment, as one or more software programs, or a combination of hardware and software, configured to implement embodiments of the method described herein. The RF unit (101a) can be configured to transmit and receive radio frequency signals, for example, in a frequency band and according to a predefined format for radio frequency signals used by the nodes of an LP-WAN type data communication network. For example, the RF unit (101a) can be configured to transmit and / or receive radio frequency signals conforming to LoRaWAN network specifications. Furthermore, the RF unit (101a) can be configured to transmit radio frequency signals with a transmission power compatible with a low-power constraint imposed on the first device.

[0128] The power supply unit (105a) can be implemented, according to the chosen embodiment, in the form of one or more software(s), or a combination of hardware(s) and software(s), to control the power supply of the first device, which may use a battery power supply(s), the first equipment being a low-consumption equipment.

[0129] The first piece of equipment (100a) can be implemented in software form, in which case it takes the form of a program executable by a processor, or in hardware form, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system-on-chip (SoC), or as a combination of hardware and software elements, such as a software program intended to be loaded and executed on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). System-on-chips (SoCs) are embedded systems that integrate all the components of an electronic system onto a single chip. An application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) is a specialized electronic circuit that groups together functionalities tailored to a given application. ASICs are generally configured during their manufacture and can only be simulated by the user.Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) type programmable logic circuits are electronic circuits that can be reconfigured by the user.

[0130] The first piece of equipment (100a) can also use hybrid architectures, such as architectures based on a CPU+FPGA, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) or an MPPA (Multi-Purpose Processor Array).

[0131] Depending on the embodiment, different architectures of the first equipment (100a) can be adopted, both for the hardware part of the first equipment, and for the software part of the first equipment where applicable.

[0132] For example, in one embodiment, the set of elements forming the first equipment (this set including, in the example of [Fig.4a], the radio frequency (RF) unit (101a), the controller (102a), the memory (103a), the power supply unit (105a) and the communication unit (104a)) can be grouped in the same equipment, apparatus or device, such as for example a vehicle tracker type device.

[0133] In another embodiment, at least some of the elements forming the first equipment can be distributed over several pieces of equipment, apparatus or devices.

[0134] In one or more embodiments, the communication unit (104a) of the first equipment can be implemented in the form of software (a computer program, comprising instructions in the form of software code - source code, object code and / or executable code, executable by a processor to which the memory (103a) (for example an SD card) is connected), optionally integrated into driver software of the first equipment.

[0135] In one or more embodiments, the first device (100a) is configured to implement a LoRaWAN network end node. For example, the communication unit (104a) can be configured to implement end node communication functions as specified by the LoRaWAN standard, and implement, via an application layer, the operations of the various embodiments of a method proposed for the first device. For example, the communication unit (104a) can be configured to implement end node communication functions as specified by the LoRaWAN standard, and furthermore implement, via an application layer, LoRaWAN network relay node functions, using a tunneling mechanism to a message application server defined for a relay node by the LoRaWAN standard.

[0136] A person skilled in the art will understand that the communication method proposed for the first equipment is not limited to a particular architecture of the first equipment, and that it can be implemented on devices having a different architecture from those presented above, for example in that it combines the architectures presented above within a hybrid architecture.

[0137] Fig. 4b schematically illustrates an example of a second piece of equipment configured for the implementation of an embodiment of a process proposed in one or more embodiments.

[0138] As illustrated in [Fig. 4b], the second piece of equipment (100b) may include a radio frequency (RF) unit (101b), a controller (102b), a memory (103b), a power supply unit (105b), and a communication unit (104b). Depending on the embodiment, the radio frequency (RF) unit (101b), the memory (103b), the power supply unit (105b), and the communication unit (104b) may be operationally coupled to the controller (102b) by a communication bus (106b), or by any communication link, optionally including one or more hardware connectors. In the architectural example of the first piece of equipment (100b) illustrated in [Fig.4b], the radio frequency (RF) unit (101b), controller (102b), memory (103b), operating system (104b), power supply unit (105b) and communication unit (104b) together form a second piece of equipment, which may also include other components, units, functions, not shown in the figure.

[0139] The controller (102b) may include one or more processors, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or other hardware processor, associated memory (e.g. random access memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory, etc.), and be configurable to drive the radio frequency (RF) unit (101b), memory (103b), power supply unit (105b) and communication unit (104b), in order to control the use of the first piece of equipment (100b) according to one or more embodiments of a proposed method, for example by executing a computer program comprising portions of code for the implementation of a method as proposed in this description.Depending on the embodiment, the memory (103b) and / or an associated memory of the controller (102b) contain instructions which, when executed by the controller (102b), cause the controller (102b) to perform or control the RF unit (101b) and communication unit (104b) components to carry out implementation examples of an embodiment of a proposed method described herein. The controller (102b) may be a component implementing a processor or a computing unit for driving a first piece of equipment according to the proposed method and controlling the communication unit (104b) of the device (100b), such as, for example, a microcontroller.

[0140] The memory (103b) preferably comprises non-volatile memory, for example of the flash type, and depending on the embodiment chosen, can be implemented in the form of one or more memory components mounted on an electronic card, in the form of one or more electronic circuits integrated into an electronic component of the first equipment, in the form of or integrated into a standalone device not necessarily comprising other elements of the first equipment, such as for example in the form of a memory card (SD memory card (from English Secure Digital), micro SD (from English Micro Secure Digital Card), SD High Capacity (SDHC, from English Secure Digital High Capacity), SD Extended Capacity (SDXC, from English Secure Digital eXtended Capacity).

[0141] The communication unit (104b) can be implemented, depending on the chosen embodiment, as one or more software programs, or a combination of hardware and software, configured to implement embodiments of the process described herein. The communication unit (104b) can be configured to implement an embodiment of a process proposed in this disclosure by the second piece of equipment, for example, by one or more applications. The communication unit (104b) can also constitute or be part of communication software, for example, application software, for the second piece of equipment. Depending on the architecture of the second piece of equipment, the communication software is configured to run on a processor of the second piece of equipment. equipment, and / or on a processor of electronic equipment to which part of the second equipment (including memory (103b)) is connected.

[0142] In one or more embodiments, the communication unit (104b) may be configured to control, via the controller (102b), the RF unit (101b) to transmit and receive radio frequency signals for the implementation of an embodiment of a proposed process for the second piece of equipment.

[0143] The RF unit (101b) can be implemented, depending on the chosen embodiment, as one or more software programs, or a combination of hardware and software, configured to implement embodiments of the method described in this disclosure. The RF unit (101b) can be configured to transmit and receive radio frequency signals, for example, in a frequency band and according to a predefined format for radio frequency signals used by the nodes of an LP-WAN type data communication network. For example, the RF unit (101b) can be configured to transmit and / or receive radio frequency signals conforming to the specifications of LoRaWAN networks. Furthermore, the RF unit (101b) can be configured to transmit radio frequency signals with a transmission power compatible with a low power consumption constraint imposed on the second piece of equipment.

[0144] The power supply unit (105b) can be implemented, according to the chosen embodiment, in the form of one or more software(s), or a combination of hardware(s) and software(s), to control the power supply of the second device, which may use a battery power supply(s), the second equipment being a low-consumption equipment.

[0145] The second piece of equipment (100b) can be implemented in software form, in which case it takes the form of a program executable by a processor, or in hardware form, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system-on-chip (SoC), or as a combination of hardware and software elements, such as a software program intended to be loaded and executed on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). System-on-chips (SoCs) are embedded systems that integrate all the components of an electronic system onto a single chip. An application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) is a specialized electronic circuit that groups together functionalities tailored to a given application. ASICs are generally configured during their manufacture and can only be simulated by the user.Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) type programmable logic circuits are electronic circuits that can be reconfigured by the user.

[0146] The second piece of equipment (100b) can also use hybrid architectures, such as architectures based on a CPU+FPGA, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) or an MPPA (Multi-Purpose Processor Array).

[0147] Depending on the embodiment, different architectures of the second equipment (100b) can be adopted, both for the hardware part of the second equipment, and for the software part of the second equipment where applicable.

[0148] For example, in one embodiment, the set of elements forming the second equipment (this set including, in the example of [Fig.4b], the radio frequency (RF) unit (101b), the controller (102b), the memory (103b), the power supply unit (105b) and the communication unit (104b)) can be grouped in the same equipment, apparatus or device, such as for example a discoverable tracker type equipment with opportunistic connectivity.

[0149] In another embodiment, at least some of the elements forming the second equipment can be distributed over several pieces of equipment, apparatus or devices.

[0150] In one or more embodiments, the communication unit (104b) of the second equipment can be implemented in the form of software (a computer program, comprising instructions in the form of software code - source code, object code and / or executable code, executable by a processor to which the memory (103b) (for example an SD card) is connected), optionally integrated into driver software of the first equipment.

[0151] In one or more embodiments, the second piece of equipment (100b) is configured to implement a method comprising: transmitting, to the first piece of equipment, a wake-up message on a frequency channel defined for wireless communications between the first piece of equipment and the second piece of equipment; receiving, from the first piece of equipment, an acknowledgment message of receipt of the wake-up message; and transmitting, to the first piece of equipment, a data packet on the frequency channel announced by the wake-up message.

[0152] A person skilled in the art will understand that the communication method proposed for the second piece of equipment is not limited to a particular architecture of the second piece of equipment, and that it can be implemented on devices having a different architecture from those presented above, for example in that it combines the architectures presented above within a hybrid architecture.

[0153] Use Case

[0154] The methods proposed in this disclosure can be used in the context of various use cases, such as, for example, the use case of locating a stolen vehicle when that vehicle is equipped with a discoverable node corresponding to the second device.

[0155] According to a particular implementation example of this use case, a first device used as a tracker can be considered, configured to operate in a public LoRaWAN network. Since the LoRaWAN network is public, the first device is therefore configured to operate in the LoRaWAN network as a LoRaWAN end device and is also associated with a LoRaWAN end device subscription.

[0156] The second piece of equipment is a low-power device configured for the implementation of one or more embodiments of the processes proposed in this disclosure, and can be mounted, preferably in a concealed manner, on a vehicle in order to allow the location of the vehicle in case of theft.

[0157] In the event of theft of the vehicle equipped with the second device, it may happen that the vehicle is taken to a location deemed safe by the thieves, insofar as the usual means of locating the vehicle (in particular, not GPS) will not function. This may be a place where there is, for example, no Wi-Fi coverage, and where GPS location is inoperative.

[0158] The second piece of equipment (onboard the stolen vehicle) can be configured to emit, for example at regular intervals, and on one or more predefined frequency channels, a radio frequency signal carrying a wake-up message according to a predefined communication protocol between the first piece of equipment and the second piece of equipment.

[0159] The first piece of equipment can also be mounted on a tracking vehicle that is moved to perform proximity detection of the second piece of equipment. The first piece of equipment can also be configured with a software application, for example a tracking application, configured to implement an embodiment of a method proposed for the first piece of equipment. The tracking application can be activated on the first piece of equipment when the proximity detection use case is implemented.

[0160] When the first piece of equipment is in a radio coverage area of ​​the radio frequency emissions of the second piece of equipment, it is in a position to receive a wake-up message emitted by the second piece of equipment.

[0161] Receiving this wake-up message allows the first device (or a user of the first device) to determine that the presence of the second device in close proximity has been detected, and to synchronize to exchange data with the second device.

[0162] The first equipment may also only perform processing of the received wake-up message aimed at synchronizing with the second equipment to exchange data with that equipment.

[0163] For example, the first equipment can transmit, towards the second equipment, for example one or more predefined frequency channels, a radio frequency signal carrying an acknowledgment message of receipt of the wake-up message, for example according to the predefined communication protocol between the first equipment and the second equipment.

[0164] The tracing application of the first device can be configured to emulate, with respect to the second device, a LoRaWAN relay node, even though the second device is not a LoRaWAN endpoint and the first device is, from the LoRaWAN network's perspective, simply an endpoint and not a LoRaWAN relay node. For example, the first device can be configured to, upon receiving a data packet from the second device, relay that data packet by forwarding it to an application server in an uplink data transmission message of a LoRaWAN protocol.

[0165] Thus, the first device can be configured, via its tracing application, to relay data received from the second device to an application server connected to the LoRaWAN network, by encapsulating the received data in a data transmission message from a LoRaWAN end device to the LoRaWAN network, for example, in the payload of the data transmission message. A tunneling mechanism can thus be used to relay data received from the second device to the application server via the LoRaWAN network.

[0166] The data received by the first equipment from the second equipment may include an identifier of the second equipment, for example a universal identifier of the UUID type, which can then be relayed by the first equipment to the application server via a LoRaWAN network protocol message.

[0167] The application server can be configured to identify the second piece of equipment or the vehicle on which it is mounted from the data received from the second piece of equipment, and determine whether or not the vehicle is being sought, for example following a theft.

[0168] The methods proposed in this disclosure can advantageously be applied to the use case described above, and have the advantage of not requiring the second device to be a node of the public LoRaWAN network. A very large number of devices configured as second devices in the proposed methods can therefore be deployed without incurring the additional cost of a LoRaWAN network subscription for each second device deployed. Industrial application

[0169] Depending on the embodiment chosen, certain acts, actions, events, or functions of each of the methods described in this document may be performed or occur in a different order than described, or may be added, merged, or not performed or occur, as the case may be. Furthermore, in some embodiments, certain acts, actions, or events are performed or occur concurrently rather than sequentially.

[0170] Although described through a number of detailed embodiments, the proposed piloting method and the device for implementing an embodiment of the method include various variants, modifications, and improvements that will be obvious to those skilled in the art, it being understood that these various variants, modifications, and improvements form part of the scope of this disclosure, as defined by the following claims. Furthermore, different aspects and features described above may be implemented together, separately, or substituted for one another, and all the different combinations and sub-combinations of aspects and features form part of the scope of this disclosure. In addition, some systems and equipment described above may not incorporate all the modules and functions described for the preferred embodiments.

Claims

Demands

1. Method (10a) of communication between a first device (100a) and a second device (100b), the first device (100a) being a low-power wireless terminal device of an LP-WAN type data communication network, and the second device (100b) being a low-power wireless device not belonging to the LP-WAN type data communication network, the first device (100a) being configured to behave with respect to the second device (100b) as a relay node, the method being implemented by the first device (100a), and comprising: • receiving (lia), by an application layer of the first device (100a), from the second device (100b), on a frequency channel defined for wireless communications between the first device (100a) and the second device (100b), a wake-up message;• transmit (12a), via the application layer of the first equipment (100a), to the second equipment (100b), an acknowledgment message of receipt of the wake-up message; • receive (13a), via the application layer of the first equipment (100a), from the second equipment (100b), a data packet, and • transfer (14a), to an application server, via a node of the LP-WAN type data communication network, data from the data packet inserted in an uplink data transmission message of a communication protocol of the LP-WAN type data communication network.

2. A communication method according to claim 1, further comprising: transmitting, to the second piece of equipment (100b), a configuration command message including a switchover command to a transponder-type operating mode.

3. A communication method according to claim 2, further comprising: transmitting, to a location server configured for receive data from an LP-WAN type data communication network, data exchanged with the second equipment (100b) in radar mode.

4. A communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: performing a detection listening for radio signals transmitted on one or more wake-up frequency channels over listening periods, detecting radio activity during one listening period among the listening periods, and switching to a receive mode to receive the wake-up message.

5. A communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: determining, by the application layer of the first piece of equipment (100a), whether the second piece of equipment (100b) corresponds to one or more pieces of equipment listed in a predefined equipment list.

6. A method (10b) for communication between a first piece of equipment (100a) and a second piece of equipment (100b), the first piece of equipment (100a) being a low-power wireless terminal device of an LP-WAN type data communication network, and the second piece of equipment (100b) being a low-power wireless device not belonging to the LP-WAN type data communication network, the method being implemented by the second piece of equipment (100b), and comprising: transmitting (11b), to an application layer of the first piece of equipment (100a), a wake-up message on a frequency channel defined for wireless communication between the first piece of equipment (100a) and the second piece of equipment (100b); receiving (12b), from the application layer of the first piece of equipment (100a), an acknowledgment message of receipt of the wake-up message; and transmitting (13b), to the application layer of the first piece of equipment (100a), a data packet.

7. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the data communication network comprises a LoRaWAN type network, the first piece of equipment (100a) is an end node of the LoRaWAN type network configured to implement, through its application layer, LoRaWAN type network relay node functionalities.

8. A method according to claim 7 in that it depends on any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the wake-up message, the acknowledgment message, and the uplink data transmission message are LoRaWAN Relay protocol messages.

9. Wireless communication device (100a, 100b) comprising: a radio transceiver (101a, 101b); a memory (103a, 103b); at least one processor (102a, 102b) operationally coupled to the radio transceiver (101a, 101b) and to the memory (103a, 103b), and configured for the implementation of a method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A computer program, loadable into a memory associated with a processor, and comprising portions of code for implementing the steps of a method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 during the execution of said program by the processor.

Images