Power line communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application is applied to a power line carrier communication system. Provided are a power line communication method and apparatus. The method comprises: a first node sending a first frame, and receiving a first channel sounding result. The first frame comprises a first training field and a first payload area, the first payload area being used for carrying first service data, and the first training field being used for channel sounding. The first channel sounding result comprises a first communication parameter, which is determined on the basis of the first frame. By means of the method, by sending the first frame, the first node can not only transmit the first service data to a second node, but also instruct, by means of the first training field, the second node to perform channel sounding, thereby reducing a process of interaction between nodes, preventing a waste of resources, and improving the communication efficiency.

Description

Method and apparatus for power line communication

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411365437.5, filed on September 27, 2024, and entitled "Method and apparatus for power line communication", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for power line communication. BACKGROUND

[0003] Power line carrier communication is a communication mode that utilizes power lines to transmit information. In a power line communication system, two stations can select a better communication frequency band and determine a suitable modulation coding scheme (MCS) to improve communication efficiency if the channel characteristics (such as attenuation or signal-to-noise ratio, etc.) between the stations can be obtained before communication.

[0004] As an example, before node A and node B communicate, node A sends a training frame to node B. After node B receives the training frame, it determines the channel characteristics and calculates some communication parameters according to the channel characteristics, and then feeds back the communication parameters to node A. Further, node A sends data to node B according to the received communication parameters, thereby realizing the transmission of service data. However, this implementation mode can cause waste of channel resources and reduce communication efficiency. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a method and apparatus for power line communication, which can avoid resource waste and improve communication efficiency.

[0006] In a first aspect, a method for power line communication is provided. The method can be performed by a first node. In the absence of special description, the first node in the present application can refer to a communication device (for example, a sending device), a component (for example, a communication module, a processor, a circuit, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) in the communication device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the communication device.

[0007] The method includes: sending a first frame, the first frame including a first training field and a first payload area, the first payload area being used to carry first service data, and the first training field being used for channel probing; and receiving a first channel probing result, the first channel probing result including first communication parameters, the first communication parameters being determined according to the first frame.

[0008] Based on the above scheme, a frame structure of the first frame is designed, the first frame including a first training field and a first payload area. The first node (for example, a sending device) can not only transmit first service data by sending the first frame, but also instruct the second node (for example, a receiving device) to perform channel sounding to obtain first communication parameters recommended by the second node, for transmission of a subsequent frame structure (for example, a second frame), so as to ensure service transmission performance. This implementation manner does not need to send a special training frame, but can instruct the second node to perform channel sounding by carrying the first training field in the first frame, can reduce the interaction process between nodes, avoid waste of channel resources, reduce signaling overhead, and improve communication efficiency.

[0009] For example, the first node can be a central coordinator (CCO) or a proxy coordinator (PCO) or a station (STA), and the second node can be a proxy coordinator (PCO) or a station (STA).

[0010] In some implementations of the first aspect, the first frame includes at least one of the following: a data frame, a beacon frame, a proxy beacon frame, or other frame structures, without limitation.

[0011] In some implementations of the first aspect, the first communication parameters include at least one of the following: a first transmission power, a first sub-frequency band, a first MCS, a first number of streams, or a first transmit beamforming (TxBF) matrix. The first sub-frequency band belongs to a full frequency band in which the first frame is located.

[0012] In some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: transmitting a second frame according to the first communication parameters.

[0013] It can be understood that the transmission performance of the second frame is higher than or not lower than that of the first frame.

[0014] For example, the second frame is used to carry second service data, which can be retransmitted first service data, or other service data, that is, the second service data can be the same as or different from the first service data, without limitation.

[0015] For example, the frame structure type of the second frame can be the same as or different from that of the first frame, without limitation. For example, the second frame can be a data frame, a beacon frame, a proxy beacon frame, or other frame structures.

[0016] It can be understood that the first communication parameter determined by the second node through channel sounding has a channel quality greater than or equal to the first threshold, or in other words, the channel quality is good, the signal attenuation is weak, and the signal-to-noise ratio is high. Further, the first node transmits the second frame using the first communication parameter recommended by the second node, and the transmission performance is good, which can achieve the purpose of better utilizing the communication channel.

[0017] In some implementations of the first aspect, the first training field includes a first extra training field (eTF) or a first wideband training field (wTF).

[0018] In some implementations of the first aspect, the first frame further includes a first frame control, and the first frame control includes first indication information indicating that the first frame includes the first training field.

[0019] For example, if the first training field is a first wideband training field, it indicates that the first indication information in the first frame control indicates that the first frame includes a wideband training field. It can be understood that the bandwidth of the first wideband training field is greater than the bandwidth of the first payload area, or the bandwidth of the first wideband training field is equal to the full frequency band where the first frame is located.

[0020] For example, if the first training field is a first extra training field, it indicates that the first indication information in the first frame control indicates that the first frame includes an extra training field, and the first frame can further include a regular training field. It can be understood that the bandwidth of the first wideband training field is greater than the bandwidth of the first payload area, or the bandwidth of the first wideband training field is equal to the full frequency band where the first frame is located.

[0021] It can be understood that the regular training field is relative to the wideband training field, and the bandwidth of the regular training field is less than the bandwidth of the first wideband training field.

[0022] Based on the above scheme, by carrying the first indication information in the first frame control, the second node can parse the first training field after receiving the first frame, and further determine to perform channel sounding. That is, the first node not only transmits service data by transmitting the first frame, but also instructs the second node to perform channel sounding to obtain communication parameters for subsequent transmission of the second frame, thereby ensuring service transmission performance.

[0023] In some implementations of the first aspect, the first frame further includes a first frame control, and the first frame control includes second indication information indicating that the first frame includes the first training field, or the second indication information indicating that the first frame includes the first training field and a regular training field.

[0024] For example, if the first training field is a first wideband training field, the second indication information in the first frame control can indicate that the first frame includes the first training field, i.e., the first frame does not include a regular training field.

[0025] For example, if the first training field is a first additional training field, the second indication information in the first frame control can indicate that the first frame includes the first training field and a regular training field.

[0026] Based on the above scheme, by carrying the second indication information in the first frame control, the second node can obtain the first training field or the first training field and the regular training field after receiving the first frame, and then determine to perform channel sounding. That is, the first node can not only transmit service data by sending the first frame, but also instruct the second node to perform channel sounding to obtain communication parameters for subsequent transmission of the second frame, thereby ensuring service transmission performance.

[0027] In some implementations of the first aspect, the first training field occupies a first time unit, and the first payload region occupies a second time unit; and the first time unit is located before the second time unit, or the first time unit is located after the second time unit.

[0028] In some implementations of the first aspect, the first communication parameter is determined according to the first frame, including: the first communication parameter is determined according to a first channel feature, and the first channel feature is determined according to the first frame.

[0029] For example, the second node determines the first channel feature according to the first training field in the first frame, and then determines the first communication parameter according to the first channel feature. For example, the first training field carries information known by the first node and the second node. After receiving the first frame from the first node, the second node parses and compares the information carried in the first training field with the known information, and then evaluates the channel quality of the current channel to obtain the first channel feature, and then determines the first communication parameter.

[0030] Based on the above scheme, the second node can select and feed back at least one of the first sub-band, the first transmission power, the first MCS, the first number of streams, or the first TxBF matrix with better channel quality through channel sounding, for the first node to subsequently send the second frame, so as to ensure service transmission performance.

[0031] In some implementations of the first aspect, the first channel feature includes at least one of: a first channel estimation value, attenuation information corresponding to at least one sub-band, or a signal-to-noise ratio corresponding to at least one sub-band, and the at least one sub-band belongs to a full frequency band in which the first frame is located.

[0032] In some implementations of the first aspect, the first frame is transmitted, including: transmitting the first frame in a case where a first condition is met.

[0033] The first condition comprises at least one of the following: a usage time of the second communication parameter reaches a preset time; a usage frequency of the second communication parameter reaches a preset frequency; a channel quality corresponding to the second communication parameter is less than a first threshold; no acknowledgement (ACK) is received when the service data is transmitted using the second communication parameter; or, a non-acknowledgement (NACK) is received when the service data is transmitted using the second communication parameter; wherein the second communication parameter is predefined or preconfigured, or the second communication parameter is last fed back by the second node.

[0034] Based on the above scheme, in the case of at least satisfying the first condition, the first node triggers to send the first frame to the second node, or in other words, the first node triggers to request the second node to perform channel sounding to obtain the first communication parameter for subsequent transmission of the second frame, so as to ensure the service transmission performance.

[0035] It can be understood that the channel quality can comprise at least one of the following: signal strength, attenuation degree, packet loss rate, signal-to-noise ratio, etc. of the current channel. The signal-to-noise ratio represents the strength of the signal carrying the information of interest relative to the noise, and a higher signal-to-noise ratio means better channel quality, while a low signal-to-noise ratio can cause data packet loss, data corruption or communication interruption. A lower attenuation degree means better channel quality, while a high attenuation degree can cause data packet loss, data corruption or communication interruption.

[0036] In some implementations of the first aspect, the first training field occupies a full frequency band in which the first frame is located.

[0037] Exemplarily, the full frequency band in domestic power line communication generally refers to 0-12 megahertz (MHz), so that the channel characteristics (for example, channel estimation value, attenuation information and signal-to-noise ratio on each sub-frequency band, etc.) on the full frequency band can be obtained by the second node for subsequent channel sounding, and then better and more available sub-frequency bands can be selected for data transmission, which not only can improve the resource utilization rate, but also can ensure the transmission performance.

[0038] In some implementations of the first aspect, before the first frame is sent, the method further comprises: obtaining the second communication parameter, the second communication parameter comprising at least one of the following: a second transmission power, a second sub-frequency band, a second MCS, a second number of streams, or a second TxBF matrix; wherein the first frame is sent according to the second communication parameter.

[0039] In some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving a third frame, the third frame including a third training field and a third payload region, the third payload region being configured to carry third service data, and the third training field being configured to channel sounding; and sending a second channel sounding result, the second channel sounding result including third communication parameters determined according to the third frame.

[0040] Based on the above scheme, the second node can request the first node to perform channel sounding by sending the third frame, and then use the third communication parameters recommended by the first node to send the fourth frame, so as to better utilize the communication channel.

[0041] In some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving the fourth frame according to the third communication parameters.

[0042] It can be understood that the third communication parameters determined by the first node through channel sounding have a channel quality greater than or equal to the second threshold, or in other words, the channel quality is good, the signal attenuation is weak, the signal-to-noise ratio is high, and the like, and further, the transmission performance of the second node using the third communication parameters to send the fourth frame is good, so as to better utilize the communication channel.

[0043] In some implementations of the first aspect, the third training field includes a third additional training field or a third wideband training field.

[0044] In some implementations of the first aspect, the third frame further includes a third frame control, and the third frame control includes third indication information, the third indication information indicating that the third frame includes the third training field.

[0045] Optionally, if the third indication information is not carried in the FC in the frame structure, it can also be understood that the first node does not need to perform channel sounding.

[0046] Based on the above scheme, by carrying the third indication information in the third frame control, the first node can parse the third training field after receiving the third frame, and then determine to perform channel sounding, that is, the second node not only transmits service data by sending the third frame, but also instructs the first node to perform channel sounding to obtain the third communication parameters for subsequent transmission of the fourth frame, so as to ensure the service transmission performance.

[0047] In some implementations of the first aspect, the third frame can further include a third frame control, and the third frame control can further include fourth indication information, the fourth indication information indicating that the third frame includes the third training field, or the fourth indication information indicating that the third frame includes the third training field and a regular training field.

[0048] Based on the above scheme, by carrying the fourth indication information in the third frame control, the first node can parse the third training field after receiving the third frame, or the third training field and the regular training field, and then determine to perform channel sounding. That is, the second node can not only transmit service data by sending the third frame, but also instruct the first node to perform channel sounding to obtain the communication parameters for subsequent transmission of the fourth frame, thereby ensuring the service transmission performance.

[0049] In some implementations of the first aspect, the third communication parameter comprises at least one of: a third transmit power, a third sub-band, a third MCS, a third number of streams, or a third TxBF matrix; and the third sub-band belongs to a full band in which the third frame is located.

[0050] In some implementations of the first aspect, the third communication parameter is determined according to the third frame, comprising: the third communication parameter is determined according to a third channel characteristic, and the third channel characteristic is determined according to the third frame.

[0051] For example, the first node determines the third channel characteristic according to the third training field in the third frame, and then determines the third communication parameter according to the third channel characteristic. For example, the third training field carries information known by the first node and the second node. After receiving the third frame from the second node, the first node parses and compares the information carried in the third training field with the known information, and then evaluates the channel quality of the current channel to obtain the third channel characteristic, and then determines the third communication parameter.

[0052] Based on the above scheme, the first node can select and feed back at least one of the third sub-band, the third transmit power, the third MCS, the third number of streams, or the third TxBF matrix with better channel quality through channel sounding, for the second node to use in subsequent transmission of the fourth frame, so as to ensure the service transmission performance.

[0053] In some implementations of the first aspect, the third channel characteristic comprises at least one of: a third channel estimation value, attenuation information corresponding to at least one sub-band, or a signal-to-noise ratio corresponding to at least one sub-band, and the at least one sub-band belongs to a full band in which the third frame is located.

[0054] In a second aspect, a method for power line communication is provided. The method can be performed by a second node. Unless otherwise specified, the second node in the present application can refer to a communication device (for example, a receiving device), a component (for example, a communication module, a processor, a circuit, a chip, or a chip system) in the communication device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the communication device.

[0055] The method comprises: receiving a first frame, the first frame comprising a first training field and a first payload area, the first payload area being used to carry first service data, and the first training field being used for channel sounding; and sending a first channel sounding result, the first channel sounding result comprising first communication parameters determined according to the first frame.

[0056] Based on the above scheme, the frame structure of the first frame is designed, the first frame comprising the first training field and the first payload area, so that the second node can not only obtain the first service data by receiving the first frame, but also perform channel sounding to obtain the first communication parameters for subsequent transmission of the second frame, thereby ensuring the service transmission performance. This implementation manner can indicate to perform channel sounding without sending a special training frame, thereby reducing the interaction process between nodes, avoiding resource waste, and improving communication efficiency.

[0057] In some implementations of the second aspect, the method further comprises: receiving a second frame according to the first communication parameters.

[0058] In some implementations of the second aspect, the first communication parameters comprise at least one of the following: a first transmission power, a first sub-frequency band, a first MCS, a first number of streams, or a first TxBF matrix; and the first sub-frequency band belongs to a full frequency band in which the first frame is located.

[0059] In some implementations of the second aspect, the first communication parameters are determined according to the first frame, comprising: the first communication parameters are determined according to first channel characteristics, and the first channel characteristics are determined according to the first frame.

[0060] In some implementations of the second aspect, the first channel characteristics comprise at least one of the following: a first channel estimation value, attenuation information corresponding to at least one sub-frequency band, or a signal-to-noise ratio corresponding to at least one sub-frequency band, and the at least one sub-frequency band belongs to a full frequency band in which the first frame is located.

[0061] In some implementations of the second aspect, the first frame further comprises a first frame control, and the first frame control comprises first indication information, and the first indication information indicates that the first frame comprises the first training field.

[0062] In some implementations of the second aspect, the receiving of the first frame comprises: receiving the first frame in a case where a first condition is met.

[0063] The first condition comprises at least one of the following: a use time of second communication parameters reaches a preset time; a use number of the second communication parameters reaches a preset number; a channel quality corresponding to the second communication parameters is less than a first threshold; no ACK is received when the second communication parameters are used to send service data; or, NACK is received when the second communication parameters are used to send service data; and the second communication parameters are predefined or preconfigured, or the second communication parameters are lastly fed back by the second node.

[0064] In some implementations of the second aspect, the first training field comprises a first additional training field or a first wideband training field.

[0065] In some implementations of the second aspect, the first training field occupies a first time unit, and the first payload occupies a second time unit; wherein the first time unit is located before the second time unit, or the first time unit is located after the second time unit.

[0066] In some implementations of the second aspect, the first training field occupies a full frequency band in which the first frame is located.

[0067] In some implementations of the second aspect, the first frame comprises at least one of: a data frame; a beacon frame; or a proxy beacon frame.

[0068] In some implementations of the second aspect, before receiving the first frame, the method further comprises: transmitting a second communication parameter, the second communication parameter comprising at least one of: a second transmission power, a second sub-frequency band, a second MCS, a second number of streams, or a second TxBF matrix; wherein receiving the first frame comprises: receiving the first frame according to the second communication parameter.

[0069] In some implementations of the second aspect, the method further comprises: transmitting a third frame, the third frame comprising a third training field and a third payload, the third payload being used to carry third service data, and the third training field being used for channel sounding; and receiving a second channel sounding result, the second channel sounding result comprising a third communication parameter, the third communication parameter being determined according to the third frame.

[0070] In some implementations of the second aspect, the method further comprises: transmitting a fourth frame according to the third communication parameter.

[0071] In some implementations of the second aspect, the third frame further comprises a third frame control, and the third frame control comprises third indication information, the third indication information indicating that the third frame comprises the third training field.

[0072] In some implementations of the second aspect, the third communication parameter comprises at least one of: a third transmission power, a third sub-frequency band, a third MCS, a third number of streams, or a third TxBF matrix; wherein the third sub-frequency band belongs to a full frequency band in which the third frame is located.

[0073] In some implementations of the second aspect, the third communication parameter is determined according to the third frame, comprising: the third communication parameter is determined according to a third channel characteristic frame, and the third channel characteristic is determined according to the third frame.

[0074] In some implementations of the second aspect, the third channel feature comprises at least one of: the third channel estimation value, attenuation information corresponding to the at least one sub-band, or a signal-to-noise ratio corresponding to the at least one sub-band, the at least one sub-band belonging to the full band in which the third frame is located.

[0075] The beneficial effects of some implementations of the second aspect can correspond to the description related to the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0076] In a third aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which has the functions of implementing the first aspect, for example, the communication apparatus includes modules or units or means corresponding to the operations of the first aspect, which can be implemented by software or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0077] Exemplarily, the communication apparatus can be the first node, for example, a module or unit (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit) corresponding to the method or operation or step or action described in the first aspect.

[0078] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus includes a transceiver (or a communication module) and a processing unit (or a processing module) connected with the transceiver.

[0079] Exemplarily, the transceiver is configured to send a first frame, the first frame including a first training field and a first payload area, the first payload area being configured to carry first service data, and the first training field being configured to perform channel sounding; and the transceiver is further configured to receive a first channel sounding result, the first channel sounding result including a first communication parameter determined according to the first frame.

[0080] In a fourth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which has the functions of implementing the second aspect, for example, the communication apparatus includes modules or units or means corresponding to the operations of the second aspect, which can be implemented by software or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0081] Exemplarily, the communication apparatus can be the second node, for example, a module or unit (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit) corresponding to the method or operation or step or action described in the second aspect.

[0082] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus includes a transceiver (or a communication module) and a processing unit (or a processing module) connected with the transceiver.

[0083] Exemplarily, the transceiver is configured to receive a first frame, the first frame comprising a first training field and a first payload field, the first payload field being configured to carry first service data, and the first training field being configured to perform channel sounding; and the transceiver is further configured to send a first channel sounding result, the first channel sounding result comprising first communication parameters determined according to the first frame.

[0084] In a fifth aspect, a first frame is provided, comprising a first training field and a first payload field, wherein the first payload field is configured to carry first service data, and the first training field is configured to perform channel sounding.

[0085] In some implementations of the fifth aspect, the first frame comprises at least one of: a data frame; a beacon frame; or a proxy beacon frame.

[0086] In some implementations of the fifth aspect, the first frame further comprises a first frame control, and the first frame control comprises first indication information indicating that the first frame comprises a training field.

[0087] In some implementations of the fifth aspect, the first training field comprises a first additional training field or a first wideband training field.

[0088] In some implementations of the fifth aspect, the first training field occupies a first time unit, and the first payload field occupies a second time unit; wherein the first time unit is located before the second time unit, or the first time unit is located after the second time unit.

[0089] In some implementations of the fifth aspect, the first training field occupies a full frequency band of the first frame.

[0090] In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus can be the first node or the second node described above. The communication apparatus comprises at least one processor configured to invoke and run a computer program or instructions from a memory, when the computer program or instructions are executed, causing the communication apparatus to perform the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0091] In a possible design, the communication apparatus can further comprise a transceiver or an interface circuit configured to implement communication functions within the communication apparatus and / or between the communication apparatus and other apparatuses or components. The processor is configured to communicate with other apparatuses or components via the interface circuit, or in other words, the processor is configured to control the transceiver to transceive signals.

[0092] In a possible design, the communication apparatus can further comprise a memory configured to store the computer program.

[0093] Optionally, the processor is one or more, and the memory is one or more.

[0094] Optionally, the memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory is disposed separately from the processor.

[0095] Optionally, the transceiver includes a transmitter (transmitter) and a receiver (receiver).

[0096] For the sending and acquiring / receiving operations involved, if there is no special description, or if it does not contradict with its actual role or inherent logic in the relevant description, it can be understood as output, input, etc. Operation, but also can be understood as the sending and receiving operations performed by the radio frequency circuit and the antenna, and the present application does not limit this.

[0097] In a seventh aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus includes one or more processors configured to perform a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the communication apparatus to implement the method in any possible design or implementation manner of the first aspect or the second aspect. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes a memory configured to store part or all of the computer program or instructions that implement the functions related to the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0098] In a possible design, the communication apparatus can further include interface circuitry, and the processor is configured to communicate with other apparatuses or components through the interface circuitry.

[0099] The communication apparatus can be a first node (e.g., a CCO, a PCO, or a STA).

[0100] The communication apparatus can be a second node (e.g., a PCO or a STA).

[0101] In an eighth aspect, a communication system is provided. The communication system includes the first node of the third aspect and / or the second node of the fourth aspect. The first node is configured to implement the method in any possible implementation manner of the first aspect, and the second node is configured to implement the method in any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0102] In a ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium stores computer program codes or instructions, so that the method in any possible implementation manner of the first aspect or the second aspect is implemented. For example, when the computer program codes or instructions are executed, the method in any possible implementation manner of the first aspect or the second aspect is implemented.

[0103] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product includes computer program codes or instructions to cause the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect to be implemented. For example, when a computer reads and executes the computer program product, the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect is caused to be implemented.

[0104] In an eleventh aspect, a computer program is provided. When the computer program is run, the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect is caused to be implemented.

[0105] It should be understood that the beneficial effects of the third aspect to the eleventh aspect described above can refer to the first aspect or the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and will not be described here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0106] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are schematic diagrams of a power line communication system suitable for the present application;

[0107] FIG. 3 is a schematic flow chart of a power line channel sounding method;

[0108] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a training frame and a data frame;

[0109] FIG. 5 is a schematic flow chart of a power line communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0110] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of a first frame provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0111] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a channel sounding result provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0112] FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0113] FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0114] FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of a chip system provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0115] The technical solutions in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0116] Before introducing the solutions of the present application, the following points are explained.

[0117] (1) In the present application, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referred to each other if there is no special description and no logical conflict. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0118] (2) In the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. The "and / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent the following three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the text description of the present application, the character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b and c can mean: a, or b, or c, or a and b, or a and c, or b and c, or a, b and c. Where a, b and c can be single or multiple.

[0119] (3) In the present application, "first", "second", or "#1", "#2" are only for convenience of description, used to distinguish the objects, and do not limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. For example, to distinguish different messages, etc., and are not used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the objects thus described can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances to describe schemes other than the embodiments of the present application.

[0120] (4) In the present application, "indication" can include direct indication, indirect indication, explicit indication, implicit indication, etc. When describing that certain indication information indicates A, it can be understood that the indication information carries A, carries the identity of A, carries B having an association relationship with A, carries the identity of B having an association relationship with A, etc. In other words, if the receiving side of certain indication information can determine A according to the indication information, it can be described that the indication information indicates A, and the specific determination is not limited. When it is understood that the indication information carries A, "indication" can be replaced by "include", at this time, similar to the expression "send / receive indication information, the indication information indicates A" can be replaced by "send / receive A".

[0121] In the present application, the information indicated by the indication information is referred to as to-be-indicated information. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the to-be-indicated information, for example, but not limited to, the to-be-indicated information can be directly indicated, such as the to-be-indicated information itself or the index of the to-be-indicated information. The to-be-indicated information can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, wherein the other information and the to-be-indicated information have an association relationship. The to-be-indicated information can also be only indicated in part, and the other part of the to-be-indicated information is known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of a specific information can also be achieved by means of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, the protocol stipulates), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. In addition, the to-be-indicated information can be sent as a whole, or can be sent separately into multiple sub-information, and the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different.

[0122] (5) In the present application, “predefined” can mean standard protocol predefined, or can also mean pre-agreed or pre-negotiated between devices. “Pre-configuration” can be achieved by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables or other information that can be used to indicate related information in the device, and the present application does not limit the implementation manner. Wherein, “protocol” can refer to standard protocols in the communication field, for example, including fourth generation (4 th generation, 5G) network protocol, new radio (NR) protocol, 5.5G network protocol, and related protocols applied to future communication networks, which are not limited by the present application. th

[0123] (6) In the present application, “message”, “information”, “signal” or “information element (IE)” and the like can be used interchangeably, and the name of the message or information is not limited in any way, as long as the corresponding function can be achieved.

[0124] “Sending information to XX (device)” can be understood as that the destination of the information is the device. It can include directly or indirectly sending information to the device. “Receiving information from XX (device), or receiving information from XX (device)” can be understood as that the source of the information is the device, which can include directly or indirectly receiving information from the device. The information can be processed as necessary between the source and the destination of the information transmission, for example, format change, etc., but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in the present application can be understood similarly, and will not be repeated here.

[0125] ​"Communication" can also be described as data transmission, information transmission, data processing, etc. "Transmission" includes sending and / or receiving. "Transmission" can be described as output. "Sending" can also be understood as the output of a chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the input of a chip interface. In other words, "sending" or "receiving" can be between devices, for example, sending or receiving between node #1 and node #2 through the air interface, or "sending" or "receiving" can be within a node, for example, sending or receiving between components within a node, between modules, between chips, between software modules or hardware modules through a bus, a wire or an interface.

[0126] For example, "sending information" can be understood as a node sending information to another node, or it can also be understood as a logical module within a node sending information to another logical module. For example, "node #1 sends information" can be understood as node #1 sending information to another node (such as a terminal), or it can be understood as logical module 1 in node #1 sending information to logical module 2 in node #1. "Receiving information" can be understood as a node receiving information from another node, or it can also be understood as a logical module within a node receiving information from another logical module. For example, "node #1 receives information" can be understood as node #1 receiving information from another node (such as a terminal), or it can be understood as logical module 1 in node #1 receiving information from logical module 2 in node #1.

[0127] (7) In this application, the words "exemplary", "for example", etc. are used to mean example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design solution described as "exemplary" in this application should not be interpreted as more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design solutions. Rather, the word "exemplary" is used to present concepts in a concrete manner. In the embodiments of this application, "of", "corresponding", "corresponding" and "associated" are sometimes used interchangeably, and it should be pointed out that when their differences are not emphasized, their meanings are consistent.

[0128] (8) In the present application, the configuration can be a signaling configuration, such as a radio resource control (RRC) message, a downlink control information (DCI), or a system information block (SIB). Alternatively, the signaling configuration can be given to the terminal device by a pre-configured signaling configuration, or configured to the terminal device in a pre-configured manner. Here, the pre-configuration is to define or configure the value of the corresponding parameter in advance in a protocol manner, and store it in the terminal device when communicating with the terminal device. The pre-configured message can be modified or updated under the condition that the terminal device is connected to the network.

[0129] (9) In the present application, when comparing A and B, the description of "when A is greater than or equal to B, execution mode A is performed, and when A is less than or equal to B, execution mode B is performed" can be implemented as "when A is greater than or equal to B, execution mode A is performed; and when A is less than B, execution mode B is performed"; or it can also be "when A is greater than B, execution mode A is performed; or when A is less than or equal to B, execution mode B is performed", which is not limited in the present application. For ease of description, the implementation provided in the present application is described by taking "when A is greater than or equal to B, execution mode A is performed; or when A is less than B, execution mode B is performed" as an example.

[0130] In other words, "<" represents less than, and "<=" represents less than or equal to. "<" and "<=" can be replaced with each other at times, and the specific implementation is not limited. Similarly, ">" represents greater than, and ">=" represents greater than or equal to. ">" and ">=" can be replaced with each other at times, and the specific implementation is not limited. The examples provided in the present application are only examples and do not limit the present application.

[0131] (10) In the present application, the channel quality can be understood as a broad sense of channel quality, at which time the channel quality indicator (CQI), the reference signal received power (RSRP), or the reference signal received quality (RSRQ) can be used to represent. Alternatively, the channel quality can be understood as a narrow sense of channel quality, at which time the channel quality represents the channel quality of the communication channel between the sending end and the receiving end, which is used for the first node and the second node to transmit signals or data. In the case where the distinction is not emphasized, the present application does not specifically limit whether the channel quality is understood as a broad sense of channel quality or a narrow sense of channel quality.

[0132] First, the communication system to which the present application is applied is introduced.

[0133] The technical solutions provided in the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as a power communication system or other wireless communication systems, including but not limited to a 5G or NR system, a long term evolution (LTE) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, and the like. The technical solutions provided in the present application can also be applied to device to device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine to machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC), and internet of things (IoT) communication systems. The technical solutions provided in the present application can also be applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems such as inter-satellite communication and satellite communication, wireless fidelity (WiFi), and the like. The technical solutions provided in the present application can also be applied to future communication networks, without limitation.

[0134] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a power line communication system suitable for the present application. As shown in FIG. 1, the power line communication system can include a power line, a central coordinator CCO, a plurality of power line communication devices (for example, a gateway side power line communication device (such as the first power line communication device shown in FIG. 1) and a terminal side power line communication device (such as the second power line communication device shown in FIG. 1)), and a terminal and the like. Among them, the CCO is directly connected with the Internet, and the first power line communication device is connected with the Internet through the CCO. The power line is used to transmit current, drive electrical appliances, connect with the Internet through the first power line communication device, the CCO, and the Internet, or provide access to the Internet, and the like. The second power line communication device is used to provide network signals to the terminal and the like.

[0135] Exemplarily, the power line communication device (for example, the first power line communication device and the second power line communication device) can be a proxy coordinator PCO or a station STA. That is, the power line communication device is connected with the Internet through the CCO, and the power line communication device can be directly connected with the terminal.

[0136] The power line communication device can be a power line modem or other type of power line communication modem. The power line modem is a modem for broadband Internet access via power lines. The power line modem is connected to a terminal, such as a broadband Internet access device, a set-top box, an audio device, a monitoring device, and other smart electrical devices, via a network formed by using existing power lines and sockets in a home or office to transmit data, voice, and video. The power line modem has the plug-and-play feature and can transmit network digital signals via ordinary home power lines.

[0137] For example, when transmitting data from the Internet to the terminal, the first power line communication device can receive data from the Internet from the CCO. The first power line communication device can modulate the data from the CCO into a power line communication (PLC) signal and couple the PLC signal to the power line, so that the data can be forwarded via the power line. The second power line communication device can demodulate the PLC signal transmitted via the power line to obtain the data, and forward the obtained data to the terminal via wireless transmission or the like, so that the terminal or other user equipment receives the data from the Internet side. Similarly, the system shown in FIG. 1 can also implement data transmission from the terminal to the Internet side.

[0138] The power line communication device can be a power line modem or other type of power line communication modem, which is not limited in the present application.

[0139] As shown in FIG. 1, when the first power line communication device and / or the second power line communication device transmits data, the first power line communication device and / or the second power line communication device carries the data packet to be transmitted in a signal frame, modulates the signal into an OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) symbol sequence, and further transmits the OFDM symbol sequence via a frequency band signal. Accordingly, the receiving end power line communication device can obtain the signal frame by demodulating the OFDM symbol sequence transmitted via the frequency band signal in the power line, and further analyze the data packet from the signal frame. The OFDM modulation mode has an advantage of ensuring stable and complete data transmission in a severe electromagnetic interference communication environment.

[0140] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of another power line communication system suitable for use in the present application. As shown in Figure 2, the power line communication system includes a plurality of nodes, such as a CCO, PCO and STA. The CCO is a master node (or root node), which is the creator and maintainer of the power line carrier communication network, and is responsible for creating and maintaining the power line carrier communication network, or for performing functions such as network control, network maintenance and management, and the like. The corresponding device entity is a concentrator local communication unit. The PCO is a relay node, which is a device or node that relays signals in the power line carrier communication network, and is used to enhance the transmission distance and stability of the signals. The STA is a slave node (or leaf node), which is a terminal device or node in the network, and can be directly connected to the power line, and is used for receiving and transmitting data, and is responsible for forwarding control instructions and data between the CCO and the meter. The corresponding device entity is a communication unit installed in a meter (such as an electricity meter, water meter, gas meter, collector, etc.).

[0141] As an example, the CCO is generally working on three-phase power, and the STA is generally working on a single-phase meter or three-phase power.

[0142] In some cases, some STAs in the broadband network must use other STAs as relays to communicate with the CCO. Broadband carrier modules in the same power environment generally form a multi-level tree topology network with the CCO as the master node, the PCO as the relay agent, and multiple STAs connected. The network topology forms a tree structure with the CCO as the root node and the STA as the leaf node, and the PCO is an intermediate node (both parent node and child node). The network topology is dynamically changing, and the roles of the STA and the PCO can change over time. In such a network, some nodes are three-phase meters and some nodes are single-phase meters. The CCO and the PCO, the CCO and the STA, and the PCO and the STA can all adaptively determine the transmission communication parameters (including but not limited to the number of streams, frequency band, MCS, TxBF matrix, etc.) according to the channel characteristics.

[0143] These roles and devices together form the infrastructure of the power line communication system, enabling efficient transmission of data over existing power lines. This communication method does not require the construction of a dedicated communication line, thereby reducing costs and improving the scalability of the system.

[0144] It can be understood that the above-mentioned Figure 1 or Figure 2 is only a schematic diagram given for ease of understanding, and the power line system can also include other devices, such as core network devices, wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices, etc., which are not shown in the figure.

[0145] For ease of understanding the embodiments of the present application, the terms and concepts involved in the present application are briefly explained.

[0146] 1. Power line communication;

[0147] Power line communication (PLC), also known as power line network, refers to using existing power lines to transmit data or information in digital signal processing method. PLC technology uses existing low frequency (50 / 60 Hz) power lines to send broadband data. Compared with digital subscriber line (DSL) using telephone lines and cable modem (CM) using coaxial cable lines of cable television, power line communication technology basically does not need to re-lay network lines, and the coverage area of power lines is much larger than other types of lines.

[0148] 2. Strong robust orthogonal frequency division multiplexing;

[0149] The difficulty of power line communication lies in that the power line is not designed for communication, the load impedance on the line changes in real time, and the noise interference also changes in real time, which greatly restricts the transmission rate on the line and puts forward higher requirements for the design of transceiver. Generally, due to the differences in wire layout mode and other factors, there are significant differences in channel frequency selective fading between communication nodes in the power line layout of State Grid, which also makes the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of different carriers have significant differences. Based on the channel noise characteristics of PLC, the current transmission mode adopts strong robust orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (ROBO).

[0150] 3. There are three communication modes of unicast, broadcast and multicast in the field of power line communication.

[0151] Unicast: the "one-to-one" communication mode between the source host and the target host;

[0152] Broadcast: the communication mode between the source host and other hosts in the network;

[0153] Multicast: Multicast, also known as multi-target broadcast, multicast. Multicast is a commonly used transmission mode in the network, which allows the transmitted message to be transmitted to a selected subset of all possible destinations, that is, to transmit information to multiple addresses specified.

[0154] 4. Beacon frame;

[0155] The beacon frame is a frame format of a wireless communication system retransmitting a fixed time interval signal, used for transmitting system level information such as clock, frequency and frame synchronization. In addition, it is also used for channel assessment, for example, by analyzing the signal quality and strength of the beacon frame, the quality of the wireless channel can be assessed and optimized. The stability and accuracy of the beacon frame is crucial for the normal operation of the entire communication system.

[0156] Generally transmitted by a wireless access point (AP), used to let the surrounding devices know the existence of the AP and its network parameters, including Service Set Identifier (SSID), supported rate and other information.

[0157] 5. Data frame.

[0158] The data frame is a protocol data unit of the data link layer, mainly including three parts: frame header, data part and frame tail. Among them, the frame header and the frame tail contain some necessary control information such as synchronization information, address information, error control information, etc., and the data part contains the data transmitted from the network layer, such as Internet Protocol (IP) data packet, etc.

[0159] The above description of the terms is only for the convenience of understanding and does not limit the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0160] With the development of power line communication system, enterprises take the construction of smart grid as the overall goal, promote the use of power line communication in power grid to realize the functions of power information collection and device control, and formulate relevant enterprise standards to organize chip, module and equipment manufacturers to develop related products. Power line communication refers to the communication mode of transmitting information through power lines. Its advantage lies in that power lines are ubiquitous infrastructure, but power line channels are not designed for communication, and their channel conditions are very poor, with strong frequency selectivity and different characteristics at different time periods. In the power line communication system, if the channel characteristics (such as attenuation or signal-to-noise ratio) can be obtained before the communication between two nodes, a better communication frequency band can be selected, and then a suitable modulation / coding scheme can be determined to improve the communication efficiency.

[0161] FIG. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a power line carrier power line channel detection method, which can be applied to the communication system shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, it includes the following steps.

[0162] S301, node #1 sends a training frame to node #2;

[0163] Correspondingly, node #2 receives the training frame from node #1.

[0164] The training frame is used for channel sounding, in other words, for sounding the channel quality between node #1 and node #2.

[0165] As shown in (a) of FIG. 4, the training frame includes a preamble, a frame control (FC), a training field (TF), and a known payload (PL).

[0166] It should be noted that the data #1 on the frequency domain resource (e.g., subcarrier) occupied by the TF is known to node #1 and node #2. The service data #1 carried on the known PL is also known to node #1 and node #2. That is, the data #1 or data #2 can be predefined or preconfigured, which is not limited. Alternatively, node #1 and node #2 can locally store the data #1 and data #2.

[0167] As an example, node #1 can be a CCO, and node #2 can be a PCO; or, node #1 can be a PCO, and node #2 can be a STA or a PCO; or, node #1 can be a PCO, and node #2 can be a STA; or, node #1 can be a STA, and node #2 can be a STA, which is not limited.

[0168] S302, node #2 determines a channel feature according to the training frame, and determines a channel sounding result according to the channel feature.

[0169] The channel feature includes attenuation information of the channel and / or a signal-to-noise ratio. The channel sounding result includes a communication parameter, which includes at least one of the following: a communication frequency band recommended by node #2, a recommended MCS, a recommended number of streams, etc.

[0170] As an example, after receiving the training frame, node #2 can determine whether the channel between node #1 and node #2 is attenuated and / or whether there is a signal-to-noise ratio by obtaining the data corresponding to the subcarrier occupied by the TF or the known PL, that is, determine the channel feature, and then calculate some communication parameters according to the channel feature. For example, the communication parameter can include a communication frequency band with less attenuation, or a communication frequency band with a lower signal-to-noise ratio, etc.

[0171] S303, node #2 sends the channel sounding result to node #1.

[0172] Correspondingly, node #1 receives the channel sounding result from node #2.

[0173] S304, node #1 sends a data frame to node #2 according to the channel sounding result.

[0174] Correspondingly, the node #2 receives the data frame from the node #1.

[0175] The data frame is used to carry the data #2.

[0176] It should be noted that the data #2 is different from the data #1, and the data #2 is the service data that the node #1 really needs to transmit to the node #2.

[0177] Exemplarily, as shown in (b) of FIG. 4, the data frame includes a preamble, a frame control FC, a training field TF, and a PL. It can be understood that the PL is used to carry the data #2.

[0178] Optionally, the frequency band occupied by the data frame can be a part of the frequency band occupied by the training frame. The part can be a frequency band with less attenuation, or a frequency band with better channel quality.

[0179] Exemplarily, after obtaining the communication parameters, the node #1 can obtain the recommended communication frequency band, the recommended MCS, or the recommended number of streams recommended by the node #2, and then can use the communication parameters to send the data frame to the node #2, so as to improve the communication performance and ensure the communication quality.

[0180] Optionally, the node #2 can also send a training frame to the node #1 for detecting the channel quality from the node #2 to the node #1. The node #1 can perform channel measurement based on the received training frame to obtain channel characteristics and channel detection results, which include the recommended communication frequency band, the recommended MCS, or the recommended number of streams recommended by the node #1. Further, the node #1 feeds back the channel detection results to the node #2, and the node #2 can send a data frame to the node #1 based on the obtained channel detection results, so as to achieve the purpose of better utilizing the power line channel. For brevity, the specific implementation manners can be referred to the related description of steps S301 to S304, and will not be described herein.

[0181] Considering that the training frame sent by the node #1 to the node #2 is used for channel detection and does not contain the service data that really needs to be transmitted. Moreover, the training frame is a complete frame in form, which can cause waste of channel resources and reduction of communication efficiency.

[0182] In order to solve the above technical problems, the application provides a power line communication method and a communication device. The frame structure of the first frame is designed so that the service data can be transmitted by sending the first frame, and channel detection can be indicated, that is, a special training frame does not need to be sent. The method can reduce the interaction process between nodes, avoid resource waste, and improve communication efficiency.

[0183] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments of the present application can be applied to the communication system shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the scenario where the transmitting device and the receiving device communicate.

[0184] It should also be understood that the embodiments shown below do not particularly limit the specific structure of the subject performing the method provided by the embodiments of the present application, as long as the subject can communicate according to the method provided by the embodiments of the present application by running the code or program recording the method provided by the embodiments of the present application. For example, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be performed by the first node and the second node. In the present application, the "node" can refer to a communication device (for example, a transmitting device), a component in the communication device (for example, a communication module, a processor, a circuit, a chip (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a SoC chip or a SIP chip containing a modem core), or a chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the communication device.

[0185] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a method of power line communication provided by the embodiments of the present application. As shown in FIG. 5, the method 500 includes the following steps.

[0186] S510, the first node sends a first frame to the second node;

[0187] Correspondingly, the second node receives the first frame from the first node.

[0188] Exemplarily, the first frame includes at least one of the following: a data frame, a beacon frame, a proxy beacon frame, or other frame structures, which are not limited. The beacon frame and the proxy beacon frame can be periodically transmitted, for example, the first node periodically transmits the beacon frame or the proxy beacon frame in a broadcast or multicast manner; the data frame can be regarded as being transmitted by the first node in a unicast manner.

[0189] Specifically, the first frame can include a first training field TF and a first payload PL. The first training field is used for channel sounding, or in other words, for detecting the quality of the power line channel between the first node and the second node. The first payload is used to carry first service data, which is the service data that the first node actually needs to transmit to the second node, and can be referred to as valid data.

[0190] Exemplarily, the first training field occupies a full frequency band in which the first frame is located, for example, the full frequency band in domestic power line communication generally refers to 0-12MHz, so that the subsequent channel detection of the second node can obtain channel characteristics (for example, channel estimation value, attenuation information and signal-to-noise ratio on each sub-band, etc.) on the full frequency band, and then select better and more available sub-bands for data transmission, which can not only improve resource utilization, but also ensure transmission performance.

[0191] Specifically, the first frame further includes a first frame control FC. The first frame control includes first indication information, which indicates that the first frame includes the first training field, or in other words, the first indication information indicates that the first training field exists or is carried in the first frame.

[0192] It can be understood that the first frame control can be located before the first training field and / or the first payload area in the time domain. For example, the second node can determine that the first frame carries the first training field by receiving and analyzing the first frame control, and then can perform channel detection based on the known data on the subcarriers of the first training field to determine the channel characteristics. In this implementation manner, the second node can perform channel detection by receiving the first frame, and at the same time, can analyze the first payload area to obtain the first service data, thereby avoiding unnecessary resource waste.

[0193] Exemplarily, the first training field includes a first additional training field eTF or a first wideband training field wTF.

[0194] For example, if the first training field is the first wideband training field, it indicates that the first indication information in the first frame control indicates that the first frame includes a wideband training field, rather than a regular training field (for example, TF in (b) of FIG. 4). It can be understood that the bandwidth of the first wideband training field is greater than the bandwidth of the first payload area, or the bandwidth of the first wideband training field is equal to the full frequency band in which the first frame is located.

[0195] For example, if the first training field is the first additional training field, it indicates that the first indication information in the first frame control indicates that the first frame includes an additional training field, and at this time, the first frame can further include a regular training field (for example, TF in (b) of FIG. 4). It can be understood that the bandwidth of the first wideband training field is greater than the bandwidth of the first payload area, or the bandwidth of the first wideband training field is equal to the full frequency band in which the first frame is located. The bandwidth of the regular training field in the first frame is equal to the bandwidth of the payload area, that is, the bandwidth of the regular training field is less than the full frequency band occupied by the first frame.

[0196] It can be understood that the regular training field is relative to the wideband training field, and the bandwidth of the regular training field is less than the bandwidth of the first wideband training field.

[0197] The form and size of the first indication information are not limited. For example, the first indication information occupies 1 bit. Bit "1" indicates that the first frame includes the first training field, i.e., instructs the second node to perform channel sounding. Bit "0" indicates that the first frame does not include the first training field, i.e., instructs the second node not to perform channel sounding. Conversely, bit "0" indicates that the first frame includes the first training field, i.e., instructs the second node to perform channel sounding. Bit "1" indicates that the first frame does not include the first training field, i.e., instructs the second node not to perform channel sounding.

[0198] It can be understood that if the first indication information is not carried in the FC in the frame structure, it can also be understood that the second node does not need to perform channel sounding.

[0199] Specifically, the first frame can further include a first frame control FC. The first frame control can further include second indication information, which indicates that the first frame includes the first training field, or the second indication information indicates that the first frame includes the first training field and a regular training field. For example, the first training field is a first additional training field, and the second indication information indicates that the first frame further includes a regular training field. For another example, the first training field is a first wideband training field, and the second indication information indicates that the first frame does not include a regular training field.

[0200] For example, if the first training field is a first wideband training field, it indicates that the second indication information in the first frame control can indicate that the first frame includes the first training field, i.e., the first frame does not include a regular training field.

[0201] For example, if the first training field is a first additional training field, it indicates that the second indication information in the first frame control can indicate that the first frame includes the first training field and a regular training field.

[0202] The form and size of the second indication information are not limited. For example, the second indication information occupies 1 bit. Bit "1" indicates that the first frame includes a regular training field, which means that the first frame further includes a first additional training field, which can be determined by the first indication information. Bit "0" indicates that the first frame does not include a regular training field, which means that the first frame further includes a first wideband training field. Conversely, bit "0" indicates that the first frame includes a regular training field, and bit "1" indicates that the first frame does not include a regular training field.

[0203] It can be understood that if the second indication information is not carried in the FC in the frame structure, it can also be understood that the second node does not need to perform channel sounding.

[0204] Specifically, the first frame can further comprise a preamble, which is mainly used for helping the receiving end to accurately identify the starting position of the signal in the process of digital signal transmission, facilitating the receiving end to decode the signal, so as to ensure the accurate transmission of the signal.

[0205] The present application does not limit the size and location of the time-frequency domain resources occupied by the first training field and the first payload area.

[0206] As an example, the first training field occupies a first time unit, and the first payload area occupies a second time unit. The first time unit can be located before the second time unit, or the first time unit can also be located after the second time unit. For example, the first frame occupies 0-10 ms, the first training field occupies the 5th ms, and the first payload area occupies the 10th ms; or the first frame occupies 0-10 ms, the first payload area occupies the 8th ms, and the first training field occupies the 10th ms.

[0207] As an example, the first training field occupies a first frequency domain unit, and the first payload area occupies a second frequency domain unit. The first frequency domain unit and the second frequency domain unit are different, for example, the first frequency domain unit contains the second frequency domain unit. Alternatively, the frequency band occupied by the first payload area can be part of the frequency band occupied by the first training field. This part can be a frequency band with smaller attenuation, or a frequency band with better channel quality. For example, the first frame occupies 0-12 MHz, the first training field occupies 0-12 MHz, and the first payload area occupies 0-8 MHz.

[0208] In the present application, the payload area (for example, the first payload area or the third payload area) can also be replaced by payload, payload field, payload area, payload field, payload field, etc. The training field (for example, the first training field or the third training field) can also be replaced by training field, training area, channel sounding field, or channel sounding field, etc. The specific name is not limited.

[0209] The present application does not limit the form of the first node and the second node.

[0210] For example, the first node can be a CCO, and the second node can be a PCO or a STA; for another example, the first node can be a PCO, and the second node can be a STA or a PCO; for another example, the first node can be a PCO, and the second node can be a STA; for another example, the first node can be a STA, and the second node can be a STA, etc.

[0211] Next, in combination with FIG. 6, the frame structure of the first frame will be described by way of example.

[0212] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a frame structure of the first frame according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in (a) of FIG. 6, the frame structure includes a preamble, a FC (i.e., a first frame control), a TF (i.e., a conventional training field), a PL (i.e., a first payload area), and an eTF (i.e., a first training field, e.g., a first extra training field). The preamble and the FC occupy the same basic frequency band, which can be understood as a default working frequency band of the network. The TF and the PL occupy the same service frequency band, which can be understood as a recommended service frequency band obtained by the first node. The TF carries data known by the first node and the second node, and the PL carries first service data, i.e., service data that the first node actually needs to transmit to the second node. The eTF can be regarded as a section of TF training symbols added at the tail of the first frame, and is used for channel sounding. The eTF occupies the full frequency band of the first frame, so that channel characteristics on the full frequency band can be obtained in channel sounding.

[0213] As shown in (b) of FIG. 6, the frame structure includes a preamble, a FC (i.e., a first frame control), a wTF (i.e., a first training field, e.g., a first wideband training field), and a PL (i.e., a first payload area). The preamble and the FC occupy the same basic frequency band, and the PL occupies a service frequency band, e.g., a recommended service frequency band. The PL carries first service data, i.e., service data that the first node actually needs to transmit to the second node. The wTF can be regarded as an extension of the conventional TF to the full frequency band of the first frame, so that channel characteristics on the full frequency band can be obtained in channel sounding.

[0214] It can be seen that the size of the service frequency band is greater than the size of the basic frequency band. The recommended service frequency band can be predefined or preconfigured, or can be obtained after the last channel sounding, which can be understood as the last channel sounding before the first frame is transmitted.

[0215] It should be noted that whether the eTF or the wTF is included in the frame structure transmitted between the first node and the second node depends on whether channel sounding is needed at present. If the first node determines to perform channel sounding, the frame structure (e.g., the first frame) transmitted by the first node to the second node carries the eTF. For example, 1 bit of indication information (i.e., first indication information) can be carried in the FC of the first frame, to indicate that the first training field is carried in the first frame, or to indicate that the second node performs channel sounding.

[0216] For the specific implementation of the step S510 in which the first node transmits the first frame to the second node, the following example is included but not limited to.

[0217] In one implementation, the first node transmits the first frame to the second node according to the second communication parameter.

[0218] It can be understood that the second communication parameter refers to a recommended service frequency band obtained by the first node. The recommended service frequency band can be predefined or preconfigured, or can also be obtained after the last channel detection, where the last time can be understood as the last channel detection before the first frame is sent.

[0219] Exemplarily, the second communication parameter includes at least one of the following: a second transmission power, a second sub-frequency band, a second MCS, a second number of streams, or a second TxBF matrix, and the specific meanings are as follows.

[0220] (1) The second transmission power;

[0221] The transmission power of the frame refers to the power used by the data frame during data transmission. The control of such power is crucial for ensuring the efficiency, reliability and network performance of data transmission. Generally, the higher the transmission power, the farther the transmission distance. The transmission power of the first frame is the second transmission power. For example, the transmission power of the first frame is not more than -41.3 decibels per milliwatt per megahertz (dBm / Mhz).

[0222] (2) The second sub-frequency band;

[0223] The frequency band occupied by the first payload area can be part or all of the second sub-frequency band, for example, the second sub-frequency band is 0-8MHz. The second sub-frequency band can be a frequency band with less attenuation, or a frequency band with better channel quality. That is, the recommended second sub-frequency band has less attenuation, which is conducive to the success of communication between nodes and ensures transmission performance.

[0224] (3) The second MCS;

[0225] The MCS format corresponds to the modulation order and the coding rate. The second MCS can be understood as the modulation order and / or coding rate recommended by the second node, that is, the modulation order and / or coding rate of the first frame.

[0226] The modulation order represents the amount of information that can be transmitted per symbol in the communication. For example, binary phase shift keying (BPSK) represents that each symbol can carry 1 bit of information, quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) represents that each symbol can carry 2 bits of information, and 16-quadrature amplitude modulation (16QAM) represents that each symbol can carry 4 bits of information. For example, under a 20MHz bandwidth, the coding rate corresponding to the MCS includes at least one of 6.5 megabytes per second (Mb / s), 13 Mb / s, 19.5 Mb / s, 26 Mb / s, 39 Mb / s, 52 Mb / s, 58.5 Mb / s, or 65 Mb / s, etc. Under a 40MHz bandwidth, the coding rate is higher, including at least one of 13.5 Mb / s, 27 Mb / s, 40.5 Mb / s, 54 Mb / s, 81 Mb / s, 90 Mb / s, 108 Mb / s, or 121.5 Mb / s, etc. A higher modulation order means that each symbol can carry more information, and a higher coding rate means that the number of bits transmitted per second is greater, so the transmission rate is higher. Exemplarily, the recommended second MCS can include 16QAM and 108 Mb / s, so that the receiving end (e.g., the first node) can successfully demodulate, and not be too robust to cause waste of communication resources, thereby improving resource utilization.

[0227] (4) the second stream number;

[0228] The second stream number can be understood as the number of independent data streams that the second node recommends the first node to send simultaneously. Generally, when both the transmitting end and the receiving end are three-phase electricity meters, the second stream number can be greater than 1, otherwise, the second stream number is equal to 1.

[0229] (5) the second TxBF matrix;

[0230] The second TxBF matrix can be understood as the sending beam that the second node recommends the first node. That is, the recommended second TxBF matrix can improve the communication success rate between nodes.

[0231] It can be understood that before the first node sends the first frame to the second node according to the second communication parameter, the first node acquires the second communication parameter, and the specific acquisition manner is not limited. Exemplarily, the second communication parameter can be predefined or preconfigured, or the second communication parameter can also be indicated or configured by the second node through signaling. For example, before the first frame is sent, the first node sends other frames (for example, the type of frame structure can be the frame structure as shown in (a) of FIG. 4, or the frame structure as shown in FIG. 6) to the second node for requesting channel sounding. Correspondingly, the second node determines the second communication parameter after the channel sounding, and feeds back the second communication parameter to the first node. For brevity, the specific implementation manner can refer to the related description of FIG. 3.

[0232] In another implementation manner, the first node sends the first frame to the second node in a case where a first condition (or a trigger condition) is met, or in other words, the first node requests the second node to perform channel sounding in a case where the first condition is met.

[0233] Exemplarily, the first condition includes at least one of the following:

[0234] (1) The use time of the second communication parameter reaches a preset time. For example, the preset time is 12 hours.

[0235] (2) The use frequency of the second communication parameter reaches a preset frequency. For example, the preset frequency is 10 times.

[0236] (3) The channel quality corresponding to the second communication parameter is less than a first threshold.

[0237] It can be understood that the current channel quality is poor, and the transmission performance between the first node and the second node is poor.

[0238] The channel quality can include at least one of the following: signal strength, attenuation degree, packet loss rate, signal-to-noise ratio, etc. of the current channel. Among them, the signal-to-noise ratio represents the strength of the signal carrying the information of interest relative to the noise, and a higher signal-to-noise ratio means better channel quality, while a low signal-to-noise ratio can cause data packet loss, data corruption or communication interruption. A lower attenuation degree means better channel quality, while a high attenuation degree can cause data packet loss, data corruption or communication interruption.

[0239] (4) No ACK is received when service data is sent using the second communication parameter;

[0240] (5) NACK is received when service data is sent using the second communication parameter;

[0241] It can be understood that, the ACK is not received when the service data is sent using the second communication parameter, or the NACK is received when the service data is sent using the second communication parameter, which can indicate that the current channel quality is poor, and the transmission performance between the first node and the second node is poor.

[0242] The second communication parameter can be predefined or preconfigured, or the second communication parameter can be a communication parameter obtained by the second node last time when performing channel sounding before the first node sends the first frame.

[0243] It can be understood that, at least one of the first condition, the preset time, the preset number of times, and the first threshold value can be predefined or preconfigured, or can be indicated or configured by the network side through signaling, which is not limited. The predefinition can include predefinition, such as protocol definition, and the preconfiguration can be realized by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, functions, texts, strings, or other information (such as at least one of the first condition, the preset time, the preset number of times, and the first threshold value) that can indicate relevant information at the first node and / or the second node, and the specific implementation manner is not limited in the present application.

[0244] Optionally, the second node determines the first communication parameter after receiving the first frame, that is, the method 500 further includes step S520.

[0245] S520, the second node determines the first communication parameter according to the first frame.

[0246] In an implementation manner, the second node determines the first channel feature according to the first training field in the first frame, and then determines the first communication parameter according to the first channel feature. For example, the first training field carries information known by the first node and the second node, and the second node parses and compares the information carried in the first training field with the known information after receiving the first frame from the first node, to evaluate the channel quality of the current channel, to obtain the first channel feature, and to determine the first communication parameter.

[0247] It can be understood that, the known information can be predefined or preconfigured, or configured by the network through signaling, which is not limited.

[0248] Exemplarily, the first communication parameter includes at least one of the following: a first transmission power, a first sub-frequency band, a first MCS, a first number of streams, or a first TxBF matrix, which is specifically explained as follows.

[0249] (1) the first transmission power;

[0250] The first transmission power is the transmission power of the second frame. For example, the transmission power of the second frame does not exceed -41.3 dBm / Mhz.

[0251] (2) first sub-band;

[0252] The first sub-band belongs to a full band where the first frame is located. The first sub-band can be one or more sub-bands in the full band. The second service data carried by the second frame occupies part or all of the first sub-band. For example, the first sub-band can include 2MHz-4MHz, 4MHz-7MHz, and 7MHz-12MHz.

[0253] It can be understood that the first sub-band can be one or more specific sub-bands selected by the second node from the full band occupied by the first frame to cope with different communication application scenarios. The first sub-band can be a sub-band with less attenuation, or in other words, a sub-band with better channel quality. That is, the recommended first sub-band has less attenuation, which is conducive to the success of communication between nodes and ensures transmission performance.

[0254] (3) first MCS;

[0255] The first MCS can be understood as the modulation order and / or coding rate recommended by the second node, that is, the modulation order and / or coding rate of the second frame. For example, the modulation order can include at least one of BPSK, QPSK, or 16QAM, and the coding rate can include at least one of 6.5Mb / s, 58.5Mb / s, or 65Mb / s. That is, the recommended first MCS can enable the receiving end (for example, the first node) to successfully demodulate, and not be too robust to cause waste of communication resources, thereby improving resource utilization.

[0256] (4) first stream number;

[0257] The first stream number can be understood as the number of independent data streams recommended by the second node for the first node to simultaneously send. Generally, when both the transmitting end and the receiving end are three-phase electricity meters, the first stream number can be greater than 1; otherwise, the first stream number is equal to 1.

[0258] (5) first TxBF matrix;

[0259] The first TxBF matrix can be understood as the transmission beam recommended by the second node for the first node. That is, the recommended first TxBF matrix can improve the success rate of communication between nodes.

[0260] Optionally, the channel quality corresponding to the first communication parameter is greater than or equal to a preset threshold.

[0261] Exemplarily, the first channel feature includes at least one of the following: a first channel estimation value, attenuation information corresponding to at least one sub-band, or a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) corresponding to at least one sub-band, and the at least one sub-band belongs to a full band where the first frame is located. The specific interpretation is as follows.

[0262] (1) first channel estimation value;

[0263] Channel estimation can be understood as a process in which the second node estimates model parameters of a certain assumed channel model from the received data. Channel estimation is a mathematical representation of the influence of the channel on the input signal, while a "good" channel estimation is an estimation algorithm that minimizes a certain estimation error. The present application does not make specific limitations on the specific channel estimation method. Through channel estimation, the second node can obtain the channel impulse response, thereby providing the required channel state information (CSI) for subsequent coherent demodulation.

[0264] The first channel estimation value is determined by the second node through channel sounding. Illustratively, the second node measures the received reference signal to obtain channel state information (CSI), which can include at least one of the following: pre-coding matrix indication (PMI), channel quantity indicator (CQI), rank indication (RI), or reference signal receiving power (RSRP), etc.

[0265] (2) attenuation information corresponding to at least one sub-band;

[0266] The attenuation in the present application can also be replaced by fading, and the specific name is not limited.

[0267] Fading (or attenuation) refers to the phenomenon that the amplitude of the received signal randomly changes due to changes in the channel, i.e., signal fading. The channel that causes signal fading is called a fading channel. The fading experienced by a signal through a mobile radio channel depends on the nature of the transmitted signal and the statistical properties of the multipath channel. Lower attenuation degree means better channel quality, while high attenuation degree can cause data packet loss, data corruption or communication interruption.

[0268] Illustratively, the second node can measure the attenuation information of the full frequency band where the first frame is located, for example, the full frequency band is 0-20MHz, which can be divided into multiple sub-bands, for example, 0-5MHz, 6-10MHz, 11-15MHz and 16-20MHz. Then the second node can perform channel detection on multiple sub-bands to obtain corresponding attenuation information, for example, including the decrease amplitude (or fast or slow) of the transmission power corresponding to the sub-band.

[0269] (3) signal-to-noise ratio corresponding to at least one sub-band;

[0270] The signal-to-noise ratio in the present application can also be replaced by a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio, with units of decibels (dB).

[0271] The signal-to-noise ratio can be understood as the ratio of the strength of the useful signal received by the second node to the strength of the received interference signal (noise and interference). A higher signal-to-noise ratio means better channel quality, while a low signal-to-noise ratio can result in data packet loss, data corruption, or communication interruption.

[0272] Exemplarily, the second node can perform signal-to-noise ratio measurement on the full frequency band where the first frame is located, for example, the full frequency band is 0-20MHz, which can be divided into multiple sub-frequency bands, for example, 0-5MHz, 6-10MHz, 11-15MHz and 16-20MHz, then the second node can perform channel detection on the multiple sub-frequency bands respectively to obtain the corresponding signal-to-noise ratios.

[0273] It can be understood that the first communication parameter determined by the second node through channel sounding has a channel quality greater than or equal to the first threshold, or in other words, the corresponding channel quality is good, the signal attenuation is weak, and the signal-to-noise ratio is high. Further, the transmission performance of the first node using the first communication parameter to send the second frame (e.g., carrying the second service data) is good.

[0274] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of channel sounding results provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in (a) of FIG. 7, the horizontal axis represents frequency and the vertical axis represents attenuation degree. Assuming that the first frame occupies the full frequency band, for example, 0-20MHz, the full frequency band is divided into multiple sub-frequency bands, i.e., each two dotted lines are regarded as a sub-frequency band, for example, the attenuation of the 3rd sub-frequency band and the 6th sub-frequency band is smaller, then the second node can recommend the 3rd sub-frequency band and the 6th sub-frequency band (i.e., there are two first sub-frequency bands) to the first node, which are used for the first node to send the second frame on the 3rd sub-frequency band and the 6th sub-frequency band in the future, so as to achieve the purpose of better utilizing the communication channel and improve the transmission performance.

[0275] As shown in (b) of FIG. 7, the horizontal axis represents frequency, and the vertical axis represents signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). For example, when the sub-band selected is 2MHz-4MHz, the corresponding SNR is between 5 and 20; when the sub-band selected is 4MHz-7MHz, the corresponding SNR is between 10 and 30; and when the sub-band selected is 7MHz-12MHz, the corresponding SNR is between 0 and 30. It can be seen that due to differences in wire routing and other factors, there are often significant differences in channel frequency-selective fading between communication nodes, which also causes significant differences in SNR capabilities of different carriers. Therefore, after channel sounding, the second node can determine that the first sub-band is 5MHz-7MHz, and the corresponding SNR is between 20 and 30. Then, the second node can recommend to the first node that the communication frequency band is 5MHz-7MHz, so that the first node transmits the second frame in the sub-band 5MHz-7MHz in the subsequent, so as to better utilize the communication channel and improve transmission performance.

[0276] S530, the second node sends the first channel sounding result to the first node;

[0277] Correspondingly, the first node receives the first channel sounding result from the second node.

[0278] The first channel sounding result includes a first communication parameter.

[0279] That is, the second node feeds back the first communication parameter obtained through channel sounding to the first node, so that the first node can use the first communication parameter to transmit the second frame to the second node in the subsequent, so as to better utilize the communication channel and improve transmission performance. Specifically, based on the obtained first communication parameter, the first node can determine at least one of the recommended first transmission power, the recommended first sub-band, the recommended first MCS, the recommended first number of streams, or the recommended first TxBF matrix recommended by the second node, and then use the first communication parameter to transmit the second frame to the second node. It can be understood that the transmission performance of the second frame is higher or not lower than that of the first frame.

[0280] Exemplarily, the second frame is used to carry second service data, which can be retransmitted first service data, or can be other service data, that is, the second service data can be the same as or different from the first service data, which is not limited.

[0281] Exemplarily, the frame structure type of the second frame can be the same as or different from that of the first frame, which is not limited. For example, the second frame can be a data frame, or a beacon frame, or a proxy beacon frame, or other frame structures. When the second frame is a data frame, the specific frame structure can be as shown in (b) of FIG. 4, which is not limited.

[0282] It can be understood that the above steps S510 to S530 are mainly for the first node to request the second node to perform channel sounding by sending the first frame, and to receive the first communication parameters recommended by the second node, and to send the second frame using the first communication parameters, so as to achieve the purpose of better utilizing the communication channel.

[0283] Optionally, the second node can also request the first node to perform channel sounding by sending the third frame, and then send the fourth frame using the third communication parameters recommended by the first node, so as to achieve the purpose of better utilizing the communication channel.

[0284] As an example, the method 500 further includes that the second node sends a third frame to the first node, correspondingly, the first node receives the third frame from the second node, and the first node performs channel sounding to obtain third channel characteristics, and determines third communication parameters according to the third channel characteristics, and then the first node sends the second node the second channel sounding result, the second channel sounding result including the third communication parameters. For the specific implementation of the channel sounding of the first node, please refer to the related description of the implementation of the channel sounding of the second node in the above step S520, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be described here.

[0285] Specifically, the third frame includes a third training field and a third payload area. The third training field is used for channel sounding, or in other words, for detecting the quality of the power line channel between the second node and the first node. The third payload area is used to carry third service data, which is the service data that the second node really needs to transmit to the first node, and can be referred to as effective data.

[0286] For example, the third training field can occupy the full frequency band of the third frame, for example, 0-12MHz, so that the subsequent channel sounding of the first node can obtain the channel characteristics on the full frequency band, and then select better and more available sub-frequency bands for data transmission, which not only can improve the resource utilization, but also can guarantee the transmission performance.

[0287] Specifically, the third frame can also include a third frame control. The third frame control includes third indication information, which indicates that the third frame includes a third training field, or in other words, the third indication information indicates that the third training field exists or is carried in the third frame.

[0288] It can be understood that the third frame control can be located before the third training field and / or the third payload region in the time domain. For example, the first node can determine that the third frame carries the third training field by receiving and analyzing the third frame control, and then can perform channel sounding based on the known data on the subcarriers of the third training field to determine the channel characteristics (e.g., the attenuation information of the channel and / or the signal-to-noise ratio). In this implementation, the first node can perform channel sounding by receiving the third frame, and at the same time, can analyze the third payload region to obtain the third service data, thereby avoiding unnecessary waste of resources.

[0289] For example, the third training field includes a third additional training field or a third wideband training field.

[0290] The form and size of the third indication information are not limited. For example, the third indication information occupies 1 bit, and the bit "1" indicates that the third frame includes the third training field, i.e., instructs the first node to perform channel sounding, and the bit "0" indicates that the third frame does not include the third training field, i.e., instructs the first node not to perform channel sounding. Conversely, the bit "0" indicates that the third frame includes the third training field, i.e., instructs the first node to perform channel sounding, and the bit "1" indicates that the third frame does not include the third training field, i.e., instructs the first node not to perform channel sounding.

[0291] It can be understood that if the third indication information is not carried in the FC in the frame structure, it can also be understood that the first node does not need to perform channel sounding.

[0292] Specifically, the third frame can further include a third frame control. The third frame control can further include fourth indication information, which indicates that the third frame includes the third training field, or the fourth indication information indicates that the third frame includes the third training field and the regular training field. For example, the third training field is a third additional training field, and the fourth indication information indicates that the third frame further includes a regular training field; for another example, the third training field is a third wideband training field, and the fourth indication information indicates that the third frame does not include a regular training field.

[0293] The form and size of the fourth indication information are not limited. For example, the fourth indication information occupies 1 bit, and the bit "1" indicates that the third frame includes the regular training field, at this time it means that the third frame further includes the third additional training field, which can be determined by the third indication information, and the bit "0" indicates that the third frame does not include the regular training field, at this time the third frame further includes the third wideband training field. Conversely, the bit "0" indicates that the third frame includes the regular training field, and the bit "1" indicates that the third frame does not include the regular training field.

[0294] It can be understood that if the fourth indication information is not carried in the FC in the frame structure, it can also be understood that the first node does not need to perform channel sounding.

[0295] The size and location of the time-frequency domain resources occupied by the third training field and the third payload region are not limited, and specific examples can refer to the description of the size and location of the time-frequency domain resources occupied by the first training field and the first payload region. For brevity, the description is not repeated here.

[0296] Specifically, the third frame can further include a preamble, which is mainly used to help the receiving end accurately identify the starting position of the signal in the process of digital signal transmission, facilitate the receiving end to decode the signal, and thus ensure the accurate transmission of the signal.

[0297] Exemplarily, the third communication parameter includes at least one of the following: a third transmission power, a third sub-band, a third MCS, a third number of streams, or a third TxBF matrix. The third sub-band belongs to the full band in which the third frame is located, and specific interpretations can refer to the related description of the first communication parameter. For brevity, the description is not repeated here.

[0298] Exemplarily, the third channel feature includes at least one of the following: a third channel estimation value, attenuation information corresponding to at least one sub-band, or a signal-to-noise ratio corresponding to at least one sub-band. The at least one sub-band belongs to the full band in which the third frame is located, and specific interpretations can refer to the related description of the first channel feature. For brevity, the description is not repeated here.

[0299] Optionally, the channel quality corresponding to the third communication parameter is greater than or equal to the second threshold.

[0300] It can be understood that the third communication parameter determined by the first node through channel detection has a channel quality greater than or equal to the second threshold, or in other words, the channel quality is good, the signal attenuation is weak, and the signal-to-noise ratio is high. Further, the transmission performance of the fourth frame (e.g., carrying the fourth service data) sent by the second node using the third communication parameter is good.

[0301] For example, based on the obtained third communication parameter, the second node can determine at least one of the recommended third transmission power, the recommended third sub-band, the recommended third MCS, the recommended third number of streams, or the recommended third TxBF matrix recommended by the first node, and then use the third communication parameter to send the fourth frame to the first node. It can be understood that the transmission performance of the fourth frame is higher or in other words not lower than that of the third frame.

[0302] Optionally, the present application does not limit whether the second node sends the third frame and the first channel sounding result at the same time. For example, the second node can send the third frame to the first node for requesting the first node to perform channel sounding while feeding back the first channel sounding result in step S530. For another example, the second node can send the first channel sounding result first, and then send the third frame to the first node. For another example, the second node can send the third frame first, and then send the first channel sounding result to the first node, and so on.

[0303] Optionally, the present application does not limit whether the first node sends the second frame and the second channel sounding result at the same time. For example, the first node can send the second frame to the second node for transmitting the second service data while feeding back the second channel sounding result. For another example, the first node can send the second channel sounding result first, and then send the second frame to the second node. For another example, the first node can send the second frame first, and then send the second channel sounding result to the second node, and so on.

[0304] Based on the above scheme, the frame structure of the first frame is designed, the first frame includes the first training field and the first payload area, the first node can not only transmit the first service data by sending the first frame, but also instruct the second node to perform channel sounding to obtain the first communication parameter for subsequent frame sending, so as to ensure the service transmission performance. The implementation manner does not need to send a special training frame, that is, channel sounding can be instructed, which can reduce the interaction process between nodes, avoid resource waste, and improve communication efficiency.

[0305] It should be understood that the size of the serial number of the above processes does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of the processes should be determined according to their functions and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0306] It should also be understood that the present application will present various aspects, embodiments or features around a system that can include a plurality of devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that each system can include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or can not include all the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in connection with the drawings. In addition, combinations of these schemes can also be used.

[0307] It should also be understood that in some embodiments described above, devices in existing network architectures are mainly exemplarily illustrated (for example, the first node or the second node, etc.), and it should be understood that the specific form of the device is not limited by the embodiments of the present application. For example, devices that can implement the same function in the future are also applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0308] It can be understood that the methods and operations realized by the devices in the above-mentioned various method embodiments can also be realized by components (for example, chips or circuits) of the devices.

[0309] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail above in combination with FIG. 1 to FIG. 7. The above communication method is mainly introduced from the perspective of the interaction between the first node and the second node. It can be understood that the first node and the second node contain the hardware structure and / or software module for executing the respective functions in order to realize the above functions.

[0310] Those skilled in the art should understand that each example unit and algorithm step described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is realized in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to realize the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0311] The communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below in combination with FIG. 8 to FIG. 10. The description of the device embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments, and therefore, the content not described in detail can be referred to the above method embodiments, and part of the content will not be described again for the sake of brevity.

[0312] The embodiments of the present application can divide the functional modules of the communication device according to the above method examples, for example, each functional module can be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated in one processing module. The above integrated module can be realized in the form of hardware, or in the form of software functional module, or in the combination of software and hardware. The division of the modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division, and another division mode can be used in actual implementation. The following takes the example of dividing each functional module corresponding to each function.

[0313] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a communication device 800 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 800 includes a transceiver unit 810. The transceiver unit 810 can be used to realize the corresponding communication function. The transceiver unit 810 can also be referred to as a communication interface, a communication unit, a communication module, a transceiver module, a transceiver, a transceiver, a transceiver unit, or a transceiver device, etc. Optionally, the transceiver unit 810 is used to execute the sending operation and the receiving operation of the first node and the second node in the above method, and the device used to realize the receiving function in the transceiver unit 810 can be regarded as a receiving unit, and the device used to realize the sending function in the transceiver unit 810 can be regarded as a sending unit, that is, the transceiver unit 810 includes a receiving unit and a sending unit.

[0314] Optionally, the device 800 can also include a storage unit, which can be used to store instructions and / or data.

[0315] Optionally, the apparatus 800 further includes a processing unit 820, which can read instructions and / or data in the storage unit to cause the apparatus to implement the aforementioned method embodiments. The processing unit 820 can also be referred to as a processor, a processing board, a processing module, or a processing apparatus, etc.

[0316] In a first possible design of the apparatus 800, the apparatus 800 can be the first node in the aforementioned embodiments, and the apparatus 800 can implement the steps or procedures performed by the first node in the above method embodiments. In this case, the transceiver 810 can be configured to perform the transceiving-related operations (e.g., operations of transmitting and / or receiving data or messages) of the first node in the above method embodiments, and the processing unit 820 can be configured to perform the processing-related operations or operations other than transceiving (e.g., operations other than transmitting and / or receiving data or messages) of the first node in the above method embodiments.

[0317] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 810 is configured to transmit a first frame, the first frame including a first training field and a first payload region, the first payload region configured to carry first service data, and the first training field configured for channel sounding; and the transceiver 810 is further configured to receive a first channel sounding result, the first channel sounding result including first communication parameters determined according to the first frame.

[0318] In a possible design, the transceiver 810 is further configured to transmit a second frame according to the first communication parameters.

[0319] In a possible design, the first communication parameters include at least one of the following: a first transmit power, a first sub-frequency band, a first MCS, a first number of streams, or a first TxBF matrix; and the first sub-frequency band belongs to a full frequency band in which the first frame is located.

[0320] In a possible design, the first frame further includes a first frame control, and the first frame control includes first indication information indicating that the first frame includes the first training field.

[0321] In a possible design, the first training field includes a first additional training field or a first wideband training field.

[0322] In a possible design, the first training field occupies a first time unit, and the first payload region occupies a second time unit; and the first time unit is located before the second time unit, or the first time unit is located after the second time unit.

[0323] In a possible design, the first frame includes at least one of the following: a data frame; a beacon frame; or a proxy beacon frame.

[0324] In a possible design, the processing unit 820 is configured to obtain a second communication parameter, the second communication parameter comprising at least one of a second transmit power, a second sub-frequency band, a second MCS, a second number of streams, or a second TxBF matrix; and the transceiver 810 is further configured to transmit the first frame according to the second communication parameter.

[0325] In a possible design, the transceiver 810 is further configured to receive a third frame, the third frame comprising a third training field and a third payload field, the third payload field being configured to carry third service data, and the third training field being configured to perform channel sounding; and the transceiver 810 is further configured to transmit a second channel sounding result, the second channel sounding result comprising a third communication parameter, the third communication parameter being determined according to the third frame.

[0326] In a possible design, the transceiver 810 is further configured to receive a fourth frame according to the third communication parameter.

[0327] In a second possible design, the apparatus 800 can be the second node in the foregoing embodiments, and the apparatus 800 can implement steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the second node in the foregoing method embodiments. The transceiver 810 can be configured to perform operations related to transceiving (such as operations of transmitting and / or receiving data or messages) of the second node in the foregoing method embodiments, and the processing unit 820 can be configured to perform operations related to processing of the second node in the foregoing method embodiments, or operations other than transceiving (such as operations other than transmitting and / or receiving data or messages).

[0328] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 810 is configured to receive a first frame, the first frame comprising a first training field and a first payload field, the first payload field being configured to carry first service data, and the first training field being configured to perform channel sounding; and the transceiver 810 is further configured to transmit a first channel sounding result, the first channel sounding result comprising a first communication parameter, the first communication parameter being determined according to the first frame.

[0329] In a possible design, the transceiver 810 is further configured to receive a second frame according to the first communication parameter.

[0330] In a possible design, the first communication parameter comprises at least one of a first transmit power, a first sub-frequency band, a first MCS, a first number of streams, or a first TxBF matrix; and the first sub-frequency band belongs to a full frequency band in which the first frame is located.

[0331] In a possible design, the first frame further comprises a first frame control, and the first frame control comprises first indication information, the first indication information indicating that the first frame comprises the first training field.

[0332] In a possible design, the first training field comprises a first additional training field or a first wideband training field.

[0333] In a possible design, the first training field occupies a first time unit, and the first payload occupies a second time unit; the first time unit is located before the second time unit, or the first time unit is located after the second time unit.

[0334] In a possible design, the first frame includes at least one of the following: a data frame; a beacon frame; or a proxy beacon frame.

[0335] In a possible design, the transceiver 810 is further configured to send a second communication parameter, where the second communication parameter includes at least one of the following: a second transmit power, a second sub-frequency band, a second MCS, a second number of streams, or a second TxBF matrix; and the transceiver 810 is further configured to receive the first frame according to the second communication parameter.

[0336] In a possible design, the transceiver 810 is further configured to send a third frame, where the third frame includes a third training field and a third payload, the third payload is used to carry third service data, and the third training field is used for channel sounding; and the transceiver 810 is further configured to receive a second channel sounding result, where the second channel sounding result includes a third communication parameter, and the third communication parameter is determined according to the third frame.

[0337] In a possible design, the transceiver 810 is further configured to send a fourth frame according to the third communication parameter.

[0338] It should be understood that the specific process in which each unit performs the corresponding steps described above has been described in detail in the method embodiments described above, and thus will not be repeated here for brevity.

[0339] It should also be understood that the apparatus 800 is embodied in the form of functional units. The term “unit” herein can refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (for example, a shared processor, a dedicated processor, or a group processor, etc.) and a memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, a combination of logical circuit and / or other suitable components supporting the described functions. In an optional example, those skilled in the art can understand that the apparatus 800 can be embodied as the communication apparatus in the above embodiments, and can be used to execute the processes and / or steps corresponding to the communication apparatus in each of the above method embodiments. To avoid repetition, details will not be repeated here.

[0340] The apparatus 800 of each of the above-mentioned solutions has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the communication device (e.g., the first node, or the second node) in the above-mentioned methods. The function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-mentioned functions; for example, the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transceiver (e.g., the transmitting unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as the processing unit, can be replaced by a processor, which respectively performs the transceiving operation and the related processing operation in each method embodiment.

[0341] In addition, the transceiver unit 810 can also be a transceiver circuit (e.g., which can include a receiving circuit and a transmitting circuit), and the processing unit can be a processing circuit.

[0342] It should be noted that the apparatus in FIG. 8 can be a communication device (e.g., the first node, or the second node) in the above-mentioned embodiments, or a chip or a chip system, such as a system on chip (SoC). The transceiver unit can be an input / output circuit or a communication interface, and the processing unit can be a processor or a microprocessor integrated on the chip or an integrated circuit. In this regard, no limitation is made.

[0343] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of another communication apparatus 900 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The apparatus 900 includes a transceiver 930, which is configured to receive and / or send signals.

[0344] Optionally, the apparatus 900 further includes a processor 910 and / or a memory 920. The processor 910 is configured to control the transceiver 930 to receive and / or send signals. The memory 920 is configured to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 910 is configured to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 920, or read the data stored in the memory 920, to perform the methods in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0345] Optionally, the processor 910 is one or more.

[0346] Optionally, the memory 920 is one or more.

[0347] Optionally, the memory 920 and the processor 910 are integrated together, or are separately arranged.

[0348] For example, the processor 910 can have the function of the processing unit 820 shown in FIG. 8, the memory 920 can have the function of a storage unit, and the transceiver 930 can have the function of the transceiver unit 810 shown in FIG. 8.

[0349] As a solution, the apparatus 900 is configured to implement operations performed by a communication apparatus (e.g., the first node, or the second node) in the above various method embodiments.

[0350] For example, the processor 910 is configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 920 to implement the related operations of the communication apparatus in the above various method embodiments.

[0351] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be a central processing unit (CPU), and can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor.

[0352] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM) or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM). For example, the RAM can be used as an external cache. As an example but not limitation, the RAM includes the following various forms: static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM) and direct memory bus random access memory (DRAM).

[0353] It is noted that the memory (storage module) can be integrated in the processor when the processor is a general processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a FPGA or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component.

[0354] It is also noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but not limited to, these and any other suitable type of memory.

[0355] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip system 1000 (or also referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 1010 and an input / output interface 1020.

[0356] The logic circuit 1010 can be a processing circuit in the chip system 1000. The logic circuit 1010 can be coupled to a storage unit, and invoke instructions in the storage unit, so that the chip system 1000 can implement the methods and functions of the embodiments of the present application. The input / output interface 1020 can be an input / output circuit in the chip system 1000, and output information processed by the chip system 1000, or input data or signaling information to be processed by the chip system 1000.

[0357] As an option, the chip system 1000 is configured to implement operations performed by a communication device (e.g., the first node, or the second node) in the above method embodiments.

[0358] For example, the logic circuit 1010 is configured to implement processing-related operations performed by a communication device (e.g., the first node, or the second node) in the above method embodiments; and the input / output interface 1020 is configured to implement sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by a communication device (e.g., the first node, or the second node) in the above method embodiments.

[0359] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program or instructions for implementing the method performed by the device in the above method embodiments. For example, the computer program is executed by a computer, so that the computer can implement the method performed by the first node or the second node in the above method embodiments.

[0360] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product containing instructions, which are executed by a computer to implement the method performed by the first node or the second node in the above method embodiments.

[0361] The embodiments of the present application also provide a communication system including the above-mentioned first node and / or the second node.

[0362] The explanations and beneficial effects of the related content in any one of the above provided devices can refer to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0363] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are executed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. A person skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0364] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of the description, the specific working processes of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0365] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described device embodiments are only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0366] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separated, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place, or can be distributed on a plurality of network units. According to actual needs, part or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of the embodiment.

[0367] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0368] If the functions are implemented in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application essentially or the parts that contribute to the prior art or parts of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a plurality of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various media that can store program codes.

[0369] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of power line communication, characterized by, The method comprises: sending a first frame, the first frame comprising a first training field and a first payload area, the first payload area being used to carry first service data, and the first training field being used for channel sounding; receiving a first channel sounding result, the first channel sounding result comprising first communication parameters determined according to the first frame.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: sending a second frame according to the first communication parameters.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first communication parameters comprise at least one of the following: a first transmission power, a first sub-frequency band, a first modulation and coding scheme (MCS), a first number of streams, or a first transmit beamforming (TxBF) matrix. The first sub-frequency band belongs to a full frequency band in which the first frame is located.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first frame further comprises a first frame control, and the first frame control comprises first indication information indicating that the first frame comprises the first training field.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The first training field comprises a first additional training field or a first wideband training field.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The first training field occupies the full frequency band in which the first frame is located.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The first frame comprises at least one of the following: a data frame; a beacon frame; or a proxy beacon frame.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, Before sending the first frame, the method further comprises: obtaining second communication parameters comprising at least one of the following: a second transmission power, a second sub-frequency band, a second MCS, a second number of streams, or a second TxBF matrix; The sending of the first frame comprises: sending the first frame according to the second communication parameters.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The method further comprises: receiving a third frame, the third frame comprising a third training field and a third payload area, the third payload area being used to carry third service data, and the third training field being used for channel sounding; sending a second channel sounding result, the second channel sounding result comprising third communication parameters determined according to the third frame.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The third frame further comprises a third frame control, and the third frame control comprises third indication information indicating that the third frame comprises the third training field.

11. A method of power line communication, characterized by, The method comprises: receiving a first frame, the first frame comprising a first training field and a first payload area, the first payload area being used to carry first service data, and the first training field being used for channel sounding; sending a first channel sounding result, the first channel sounding result comprising first communication parameters determined according to the first frame.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving a second frame according to the first communication parameters.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The first communication parameters comprise at least one of the following: a first transmission power, a first sub-frequency band, a first modulation and coding scheme (MCS), a first number of streams, or a first transmit beamforming (TxBF) matrix. The first sub-frequency band belongs to a full frequency band in which the first frame is located.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that, The first frame further comprises a first frame control, and the first frame control comprises first indication information indicating that the first frame comprises the first training field.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that, The first training field comprises a first additional training field or a first wideband training field.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that, The first training field occupies the full frequency band in which the first frame is located.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that, The first frame comprises at least one of the following: a data frame; a beacon frame; or a proxy beacon frame.

18. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, characterized in that, Before receiving the first frame, the method further includes: sending a second communication parameter, the second communication parameter including at least one of a second transmit power, a second sub-band, a second MCS, a second number of streams, or a second TxBF matrix; wherein the receiving the first frame includes: receiving the first frame according to the second communication parameter.

19. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 18, characterized in that, The method further includes: sending a third frame, the third frame including a third training field and a third payload region, the third payload region being configured to carry third service data, and the third training field being configured for channel sounding; receiving a second channel sounding result, the second channel sounding result including a third communication parameter, the third communication parameter being determined according to the third frame.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein, The third frame further includes a third frame control, the third frame control including third indication information, the third indication information indicating that the third frame includes the third training field.

21. A first frame, comprising: including a first training field and a first payload region; wherein the first payload region is configured to carry first service data, and the first training field is configured for channel sounding.

22. The first frame of claim 21, wherein, The first frame includes at least one of: a data frame; a beacon frame; or a proxy beacon frame.

23. The first frame of any of claims 21 or 22, wherein, The first frame further includes a first frame control, the first frame control including first indication information, the first indication information indicating that the first frame includes the first training field.

24. The first frame according to any one of claims 21-23, wherein, The first training field includes a first additional training field or a first wideband training field.

25. The first frame according to any one of claims 21-24, wherein, The first training field occupies a full band in which the first frame is located.

26. A communications device, characterized by comprising a module or unit for implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 10, or a module or unit for implementing the method of any one of claims 11 to 20.

27. A communications device, characterized by comprising at least one processor configured to execute computer programs or instructions to cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 10 to be performed, or to cause the method of any one of claims 11 to 20 to be performed.

28. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium has stored thereon computer programs or instructions which, when executed, cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 10 to be performed, or cause the method of any one of claims 11 to 20 to be performed.

29. A computer program product, characterised in that, comprising instructions which, when executed, cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 10 to be performed, or cause the method of any one of claims 11 to 20 to be performed.

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