WO2023109553A1 - Communication system, communication method and communication apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of communications. Disclosed are a communication system, a communication method and a communication apparatus. By means of centralized decision-making of a control module, collaborative control between a plurality of reading modules or a plurality of relays can be realized, thereby improving the inventory efficiency. The specific scheme is: the communication system comprises: a control module, at least one reading module, at least one relay and at least one tag. The control module is used for sending to the reading module a first message, which comprises configuration parameters, an identifier of the reading module and an identifier of the relay, wherein the configuration parameters are used for configuring at least one of a beam and a first command, the beam being used for sending the first command, and the first command being used for querying or controlling the tag; the reading module is used for sending a second message to the relay according to the identifier of the relay, wherein the second message comprises a first parameter in the configuration parameters, which is used for configuring the beam; and the relay is used for configuring the beam according to the first parameter.

Description

A communication system, communication method and communication device

This application claims the priority of a Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on December 13, 2021, with application number 202111523280.0 and titled "A Communication System, Communication Method, and Communication Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference in this application.

technical field

The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of the Internet of Things, and in particular, to a communication system, a communication method, and a communication device.

Background technique

Radio frequency identification (radio-frequency identification, RFID) technology is a non-contact automatic identification technology, which can realize target identification and data exchange through wireless two-way communication. RFID tags include active RFID tags, passive RFID tags and semi-active RFID tags. Among them, the passive RFID tag does not contain a battery, and it supplies power to itself by collecting wireless energy (ultra high frequency (UHF) frequency band is generally about 860-960MHz). At present, passive RFID tags are widely used in warehousing, logistics, stores and other scenarios due to their small size, low cost, and long life, for asset inventory, identification, and tracking.

Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an RFID system, as shown in Figure 1, the reader can send a continuous wave (continuous wave, CW) signal to the RFID tag, the CW signal can provide energy for the RFID tag, and the RFID tag passes through the reflective reader Provides a carrier signal to modulate the information. The reader requests the data stored in the tag by transmitting a wireless signal. After the tag receives the signal, it sends the data stored in the tag chip to the reader through the wireless signal of the backscatter reader, so as to realize the query, inventory and positioning of the tag .

In the RFID system, due to the serious multipath effect in the indoor scene (multipath effect means that after the electromagnetic wave propagates through different paths, the components of each path arrive at the receiving end at different times, and interfere with each other according to their respective phases), resulting in reading The radio frequency signal of the device will have a certain energy hole in the space. At present, when inventorying tags, each reading module can adjust the phase through a fixed combination of phase parameters to change the energy distribution in space. However, in the prior art, each reading module adjusts the phase independently, so the adjustment capability is limited. Moreover, the combination of phase parameters in the prior art is fixed, so it cannot adapt to changes in the environment, which will cause many RFID tags in the RFID system that cannot be read by the reader, resulting in low inventory efficiency.

Contents of the invention

The embodiments of the present application provide a communication system, a communication method, and a communication device. Through the centralized decision-making of the control module, coordinated control between multiple reading modules or multiple repeaters can be realized, and inventory efficiency can be improved.

According to a first aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a communication system is provided, and the communication system includes: a control module, at least one repeater, at least one reading module, and at least one tag. The control module is configured to send a first message to the reading module, the first message includes a configuration parameter and an identification of the reading module, the configuration parameter is used to configure at least one of beam or first command, and the beam is used to send the first command , the first command is used to query or control tags. The reading module is configured to send a second message to the repeater according to the repeater identifier, the second message includes the first parameter in the configuration parameters, and the first parameter is used to configure the beam. The repeater is configured to configure the beam according to the first parameter.

The above-mentioned control module may be a software module or a hardware module. The control module and the at least one reading module may be deployed in different devices, or may be deployed in the same device as one of the at least one reading module. The reading module is used to perform the function of a reader. When the control module and a reading module are integrated into one device, the device can be a reader, that is, the reader can include both the reading module and the control module. When the control module and the reading module are deployed in different devices, the reading module can be a reader, and the control module can be deployed in devices such as servers or clouds.

The configuration parameter may be used to configure the beam, may also be used to configure the first command, and may also be used to configure the beam and the first command. The beam may be a beam formed by modulating a signal on a carrier. Configuring a beam includes configuring a carrier and/or configuring a signal modulated on a carrier.

Based on this solution, by setting up a control module in the system, the control module can make centralized decisions and issue configuration parameters to each reading module in the system. Multiple repeaters can configure beams according to the first parameter in the configuration parameters, which can Realize coordinated control among multiple repeaters. When multiple repeaters are included in the communication system, the centralized control of the control module can adapt to complex environmental changes. By changing the energy distribution in the space, the probability of energy holes appearing in the same time is reduced, so that there are fewer blind spots, which can improve The effective coverage of the reader improves inventory efficiency.

With reference to the first aspect above, in a possible implementation manner, the reading module is further configured to send a first command to the tag through a repeater based on a second parameter in the configuration parameter, and the second parameter is used to configure the first Order. The repeater is also used for receiving the first command, generating a beam, and sending the beam to the tag. The tag is used for sending a response signal to the reading module in response to the first command.

Optionally, the reading module may send the first command and the second message separately, or carry the first command in the second message and send it to the repeater. In some examples, the reading module may send the second message including the first parameter to the repeater once, and perform inventory based on the first message multiple times (that is, one configuration, multiple inventory). In some other examples, the reading module may also send a second message including the first parameter to the repeater once, and perform an inventory based on the first message (that is, one configuration, one inventory). In still some examples, the reading module may also send a second message including the first parameter and the first command to the repeater.

With reference to the foregoing first aspect, in yet another possible implementation manner, the foregoing first parameter includes at least one item of phase information, a frequency point, or a switch control identifier.

Based on this scheme, the first parameter in the configuration parameters is sent to the repeater through the reading module, and the repeater configures the phase of the beam according to the phase information, frequency point or switch control identifier in the configuration parameters, which can change the energy distribution in the space, In this way, the position of the energy hole in the space is changed, the probability of the energy hole appearing in the same time is reduced, the blind area is reduced, and the effective coverage of the reader can be improved.

With reference to the foregoing first aspect, in yet another possible implementation manner, the foregoing second parameter includes at least one of a time slot value, an inventory duration, or a state of switching tags.

Optionally, the reading module configuring the first command based on the second parameter in the configuration parameter includes: the reading module configuring the content of the first command based on the time slot value in the second parameter and the state of the switching label, and the reading module configuring the content of the first command based on the second parameter The inventory duration in sends the first command to the tag.

Based on this solution, the efficiency of tag inventory can be further improved by configuring the first command by the reading module according to the time slot value in the configuration parameters, the inventory duration, or the status of switching tags. In the scenario of large-scale deployment of multiple repeaters, this solution can realize the coordinated control of multiple repeaters through the centralized decision-making of the control module, and improve the inventory efficiency of multiple repeaters. It can be understood that, different from the foregoing solution, when the communication system does not include a repeater, the beam is configured by the reader according to the first parameter in the configuration parameters, and the second parameter is also configured by the reader according to the second parameter in the configuration parameters. one order. When the communication system includes a repeater, the reader configures the first command according to the second parameter in the configuration parameters, and the repeater configures the beam according to the first parameter in the configuration parameters.

The second aspect of the embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, the communication system includes: a control module, at least one reading module and at least one tag; the control module is used to send a first message to the reading module, the first message includes Configuration parameters and the identification of the reading module, the configuration parameters are used to configure at least one of the beam or the first command, the beam is used to send the first command, and the first command is used to query or control the tag. The reading module is configured to configure a beam based on the first message, and send the beam to the tag. The tag is used for sending a response signal to the reading module in response to the first command.

Based on this solution, by setting up a control module in the system, the control module can make centralized decisions and send configuration parameters to each reading module in the system, which can realize collaborative control among multiple reading modules. When multiple reading modules are included in the communication system, the centralized control of the control module can adapt to complex environmental changes. By changing the energy distribution in the space, the probability of energy holes appearing in the same time is reduced, so that the blind spots are reduced and the reading can be improved. The effective coverage of the reader improves the inventory efficiency of the reader.

With reference to the above second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the above configuration parameters include at least one item of phase information, switch control identifier, time slot value, frequency point, inventory duration, or status of switching tags.

Based on this solution, the reading module can configure the first command (for example, send the first command to the tag) according to the time slot value in the configuration parameter, the inventory duration or the state of the switch tag, and according to the phase information, frequency point and The switch control mark configures the beam, that is, the reading module can adjust the phase of the beam according to the phase information issued by the control module and the switch control mark, so it can change the energy distribution in the space, thereby changing the position of the energy hole in the space and reducing the The probability of energy voids makes blind spots less.

With reference to the above first aspect and the second aspect, in yet another possible implementation manner, the above control module is further configured to determine configuration parameters according to a control strategy.

Based on this solution, the control module can determine the configuration parameters according to the control strategy, so that the determined configuration parameters can complete all tags in a short period of time, improving the inventory efficiency. Obviously, different from the prior art, the configuration parameters in this application are not fixed, but determined by the control module according to the control strategy. Therefore, when the control module makes centralized decisions and sends configuration parameters to each reading module, it can realize Collaborative control between multiple reading modules or repeaters improves inventory efficiency.

With reference to the above first aspect and the second aspect, in yet another possible implementation manner, the above control strategy is to determine configuration parameters through a parameter configuration model.

Based on this solution, the control module can determine the configuration parameters according to the parameter configuration model, so that the determined configuration parameters can complete all tags in a short period of time, improving the inventory efficiency.

In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect above, in yet another possible implementation manner, the above control module is further configured to receive a third message from the reading module, where the third message includes tag information and the reading module's Identification, label information includes label electronic product code EPC.

Based on this solution, the control module can determine the configuration parameters according to the tag information and the parameter configuration model, so that the determined configuration parameters can complete all the tags in a short period of time and improve the inventory efficiency.

Optionally, the control module can input the tag information into the parameter configuration model to obtain the configuration parameters. The parameter configuration model includes, but is not limited to, a reinforcement learning model, a neural network model, and the like.

With reference to the above first aspect and the second aspect, in yet another possible implementation manner, the above tag information further includes at least one of the phase or signal strength of the response signal received by each receiving channel of the reading module.

Based on this scheme, the control module infers the propagation of electromagnetic waves in space according to the phase, signal strength and EPC of the tag of the response signal received by each receiving channel of the reading module, and outputs the configuration parameters through reinforcement learning algorithm calculation.

In combination with the above first aspect and the second aspect, the above control module and at least one reading module are deployed in different devices, or the control module and one of the at least one reading module are deployed in the same device.

Based on this solution, the control module can be integrated with a reading module in one device (such as a reader), and the control module and the reading module can also be deployed in different devices. For example, the control module can be deployed in the server, and the reading module is Reader.

With reference to the first aspect and the second aspect above, in yet another possible implementation manner, the above communication system further includes a communication device, the communication device is used to generate beams, and the communication device includes a first phase shifting module and a second phase shifting module module, the output end of the first phase shifting module is coupled to the input end of the second phase shifting module, and the output end of the second phase shifting module is used for coupling with the antenna module. The first phase shifting module is used to generate a beam, and the beam is used to send a first command, and the first command is used to query or control the tag. The second phase shifting module is configured to adjust the phase of the beam output by the first phase shifting module, and transmit the adjusted beam through one or more antenna elements in the antenna module.

Based on this solution, the difference between the communication device and other communication devices is adjusted by the first phase shifting module, so that the phase output by the first phase shifting module is a preset phase. The difference between the multiple antenna ports inside the communication device is adjusted by the second phase shifting module. That is, this solution adjusts the phase of the beam through two-stage phase shifting, which can change the location of energy holes in space, reduce the probability of energy holes in the same time period, reduce blind spots, and improve effective coverage. It can be understood that the first phase shifting module in this application can adjust the phase of each antenna subarray to generate beams with fixed waveforms. The second phase shifting module can adjust the energy distribution of the antenna sub-array and adjust the waveform of the beam to change the energy distribution in the space.

In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect above, in yet another possible implementation manner, the above communication device further includes a first signal generating module, the output end of the first signal generating module is coupled to the input end of the first phase shifting module . The first signal generating module is configured to generate a signal corresponding to the first command and a carrier, adjust the phase of the carrier, and modulate the signal corresponding to the first command onto the adjusted carrier.

Based on this solution, the difference between the communication device and other communication devices is adjusted through the first phase shifting module, so that the phase of the beam output by the first phase shifting module is a preset phase, and the internal phase of the communication device is adjusted through the second phase shifting module. difference between the multiple antenna ports. That is, this solution adjusts the phase of the beam through two-stage phase shifting, which can change the location of energy holes in space, reduce the probability of energy holes in the same time period, reduce blind spots, and improve effective coverage.

In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect above, in yet another possible implementation manner, the above communication device further includes a second signal generating module, and the first phase shifting module includes P first phase shifting units and P modulation units, The output terminals of the P first phase shifting units in the first phase shifting module are respectively coupled to the first input terminals of the P modulation units, and the output terminals of the second signal generating module are respectively coupled to the second input terminals of the P modulation units . The second signal generating module is configured to generate a signal corresponding to the first command. The first phase shifting unit is used to generate a carrier wave. The modulating unit is configured to modulate the signal generated by the second signal generating module onto the carrier generated by the first phase shifting unit, so as to generate beams.

Based on this scheme, the modulation unit in the first phase shifting module modulates the signal generated by the second signal generating module onto the carrier wave generated by the first phase shifting unit to generate a beam, and the first phase shifting module is adjusted by the second phase shifting module The phase of the output beam, and the adjusted beam is sent through the antenna unit. Not only can the difference between the communication device and other communication devices be adjusted, but also the difference between multiple antenna ports inside the communication device can be adjusted, so that the position of energy holes in the space can be changed, and the occurrence of energy holes in the same time can be reduced The probability of making blind spots less, can improve the effective coverage.

In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect above, in yet another possible implementation manner, the second phase shifting module includes M second phase shifting units, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the second phase shifting unit includes The first switch and the second switch, both of the first switch and the second switch are one-selection L switches, the first switch is respectively coupled to the second switch through L connecting lines, the lengths of the L connecting lines are different, and L is greater than or equal to Integer of 2.

Based on this scheme, each second phase shifting unit can realize phase shifting by connecting connecting lines of different lengths between two one-selection L switches. Since the lengths of the connecting lines are different, the transmission time delay of the signal is different, so different lengths The connecting line can realize multi-level phase shifting, which can reduce the complexity and cost of the circuit.

Optionally, the structures of the above-mentioned first phase shifting unit and the second phase shifting unit may be the same or different. For example, the structures of the first phase shifting unit and the second phase shifting unit may be different, and the first phase shifting unit may perform fine-grained phase shifting on the transmitted signal. The second phase shifting unit can perform fine-grained phase shifting on the signal output by the first phase shifting unit. For another example, the structures of the first phase-shifting unit and the second phase-shifting unit may also be the same, and phase shifting is realized through connecting lines of different lengths.

With reference to the above second aspect, in yet another possible implementation manner, the above communication device is deployed on the reading module.

Based on this scheme, when the structure of the communication system does not include a repeater, a two-stage phase-shifting communication device can be deployed on the reading module, and the two-stage phase-shifting module in the reading module can adjust the phase of the beam according to the configuration parameters, thereby changing The position where the energy hole appears in the space reduces the probability of the energy hole appearing in the same time, so that the blind area becomes smaller and the effective coverage area can be improved.

With reference to the foregoing first aspect, in yet another possible implementation manner, the foregoing communication device is deployed on a repeater.

Based on this scheme, when the structure of the communication system includes a repeater, a two-stage phase-shifting communication device can be deployed on the repeater, and the two-stage phase-shifting module in the repeater can adjust the phase of the beam according to the configuration parameters, thereby Change the location of energy holes in the space, reduce the probability of energy holes in the same time, reduce blind spots, and improve effective coverage.

According to a third aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a communication method is provided. The method includes: first, acquiring tag information, where the tag information includes an electronic product code (EPC) of the tag. Then, configuration parameters are obtained according to the tag information, and the configuration parameters are used to configure at least one of the beam or the first command, the beam is used to send the first command, and the first command is used to query or control the tag. Finally, a first message is sent to the reading module, where the first message includes configuration parameters and the identification of the reading module.

With reference to the third aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the above tag information further includes at least one of phase or signal strength of a response signal received by each receiving channel of the reader.

With reference to the third aspect, in yet another possible implementation manner, the configuration parameters include at least one item of phase information, switch control identifier, time slot value, frequency point, inventory duration, or status of switching tags.

With reference to the third aspect, in yet another possible implementation manner, obtaining the configuration parameters according to the tag information includes: inputting the tag information into a parameter configuration model to obtain the configuration parameters.

For the effect description of the third aspect above, reference may be made to the corresponding effect description of the first aspect or the second aspect, and details are not repeated here.

In the fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a communication device is provided, the communication device is used to generate beams, the communication device includes a first phase shifting module and a second phase shifting module, the output end of the first phase shifting module is coupled to the second The input end of the phase shifting module and the output end of the second phase shifting module are used for coupling with the antenna module. The first phase shifting module is used to generate a beam, and the beam is used to send a first command, and the first command is used to query or control tags. The second phase shifting module is configured to adjust the phase of the beam output by the first phase shifting module, and transmit the adjusted beam through one or more antenna elements in the antenna module.

Based on this scheme, the phase of the beam is adjusted through two-stage phase shifting, wherein the first phase shifting module can adjust the difference between the communication device and other communication devices, so that the phase output by the first phase shifting module is the preset phase, and the second phase shifting module The phase shifting module can adjust the difference among multiple antenna ports inside the communication device. That is, this solution adjusts the phase of the beam through two-stage phase shifting, which can change the location of energy holes in space, reduce the probability of energy holes in the same time period, reduce blind spots, and improve effective coverage.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the foregoing communication device further includes a first signal generating module, and an output end of the first signal generating module is coupled to an input end of the first phase shifting module. The first signal generating module is configured to generate a signal corresponding to the first command and a carrier, adjust the phase of the carrier, and modulate the signal corresponding to the first command onto the adjusted carrier.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in another possible implementation manner, the communication device further includes a second signal generating module, the first phase shifting module includes P first phase shifting units and P modulation units, and the first phase shifting The output terminals of the P first phase shifting units in the module are respectively coupled to the first input terminals of the P modulation units, and the output terminals of the second signal generation module are respectively coupled to the second input terminals of the P modulation units. The second signal generating module is configured to generate a signal corresponding to the first command. The first phase shifting unit is configured to generate a carrier; the modulation unit is configured to modulate the signal generated by the second signal generating module onto the carrier generated by the first phase shifting unit to generate a beam.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in yet another possible implementation, the second phase shifting module includes M second phase shifting units, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the second phase shifting unit includes a first switch and a second phase shifting unit. Two switches, the first switch and the second switch are both one-selection L switches, the first switch is coupled to the second switch through L connecting lines respectively, the lengths of the L connecting lines are different, and L is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

Based on this scheme, each second phase shifting unit can realize phase shifting by connecting connecting lines of different lengths between two one-selection L switches. Since the lengths of the connecting lines are different, the transmission time delay of the signal is different, so different lengths The connecting line can realize multi-level phase shifting, which can reduce the complexity and cost of the circuit.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in yet another possible implementation manner, the above-mentioned communication device further includes a receiving circuit, where the receiving circuit is configured to receive a configuration parameter, the configuration parameter includes phase information, and the configuration parameter is used to configure the beam or the first command. At least one item; the second phase shifting module is specifically configured to adjust the phase of the beam output by the first phase shifting module according to the phase information.

Based on this solution, the second phase shifting module in the communication device can adjust the phase of the beam output by the first phase shifting module according to the configuration parameters received by the receiving circuit, so it can change the energy distribution in the space, thereby changing the occurrence of energy holes in the space. Position, reduce the probability of energy holes appearing in the same time, make the blind area less, and can improve the effective coverage of the reader.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in yet another possible implementation manner, the above-mentioned second phase shifting module includes M second phase shifting units, the antenna module includes M antenna units, and the communication device further includes M third switches, each The second phase shifting unit is coupled with an antenna unit through a third switch. The configuration parameters further include a switch control identifier, and the communication device further includes a processor, configured to control the third switch to be turned on and off according to the switch control identifier.

Based on this scheme, the second phase shifting unit in the communication device can be coupled with an antenna unit through a third switch, and the processor can control the on and off of the third switch according to the switch control flag, since all the M third switches The energy distribution during conduction is different from the energy distribution during conduction of the third switch, so the energy distribution in the space can be changed by controlling the on and off of the third switch, thereby changing the occurrence of energy holes in the space. Location.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in yet another possible implementation manner, the first phase shifting module includes P first phase shifting units, the second phase shifting module includes M second phase shifting units, and the communication device further includes P power dividers, the first phase shifting unit is respectively coupled to K second phase shifting units through the power divider, K is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is equal to said P multiplied by said K. The power divider is used to divide the beam output by the first phase shifting unit into K paths.

Based on this scheme, the beam power output by the first phase shifting unit is divided into K channels through the power divider, and the phase is shifted through the second phase shifting unit. These two stages of phase shifting can not only change the position of the energy hole in the space, The effective coverage is improved, and the complexity and cost of the circuit can be reduced.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in yet another possible implementation manner, the first phase shifting module includes P first phase shifting units, the second phase shifting module includes M second phase shifting units, and the communication device further includes P multiplexers, the first phase shifting unit is respectively coupled to the K second phase shifting units through multiplexers, K is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is equal to P multiplied by K. The multiplexer is used to output the beam output by the first phase shifting unit to the corresponding second phase shifting unit.

Based on this scheme, the beam output by the first phase-shifting unit is output to the corresponding second phase-shifting unit through the multiplexer, and the phase is shifted by the second phase-shifting unit. These two stages of phase-shifting can not only change the The position of the energy hole improves the effective coverage and reduces the complexity and cost of the circuit.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in yet another possible implementation manner, the communication device further includes a clock synchronization module, configured to synchronize a clock of the communication device with a clock of an external clock source.

Based on this solution, when the communication system includes multiple communication devices, the clock synchronization module of each communication device can realize the clock synchronization of multiple devices, so that multiple devices can jointly modulate phases, and multiple devices jointly transmit radio frequency signals , forming distributed beamforming.

According to the fifth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, there is provided a communication device, which is used to generate a beam, and the communication device includes a power divider and M phase shifting units, the input end of the power divider is used to receive the beam, and the power divider The output terminals of the device are respectively coupled to M phase-shifting units, and the output terminals of the M phase-shifting units are respectively used for coupling with M antenna units, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 2; the phase-shifting unit includes a first switch and a second switch, the first switch and the second switch are all one-selection L switches, the first switch is respectively coupled to the second switch through L connection lines, the lengths of the L connection lines are different, and L is greater than or equal to 2 integer. The power splitter is used to divide the beam into M paths. The phase shifting unit is used to adjust the phase of the beam output by the power divider.

Based on this scheme, each phase shifting unit can achieve phase shifting by connecting connecting lines of different lengths between two one-selection L switches. Since the lengths of connecting lines are different, the transmission delay of signals is different, so connecting lines of different lengths Multi-level phase shifting can be realized, and the complexity and cost of the circuit can be reduced.

With reference to the fifth aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the communication device further includes M third switches, and each phase shifting unit is coupled to an antenna unit through a third switch.

Based on this scheme, since the energy distribution when the M third switches are all turned on is different from the energy distribution when the third switch is turned on, the third switch can be set between the phase shifting unit and the antenna unit. By controlling the turn-on and turn-off of the third switch, the energy distribution in the space can be changed, thereby changing the position where the energy hole appears in the space.

According to the sixth aspect of the embodiments of the present application, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium has computer program codes therein, and when the computer program codes run on a processor, the processor executes The method as described in the third aspect above.

A seventh aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a computer program product, where the computer program product includes program instructions, and when the program instructions are executed, the method as described in the third aspect above is implemented.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an RFID system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a signal strength distribution of an RFID reader provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a multi-channel RFID reader based on an antenna array provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a signaling format of a first message provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a signaling format of a third message provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a signaling format of a second message provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of clock synchronization of multiple repeaters provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a reader in a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a repeater in a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 11 is a schematic flow diagram of signaling transmission in a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of an inventory process provided by the embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of another inventory process provided by the embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of signaling interaction in an inventory process provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of clock synchronization of multiple readers provided by the embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 18 is a schematic flow chart of signaling transmission in another communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 19 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 20 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 21 is a schematic structural diagram of a second phase shifting unit provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of multiple antenna units provided by the embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 23 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 24 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 25 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 26 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed ways

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "And/or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there may be three types of relationships, for example, A and/or B, which can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A, B can be singular or plural. The character "/" generally indicates that the contextual objects are an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one item (piece) of a, b or c can represent: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or, a and b and c, wherein a, b and c can be single or multiple. In addition, in order to clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish the same or similar items with basically the same function and effect, Those skilled in the art can understand that words such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order. For example, "first" in the first phase shifting unit and "second" in the second phase shifting unit in the embodiment of the present application are only used to distinguish different phase shifting units. The first, second, etc. descriptions that appear in the embodiments of this application are only for illustration and to distinguish the description objects, and there is no order, nor does it represent a special limitation on the number of devices in the embodiments of this application, and cannot constitute a limitation on the number of devices in this application. Any limitations of the examples.

It should be noted that, in this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used as examples, illustrations or illustrations. Any embodiment or design described herein as "exemplary" or "for example" is not to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "such as" is intended to present related concepts in a concrete manner.

The reader or reading module in this application may be called Receiver, and the repeater may be called Helper.

At present, RFID tags can be divided into active RFID tags, passive RFID tags and semi-active RFID tags. Among them, the passive RFID tag does not contain a battery, and it supplies power to itself by collecting wireless energy (ultra high frequency (UHF) frequency band is generally about 860MHz-960MHz). For example, the antenna unit of the passive RFID tag can convert the received electromagnetic wave energy into electrical energy, activate the chip in the passive RFID tag, and send out the data in the passive RFID tag chip. The reader communicates wirelessly with the passive RFID tag through the antenna unit, and can read or write the tag identification code and memory data of the passive RFID tag. Due to its small size, low cost, and long life, passive RFID tags are widely used in warehousing, logistics, stores, and other scenarios for asset inventory, identification, and positioning.

Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an RFID system. As shown in Figure 1, the reader can send a CW signal to the RFID tag to provide energy for the RFID tag, and the RFID tag modulates information by reflecting the carrier signal provided by the reader. However, in the current RFID system, the RF front end of the reader generally adopts a single-channel design. Since there is only one transmitting antenna in the single-channel design, the signal strength received by the RFID tag may not exceed its sensitivity and the RFID tag cannot be activated. Moreover, due to the serious multipath effect in the indoor scene, there will be a certain energy hole in the RF signal of the single-channel reader in the space (specifically, the RF signal strength somewhere in the space is lower than the sensitivity of the tag), resulting in Even if the RFID tag is within the coverage of the reader, there will be many reading blind spots, resulting in a small effective coverage of the reader.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2 , a schematic diagram of a signal strength distribution of an RFID reader, in the coverage area of the RFID reader, the farther the area is from the RFID reader, the weaker the signal strength is. In the coverage area of the RFID reader, there is a black oval energy hole. The signal strength at the black oval energy hole is lower than the sensitivity of the tag activation, so when the tag is in the black oval position, the reader cannot read Take the label. The existence of energy holes causes the reader to have many reading blind spots, resulting in a small effective coverage of the reader, resulting in low efficiency when inventorying tags.

In order to improve the effective coverage of the reader and improve the inventory efficiency, one solution is that each reading module can adjust the phase through a fixed combination of phase parameters to change the energy distribution in the space. However, since each reading module in the prior art adjusts the phase independently, the adjustment capability is limited. Moreover, the combination of phase parameters in the prior art is fixed and cannot adapt to changes in the environment, which will cause many RFID tags in the RFID system that cannot be read by the reader, resulting in low inventory efficiency.

In order to improve the effective coverage of the reader and improve inventory efficiency, another solution is to set an antenna array with high spatial gain, as shown in Figure 3, a multi-channel RFID reader based on an antenna array, which can use multiple Antennas (for example, antenna E1 to antenna E5 shown in FIG. 3 ) transmit radio frequency signals simultaneously to form a beamforming effect. By adjusting the phase difference and gain between the antennas, the scanning of the beam in space is realized, and the transmitting and receiving gain of the reader in a specific direction is improved, thereby improving the coverage of the reader and eliminating energy holes.

However, when the antenna array is used to transmit radio frequency signals, in order to form the beamforming effect, the hardware circuit needs multiple digital transmission channels, so the circuit is more complicated and the cost is higher. Moreover, the traditional beamforming solution does not consider the complex multipath problem in indoor scenes, and the signal transmitted by each array element has only one path to reach the predetermined sector. However, in actual scenarios, there are many paths for the array signal to reach the label, and the signals of each path may be further superimposed and canceled to produce the energy hole mentioned above, which will cause traditional beamforming in complex indoor multipath (such as The effect of eliminating energy holes in the scene of warehouse) is relatively poor.

In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the embodiment of the present application provides a communication system. The communication system can realize communication between multiple reading modules or multiple repeaters through the centralized decision-making of the control module and sending configuration parameters to each reading module. collaborative control. The control architecture in this application is controlled centrally by the control module, which can adapt to complex environmental changes, reduce the probability of energy holes in the same time period, reduce blind spots, improve the effective coverage of the reader, and improve the inventory efficiency of the reader. Moreover, in the present application, phase shifting is realized through connecting wires of different lengths, which can reduce the complexity of the circuit and lower the cost.

An embodiment of the present application provides a communication system. As shown in FIG. 4 , the communication system includes a control module, at least one reading module, at least one repeater, and at least one tag.

The control module can be a software module or a hardware module. The control module and the at least one reading module may be deployed in different devices, or may be deployed in the same device as one of the at least one reading module. The reading module is used to perform the function of a reader. When the control module and a reading module are integrated into one device, the device can be a reader, that is, the reader can include both the reading module and the control module. When the control module and the reading module are deployed in different devices, the reading module can be a reader, and the control module can be deployed in devices such as servers or clouds. Fig. 4 takes the reading module as a reader and the control module deployed in the server as an example to illustrate.

The embodiment of the present application does not limit the number of readers and repeaters included in the communication system. (b) in FIG. The specific number of readers and repeaters is related to the number of tags and the size of the application scenario of the communication system. For example, in a warehouse of about 100 square meters with about 2000 RFID tags, one reader and two repeaters can be deployed, and the control module can be deployed on the server, which is connected to the reader through a serial cable. The reader communicates with the repeater wirelessly. The reader to the repeater can use the wireless frequency band (for example, UHF RFID 840MHz~845MHz), and the repeater to the tag and then to the reader can use the wireless frequency band (for example, UHF RFID 920.5MHz-924.5MHz). The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific frequency band for communication between the reader and the repeater.

The control module is configured to send the first message to the reading module. The first message includes a configuration parameter and an identification of the reading module, the configuration parameter is used to configure a beam and/or a first command, the beam is used to send a first command, and the first command is used to query or control a tag.

The control module can communicate with the reader in a wired or wireless way. For example, as shown in (a) in FIG. 4 and (b) in FIG. 4 , the control module is deployed in the server, and the server can communicate with the reader in a wired or wireless manner. In this embodiment of the present application, the reading module is used as a reader, and the control module is deployed on a server as an example. The identifier of the reading module in the embodiment of the present application is the reader identifier.

The configuration parameter is used to configure the beam, or configure the first command, or configure the beam and the first command. The beam refers to the shape of a beam of waves, which may also be called a waveform. The beam may be a beam formed by modulating a signal on a carrier. The beam is used to send a first command, where the first command includes but is not limited to at least one of a select command, a query command, or an acknowledgment (acknowledge, ACK) command. For example, the first command may be used to query the electronic product code (electronic product code, EPC) information of the tag. For another example, the first command may also be used to control the state of the tag or to make the tag respond. For example, after receiving the first command, the tag can change its own state to be in a silent state or a working state. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific type of the first command, and the first command may perform an inventory on tags. Inventory tags include inquiry or control tags.

The above configuration parameters include but are not limited to at least one of phase information, switch control identifier, time slot value, frequency point (also called frequency, English frequency), inventory duration, or status of switching tags. The configuration parameters may include a first parameter and a second parameter, where the first parameter includes at least one item of phase information, a switch control identifier, or a frequency point, and the first parameter is used to configure a beam. Configuring a beam includes configuring a carrier and/or configuring a signal modulated on a carrier. The second parameter includes at least one of a time slot value, an inventory duration, or a status of switching tags, and is used to configure the first command. Optionally, the first parameter and the second parameter may be carried in the same message or in different messages. In this embodiment of the present application, both the first parameter and the second parameter are carried in the first message as an example. Give an example.

The phase information in the configuration parameters may be a specific phase shift value or a gear value, and this embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific type of phase information. The switch control flag is used to indicate the turn-on and turn-off of the antenna switch (for example, the third switch in the following embodiments).

The time slot value is used to allocate time slots for each tag, so that each tag in the communication system can have its own time slot, and set the time slot response according to the time slot value. The inventory duration is the time for an inventory round. Switching the state of the label is used to switch the state of the label from the working state to the silent state, or from the silent state to the working state. The reader can configure the first command to inventory the tags according to the time slot value, the inventory duration and the state of the switching tag. For example, the reader configures the content of the first command according to the time slot value and the state of the switching tag. Time to send the first command to the tag.

The first message includes the reader identification, the repeater identification and configuration parameters, the configuration parameters include the first parameter and the second parameter, the first parameter includes phase information, switch control identification and frequency point, the second parameter includes the time slot value, Taking the inventory duration and the status of switching tags as examples, the signaling format of the first message may be the frame structure shown in FIG. 5 . As shown in Figure 5, the first message includes a preamble, a control field and a cyclic redundancy check (cyclic redundancy check, CRC), and the control field includes a device identifier, a command identifier, a first parameter and a second parameter.

As shown in Figure 5, the IDs of the repeater and the reader can be represented by 8 bits respectively. The frequency point can be represented by 8 bits. Since wireless communication can occupy a certain frequency range, a specific working frequency point within a certain period of time can be specified for devices in the communication system (eg, readers and repeaters). The phase information can be represented by 32 bits. When the reader includes two stages of phase shifting modules, the high 16 bits can represent the phase shift value of the first phase shifting module, and the low 16 bits represent the corresponding phase shifting value of the second phase shifting module. The switch control identifier can be represented by 8 bits, and each bit in the 8 bits can correspond to the third switch in one radio frequency channel. A bit value of 1 means that the third switch is turned on, and a bit value of 0 means that the third switch is turned off. It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the bit length of each parameter in the first message, and FIG. 5 exemplarily shows the bit length occupied by each parameter.

This embodiment introduces the communication system provided by the embodiment of the present application by taking the six-dimensional parameters that the first message includes device identification, phase information, switch control identification, time slot value, inventory duration, and switching tag status as an example, wherein the device identification Can include reader ID and repeater ID. For example, the six-dimensional parameter included in the first message may be expressed as [equipment identification, phase information, switch control identification, time slot value, inventory duration T, status of switching tags].

The above-mentioned configuration parameters may be preset multiple groups of parameters, or may be configuration parameters determined by the control module according to the control strategy.

In the case that the configuration parameters are preset parameters, the control module can preset multiple sets of configuration parameters, and send the preset multiple sets of configuration parameters to the reader. When the control module is deployed in the server, preset sets of configuration parameters can be stored in the server. When both the control module and the reading module are deployed in the reader, multiple sets of preset configuration parameters can be stored in the reader.

In the case that the configuration parameters are parameters determined by the control module according to the control strategy, the control strategy is to determine the configuration parameters through a parameter configuration model. The control module is also used to receive a third message from the reading module, the third message includes the information of the tag and the identification of the reading module, and the information of the tag includes the electronic product code EPC of the tag. The control module is specifically used to input the tag information into the parameter configuration model to obtain the configuration parameters.

The tag information also includes at least one item of phase or signal strength of the response signal received by each receiving channel of the reading module. The function of the control module is introduced below by taking the tag information including the tag's EPC, the phase and signal strength of the response signal received by each receiving channel of the reading module as an example. Optionally, the tag information may be the information of an inventory tag.

The signaling format of the third message may be the frame structure shown in FIG. 6 . As shown in Figure 6, the third message includes frame header, frame length, control field and CRC, and the control field includes reader ID, antenna number, EPC, antenna received signal strength indication (received signal strength indication, RSSI) and antenna receiving phase . Wherein, the frame header and the frame length can be represented by 8 bits respectively. The number of antennas can be represented by 8 bits, the EPC can be represented by 128 bits, and the antenna receiving RSSI and antenna receiving phase can be represented by 16 bits respectively. It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the type of parameters included in the third message and the bit length of each parameter. FIG. 6 schematically shows the frame structure of the third message.

其中，RSSI _i表示i接收通道接收信号的强度，

表示i接收通道的相位。即标签的信息可以用2Y+2维的数值表示。控制模块可以将该2Y+2维的数值输入参数配置模型，得到配置参数[时隙值、盘点持续时间、标签的状态、相位信息 和开关控制标识]。 For example, taking the reader including Y receiving channels as an example, the control module can receive information from the tag of the reader, and the information of the tag can be

Among them, RSSI _i represents the strength of the signal received by the i receiving channel,

Indicates the phase of the i receive channel. That is, the information of the tag can be represented by a 2Y+2-dimensional value. The control module can input the 2Y+2-dimensional value into the parameter configuration model to obtain the configuration parameters [time slot value, inventory duration, tag status, phase information and switch control identification].

The above parameter configuration model can be a reinforcement learning (RL) model, and the control module infers the propagation of electromagnetic waves in space through the information of the input label, and outputs the configuration parameters through reinforcement learning algorithm calculation. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific type of the parameter configuration model, for example, the parameter configuration model may also be a neural network model.

The control module is designed for reinforcement learning based on three parts: mapping algorithm, feature extraction module and policy calculation module. Among them, the mapping algorithm is used to analyze the response signal sent by the tag, and use the information of the tag to calculate the spatial spectrum of the electromagnetic signal. The feature extraction module uses a deep convolutional neural network to extract the spatial spectral features of electromagnetic signals. The policy calculation module uses a fully connected network to generate the required beamforming parameters from the current electromagnetic energy spatial energy distribution. The deep reinforcement learning algorithm tries a series of beamforming parameters, and obtains the results of the corresponding environment inventory, judges the quality of the current action through the inventory results, and adjusts the inventory strategy. The deep reinforcement learning algorithm interacts with the environment step by step, and then explores the parameter space of beamforming and learns the state of the environment, and finally masters the optimal inventory strategy.

Optionally, the above parameter configuration model can be obtained through training. For example, the above-mentioned policy calculation module may include two phases, namely a training phase and an inventory phase. In the training phase, the reader will continue to try to inventory tags in the space, learn the electromagnetic environment and obtain the optimal inventory parameter configuration strategy in this environment. In the inventory phase, the tags in the environment are inventoried using the inventory parameter configuration strategy obtained in the training phase. The inventory parameter configuration strategy can be a configuration model for the above parameters.

It can be understood that, unlike the prior art, the configuration parameters in this application are not fixed, but are determined by the control module. Therefore, when the control module makes centralized decisions and sends configuration parameters to each reading module, large-scale deployment In the scenario of multiple repeaters, the coordinated control of multiple repeaters can be realized to improve the inventory efficiency.

The reading module is configured to send a second message to the repeater according to the repeater identifier, where the second message includes the first parameter in the configuration parameters.

The reader can communicate with the repeater by wire or wirelessly. As shown in (b) of FIG. 4 , when the downlink from the reader to the repeater uses wireless communication, the reader sends the second message to the repeater using a wireless frequency band. When the downlink from the reader to the repeater adopts wired communication, the reader sends the second message to the repeater by using cables such as a network cable, a serial port cable, and an optical fiber.

Taking the example that the second message includes the repeater identifier, phase information, switch control identifier and frequency point, the signaling format of the second message may be the frame structure shown in FIG. 7 . As shown in FIG. 7 , the second message includes a preamble, a control field, and a CRC, and the control field includes a repeater identifier, phase information, a switch control identifier, and a frequency point. Wherein, the repeater identifier may be represented by 8 bits. The frequency point can be represented by 8 bits, the switch control flag can be represented by 8 bits, and the phase information can be represented by 32 bits. It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the bit length of each parameter in the second message. FIG. 7 exemplarily shows the frame structure of the second message.

The reading module may send the first command and the second message separately, or carry the first command in the second message and send it to the repeater. In some examples, the reading module may send the second message including the first parameter to the repeater once, and perform inventory based on the first message multiple times (that is, one configuration, multiple inventory). In some other examples, the reading module may also send a second message including the first parameter to the repeater once, and perform an inventory based on the first message (that is, one configuration, one inventory). In still some examples, the reading module may also send a second message including the first parameter and the first command to the repeater.

The repeater is configured to receive the second message, and configure the beam according to the first parameter in the second message.

Optionally, the repeater may include a communication device, and the communication device may configure the phase of the beam according to the first parameter. The communication device in the repeater can be the communication device shown in any one of Fig. 19, Fig. 20, Fig. 23 to Fig. 25 in the following embodiments, the phase shifting unit (for example, the first phase shifting unit) in the communication device and/or the second phase shifting unit) can adjust the phase of the beam according to the phase information in the first parameter, and the processor in the communication device can adjust the state of the third switch according to the switch control flag, for example, turn the third switch on or off broken. That is, the repeater can configure the phase of the beam through the communication device. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific structure of the repeater. In practical applications, the repeater in the communication system may include any of the following embodiments shown in FIG. 19, FIG. 20, FIG. The communication device may also not include the communication device shown in any of Fig. 19, Fig. 20, Fig. 23 to Fig. 25 in the following embodiments. limited. That is to say, in the communication system shown in FIG. 4 , the specific structure of the repeater can be decoupled from the structure of the communication device provided in the following embodiments of the present application, and there is no strong coupling relationship.

As shown in (b) of FIG. 4 , when the communication system includes multiple repeaters, the multiple repeaters may configure beams according to the first parameter in the second message at the same time or in time division. When multiple repeaters configure beams according to the first parameter at the same time, each repeater may include a clock synchronization module for synchronizing a clock of the repeater with a clock of an external clock source.

For example, as shown in Figure 8, taking the clock source whose external clock source is 10Mhz as an example, in the N repeaters in the communication system, the clock synchronization module of each repeater is connected to the 10Mhz external clock source, so that each The clock of the repeater is synchronized with the clock of the 10Mhz external clock source, so that the N repeaters can be jointly phase-modulated, and multiple repeaters jointly transmit radio frequency signals to form distributed beamforming.

The reading module is further configured to send the first command to the tag through the repeater based on the second parameter in the configuration parameters.

For example, as shown in (b) in Figure 4, after the reader receives the configuration parameters, it can send the first command to the repeater according to the time slot value in the configuration parameters, the inventory duration and the state of the switching tag to activate the tag Take inventory.

The repeater is also used for receiving the first command, generating a beam, and sending the beam to the tag.

For example, as shown in (b) of FIG. 4 , the repeater receives the first command, generates a beam for transmitting the first command, and transmits the beam to the tag.

Optionally, the repeater may include M antenna units, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the second phase shifting unit in the repeater may be coupled to the M antenna units respectively, and the repeater may pass the M Antenna units transmit beams to tags to inventory tags.

The tag is used for sending a response signal to the reading module in response to the first command.

Referring to Figure 4, as shown in Figure 9, in the communication system shown in Figure 4, the reader receives the response signal sent by the tag through the receiving antenna, and uses the demodulator to analyze the tag signal and analyze the received energy intensity of the tag. After the baseband signal processing module reports to the media access control layer (media access control, MAC) layer scheduling module. The MAC layer scheduling module reports the inventory results to the server through the peripheral communication interface of the application layer, and obtains the scheduling strategy issued by the server, generates the required specific inventory signaling (such as the first command) according to the strategy, and then sends the The inventory signaling is sent to the repeater through the modulator and the transmitting antenna. As shown in FIG. 10 , the repeater obtains the inventory signaling issued by the reader through the receiving antenna and the demodulator. The signaling baseband processing module is used to generate the baseband signal to be transmitted and to configure the switching states of the phase shifting module and the power amplifier switch. The baseband signal passes through the modulator, phase shifting module, power amplifier, and then transmits the signal through the transmitting antenna. In response to the transmission signal, the tag sends a response signal to the reader, and the reader sends the information when it receives the response signal to the control module, and the control module uses the reinforcement learning algorithm to adaptively adjust the inventory strategy according to the information of the tag, and through the interface of the application layer Send it to the MAC scheduling module. The control module is equipped with a user interface, which is convenient for the upper layer of the user to understand the inventory situation.

As shown in Figure 11, each time the label is counted, the control module can obtain the configuration parameters according to the third message sent by the reading module and the parameter configuration model, and send the configuration parameters to the reading module through the first message, and the reading module according to the first The repeater identifier in the message may send the first parameter among the configuration parameters to the repeater, so that the repeater can configure the beam according to the first parameter. Moreover, the reading module can send the first command to the repeater according to the second parameter in the configuration parameters, and the repeater receives the first command and generates a beam for sending the first command, thereby sending the beam to the tag. In response to the first command, the tag sends a response signal to the reading module, and then the reading module carries information when it receives the response signal sent by the tag in a third message and sends it to the control module.

When the communication system includes multiple readers, the control module may respectively send the first message including configuration parameters to the multiple readers. As shown in Figure 12, taking the communication system including 2 readers, multiple repeaters are deployed under each reader, and the control module is deployed in the server as an example, the control module in the server can send to the 2 readers respectively including For the first message of configuration parameters, the reader can send the first parameter in the configuration parameters to the corresponding repeater according to the repeater identifier in the first message, so that the repeater can configure the beam according to the first parameter. Moreover, the reading module can send the first command to the corresponding repeater according to the second parameter in the configuration parameters, and the repeater receives the first command and generates a beam for sending the first command, thereby sending the beam to the tag. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific number of readers included in the communication system, and the networking architecture of the communication system will be different according to different application scenarios.

As shown in Figure 13, during the initial inventory, the control module can select the initial configuration parameters according to expert experience, the control module can control the reading module to send selection commands to control the status of all tags, and control the reading module to start the first initial inventory cycle, which lasts After the inventory at time T, the control module judges whether the tags are complete according to the information reported by the reading module. If it is complete, an inventory round ends. Otherwise, the control module inputs the information of the inventory tag into the neural network, the neural network outputs configuration parameters, the reading module sends the first parameter among the configuration parameters to the repeater, and the repeater adjusts the phase of the transmitting antenna according to the first parameter. The reader starts to count the tags according to the second parameter in the configuration parameters. After the count is over, the control module calculates rewards according to the number of new tags and the counting cycle. If all the tags are counted, a round ends, otherwise continue to extract the tags that have been counted. Information, output the next configuration parameter according to the reinforcement learning algorithm until all labels are finished.

As shown in Figure 14, when the control module starts a round of inventory, the control module sends the first message including configuration parameters to the reader, and the reader sends the first parameter in the configuration parameters to the repeater, and the repeater sends the first message according to the first The parameters generate the corresponding air interface beam. The reader sends the inventory signaling to the repeater according to the second parameter in the configuration parameters, and the repeater forwards the inventory signaling of the reader to the tag according to the configured air interface beam. In response to the inventory signaling, each tag sends a response signal to the reader according to the time slot set by the time slot value, and the reader continues to count tags according to the time slot value within T time. The reader sends the information of the tags counted in the time period T to the control module, and the strategy calculation module in the control module makes a decision based on the input data (for example, tag information). If it is determined that the tags have all been counted, exit the count. Otherwise, the control module outputs configuration parameters for the next round of inventory.

As shown in Figure 15, in the process of tag counting, the reader can use the frequency point in the configuration parameters to send a select command for tag counting to the tag through the repeater to select the tag. The selection command carries the tag The EPC of the tag, the identity (identity, ID) of the tag can be obtained from the server. Then the reader uses the frequency point in the configuration parameters to issue a query command to the repeater. When the repeater forwards the query command from the reading module, in response to the query command, the tag reports a response signal (for example, RN16 frame), and quickly switches to the response state. If the reader receives a valid RN16 frame, the reader sends a confirmation command to the repeater, and the repeater forwards the confirmation command from the reading module. If the tag receives the confirmation command, in response to the confirmation command, the tag immediately switches to the confirmation state And report a response signal (for example, EPC frame, protocol control word (protocol control, PC) and CRC frame). Optionally, the frequency points in the configuration parameters can be frequency points in the ultra-high frequency UHF 840MHz-845MHz frequency band. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific value of the frequency point in the configuration parameter, and the value of the frequency point is related to parameters such as the type of the tag.

When inventorying tags, the status of the tags may include but not limited to a silent state and a working state. At the beginning of the inventory cycle, the reader will inventory the tags with status X or Y. When the tag is counted, the flag of the tag is reversed from X to Y or from Y to X. It should be noted that the tag can automatically reverse from the Y state to the X state after the power-off state or after being inventoried, and the time that the tag stays in the Y state before automatically returning to the X state is called the duration of the tag. The durations of different manufacturers may be the same or different, and this embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific value of the duration of tags under each session. The above-mentioned state X can be a silent state, and the state Y can be a working state.

In the communication system provided by the embodiment of the present application, by setting a control module in the system, the control module can make centralized decisions, and send configuration parameters to each reading module in the system, and then send configuration beam parameters to the repeater through the reading module, Coordinated control among multiple repeaters can be realized. In the scenario of large-scale deployment of multiple repeaters in the communication system, the centralized control of the control module can not only adapt to complex environmental changes, change the energy distribution in the space, reduce the probability of energy holes in the same time period, and make the blind spots less. Improve the effective coverage of the reader. And it can improve the inventory efficiency of multiple repeaters.

The embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system. As shown in FIG. 16 , the communication system includes a control module, at least one reading module, and at least one tag.

The control module can be a software module or a hardware module. The control module and the at least one reading module may be deployed in different devices, or may be deployed in the same device as one of the at least one reading module. FIG. 16 is illustrated by taking the reading module as a reader and the control module deployed in a server as an example.

The control module is configured to send the first message to the reading module. The first message includes configuration parameters, and the configuration parameters are used to configure a beam and/or a first command, and the beam is used to send a first command, and the first command is used to query or control a tag. The first message also includes the identification of the reading module and the identification of the repeater.

Regarding the parameter types included in the configuration parameters, the signaling format of the first message, and the specific functions of the control module, reference may be made to relevant descriptions in the foregoing embodiments, and details are not repeated here.

This embodiment introduces the communication system provided by the embodiment of the present application by taking the six-dimensional parameters that the first message includes device identification, phase information, switch control identification, time slot value, inventory duration, and switching tag status as an example, wherein the device identification Including the reader ID (also called the ID of the reading module). For example, the six-dimensional parameter included in the first message may be expressed as [equipment identification, phase information, switch control identification, time slot value, inventory duration T, status of switching tags]. The signaling format of the first message can refer to the frame structure shown in FIG. 5. Unlike the communication systems shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 12, in the communication system shown in FIG. The device ID in the message only includes the reader ID.

The above-mentioned configuration parameters may be preset multiple groups of parameters, or may be configuration parameters determined by the control module according to the control strategy.

In the case that the configuration parameters are preset parameters, the control module can preset multiple sets of configuration parameters, and send the preset multiple sets of configuration parameters to the reader. When the control module is deployed in the server, preset sets of configuration parameters can be stored in the server. When both the control module and the reading module are deployed in the reader, multiple sets of preset configuration parameters can be stored in the reader.

In the case that the configuration parameters are parameters determined by the control module according to the control strategy, the control strategy is to determine the configuration parameters through a parameter configuration model. The control module is also used to receive a third message from the reading module, the third message includes tag information and reader identification, and the tag information includes tag electronic product code EPC. The control module is specifically used to input the tag information into the parameter configuration model to obtain the configuration parameters. The signaling format of the third message may be the frame structure shown in FIG. 6 .

The above-mentioned parameter configuration model can be a reinforcement learning model, and the control module infers the propagation of electromagnetic waves in space through the information of the input label, and outputs the configuration parameters through reinforcement learning algorithm calculation. Regarding the parameter configuration model and the method for determining the configuration parameters, reference may be made to the relevant descriptions in the foregoing embodiments, and details are not repeated here.

The tag information also includes at least one item of phase or signal strength of the response signal received by each receiving channel of the reading module. The function of the control module is introduced below by taking the tag information including the tag's EPC, the phase and signal strength of the response signal received by each receiving channel of the reading module as an example. Optionally, the tag information may be the information of an inventory tag.

The reading module is configured to configure the beam based on the configuration parameters in the first message, and send the beam to the tag. This beam is used to send the first command.

It should be noted that, unlike the communication systems shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 12 , in the communication system shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 12 , the reader configures the first command according to the second parameter in the configuration parameters, and the middle The repeater configures the beam according to the first parameter in the configuration parameters. In the communication system shown in FIG. 16 , the beam is configured by the reader according to the first parameter in the configuration parameters, and the first command is also configured by the reader according to the second parameter in the configuration parameters.

Optionally, the reader in the communication system shown in Figure 16 may include the communication device shown in any one of Figure 19, Figure 20, Figure 23 to Figure 25 in the following embodiments, the phase shifting unit in the communication device (For example, the first phase shifting unit and/or the second phase shifting unit) can adjust the phase of the beam according to the phase information in the first parameter, and the processor in the communication device can adjust the state of the third switch according to the switch control flag, for example Turn on or off the third switch. That is, the reader can configure the phase of the beam through the communication device. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific structure of the reader. In practical applications, the reader in the communication system may include any of the communication devices shown in Figure 19, Figure 20, Figure 23 to Figure 25 in the following embodiments , may also not include the communication device shown in any one of Fig. 19, Fig. 20, Fig. 23 to Fig. 25 in the following embodiments, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific structure of the reader in the communication system. That is to say, in the communication system shown in FIG. 16 , the specific structure of the reader can be decoupled from the structure of the communication device provided in the following embodiments of the present application, and there is no strong coupling relationship.

As shown in (b) of FIG. 16 , when the communication system includes multiple readers, the multiple readers can configure the beam according to the first parameter at the same time or time-division, and configure the first command according to the second parameter. When multiple readers configure beams according to the first parameter at the same time, each reader may include a clock synchronization module, and the clock synchronization module is used to synchronize the clock of the readers with the clock of an external clock source.

For example, in combination with Figure 16, as shown in Figure 17, taking the external clock source as an example of a 10Mhz clock source, in the N readers in the communication system, the clock synchronization module of each reader is connected to a 10Mhz external clock source, so that The clock of each reader is synchronized with the clock of the 10Mhz external clock source, so that N readers in the communication system can jointly phase modulate, and multiple readers jointly transmit radio frequency signals to form distributed beamforming. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific number of readers included in the communication system.

The reading module is specifically configured to send the first command to the tag based on the time slot value, the inventory duration or the status of the switching tag, and configure the phase of the beam sending the first command based on the switch control identifier and phase information in the configuration parameters.

The tag is used for sending a response signal to the reading module in response to the first command.

Optionally, the tags in the communication systems shown in Fig. 4, Fig. 12 and Fig. 16 above may be passive RFID tags, or may be active or semi-active RFID tags. Not limited. When the tag is a passive tag, the passive tag can collect the wireless energy of the beam to charge the passive tag. When the tag is an active or semi-active tag, the signal-to-noise ratio can be improved by receiving the beam.

As shown in FIG. 18 , each time the tags are counted, the control module can obtain the configuration parameters according to the third message sent by the reading module and the parameter configuration model, and send the configuration parameters to the reading module through the first message. The reading module configures the beam according to the first parameter in the configuration parameters, and sends the beam to the tag according to the second parameter in the configuration parameters, and the beam is used to send the first command. In response to this first command, the tag sends an acknowledgment signal to the reading module. The reader carries the information when it receives the response signal sent by the tag in the third message and sends it to the control module.

In the communication system provided by the embodiment of the present application, by setting up a control module, the control module can make centralized decisions and issue configuration parameters to each reading module in the system, so as to realize cooperative control among multiple reading modules. When multiple reading modules are included in the communication system, the centralized control of the control module can not only adapt to complex environmental changes, change the energy distribution in the space, reduce the probability of energy holes appearing in the same time, reduce the blind area, and improve the readability of the reader. effective coverage. And it can improve the inventory efficiency of the reader.

Fig. 19 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication device is used to generate beams. As shown in Fig. 19, the communication device includes a first signal generating module, a first phase shifting module and a second phase shifting module phase module, the output end of the first signal generation module is coupled to the input end of the first phase shifting module, the output end of the first phase shifting module is coupled to the input end of the second phase shifting module, and the output ends of the second phase shifting module are respectively For coupling with antenna modules.

The first signal generating module is configured to generate a signal corresponding to the first command and a carrier, adjust the phase of the carrier, and modulate the signal corresponding to the first command onto the adjusted carrier. The first command is used to query or control tags.

The first phase shifting module is configured to generate a beam, and the beam is used to send the first command.

The second phase shifting module is configured to adjust the phase of the beam output by the first phase shifting module, and send the adjusted beam through the antenna unit.

As shown in Figure 20, the first phase shifting module includes P first phase shifting units, the second phase shifting module includes M second phase shifting units, P is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 2 integer. The antenna module includes M antenna units, and the output ends of the M second phase shifting units are respectively used for coupling with the M antenna units.

Each second phase shifting unit can realize multi-level phase shifting through different connecting wire lengths. As shown in Figure 21, the second phase shifting unit may include a first switch and a second switch, both of which are one-selection L switches, and the first switches are respectively coupled to the second switch through L connection lines , the lengths of the L connection lines are different, and L is an integer greater than or equal to 2. That is, the second phase shifting unit can realize L-level phase shifting through L connection lines of different lengths.

For example, as shown in FIG. 21 , take L as 4 as an example. The second phase shifting unit includes a first switch and a second switch, the first switch and the second switch are both one-to-four switches, and the first switch and the second switch are connected by 4 connecting wires of different lengths. The lengths of the four connecting lines are different, so the signal transmission delays are different, so multiple phase shifts can be realized. For example, the second phase shifting unit can realize four phase shifts of 0°, 45°, 90° and 135° respectively. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the number of gears that can be adjusted by the second phase shifting unit and the adjusted phase shift value.

Optionally, the structures of the first phase shifting unit and the second phase shifting unit may be the same or different, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. For example, the structures of the first phase shifting unit and the second phase shifting unit may be different, and the first phase shifting unit may perform fine-grained phase shifting on the transmitted signal. The second phase shifting unit can perform fine-grained phase shifting on the signal output by the first phase shifting unit. For another example, the structures of the first phase-shifting unit and the second phase-shifting unit may also be the same, and phase shifting is realized through connecting lines of different lengths.

When P is an integer greater than 1, the first phase shifting module includes a plurality of first phase shifting units. Optionally, as shown in FIG. 20 , the communication device may further include a power divider, the first signal generation module is respectively coupled to the P first phase shifting units through the power divider, and the power divider is used to divide the first signal generation module The output signal power is divided into P channels, and each channel outputs a 1/P signal.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 20 , the communication device provided in this embodiment of the present application may further include a receiving circuit, where the receiving circuit is configured to receive a configuration parameter, where the configuration parameter is used to configure the beam and/or the first command. Configuration parameters include phase information. The second phase shifting unit is specifically configured to adjust the phase of the beam output by the first phase shifting unit according to the phase information in the configuration parameters, and send the adjusted beam through the antenna unit.

The phase information in the configuration parameters can be a specific phase shift value, or a gear value, for example, the phase information can include the phase shift value θ ₁ corresponding to the first phase shift unit and the phase shift value corresponding to the second phase shift unit θ ₂ , the first phase shifting unit adjusts the phase of the carrier wave or adjusts the phase of the transmitted signal according to θ ₁ . The second phase shifting unit adjusts the phase of the transmit signal output by the first phase shifting unit according to _θ2 . For another example, the phase information may include gear 1 corresponding to the first phase shifting unit and gear 2 corresponding to the second phase shifting unit, and the first phase shifting unit adjusts the phase of the carrier wave or the phase of the transmitted signal according to gear 1 . The second phase shifting unit adjusts the phase of the transmission signal output by the first phase shifting unit according to gear position 2. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific type of phase information. The type of phase information corresponding to the first phase shifting unit is different from that of the second phase shifting unit. The types of phase information corresponding to the phase shifting units may be the same or different.

Optionally, the communication device may further include a power divider through which the first phase shifting unit is respectively coupled to K second phase shifting units, K is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is equal to P multiplied by K. The power divider is used to divide the transmission signal output by the first phase shifting unit into K channels. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific number of power splitters included in the communication device. FIG. 20 illustrates an example where the communication device includes P power splitters.

For example, as shown in FIG. 20 , each first phase shifting unit may be coupled to K second phase shifting units through a power divider. That is, the beam power output by the first phase shifting unit can be divided into K paths through the power divider, and each path outputs a 1/K signal. The transmission chain of the communication device includes P times K channels in total.

Optionally, power dividers coupled to different first phase shifting units in the first phase shifting module may be the same or different. For example, taking the first phase-shifting module including 3 first phase-shifting units as an example, the first phase-shifting unit 1 in the first phase-shifting module can be respectively coupled to 4 second phase-shifting units through a power divider, and the first The first phase shifting unit 2 in the phase shifting module can be respectively coupled to 5 second phase shifting units through a power divider, and the first phase shifting unit 3 in the first phase shifting module can be respectively coupled to 6 second phase shifting units through a power divider The second phase shifting unit. Alternatively, the first phase shifting unit 1 to the first phase shifting unit 3 in the first phase shifting module may be respectively coupled to four second phase shifting units through three power dividers. FIG. 20 is illustrated by taking each first phase shifting unit coupled to K second phase shifting units through a power divider as an example.

Optionally, the communication device may also include a multiplexer, the first phase shifting unit is coupled to K second phase shifting units through the multiplexer, K is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is equal to P times K .

The multiplexer is used to output the beam output by the first phase shifting unit to the corresponding second phase shifting unit.

For example, each first phase shifting unit may be coupled to K second phase shifting units through a multiplexer. That is, the modulated transmission signal output by the first phase shifting unit can be output to one second phase shifting unit through the multiplexer, and the transmission chain of the communication device includes P channels in total.

It can be understood that the beam power output by the first phase shifting unit is divided into K channels through a power divider or multiplexer, and the phase is shifted by the second phase shifting unit. These two stages of phase shifting can not only change the beam power that appears in space The position of the energy hole improves the effective coverage and reduces the complexity and cost of the circuit.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 20 , the communication device may further include M third switches, and each second phase shifting unit is coupled to an antenna unit through one third switch. The third switch may be a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific type of the third switch.

The configuration parameters received by the receiving circuit may also include a switch control identifier. As shown in FIG. 20 , the communication device may further include a processor configured to control the third switch to be turned on and off according to the switch control identifier. Since the energy distribution when all the M third switches are turned on is different from the energy distribution when some of the third switches are turned on, the positions of the energy holes will also be different. Therefore, in the present application, the processor controls the turn-on and turn-off of the third switch to change the energy distribution in the space, thereby changing the position of the energy void in the space.

The communication device shown in Figure 19 or Figure 20 can be applied to the repeater in the communication system shown in Figure 4 or Figure 12, and can also be applied to the reader in the communication system shown in Figure 16. For example, specific devices that can be applied to the communication device shown in FIG. 19 or FIG. 20 are not limited. When the communication device shown in FIG. 19 or FIG. 20 is applied to the repeater in the communication system shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 12 , the receiving circuit in the communication device is used to receive the second message. When the communication device shown in FIG. 19 or FIG. 20 is applied to the reader in the communication system shown in FIG. 16 , the receiving circuit in the communication device is used to receive the first message. Therefore, when the communication device shown in FIG. 19 or FIG. 20 is applied to different devices, the circuit structure of the receiving circuit in the communication device may be different, and the received messages may also be different.

Take the communication device shown in Figure 19 or Figure 20 applied to the repeater in the communication system shown in Figure 4 or Figure 12 as an example, the first phase shifting unit in the repeater can adjust the repeater and other The difference between the repeaters makes the phase output by the first phase shifting unit a preset phase. The second phase shifting unit in the repeater can adjust the difference between the multiple antenna ports inside the repeater. That is, the first phase shifting module can adjust the phase of each antenna sub-array to generate beams with fixed waveforms. The second phase shifting module can adjust the energy distribution of the antenna sub-array and adjust the waveform of the beam to change the energy distribution in the space. Adjusting the phase through these two stages of phase shifting can change the position of the energy hole in a complex multipath scene, reduce the probability of energy holes appearing in the same time, reduce the blind area of the reader, and improve the effective coverage of the reader.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 20 , the communication device may further include a clock synchronization module, configured to synchronize a clock of the communication device with a clock of an external clock source. When the communication system includes multiple communication devices, the clock synchronization module of each communication device can realize the clock synchronization of multiple devices, so that multiple devices can jointly adjust the phase, and multiple devices jointly transmit radio frequency signals to form a distributed system. Beamforming.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 8, when the communication system shown in FIG. 4 includes multiple repeaters, the communication devices in the multiple repeaters include a clock synchronization module, and the clock synchronization module makes the multiple The clock of the repeater can be synchronized with the clock of the external clock source, so that multiple repeaters can jointly transmit radio frequency signals after joint phase modulation to form distributed beamforming. As shown in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17, when the communication system shown in FIG. 16 includes multiple readers, the communication devices in the multiple readers include a clock synchronization module, and the clock synchronization module enables the clocks of the multiple readers to It is synchronized with the clock of the external clock source, so that multiple readers can jointly transmit radio frequency signals after joint phase modulation to form distributed beamforming.

Optionally, the above M antenna units may be arranged in a triangular lattice shape as shown in FIG. 22 . As shown in FIG. 22 , a rectangle represents an antenna unit, and any three adjacent antenna units are triangles. The arrangement of the triangular lattice shape can effectively expand the equivalent aperture of the array, improve the scanning resolution of the main lobe, reduce the average side lobe power, and reduce the coupling between antennas.

The distance between any two adjacent antenna elements among the M antenna elements is greater than or equal to 0.5 times the wavelength. For example, the distance between any two adjacent antenna units among the M antenna units is greater than or equal to 16.2 cm.

In the communication device provided by the embodiment of the present application, the difference between the communication device and other communication devices is adjusted through the first phase shifting unit, so that the phase output by the first phase shifting unit is a preset phase. The difference between the multiple antenna ports inside the communication device is adjusted by the second phase shifting unit. The application adjusts the phase of the beam through two-stage phase shifting, which can change the position of the energy hole in the space, reduce the probability of the energy hole in the same time, reduce the blind area, and improve the effective coverage.

Fig. 23 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application, the communication device is used to generate beams. As shown in FIG. 23 , the communication device includes a second signal generating module, a first phase shifting module and a second phase shifting module. The first phase shifting module includes P first phase shifting units and P modulating units, where P is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The output terminals of the P first phase shifting units in the first phase shifting module are respectively coupled to the first input terminals of the P modulation units, and the output terminals of the second signal generating module are respectively coupled to the second input terminals of the P modulation units . The output terminals of the P modulation units are respectively coupled to the input terminals of the second phase shifting module.

The second signal generating module is configured to generate a signal corresponding to the first command. The first command is used to query or control tags.

The first phase shifting unit is used to generate a carrier wave;

The modulating unit is configured to modulate the signal generated by the second signal generating module onto the carrier generated by the first phase shifting unit to generate a beam. The beam is used to send the first command.

The second phase shifting module is configured to adjust the phase of the beam output by the modulation unit, and send the adjusted beam through the antenna unit.

As shown in FIG. 24 , the second phase shifting module includes M second phase shifting units, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The antenna module includes M antenna units, and the output ends of the M second phase shifting units are respectively used for coupling with the M antenna units.

The structure of the second phase shifting unit in the communication device shown in FIG. 23 or FIG. 24 can be the second phase shifting unit shown in FIG. 21 , that is, the phase shifting can be realized through L connecting lines of different lengths.

As shown in Figure 24, the communication device also includes a power divider, the first phase shifting module includes P-channel outputs, and the P-channel outputs are the outputs of the P modulation units, and the output ends of each modulation unit can be separated by the power divider. Coupled to K second phase shifting units, K is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is equal to P multiplied by K. The power divider is used to divide the beam output by the first phase shifting unit into K paths. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific number of power splitters included in the communication device. FIG. 24 illustrates an example where the communication device includes P power splitters.

Optionally, the power dividers coupled to different outputs of the first phase shifting module may be the same or different. For example, taking the first phase-shifting module including 3 outputs as an example, the modulation unit 1 in the first phase-shifting module can be respectively coupled to four second phase-shifting units through a power divider, and the modulation unit 1 in the first phase-shifting module 2 can be respectively coupled to five second phase shifting units through a power divider, and the modulation unit 3 in the first phase shifting module can be respectively coupled to six second phase shifting units through a power divider. Alternatively, the modulation unit 1 to the modulation unit 3 in the first phase shifting module may be respectively coupled to four second phase shifting units through three power dividers. FIG. 24 illustrates an example in which each output of the first phase-shifting module is coupled to K second phase-shifting units through a power divider.

Optionally, the output end of each modulation unit may also be coupled to K second phase shifting units through a multiplexer, K is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is equal to P multiplied by K. The multiplexer is used to output the beam output by the first phase shifting unit to the corresponding second phase shifting unit.

It can be understood that the beam power output by each channel of the first phase-shifting module is divided into K channels through a power divider or multiplexer, and the phase is shifted through the second phase-shifting unit. These two stages of phase-shifting can not only change the space The position where the energy hole appears in the battery can improve the effective coverage and reduce the complexity and cost of the circuit.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 24, the communication device may also include M third switches, and each second phase shifting unit is coupled to an antenna unit through a third switch, and the configuration parameters received by the receiving circuit may also include a switch The control flag, as shown in FIG. 24 , the communication device may further include a processor, configured to control the third switch to be turned on and off according to the switch control flag. By controlling the turn-on and turn-off of the third switch by the processor, the transmission link of the communication device can be adjusted, the energy distribution in the space can be changed, and thus the position where the energy hole appears in the space can be changed.

The communication device shown in Figure 23 or Figure 24 can be applied to the repeater in the communication system shown in Figure 4 or Figure 12, and can also be applied to the reader in the communication system shown in Figure 16. For example, specific devices that can be applied to the communication device shown in FIG. 23 or FIG. 24 are not limited. When the communication device shown in FIG. 23 or FIG. 24 is applied to the repeater in the communication system shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 12 , the receiving circuit in the communication device is used to receive the second message. When the communication device shown in FIG. 23 or FIG. 24 is applied to the reader in the communication system shown in FIG. 16 , the receiving circuit in the communication device is used to receive the first message. Therefore, when the communication device shown in FIG. 23 or FIG. 24 is applied to different devices, the circuit structure of the receiving circuit in the communication device may be different, and the received messages may also be different.

Take the communication device shown in Figure 23 or Figure 24 applied to the repeater in the communication system shown in Figure 4 or Figure 12 as an example, the first phase shifting unit in the repeater can adjust the repeater and other The difference between the repeaters makes the phase output by the first phase shifting unit a preset phase. The second phase shifting unit in the repeater can adjust the difference between multiple antenna ports inside the repeater. By adjusting the phase through these two stages of phase shifting, the position of the energy hole can be changed in complex multipath scenarios. Reduce the probability of energy holes appearing in the same time, so that the blind area of the reader is reduced, and the effective coverage of the reader can be improved.

As shown in FIG. 24 , the communication device may further include a clock synchronization module, configured to synchronize the clock of the communication device with the clock of an external clock source. When the communication system includes multiple communication devices, the clock synchronization module of each communication device can realize the clock synchronization of multiple devices, so that multiple devices can jointly adjust the phase, and multiple devices jointly transmit radio frequency signals to form a distributed system. Beamforming.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 8, when the communication system shown in FIG. 24 includes multiple repeaters, the communication devices in the multiple repeaters include a clock synchronization module, and the clock synchronization module makes the multiple The clock of the repeater can be synchronized with the clock of the external clock source, so that multiple repeaters can jointly transmit radio frequency signals after joint phase modulation to form distributed beamforming. As shown in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17, when the communication system shown in FIG. 16 includes multiple readers, the communication devices in the multiple readers include a clock synchronization module, and the clock synchronization module enables the clocks of the multiple readers to It is synchronized with the clock of the external clock source, so that multiple readers can jointly transmit radio frequency signals after joint phase modulation to form distributed beamforming.

The M antenna units shown in Figure 24 can be arranged according to the triangular lattice shape shown in Figure 22, thereby effectively expanding the equivalent aperture of the array, improving the scanning resolution of the main lobe, and reducing the average side lobe power, reducing Coupling between antennas.

In the communication device provided by the embodiment of the present application, the difference between the communication device and other communication devices is adjusted through the first phase shifting unit, so that the phase output by the first phase shifting unit is a preset phase. The difference between the multiple antenna ports inside the communication device is adjusted by the second phase shifting unit. The application adjusts the phase of the beam through two-stage phase shifting, which can change the position of the energy hole in the space, reduce the probability of the energy hole in the same time, reduce the blind area, and improve the effective coverage.

Figure 25 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided by the embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 25, the communication device includes a power divider and M phase shifting units, the input end of the power divider is used to receive beams, and the power The output terminals of the divider are respectively coupled to M phase-shifting units, and the output terminals of the M phase-shifting units are respectively used for coupling with M antenna units, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

The power splitter is used to divide the beam into M paths.

The phase shifting unit is used to adjust the phase of the beam output by the power divider.

The phase shifting unit includes a first switch and a second switch, the first switch and the second switch are both one-selection L switches, the first switch is respectively coupled to the second switch through L connection lines, and the lengths of the L connection lines are different, L is an integer greater than or equal to 2. That is, the structure of the phase shifting unit in this embodiment may be the circuit structure shown in FIG. 21 .

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 25 , the communication device may further include an input interface, where the input interface is used to receive a configuration parameter, where the configuration parameter is used to configure the beam and/or the first command. Configuration parameters include phase information. The phase shifting unit is specifically configured to adjust the phase of the beam output by the first phase shifting unit according to the phase information in the configuration parameters, and send the adjusted beam through the antenna unit.

As shown in FIG. 25 , the communication device further includes M third switches, and each phase shifting unit is coupled to an antenna unit through a third switch. The configuration parameters received by the input interface may also include a switch control identifier. As shown in FIG. 25 , the communication device may further include a processor configured to control the third switch to be turned on and off according to the switch control identifier. By controlling the turn-on and turn-off of the third switch by the controller, the transmission link of the communication device can be adjusted, the energy distribution in the space can be changed, and thus the position where the energy hole appears in the space can be changed. For example, the energy distribution when all the M third switches are turned on is different from the energy distribution when some of the third switches are turned on, so the positions of the energy holes will also be different.

The communication device shown in Figure 25 can be applied to the repeater in the communication system shown in Figure 4 or Figure 12, and can also be applied to the reader in the communication system shown in Figure 16. The specific equipment to which the communication device shown in 25 can be applied is not limited. Taking the communication device shown in Figure 23 applied to the repeater in the communication system shown in Figure 4 or Figure 12 as an example, the phase shifting unit in the repeater can adjust the number of antenna ports inside the repeater. difference between. That is, the phase shifting unit can adjust the phase of the radio frequency signal of each channel of the antenna sub-array to realize the beam forming of the antenna sub-array and adjust the characteristics of the beam. Since the phase shifting unit implements phase shifting through connecting wires of different lengths, the circuit is relatively simple and the cost is low. Moreover, the communication device adjusts the phase of the beam according to the configuration parameters, so it can change the energy distribution in the space, thereby changing the position of the energy hole in the space, reducing the probability of the energy hole in the same time, making the blind area less, and improving the readability. The effective coverage of the device.

The embodiment of the present application also provides a communication method. As shown in FIG. 26 , the communication method includes steps S2601-S2603.

S2601. Obtain tag information.

The tag information includes the tag's EPC. Optionally, the tag information also includes at least one item of phase or signal strength of the response signal received by each receiving channel of the reader.

S2602. Obtain configuration parameters according to the information of the label. The configuration parameters are used to configure the beam and/or the first command, the beam is used to send the first command, and the first command is used to query or control the tag.

The configuration parameters include at least one item of phase information, switch control identifier, time slot value, frequency point, inventory duration, or switching state of the tag.

Obtaining the configuration parameters according to the tag information in the above step S2602 includes: inputting the tag information into the parameter configuration model to obtain the configuration parameters. The parameter configuration model may be a reinforcement learning model.

S2603. Send a first message to the reader, where the first message includes configuration parameters and an identification of the reading module.

It can be understood that the first message including configuration parameters is sent to the reader through the control module, so that the reader or repeater can adjust the phase of the beam based on the configuration parameters, that is, the reader or repeater can adjust the phase of the beam according to the configuration parameters issued by the control module. The configuration parameter adjusts the phase of the beam. That is to say, by setting up a control module in the system, the application can centralize decision-making and send configuration parameters to each reading module in the system, so as to realize collaborative control among multiple reading modules, and not only adapt to complex environmental changes , change the energy distribution in the space, reduce the probability of energy holes appearing in the same time period, reduce the blind area, and improve the effective coverage of the reader. And it can improve the inventory efficiency of the reader.

The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium has computer program code, and when the computer program code is run on the processor, the processor is made to execute the method shown in FIG. 26 .

An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, where the computer program product includes program instructions, and when the program instructions are executed, the method shown in FIG. 26 is implemented.

The steps of the methods or algorithms described in connection with the disclosure of this application can be implemented in the form of hardware, or can be implemented in the form of a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in random access memory (random access memory, RAM), flash memory, erasable programmable read-only memory (erasable programmable ROM, EPROM), electrically erasable Programmable read-only memory (electrically EPROM, EEPROM), registers, hard disk, removable hard disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium may also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can be located in the ASIC. In addition, the ASIC may be located in the core network interface device. Certainly, the processor and the storage medium may also exist in the core network interface device as discrete components.

Those skilled in the art should be aware that, in the above one or more examples, the functions described in the present invention may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer.

The specific embodiments described above have further described the purpose, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present invention in detail. It should be understood that the above descriptions are only specific embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Protection scope, any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made on the basis of the technical solution of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims (28)

A communication system, characterized in that the communication system includes: a control module, at least one reading module, at least one repeater and at least one tag; The control module is configured to send a first message to the reading module, the first message includes configuration parameters, the identification of the reading module and the identification of the repeater, and the configuration parameters are used to configure the beam and the second at least one of a command, the beam is used to send the first command, the first command is used to query or control the tag; The reading module is configured to send a second message to the repeater according to the repeater identifier, the second message includes a first parameter in the configuration parameters, and the first parameter is used to configure said beam; The repeater is configured to configure the beam according to the first parameter. The communication system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The reading module is further configured to send the first command to the tag through the repeater based on a second parameter in the configuration parameters, and the second parameter is used to configure the first command; The repeater is further configured to receive the first command, generate the beam, and send the beam to the tag; The tag is configured to send a response signal to the reading module in response to the first command. The communication system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first parameter includes at least one item of phase information, frequency point, or switch control identifier. The communication system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the second parameter includes at least one of a time slot value, an inventory duration, or a state of switching the tag. A communication system, characterized in that the communication system includes: a control module, at least one reading module and at least one tag; The control module is configured to send a first message to the reading module, the first message includes a configuration parameter and an identification of the reading module, and the configuration parameter is used to configure at least one of a beam or a first command , the beam is used to send the first command, and the first command is used to query or control the tag; The reading module is configured to configure the beam based on the first message, and send the beam to the tag; The tag is configured to send a response signal to the reading module in response to the first command. The communication system according to claim 5, wherein the configuration parameters include at least one item of phase information, switch control identifier, time slot value, frequency point, inventory duration, or switching status of the tag. The communication system according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein the control module is further configured to determine the configuration parameters according to a control policy. The communication system according to claim 7, wherein the control strategy is to determine the configuration parameters through a parameter configuration model. The communication system according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the control module is further configured to receive a third message from the reading module, the third message includes the information of the tag and the reading The identification of the module, the information of the label includes the electronic product code EPC of the label. The communication system according to claim 9, wherein the information of the tag further includes at least one of phase and signal strength of the response signal received by each receiving channel of the reading module. The communication system according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, the control module and the at least one reading module are deployed in different devices, or the control module and the at least one reading module One reading module in the module is deployed in the same device. A communication method, characterized in that the method comprises: Obtain the information of the label, the information of the label includes the electronic product code EPC of the label; Obtain configuration parameters according to the information of the tag, the configuration parameters are used to configure at least one of a beam or a first command, the beam is used to send the first command, and the first command is used for query or control Label; Sending a first message to the reading module, where the first message includes the configuration parameters and the identification of the reading module. The method according to claim 12, wherein the information of the tag further includes at least one of phase and signal strength of the response signal received by each receiving channel of the reader. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the configuration parameters include at least one of phase information, switch control identifier, time slot value, frequency point, inventory duration, or switching status of the tag. The method according to any one of claims 12-14, wherein the obtaining configuration parameters according to the information of the label includes: Input the information of the label into the parameter configuration model to obtain the configuration parameters. A communication device, characterized in that the communication device is used to generate beams, the communication device includes a first phase shifting module and a second phase shifting module, the output end of the first phase shifting module is coupled to the first phase shifting module The input end of the second phase shifting module, the output end of the second phase shifting module is used for coupling with the antenna module; The first phase shifting module is configured to generate a beam, and the beam is used to send a first command, and the first command is used to query or control tags; The second phase shifting module is configured to adjust the phase of the beam output by the first phase shifting module, and transmit the adjusted beam through one or more antenna units in the antenna module. The communication device according to claim 16, characterized in that, the communication device further comprises a first signal generation module, the output end of the first signal generation module is coupled to the input end of the first phase shifting module; The first signal generating module is configured to generate a signal corresponding to the first command and a carrier, adjust the phase of the carrier, and modulate the signal corresponding to the first command onto the adjusted carrier. The communication device according to claim 16, wherein the communication device further comprises a second signal generation module, the first phase shifting module includes P first phase shifting units and P modulation units, and the first The output terminals of the P first phase shifting units in a phase shifting module are respectively coupled to the first input terminals of the P modulation units, and the output terminals of the second signal generating module are respectively coupled to the P the second input terminal of the modulation unit; The second signal generation module is configured to generate a signal corresponding to the first command; The first phase shifting unit is configured to generate a carrier wave; The modulating unit is configured to modulate the signal generated by the second signal generating module onto the carrier generated by the first phase shifting unit, so as to generate the beam. The communication device according to any one of claims 16-18, wherein the second phase shifting module includes M second phase shifting units, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the second The two phase shifting units include a first switch and a second switch, both of which are one-selection L switches, and the first switches are respectively coupled to the second switch through L connection lines, The lengths of the L connection lines are different, and the L is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The communication device according to any one of claims 16-19, characterized in that the communication device further comprises a receiving circuit, the receiving circuit is used to receive configuration parameters, the configuration parameters include phase information, and the configuration a parameter for configuring at least one of beams or said first command; The second phase shifting module is specifically configured to adjust the phase of the beam output by the first phase shifting module according to the phase information. The communication device according to claim 20, wherein the second phase shifting module includes M second phase shifting units, the antenna module includes M antenna units, and the communication device further includes M third switches, each of the second phase shifting units is coupled to one of the antenna units through one of the third switches. The communication device according to claim 21, wherein the configuration parameters further include a switch control identifier, and the communication device further includes a processor, the processor is configured to control the third switch on and off. The communication device according to any one of claims 16-22, wherein the first phase shifting module includes P first phase shifting units, and the second phase shifting module includes M second phase shifting units unit, the communication device further includes P power dividers, the first phase shifting unit is respectively coupled to K second phase shifting units through the power dividers, and K is an integer greater than or equal to 2 , the M is equal to the P multiplied by the K; The power splitter is configured to divide the beam output by the first phase shifting unit into K paths. The communication device according to any one of claims 16-22, wherein the first phase shifting module includes P first phase shifting units, and the second phase shifting module includes M second phase shifting units unit, the communication device further includes P multiplexers, the first phase shifting unit is respectively coupled to K second phase shifting units through the multiplexer, and the K is greater than or equal to 2 is an integer, the M is equal to the P multiplied by the K; The multiplexer is configured to output the beam output by the first phase shifting unit to the corresponding second phase shifting unit. A communication device, characterized in that the communication device is used to generate beams, the communication device includes a power divider and M phase shifting units, the input end of the power divider is used to receive beams, and the power divider The output terminals of the device are respectively coupled to the M phase-shifting units, and the output terminals of the M phase-shifting units are respectively used for coupling with M antenna units, and the M is an integer greater than or equal to 2; the phase-shifting The unit includes a first switch and a second switch, both of the first switch and the second switch are one-select L switches, and the first switch is respectively coupled with the second switch through L connection lines, and the L The lengths of the connecting lines are different, and the L is an integer greater than or equal to 2; The power splitter is used to divide the beam into M paths; The phase shifting unit is configured to adjust the phase of the beam output by the power divider. The communication device according to claim 25, further comprising M third switches, each of the phase shifting units is coupled to one of the antenna units through one of the third switches. A computer-readable storage medium having computer program codes in the computer-readable storage medium, wherein when the computer program codes are run on a processor, the processor is made to execute the any one of the methods described. A computer program product, characterized in that the computer program product includes program instructions, and when the program instructions are executed, the method according to any one of claims 12-15 can be realized.

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