CN113170377A

CN113170377A - Network connection establishing method and corresponding device

Info

Publication number: CN113170377A
Application number: CN202180001121.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 袁书田
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-04-19
Filing date: 2021-04-19
Publication date: 2021-07-23
Also published as: WO2022222007A1

Abstract

The application relates to a network connection establishing method and a corresponding device. The tag reader sends a first scanning signal, and the electronic tag (such as a passive electronic tag) responds to the first scanning signal to feed back configuration information, wherein the configuration information comprises network connection information of a responder device where the electronic tag is located. The initiator device where the tag reader is located may send a request signal to the responder device to request to establish a network connection corresponding to a first wireless communication technology (e.g., Wi-Fi, bluetooth, or other short-range communication technologies) according to the network connection information of the responder device. The frequencies of the first scanning signal and the request signal are located in the working frequency band of the first wireless communication technology, so that the occupation of frequency spectrum resources is effectively reduced. By adopting the mode, the initiator and the responder can quickly establish network connection based on the network connection information borne by the electronic tag, so that the manual participation of a user can be reduced in the network connection establishment process, and the user experience and the communication efficiency are effectively improved.

Description

Network connection establishing method and corresponding device

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of communication, in particular to a short-distance communication technology. Specifically, the application provides a network connection establishing method and a corresponding device.

Background

With the development of science and technology, intelligent devices such as intelligent transportation devices, intelligent home devices, intelligent wearing devices and intelligent manufacturing devices are increasingly widely used, for example, smart phones, intelligent refrigerators and notebook computers. When using these smart devices, sometimes information needs to be transmitted between these smart devices, for example, a user wants to transmit a photo in a smart phone to a notebook computer. To realize information transmission between different devices, a possible implementation manner is that a network connection, such as a bluetooth connection or a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) peer-to-peer (P2P) connection, is established between different devices, and then information transmission is performed through the established network connection.

However, in order to ensure the security of information transmission between different devices, a verification process is usually performed when a network connection is established between different devices. For example, if the device 1 needs to establish a network connection with the device 2, after the device 1 searches for the device 2, the user needs to manually input network connection information (such as a password for Wi-Fi P2P connection) of the device 2 on the input interface of the device 1, and then the device 1 may establish a network connection with the device 2. By adopting the mode, great inconvenience is brought to the operation of the user, the user experience is influenced, and the communication efficiency is reduced.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a network connection establishing method and a corresponding device, which are used for realizing that when network connection is established, a user does not need to manually input network connection information, and manual participation of the user is reduced, so that user experience and communication efficiency are improved.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, where the method may be applied to a first communication device, where the first communication device may be a first device, or the first communication device may also be disposed in the first device, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to a specific implementation subject of the method; the method can comprise the following steps: sending a first scanning signal, and receiving configuration information fed back according to the first scanning signal from a second device, wherein the configuration information comprises network connection information of the second device; according to the network connection information of the second equipment, sending a request signal to the second equipment, wherein the request signal is used for requesting to establish network connection between the first equipment and the second equipment; the network connection is a network connection corresponding to a first wireless communication technology, and the frequency of the first scanning signal and the frequency of the request signal are located in an operating frequency band of the first wireless communication technology.

Specifically, the first device may be a device where the tag reader is located, and the second device may be a device where the electronic tag is located. Optionally, the electronic tag may be an active or passive electronic tag. If the electronic tag is a passive electronic tag, the energy of the first scanning signal is used for supplying power to a power circuit of the electronic tag so as to trigger the electronic tag to generate a response signal carrying the configuration information.

By adopting the method, the first equipment can establish network connection with the second equipment based on the fed back network connection information without manually inputting the network connection information of the second equipment by a user, so that the user experience and the communication efficiency can be effectively improved. In addition, because the frequency of the first scanning signal and the frequency of the request signal can be located in the working frequency band of the first wireless communication technology, the occupation of spectrum resources can be effectively reduced.

In one possible design, the configuration information further includes identification information of the second device. Through the design, the first equipment can acquire the identification information of the second equipment in time so as to manage and control network connection.

In one possible design, the first scanning signal is a single tone signal or a signal modulated by a first modulation scheme, and the request signal is a signal modulated by a modulation scheme supported by the first wireless communication technology; the first modulation scheme is different from a modulation scheme supported by the first wireless communication technology. Through the design, the communication technology adopted by the first scanning signal is different from the first wireless communication technology, and a novel and efficient network connection mode is realized through integration or compatibility of the two communication technologies.

In one possible design, the method further includes: transmitting a second scanning signal; receiving identification information fed back according to the second scanning signal from a third device; the frequency of the second scanning signal is located in the working frequency band of the first wireless communication technology. The identification information includes identification information of the third device.

Considering that a plurality of devices capable of establishing network connection may be included around a first device, some devices (such as a second device) of the plurality of devices may support sending network connection information to the first device, and some devices (such as a third device) may not support sending network connection information to the first device, in this embodiment of the present application, the first device may further send a second scanning signal, and other devices (such as a third device) around the first device receive the second scanning signal and may send identification information of the devices to the first device, so that the first device can scan, as far as possible, devices around the first device capable of establishing network connection with the first device by sending the first scanning signal and the second scanning signal, and thus can provide more device information to a user, and the user may also autonomously select a device that wants to establish network connection, the user experience is improved.

In one possible design, the second scanning signal is a signal modulated by a modulation scheme supported by the first wireless communication technology.

By this design, it is possible to facilitate scanning and identification of a device supporting the first wireless communication technology without supporting a response to the first scanning signal, and improve the identification performance of the peripheral device.

In one possible design, the transmission of the first scan signal precedes the transmission of the second scan signal; the sending duration of the first scanning signal is greater than or equal to a first time length threshold value, and the first time length threshold value is predefined or configured.

In one possible design, before sending the first scanning signal, the method further includes: acquiring first information, wherein the first information is used for triggering the sending of the first scanning signal.

By this design, a more flexible device scanning can be achieved. Further, the problem of high power consumption caused by the frequent transmission of the first scanning signal can be avoided.

In one possible design, the transmission of the second scan signal precedes the transmission of the first scan signal; the sending time length of the second scanning signal is greater than or equal to a second time length threshold value, and the second time length threshold value is predefined or configured.

In one possible design, before transmitting the second scan signal, the method further includes: and acquiring second information, wherein the second information is used for triggering the sending of the second scanning signal.

In one possible design, before sending the request signal to the second device, the method further includes: and acquiring third information, wherein the third information is used for triggering the sending of the request signal.

In one possible design, the first wireless communication technology is a Wi-Fi communication technology, the network connection is a Wi-Fi P2P connection or a Wi-Fi AP connection; or, the first wireless communication technology is a bluetooth communication technology, and the network connection is a bluetooth connection. Still alternatively, the first wireless communication technology may also be other short-range communication technologies, such as existing short-range communication technologies (e.g., spark (spark link) short-range communication technologies) or short-range communication technologies that may be applied in an in-vehicle scenario, smart home, or smart manufacturing environment in the future, and may be applicable to the demand for more automatic network connections for smart scenarios in the future.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, where the method may be applied to a second communication apparatus, where the second communication apparatus may be a second device, or the second communication apparatus may also be disposed in the second device, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to a specific implementation subject of the method; the method can comprise the following steps: receiving a first scanning signal from a first device; in response to the first scanning signal, sending configuration information to the first device, wherein the configuration information comprises network connection information of a second device; receiving a request signal from the first device, the request signal requesting establishment of a network connection between the first device and the second device; the network connection is a network connection corresponding to a first wireless communication technology, and the frequency of the first scanning signal and the frequency of the request signal are located in an operating frequency band of the first wireless communication technology.

In one possible design, the configuration information further includes identification information of the second device.

In one possible design, the first scanning signal is a single tone signal or a signal modulated by a first modulation scheme, and the request signal is a signal modulated by a modulation scheme supported by the first wireless communication technology; the first modulation scheme is different from a modulation scheme supported by the first wireless communication technology.

In one possible design, prior to receiving a first scanning signal from the first device, a communication function of the second device corresponding to the first wireless communication technology is in a dormant state; simultaneously with or after receiving the first scanning signal from the first device, the method further comprises: activating a communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology.

By adopting the method, when the communication function of the first wireless communication technology is in the dormant state, the second device can activate the communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology after receiving the first scanning signal, and does not need to wait for the activation (such as periodic activation and the like) of the communication function based on the user or other conventional settings for a long time, thereby facilitating the first device and the second device to quickly establish network connection.

In one possible design, the first wireless communication technology is a Wi-Fi communication technology, the network connection is a Wi-Fi P2P connection or a Wi-Fi AP connection; or, the first wireless communication technology is a bluetooth communication technology, and the network connection is a bluetooth connection. Alternatively, the first wireless communication technology may be another short-range communication technology.

It should be noted that the communication method provided by the second aspect corresponds to the first aspect, and therefore, the beneficial effects of the related technical features of the second aspect may refer to the description of the first aspect, and are not repeated in detail.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, where the apparatus may be a first device, or the apparatus may also be disposed in the first device; the apparatus may include a first communication module, a first antenna module connected with the first communication module, a second communication module, and a second antenna module connected with the second communication module; the first communication module is configured to: sending a first scanning signal through the first antenna module, and receiving first configuration information fed back according to the first scanning signal from a second device, wherein the first configuration information comprises network connection information of the second device; the second communication module is configured to: according to the network connection information of the second device, sending a request signal to the second device through the second antenna module, wherein the request signal is used for requesting to establish network connection between the first device and the second device; the network connection is a network connection corresponding to a first wireless communication technology, and the frequency of the first scanning signal and the frequency of the request signal are located in an operating frequency band of the first wireless communication technology.

Specifically, the first communication module may be a communication module of a tag reader, and the second communication module may be a communication module of a first wireless communication technology, where the first communication module and the second communication module correspond to different communication technologies.

By adopting the method, when the first equipment and the second equipment establish network connection, a user does not need to manually input the network connection information of the second equipment, so that the user experience and the communication efficiency can be effectively improved. In addition, the frequency of the first scanning signal and the frequency of the request signal can be located in the working frequency band of the first wireless communication technology, so that the occupation of spectrum resources can be effectively reduced.

In one possible design, the first configuration information further includes identification information of the second device.

In one possible design, the second communication module is further to: sending a second scanning signal through the second antenna module, and receiving identification information fed back according to the second scanning signal from a third device; the frequency of the second scanning signal is located in the working frequency band of the first wireless communication technology. The identification information includes identification information of the third device.

In one possible design, the apparatus further includes a processing module, the processing module being connected with the first communication module; the processing module is used for: acquiring first information, and sending a first control instruction to the first communication module according to the first information, wherein the first control instruction is used for instructing the first communication module to send the first scanning signal.

In one possible design, the apparatus further includes a processing module, the processing module being connected with the second communication module; the processing module is used for: and acquiring second information, and sending a second control instruction to the second communication module according to the second information, wherein the second control instruction is used for instructing the second communication module to send the second scanning signal.

In one possible design, the apparatus further includes a processing module, the processing module being connected with the second communication module; the processing module is used for: and acquiring third information, and sending a third control instruction to the second communication module according to the third information, wherein the third control instruction is used for indicating the second communication module to send the request signal.

In one possible design, the first antenna module and the second antenna module are the same antenna module; the first communication module and the second communication module are selectively connected with the first antenna module through a switch module.

By adopting the above mode, because the frequency of the first scanning signal and the frequency of the request signal are located in the working frequency band of the first wireless communication technology, the first communication module and the second communication module can share the antenna module, thereby saving the hardware cost and reducing the equipment volume.

In one possible design, the apparatus further includes a third communication module and a third antenna module connected to the third communication module; the third communication module is configured to: receiving, by the third antenna module, a third scanning signal, and sending, in response to the third scanning signal, second configuration information, the second configuration information including network connection information of the first device. Specifically, the third communication module may be a communication module of an electronic tag. Through the design, the first device can be compatible with two functions of the tag reader and the electronic tag, and the application scene of the first device is expanded.

In one possible design, the second configuration information further includes an identification of the first device.

In one possible design, the first antenna module, the second antenna module and the third antenna module are the same antenna module; the device also comprises a power divider, wherein the power divider comprises a first end, a second end and a third end; the third communication module is connected with the first end of the power divider, the first communication module and the second communication module are selectively connected with the second end of the power divider through a switch module, and the first antenna module is connected with the third end of the power divider; the first end and the second end of the power divider are input ends, and the third end of the power divider is an output end; or, the third end of the power divider is an input end, and the first end and the second end of the power divider are output ends.

By adopting the mode, the first communication module, the second communication module and the third communication module can share the antenna module, so that the hardware cost can be saved, and the equipment volume can be reduced.

In one possible design, the third communication module is further to: and sending an activation signal to the second communication module, wherein the activation signal is used for activating the communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology. Through the design, the communication function of the first wireless communication technology can be activated based on information interaction of the electronic tag, manual input and interaction of a user to the information are reduced or not needed, and the communication efficiency of the first wireless communication technology is improved.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, where the apparatus may be a first device, or the apparatus may also be disposed in the first device; the apparatus may include a second communication module and a second antenna module connected to the second communication module; the second communication module is configured to: sending a first scanning signal through the second antenna module, and receiving first configuration information fed back according to the first scanning signal from a second device, wherein the first configuration information comprises network connection information of the second device; according to the network connection information of the second device, sending a request signal to the second device through the second antenna module, wherein the request signal is used for requesting to establish network connection between the first device and the second device; the network connection is a network connection corresponding to a first wireless communication technology, and the frequency of the first scanning signal and the frequency of the request signal are located in an operating frequency band of the first wireless communication technology.

By adopting the mode, the second communication module can send the first scanning signal and the request signal, and an additional communication module is not needed to send the first scanning signal, so that the hardware cost can be effectively saved.

In one possible design, the second communication module is further to: sending a second scanning signal through the second antenna module, and receiving identification information sent by a third device according to the second scanning signal; the frequency of the second scanning signal is located in the working frequency band of the first wireless communication technology.

In one possible design, the apparatus further includes a processing module, the processing module being connected with the second communication module; the processing module is used for: acquiring first information, and sending a first control instruction to the second communication module according to the first information, wherein the first control instruction is used for instructing the second communication module to send the first scanning signal.

In one possible design, the apparatus further includes a third communication module and a third antenna module connected to the third communication module; the third communication module is configured to: receiving, by the third antenna module, a third scanning signal, and sending, in response to the third scanning signal, second configuration information, the second configuration information including network connection information of the first device.

In one possible design, the second antenna module and the third antenna module are the same antenna module; the device also comprises a power divider, wherein the power divider comprises a first end, a second end and a third end; the third communication module is connected with the first end of the power divider, the second communication module is connected with the second end of the power divider, and the second antenna module is connected with the third end of the power divider; the first end and the second end of the power divider are input ends, and the third end of the power divider is an output end; or, the third end of the power divider is an input end, and the first end and the second end of the power divider are output ends.

In one possible design, the third communication module is further to: and sending an activation signal to the second communication module, wherein the activation signal is used for activating the communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology.

In one possible design, the second communication module includes a first radio frequency transmit channel, a first radio frequency receive channel, and a second radio frequency receive channel; wherein, first radio frequency transmission channel with first radio frequency receiving channel passes through switch module and duplexer selective connection, second radio frequency receiving channel with the duplexer is connected, the duplexer with the second antenna module is connected. Through the design, multiple radio frequency receiving channels can be realized, the receiving of signals with different frequencies is compatible, and the communication efficiency is improved.

In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, where the apparatus may be a second device, or the apparatus may also be disposed in the second device; the apparatus may include a second communication module, a second antenna module connected to the second communication module, a third communication module, and a third antenna module connected to the third communication module; the third communication module is configured to: receiving a first scanning signal from a first device through the third antenna module, and sending configuration information to the first device in response to the first scanning signal, wherein the configuration information comprises network connection information of a second device; the second communication module is configured to: receiving a request signal from the first device, the request signal requesting establishment of a network connection between the first device and the second device; the network connection is a network connection corresponding to a first wireless communication technology, and the frequency of the first scanning signal and the frequency of the request signal are located in an operating frequency band of the first wireless communication technology.

In one possible design, the second antenna module and the third antenna module are the same antenna module; the device also comprises a power divider, wherein the power divider comprises a first end, a second end and a third end; the third communication module is connected to the first end of the power divider, the second communication module is selectively connected to the second end of the power divider, and the second antenna module is connected to the third end of the power divider; the first end and the second end of the power divider are input ends, and the third end of the power divider is an output end; or, the third end of the power divider is an input end, and the first end and the second end of the power divider are output ends.

It should be noted that the communication apparatuses provided in the third, fourth, and fifth aspects correspond to the communication methods provided in the first and second aspects, and therefore, the beneficial effects of the related technical features of the third, fourth, and fifth aspects may refer to the description of the first and second aspects, and are not repeated in detail.

In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which may include the communication apparatus according to the third aspect or the communication apparatus according to the fourth aspect, and include the communication apparatus according to the fifth aspect.

In a seventh aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program or instructions, which when executed by a communication device, implement the method in any one of the possible designs of the first aspect or the second aspect.

In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product containing instructions for storing a computer program or instructions which, when executed by a communication device, implement the method in any one of the possible designs of the first or second aspect.

In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip system or an integrated circuit, where the chip system or the integrated circuit includes at least one processor and an interface circuit, and the interface circuit is configured to provide a program or an instruction for the at least one processor, and the at least one processor executes the program or the instruction to implement the method in any one of the possible designs of the first aspect or the second aspect. Further, the interface circuit also provides data to the at least one processor.

In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a terminal, where the terminal includes one or more of the communication apparatuses provided in the third, fourth, and fifth aspects. Specifically, the terminal can be intelligent device, intelligent device can be intelligent transportation equipment (for example car, unmanned aerial vehicle, robot, slow-speed transport vechicle etc.), intelligent house equipment (for example intelligent refrigerator, intelligent stereo set, intelligent TV etc.), intelligent manufacture equipment or intelligent wearing equipment.

These and other aspects of the present application will be more readily apparent from the following description of the embodiments.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic architecture diagram of an RFID system according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2A is a schematic structural diagram of an RFID electronic tag provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2B is a schematic structural diagram of an RFID reader according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3A is a schematic structural diagram of a first electronic tag according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3B is a schematic structural diagram of a first reader according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a system architecture suitable for use in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary diagram of an interface displayed by a first device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to a second embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, 8E, and 8F are some schematic structural diagrams of a first communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 9A, 9B, and 9C are schematic diagrams of some possible structures of a second communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 10A, 10B, and 10C are schematic structural diagrams of still other possible first communication devices according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of another possible second communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

First, some terms in the embodiments of the present application are explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

(1) Network connection

A network connection may refer to a connection established between different devices using a communication technology, such as a wireless communication technology, which may be a point-to-point connection or a point-to-multipoint connection.

For example, the different wireless communication technologies may correspond to different network connections, such as the wireless communication technology being Wi-Fi communication technology, and the corresponding network connection may be a Wi-Fi P2P connection or a Wi-Fi Access Point (AP) connection. The Wi-Fi P2P connection may also be referred to as a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) direct connection or a Wi-Fi direct connection. Wi-Fi P2P connection can enable different devices to connect to each other easily without an intervening access point, has a wide range of applications, such as web browsing to file transfer, and can fully exploit the speed advantages of Wi-Fi. For another example, if the wireless communication technology is a bluetooth communication technology, the corresponding network connection may be a bluetooth connection. As another example, the wireless communication technology may also be a general short-range communication technology (e.g., a flash of star (SparkLink) short-range communication technology), and the application scenarios include, but are not limited to, an in-vehicle short-range communication technology, a communication technology for smart home, smart manufacturing, or industrial collection, and the like.

(2) Network connection information

Generally refers to information needed to establish a network connection and may include, but is not limited to, one or more of password, address, etc. information.

Taking the device 1 and the device 2 as an example, after the device 1 and the device 2 establish a network connection, the device 1 and the device 2 may perform information transmission through the network connection. In order to ensure the security of information transmission between different devices, a verification process is usually performed when a network connection is established between different devices. For example, when the device 1 needs to establish network connection with the device 2, the device 1 needs to first acquire the network connection information of the device 2, and then establish network connection with the device 2 according to the network connection information of the device 2.

For example, device 1 needs to establish a Wi-Fi P2P connection with device 2, the network connection information of device 2 may include Wi-Fi P2P connection information of device 2, such as a password for Wi-Fi P2P connection; it is understood that the Wi-Fi P2P connection information may also include other possible information, and is not limited in particular. For another example, if the device 1 needs to establish a bluetooth connection with the device 2, the network connection information of the device 2 may include bluetooth connection information of the device 2, such as a password of the bluetooth connection; it is understood that the bluetooth connection information may also include other possible information, and is not limited in particular.

It should be noted that, in this embodiment of the application, the network connection information of the device may be used for the other device to establish network connection with the device, and when the other device does not acquire the network connection information of the device, the network connection with the device cannot be established.

(3) Operating frequency band for wireless communication technology

May refer to a frequency range in which a device based on wireless communication technology operates normally, such as a frequency range in which the device transmits signals or a frequency range in which signals are received. The operating frequency bands of devices based on different wireless communication technologies may be the same or different, or may not overlap.

For example, the operating frequency bands of Wi-Fi communication technologies are divided into 2.4GHz operating frequency bands and 5GHz operating frequency bands. Specifically, the frequency range of the 2.4GHz operating band is about 2.402GHz-2.483GHz, and the frequency range of the 5GHz operating band is about 5.15GHz-5.85 GHz. As another example, the operating band of the bluetooth communication technology may be a 2.4G operating band.

(4) Frequency of signal

The signal may be represented as a series of undulations (e.g., electromagnetic waves) of a measurable magnitude, where a complete undulation is referred to as a cycle, and the number of cycles per unit time is the frequency of the signal. That is, the frequency of the signal is the reciprocal of the period of the signal, i.e., f is 1/T, where f is the frequency of the signal and T is the period of the signal.

(5) RFID technology

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology can identify a specific target and read and write related data through a wireless signal. As shown in fig. 1, the RFID system may include an RFID reader (reader), an RFID electronic tag (tag).

An RFID tag, which may also be referred to as an electronic tag or a transponder, is a miniature wireless transceiver. After receiving the radio frequency signal sent by the reader through the electronic tag antenna, the electronic tag can feed back information (such as network connection information) stored in the electronic tag to the reader through the electronic tag antenna. The electronic tags can be classified into passive tags (also called passive tags), active tags (also called active tags), and semi-active tags (semi-active tags) according to the energy supply method of the electronic tags. FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of an RFID tag, which is a passive tag; as shown in fig. 2A, the RFID tag may include a first antenna, a power circuit, a storage and control circuit, a modulation circuit; wherein the storage and control circuitry may have information stored therein (e.g., network connection information). For example, after receiving the radio frequency signal, the first antenna may transmit the radio frequency signal to the power circuit, and the power circuit may absorb energy of the radio frequency signal and then supply power to the storage and control circuit by using the absorbed energy; and the storage and control circuit can control the modulation circuit to generate a response signal (the response signal carries network connection information) and feed back the response signal to the RFID reader through the first antenna.

An RFID reader, which may also be referred to as a tag reader or reader writer, is a device that can acquire and process data of an electronic tag, and may be a stand-alone device or may be embedded in other devices or systems. The reader can send radio frequency signals to the electronic tags through a built-in reader antenna so as to inquire data or write data into the electronic tags. The reader can also be connected with other equipment (such as a computer) through a communication interface, and then the data stored locally by the reader or the data acquired from the electronic tag can be transmitted to the other equipment. Fig. 2B is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of the RFID reader, and as shown in fig. 2B, the RFID reader may include a second antenna, a radio frequency circuit, a processing circuit, and a demodulation circuit. Illustratively, the processing circuit can control the radio frequency circuit to generate a radio frequency signal, and send the radio frequency signal to the RFID electronic tag through the second antenna; after receiving the response signal fed back by the RFID tag, the second antenna may send the response signal to the demodulation circuit for demodulation, and send the demodulated information to the processing circuit.

Illustratively, there are two coupling modes of radio frequency signals occurring between the reader and the electronic tag, one of which is an inductive coupling mode, namely a transformer principle model, and the coupling is realized through a space high-frequency alternating magnetic field according to an electromagnetic induction law; the inductive coupling approach is generally suitable for short-range radio frequency identification systems operating at medium and low frequencies, and possible operating frequencies include: 125kHz, 225kHz and 13.56 MHz. The other is an electromagnetic backscattering coupling mode, namely a radar principle model, and the electromagnetic wave emitted out is reflected after contacting a target and carries back data at the same time according to the spatial propagation rule of the electromagnetic wave; the electromagnetic backscatter coupling approach is generally suitable for long range radio frequency identification systems operating at high frequencies, microwave, and possible operating frequencies include: 433MHz, 915MHz, 2.45GHz and 5.8 GHz. It will be appreciated that, regardless of the coupling method, the frequency of the rf signal emitted by the reader and the frequency of the reply signal emitted by the electronic tag in response to the rf signal are the same. In addition, the frequency of the rf signal emitted by the reader may be determined by the circuit design of the reader, for example, by the design of the rf circuit in the reader.

(6) First electronic tag and first reader

Fig. 3A is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic tag provided in an embodiment of the present application, where the electronic tag is different from the RFID electronic tag described above, and for convenience of description, the electronic tag is referred to as a first electronic tag, and the first electronic tag may be a passive tag. In one example, the first electronic tag may be a microwave radiating tag. As shown in fig. 3A, the first electronic tag includes a first antenna, a first duplexer, a power circuit, a microwave amplification by modulated emission (MASER), a storage and control circuit, and a modulation circuit. Wherein the storage and control circuitry may have information stored therein (e.g., network connection information); the first duplexer may include two filters, one of which is for filtering the radio frequency signal and the other of which is for filtering the reply signal. For example, the first antenna may receive a radio frequency signal (or an excitation signal) from the first reader, and send the excitation signal to the power circuit after filtering processing is performed by the first duplexer; the power circuit may absorb energy from the excitation signal and then use the absorbed energy to power the storage and control circuitry. The power circuit may also send the excitation signal to a maser, which outputs the excitation signal after receiving the excitation signal. Wherein the excitation signal may include a first signal and a second signal, and a frequency of the excitation signal, a frequency of the first signal, and a frequency of the second signal are all different.

The maser is a microwave amplifying device made by utilizing the stimulated emission principle of a radiation field, and can generate monochromatic coherent microwave radiation with extremely low noise. When the maser is in operation, the maser may receive an excitation signal from the first duplexer, the excitation signal corresponding to excitation energy (or referred to as pumping energy) that pumps the particles of the gain medium to a high energy level, and the particles at the high energy level may be unstable and may undergo two energy level transitions, where the two energy level transitions may correspond to a first signal at a first frequency and a second signal at a second frequency, respectively. Further, a sum of the first frequency and the second frequency is less than or equal to a frequency of the excitation signal.

The modulation circuit receives the excitation signal from the maser, modulates the excitation signal under the control of the storage and control circuit, sends the modulated signal to the first duplexer, and further sends a response signal (for example, the response signal carries network connection information) to the first reader through the first antenna.

Fig. 3B is a schematic structural diagram of a reader provided in this embodiment of the present application, where the reader is different from the above-mentioned RFID reader, and for convenience of description, this embodiment of the present application will be referred to as a first reader. As shown in fig. 3B, the first reader may include a second antenna, a second duplexer, a radio frequency circuit (also referred to as an excitation circuit), a demodulation circuit, and a processing circuit. The second duplexer may include two filters, one of the filters is configured to filter the radio frequency signal, and the other of the filters is configured to filter the response signal. For example, the processing circuit may control the radio frequency circuit to generate a radio frequency signal, and after the radio frequency signal is filtered by the second duplexer, the radio frequency signal is sent to the first electronic tag through the second antenna; after receiving the response signal fed back by the first electronic tag, the second antenna can perform filtering processing through the second duplexer, and then send the response signal to the demodulation circuit for demodulation, and send the demodulated information to the processing circuit.

Based on the description of the first electronic tag, the maser in the first electronic tag can output an excitation signal after receiving the excitation signal which is sent by the first reader and corresponds to the excitation energy, and further the first electronic tag can send a response signal to the first reader; the frequency of the excitation signal can be set to a possible frequency according to actual needs, for example, the frequency of the excitation signal can be located in an operating frequency band of Wi-Fi communication technology. In addition, since the frequency of the radio frequency signal sent by the RFID reader and the frequency of the response signal sent by the RFID electronic tag according to the radio frequency signal are the same, interference is generated between the radio frequency signal and the response signal; and the frequency of the radio frequency signal sent by the first reader is different from the frequency of the response signal fed back by the first electronic tag, so that the interference between the radio frequency signal and the response signal can be effectively avoided, and the communication distance between the reader and the electronic tag is increased.

(7) Modulation system

Modulation is the process by which information from a signal source is processed and applied to a carrier wave to bring it into a form suitable for transmission over a channel. In particular, one or more of the frequency, amplitude or phase of the carrier wave may be modulated.

In a specific implementation, the modulation scheme may be multiple, and the modulation schemes supported by different wireless communication technologies may be different. For example, for a device supporting the Wi-Fi communication technology, a signal sent by a communication module corresponding to the Wi-Fi communication technology in the device may be a signal modulated by using a modulation method supported by the Wi-Fi communication technology, and the modulation method supported by the Wi-Fi communication technology may include an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) modulation method, and may also include other possible modulation methods. For another example, the radio frequency signal sent by the RFID reader or the first reader described above may be a signal modulated by a pulse modulation method, or the radio frequency signal sent by the RFID reader or the first reader may also be a single-tone signal, that is, an unmodulated signal.

The foregoing is a title interpretation associated with this application. The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a system architecture applicable to the embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 4, the system architecture may include a first device and a second device. When the first device and the second device both support the first wireless communication technology, a network connection corresponding to the first wireless communication technology can be established between the first device and the second device, and information transmission is performed through the established network connection. The first wireless communication technology may be Wi-Fi communication technology, or Bluetooth communication technology (including Bluetooth technology and/or Bluetooth low energy technology), or other possible short-distance communication technology, such as general short-distance communication technology applied to a vehicle-mounted scene, a smart home, or a smart manufacturing scene, without limitation.

Of the first device and the second device, a device that actively initiates a network connection establishment request may be referred to as an initiator device (may be simply referred to as an initiator), and a device that responds to a network connection establishment request of the initiator device may be referred to as a responder device (may be simply referred to as a responder). For example, when a first device actively initiates a network connection establishment request to a second device, the first device is an initiator device, and the second device is a responder device; when the second device actively initiates a network connection establishment request to the first device, the second device is an initiator device, and the first device is a responder device.

For example, the first device and the second device may be both electronic devices or smart devices, such as a smart phone, a tablet computer, an in-vehicle device, a notebook computer, an ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), a netbook, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), and the like, and the specific type of the electronic device is not limited in this embodiment. The first device and the second device may be electronic devices of the same device type, for example, both the first device and the second device are smart phones or both are tablet computers; or, the first device and the second device may also be electronic devices of different device types, for example, the first device is a tablet computer, the second device is a smart phone, or the first device is a smart phone, and the second electronic device is a tablet computer.

In addition, to meet different requirements of the user, taking the first device as an example, when the first device supports the first wireless communication technology, the first device may start or close different functions corresponding to the first wireless communication technology according to a trigger of the user. In one example, the functionality corresponding to the first wireless communication technology may include communication functionality, scanning functionality, and network connection functionality. These three functions will be described separately below.

(1) Communication function

After the first device starts a communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology, the first device can be discovered or scanned by other devices, that is, the first device can respond to a scanning signal sent by other devices, such as a second scanning signal described below; and the first device can respond to the network connection establishment request sent by the other device and establish network connection with the other device.

For example, the first wireless communication technology is a Wi-Fi communication technology, and the network connection corresponding to the Wi-Fi communication technology is WLAN direct connection. Taking the first device as an example of a smart phone, referring to fig. 5 (a), the first device may have a display screen and a touch sensor disposed on the display screen, and the first device may display a main interface on the display screen, where the main interface includes icons (such as WLAN direct connection icons) of each application program. The first device may detect, through a touch sensor disposed on the display screen, an operation of a user on the display screen, and when an operation of the user clicking a WLAN direct icon in the main interface is detected, the first device may display an interface as illustrated in (b) of fig. 5 on the display screen. The interface may include a function button 501 for starting a communication function corresponding to a Wi-Fi communication technology, and when the first device detects that a user triggers the function button 501, the function button may start the communication function corresponding to the Wi-Fi communication technology.

It should be noted that starting the communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology may be a prerequisite for starting other functions corresponding to the first wireless communication technology; that is, the scanning function and/or the network connection function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology can be started only after the communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology is started.

(2) Scanning function

When the first device initiates a scanning function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology, the first device may actively transmit a scanning signal (such as a first scanning signal and/or a second scanning signal described below) to discover other devices around the first device that are capable of establishing a network connection with the first device.

For example, the first wireless communication technology is a Wi-Fi communication technology, and the network connection corresponding to the Wi-Fi communication technology is WLAN direct connection. Taking the first device as a smart phone as an example, with continued reference to the interface illustrated in (b) in fig. 5, the interface may further include a function button 502 for starting a scanning function corresponding to the Wi-Fi communication technology, and after the user triggers the function button 501, the user may further trigger the function button 502. Referring to (c) of fig. 5, when the first device detects that the user triggers the function button 502, a scan function corresponding to Wi-Fi communication technology may be initiated.

(3) Network connection function

When the first device starts a network connection function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology, the first device may initiate a network connection request to another device to establish a network connection between the first device and the another device.

For example, the first wireless communication technology is a Wi-Fi communication technology, and the network connection corresponding to the Wi-Fi communication technology is WLAN direct connection. Taking the first device as a smart phone as an example, after the first device starts a scanning function corresponding to a Wi-Fi communication technology, it may discover other devices (these devices may be referred to as candidate devices) around the first device, which are capable of establishing a network connection with the first device, and the first device may display identification information of the candidate devices to a user, see an interface illustrated in (d) in fig. 5. The identification information of the device may include brand information and series information of the device, or may also include other information for identifying the device, which is not limited specifically. If the user clicks the identification information of a candidate device (e.g., the huafei Mate 20), the first device may start a network connection function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology according to the user trigger, and send a request signal to the candidate device, where the request signal is used to establish a network connection between the first device and the candidate device.

It should be noted that the three functions described above are only one example, and in other possible examples, the communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology may be combined with the scanning function, that is, after the first device starts the communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology, the first device may also actively send a scanning signal to discover other devices around the first device that can establish a network connection with the first device; alternatively, the communication function, the scanning function, and the network connection function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology may be combined; alternatively, the scanning function and the network connection function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology may be combined, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

Based on the system architecture illustrated in fig. 4, in a possible process of establishing a network connection, when a first device finds a second device through scanning, the first device acquires identification information of the second device, but cannot acquire network connection information of the second device; if the first device needs to establish network connection with the second device, the first device prompts a user to input network connection information of the second device on a display interface of the first device, and then establishes network connection with the second device based on the network connection information input by the user. By adopting the mode, great inconvenience is brought to the operation of the user, and the efficiency of establishing the network connection is low.

To solve this problem, some ways to assist in establishing the network connection are currently proposed, such as two-dimensional codes can be used to assist in establishing the network connection. Specifically, the device may publish the network connection information thereof in a form of a two-dimensional code, for example, if the second device supports Wi-Fi P2P connection, the Wi-Fi P2P connection information of the second device may be preset, a two-dimensional code is generated according to the Wi-Fi P2P connection information of the second device, and the two-dimensional code is pasted on the surface of the second device. When another device (such as a first device) wants to establish Wi-Fi P2P connection with a second device, a user may open a specific application installed in the first device to scan the two-dimensional code, obtain Wi-Fi P2P connection information of the second device, and then the first device may establish Wi-Fi P2P connection with the second device according to the Wi-Fi P2P connection information of the second device. In this way, a user is not required to manually input the network connection information of the second device at the input interface of the first device.

However, in this way, on the one hand, a specific application needs to be installed on the first device; on the other hand, the two-dimensional code is easily damaged, and if the two-dimensional code of the second device is damaged, the other device cannot establish network connection with the second device.

In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, in which a first device transmits a first scanning signal, and receives configuration information sent by a second device according to the first scanning signal, where the configuration information includes network connection information of the second device; the first device may further send a request signal to the second device according to the network connection information of the second device, where the request signal is used to request establishment of a network connection between the first device and the second device. By adopting the mode, when the first equipment and the second equipment are connected with each other, the user does not need to manually input the network connection information of the second equipment, so that the user experience and the communication efficiency can be effectively improved. In addition, the network connection between the first device and the second device may be a network connection corresponding to the first wireless communication technology, and the frequency of the first scanning signal and the frequency of the request signal may be located in an operating frequency band of the first wireless communication technology, so that occupation of spectrum resources can be effectively reduced.

The communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described below with reference to the first embodiment and the second embodiment.

Example one

Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. In fig. 6, a description will be given taking a network connection as a network connection corresponding to the first wireless communication technology as an example. As shown in fig. 6, the method may include:

s601, the first device sends a first scanning signal.

Here, there may be various situations for triggering the first device to send the first scanning signal, for example, after the first device acquires the first information, the first device may send the first scanning signal. The first information is used for triggering the sending of a first scanning signal, or the first information is used for starting a scanning function corresponding to a first wireless communication technology. In one example, the first information may be generated according to a first operation of the user, such as shown in (c) of fig. 5, and the first operation of the user may refer to the user triggering the function button 502.

For example, the frequency of the first scanning signal may be within an operating frequency band of the first wireless communication technology, for example, the frequency of the first scanning signal may be the same as the frequency of the request signal described below. The first scanning signal may be a single-tone signal, or the first scanning signal may be a signal modulated by using a first modulation scheme, where the first modulation scheme is different from a modulation scheme supported by the first wireless communication technology, for example, the first modulation scheme may be a pulse modulation scheme or other possible modulation schemes. Here, the first modulation scheme is different from any modulation scheme supported by the first wireless communication technology.

As a possible implementation, the first device may include the RFID reader described above, and the first scanning signal may be a radio frequency signal transmitted by the RFID reader; as another possible implementation, the first device may include the first reader described above, and the first scanning signal may be a radio frequency signal transmitted by the first reader.

S602, the second device receives a first scanning signal from the first device, and sends a first response signal to the first device in response to the first scanning signal, where the first response signal carries configuration information of the second device, and the configuration information of the second device includes network connection information of the second device.

Further, the configuration information of the second device may further include identification information of the second device, and other possible information, which is not limited specifically.

For example, after receiving the first scanning signal, the second device may determine whether the communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology is in a dormant state, and if the communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology is in the dormant state, the communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology may be activated. For example, after the second device starts the communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology, if no other device establishes network connection with the second device within a set time period, the second device may set the communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology to a dormant state, thereby saving power consumption; the duration of the set time period may be predefined or configured, and is not limited specifically. In an example, taking the first wireless communication technology as a Wi-Fi communication technology as an example, the communication function corresponding to the Wi-Fi communication technology being in a dormant state may refer to that the second device closes some or all modules corresponding to the Wi-Fi communication technology, for example, the second device closes a radio frequency receiving channel for receiving a Wi-Fi signal (i.e., a signal modulated by a modulation method supported by the Wi-Fi communication technology); for another example, the second device turns off a radio frequency reception channel for receiving the Wi-Fi signal, and turns off a device in the baseband module for processing the Wi-Fi signal received through the radio frequency reception channel.

The frequency of the first scan signal and the frequency of the first response signal may be the same. In this case, as a possible implementation, the first device may include the above-described RFID reader, and the second device may include the above-described RFID tag, where the RFID tag stores the configuration information of the second device; furthermore, after receiving the first scanning signal, the RFID tag may send a first response signal to the RFID reader according to the first scanning signal, where the first response signal carries configuration information of the second device. Or, the frequency of the first scanning signal and the frequency of the first response signal may also be different, and since the frequency of the first scanning signal and the frequency of the first response signal are different, interference between the first scanning signal and the first response signal can be avoided, and the communication distance is effectively increased. In this case, as a possible implementation, the first device may include the first reader described above, and the second device may include the first electronic tag described above, where the first electronic tag stores the configuration information of the second device; furthermore, after receiving the first scanning signal, the first electronic tag may send a first response signal to the first reader according to the first scanning signal, where the first response signal carries configuration information of the second device.

It should be noted that, in a specific implementation, the first device and the second device may negotiate a transmission rate first (for example, an RFID reader in the first device and an RFID electronic tag in the second device may negotiate a transmission rate first, or a first reader in the first device and a first electronic tag in the second device may negotiate a transmission rate first), for example, the first device selects one of a plurality of preset transmission rates and indicates the selected transmission rate to the second device, and the second device may send configuration information of the second device to the first device based on the transmission rate indicated by the first device.

S603, the first device sends a request signal to the second device according to the network connection information of the second device, where the request signal is used to request to establish a network connection between the first device and the second device.

In a specific implementation, the sending of the first scanning signal and the feedback of the first configuration information are before a network connection corresponding to the first wireless communication technology, and therefore do not belong to the first wireless communication technology. It can also be understood that the present application realizes fast and efficient network connection by integrating two communication technologies.

In one design, the request signal may be a signal modulated using Wi-Fi, bluetooth, or other modulation supported by short-range communication technologies.

As a possible implementation manner, after receiving the network connection information of the second device, the first device may send query information to the user, where the query information is used to query whether the user needs to establish a network connection with the second device. For example, the first device may display a dialog box on a display screen, where the dialog box includes "whether a network connection with the second device needs to be established" or not, "and if the user triggers" yes, "the first device may acquire third information, where the third information is used to trigger sending of a request signal, or the third information is used to start a network connection function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology. The third information is generated according to the operation that the user triggers yes, and the first device can send a request signal to the second device according to the third information.

As another possible implementation manner, after receiving the network connection information of the second device, the first device may directly send the request signal to the second device without querying the user, thereby effectively simplifying the operation of the user.

As another possible implementation manner, if the first device receives configuration information of multiple devices, for example, the first device receives configuration information of the second device and also receives configuration information of another device (referred to as device a for convenience of description), the first device may also display identification information of the second device and identification information of device a to the user, so that the user may select a device that wants to establish a network connection, that is, may receive determination information from the user to determine a device that needs to establish a network connection. For example, if the user selects the second device, the first device may acquire third information, where the third information is generated according to an operation of selecting the second device by the user, and the first device may send the request signal to the second device according to the third information. Alternatively, the devices in the plurality of devices may be determined to establish the network connection according to predefined or configured priority information. The priority information may indicate a priority connection order of the plurality of devices or the plurality of configuration information. For example, the first device receives the configuration information of the second device and the configuration information of the device a, where the priority information is used to indicate that the priority of the second device is higher than that of the device a, or the priority of the configuration indicated by the configuration information of the second device is higher than that of the configuration indicated by the configuration information of the device a, the first device sends the request signal to the second device.

S604, the second device receives the request signal and establishes network connection with the first device according to the request signal.

For example, the request signal may carry network connection information of the second device, and after receiving the request signal, the second device may verify the network connection information of the second device carried by the request signal, and if the verification is passed, may establish network connection with the first device according to the request signal. If the authentication fails, the establishment of the network connection with the first device may be denied. The second device may verify the network connection information of the second device carried by the request signal in a plurality of ways, for example, the second device may compare the network connection information of the second device carried by the request signal with the network connection information stored in the second device, if the two are consistent, it may be determined that the verification is passed, and if the two are not consistent, it may be determined that the verification is not passed.

By adopting the mode, the first device can acquire the network connection information of the second device by sending the first scanning signal, so that the network connection request is realized, the network connection information of the second device does not need to be manually input by a user, and the user experience and the communication efficiency can be effectively improved. In addition, the network connection between the first device and the second device may be a network connection corresponding to the first wireless communication technology, and the frequency of the first scanning signal may be located in an operating frequency band of the first wireless communication technology, so that the occupation of spectrum resources can be effectively reduced.

Example two

Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to a second embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 7, the method may include:

s701, the first equipment acquires first information, and the first information is used for triggering sending of a first scanning signal.

For example, the description that the first device acquires the first information may refer to embodiment one, which is not described again. This step is optional.

S702, the first device sends a first scanning signal.

Illustratively, the frequency of the first scanning signal may be within an operating frequency band of the first wireless communication technology, for example, the frequency of the first scanning signal may be the same as the frequency of a request signal (such as request signal 1 or request signal 2) described below. The first scanning signal may be a single-tone signal, or the first scanning signal may be a signal modulated by using a first modulation scheme, where the first modulation scheme is different from a modulation scheme supported by the first wireless communication technology, for example, the first modulation scheme may be a pulse modulation scheme or other possible modulation schemes.

As a possible implementation, the first device may include the RFID reader described above, and the first scanning signal may be a radio frequency signal transmitted by the RFID reader. As another possible implementation, the first device may include the first reader described above, and the first scanning signal may be a radio frequency signal transmitted by the first reader.

And S703, receiving the first scanning signal by other equipment around the first equipment, and identifying the first scanning signal. For example, the other devices around the first device may include the second device, and may also include other possible devices, such as a third device, without limitation. For example, after receiving the first scanning signal, the second device determines that the first scanning signal can be identified, and then sends a first response signal to the first device according to the first scanning signal, where the first response signal carries configuration information of the second device. The configuration information of the second device may include network connection information of the second device, and optionally, the configuration information of the second device may further include identification information of the second device. For another example, after receiving the first scanning signal, the third device may determine that the first scanning signal cannot be identified or that the first scanning signal is determined to be an invalid signal, and may not respond to the first scanning signal.

Taking the first device including the first reader described above as an example, the first scanning signal may be a radio frequency signal transmitted by the first reader. In this case, if the second device includes the first electronic tag described above, and the first electronic tag stores configuration information of the second device, the second device can recognize the first scanning signal after receiving the first scanning signal, that is, after the microwave exciter in the first electronic tag included in the second device receives the first scanning signal, the microwave exciter can output an excitation signal, and the first electronic tag can feed back the first response signal to the first reader included in the first device. If the third device does not include the first electronic tag described above, the first scanning signal is a single tone signal or a signal modulated by using the first modulation method, or the first scanning signal is not a signal modulated by using a modulation method supported by a wireless communication technology (e.g., the first wireless communication technology) supported by the third device, and therefore, the third device cannot recognize the first scanning signal after receiving the first scanning signal.

For example, after receiving the first scanning signal, the second device may determine whether the communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology is in a dormant state, and if the communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology is in the dormant state, the communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology may be activated.

S704, the first device transmits a second scan signal.

Here, the second scanning signal may be a signal modulated by a second modulation scheme, and the second modulation scheme may be a modulation scheme supported by the first wireless communication technology.

Illustratively, the transmission of the first scanning signal precedes the transmission of the second scanning signal. For example, after acquiring the first information, the first device may send the first scanning signal first, and when a duration of sending the first scanning signal is greater than or equal to a first duration threshold, the sending of the first scanning signal may be stopped, and the sending of the second scanning signal may be started. When the time length for transmitting the second scan signal is greater than or equal to the second time length threshold, the transmission of the second scan signal may be stopped, thereby completing the scanning. Wherein, the first time length threshold value and the second time length threshold value can be predefined or configured; the first duration threshold and the second duration threshold may be the same or may not be the same. Taking the first duration threshold as an example, the first duration threshold may relate to a duration required by other devices around the first device to respond to the first scan signal, for example, the first duration threshold may be greater than or equal to a duration required by other devices around the first device to respond to the first scan signal. In addition, if the value of the first duration threshold is larger, the time consumed by the scanning process may be longer, and therefore, in an implementation, the first duration threshold may be defined or configured by combining the duration required by other devices around the first device to respond to the first scanning signal and the duration consumed by the scanning process. The second duration threshold may be described with reference to the first duration threshold, and may be defined or configured, for example, in conjunction with the duration of time required for other devices around the first device to respond to the second scanning signal and the duration of time spent by the scanning process.

S705, other devices around the first device receive the second scan signal and identify the second scan signal. For example, after receiving the second scanning signal, the second device determines that the second scanning signal can be identified, and then sends a second response signal (referred to as a second response signal 1 for convenience of description) to the first device according to the second scanning signal, where the second response signal 1 carries identification information of the second device. For another example, after receiving the second scanning signal, the third device determines that the second scanning signal can be identified, and then sends a second response signal (referred to as a second response signal 2 for convenience of description) to the first device according to the second scanning signal, where the second response signal 2 carries identification information of the third device.

Here, since the second scanning signal is a signal modulated by a modulation scheme supported by the first wireless communication technology, the second scanning signal can be identified when the second device or the third device supports the first wireless communication technology.

S706, the first device obtains third information, where the third information is used to trigger sending of a request signal (referred to as request signal 1 for convenience of description), and the request signal 1 is used to request establishment of a network connection between the first device and the second device. This step is optional. This step is not performed in case the third information trigger request signal 1 is not required.

Here, the third information is used to trigger the transmission of the request signal 1, or the third information is used to start a network connection function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology. In an example, the third information may be generated according to a second operation of the user, for example, the first device may display, to the user, the obtained identification information of other devices around the first device (for example, the second device and the third device described above) through scanning, and as shown in fig. 5 (d), the second operation of the user may refer to the user clicking the identification information of the second device.

S707, the first device sends a request signal 1 to the second device according to the network connection information of the second device.

Here, if the first device acquires the third information, it may be determined whether the network connection information of the second device has been acquired, and if so, the request signal 1 may be transmitted to the second device.

This step S707 may be directly performed in a scenario where the third information trigger is not required.

S708, the second device receives the request signal 1, and establishes a network connection with the first device according to the request signal 1. The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the process of actually establishing a network connection.

It should be noted that: (1) in the above step flow, the transmission of the first scanning signal is described as an example before the transmission of the second scanning signal; in other possible embodiments, the transmission of the second scanning signal may also precede the transmission of the first scanning signal. For example, the first device acquires second information, where the second information is used to trigger sending of a second scanning signal, and then the first device may send the second scanning signal first, and when a duration for sending the second scanning signal is greater than or equal to a second duration threshold, the sending of the second scanning signal may be stopped, and the sending of the first scanning signal is started; when the time length for transmitting the first scanning signal is greater than or equal to the first time length threshold, the transmission of the first scanning signal may be stopped, thereby completing the scanning. Here, the second information may also be generated according to a first operation of the user, that is, the first information and the second information may be the same information; when the first device acquires the first information (or the second information), whether to send the first scanning signal first and then send the second scanning signal, or to send the second scanning signal first and then send the first scanning signal, may depend on an internal implementation of the first device, or may also be predefined or configured, and is not limited specifically.

(2) In other possible embodiments, if the first device acquires the fourth information, the fourth information is used to trigger the sending of the request signal 2, the request signal 2 is used to request to establish a network connection between the first device and the third device, the fourth information is generated according to a third operation of the user, and the third operation of the user may be that the user clicks the identification information of the third device, then the first device may prompt the user to input the network connection information of the third device on the display screen because the first device does not acquire the network connection information of the third device, and further send the request signal 2 to the third device according to the network connection information of the third device input by the user.

By adopting the mode, the first device can send the first scanning signal and the second scanning signal, so that the devices which are arranged around the first device and can establish network connection with the first device can be scanned as far as possible, a user can select the device which wants to establish network connection, and user experience is improved. And the first device can acquire the network connection information of the second device by sending the first scanning signal, so that when the first device and the second device establish network connection, a user does not need to manually input the network connection information of the second device, and the user experience and the communication efficiency can be effectively improved. In addition, the network connection between the first device and the second device may be a network connection corresponding to the first wireless communication technology, and the frequency of the first scanning signal may be located in an operating frequency band of the first wireless communication technology, so that the occupation of spectrum resources can be effectively reduced.

In addition, with respect to the first and second embodiments, it should be noted that:

(1) the step numbers of the flowcharts described in the first embodiment and the second embodiment are only an example of an execution flow, and do not limit the execution sequence of the steps, and there is no strict execution sequence between the steps that have no time sequence dependency relationship between them in this embodiment. In addition, not all the steps illustrated in each flowchart are necessarily required to be performed, and some steps may be added to or deleted from each flowchart according to actual needs.

(2) The foregoing has focused on the differences between the different embodiments of the first and second embodiments, and the first and second embodiments are referred to one another except for the differences.

Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide a communication device, and the communication device provided in the embodiments of the present application may be a first communication device or a second communication device. The first communication device may be configured to implement the function of the first device in the first embodiment or the second embodiment, for example, the first communication device may be a first device, or the first communication device may also be disposed in the first device, for example, the first communication device is a chip system or an integrated circuit in the first device; the second communication device may be configured to implement the function of the second device side in the first embodiment or the second embodiment, for example, the second communication device may be the second device, or the second communication device may also be disposed in the second device, for example, the second communication device is a system on chip or an integrated circuit in the second device.

The structure of the first communication apparatus is described below.

Fig. 8A is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of the first communication device. As shown in fig. 8A, the first communication device may include a first communication module, a first antenna module connected to the first communication module, a second communication module, and a second antenna module connected to the second communication module.

Wherein the first communication module may be configured to: the method includes transmitting a first scanning signal through a first antenna module, and receiving configuration information of other devices (such as a second device) transmitted according to the first scanning signal. The second communication module may be a communication module corresponding to the first wireless communication technology, for example, the first wireless communication technology is a Wi-Fi communication technology, and the second communication module may be configured to: and sending a request signal through the second antenna module, wherein the request signal is used for requesting to establish network connection between the first device and the second device. Optionally, the second communication module may be further configured to: the second scanning signal is transmitted through the second antenna module, and identification information of other devices (such as a third device) transmitted according to the second scanning signal is received.

Exemplarily, the first communication device may further include a processing module, and the processing module may be connected to the first communication module and the second communication module, respectively. In one example, the processing module may be configured to perform one or more of the following: acquiring first information, wherein the first information is used for triggering the sending of a first scanning signal; sending a first control instruction to the first communication module, wherein the first control instruction is used for instructing the first communication module to send a first scanning signal; or after the time length for sending the first scanning signal by the first communication module is determined to be greater than or equal to the first time length threshold, sending a second control instruction to the second communication module, wherein the second control instruction is used for instructing the second communication module to send the second scanning signal. In yet another example, the processing module may be configured to perform one or more of the following: acquiring second information, wherein the second information is used for triggering the sending of a second scanning signal; sending a second control instruction to the second communication module, wherein the second control instruction is used for indicating the second communication module to send a second scanning signal; or after the time length for sending the second scanning signal by the second communication module is determined to be greater than or equal to the second time length threshold, sending a first control instruction to the first communication module, wherein the first control instruction is used for instructing the first communication module to send the first scanning signal.

Further, the processing module may be further operable to: acquiring third information, wherein the third information is used for triggering the sending of the request signal; and/or sending a third control instruction to the second communication module, wherein the third control instruction is used for instructing the second communication module to send a request signal, and the request signal is used for requesting to establish network connection between the first device and the second device.

As a possible implementation, the first communication module and the first antenna module may belong to the RFID reader described above; as another possible implementation, the first communication module and the first antenna module may also belong to the first reader described above, where the first antenna module may be the second antenna illustrated in fig. 3B, and the first communication module may include the processing circuit, the radio frequency circuit, the second duplexer, the demodulation circuit, and the like illustrated in fig. 3B, which may specifically refer to the foregoing description, and are not described herein again. In this case, the first scanning signal may be a radio frequency signal transmitted by the first reader.

The processing module, the second communication module, and the second antenna module in the first communication device are described below.

(1) Processing module

A processing module may comprise one or more processing units, different processing units may be separate devices, or two or more different processing units may be integrated in one device. In one example, the processing module may include an Application Processor (AP), and the processing module is configured to run an operating system and/or an application program installed in the first device, manage software and hardware resources of the first device, and provide a user operation interface for a user.

(2) Second communication module

The second communication module may be configured to implement a communication function, a scanning function, a network connection function, and the like of the first device corresponding to the first wireless communication technology. In one example, referring to fig. 8B and 8C, the second communication module may include a baseband module and a radio frequency module.

The baseband module may be responsible for managing software and hardware resources of the second communication module, and may configure relevant operating parameters of the radio frequency module. Illustratively, the baseband module is used to perform processing on the baseband signal, such as the baseband module may extract useful information or data bits from the baseband signal or convert the information or data bits into the baseband signal to be transmitted. These information or data bits may be data representing user data or control information such as voice, text, video, etc. For example, the baseband module may perform signal processing operations such as modulation and demodulation, encoding, and decoding. The baseband module may also be referred to as a baseband processing chip or baseband chip.

The radio frequency module may include a Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC) and a Radio Frequency Front End (RFFE) device. The rf integrated circuit may also be referred to as an rf processing chip or an rf chip, and the rf integrated circuit is also sometimes referred to as a receiver (receiver), a transmitter (transmitter), or a transceiver (transceiver). As technology evolves, the second antenna module may sometimes also be considered part of the radio frequency module and may be integrated into a radio frequency chip. It can be understood that the radio frequency module may also adopt different devices or different integration modes based on the requirements of power consumption and performance, which is not limited in this application.

Illustratively, with continued reference to fig. 8B and 8C, the rf module may include Low Noise Amplifier (LNA), Power Amplifier (PA), mixer (mixer), etc., which may be integrated into one or more chips as desired. In addition, since the radio frequency signal is usually an analog signal, and the signal processed by the baseband module is mainly a digital signal, an analog-to-digital conversion device is also required. In the embodiment of the present application, the analog-to-digital conversion device may be disposed in the baseband module or may be disposed in the radio frequency module. The analog-to-digital conversion device includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that converts an analog signal into a digital signal, and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) that converts a digital signal into an analog signal.

The rf module may include an rf receiving channel and an rf transmitting channel according to a receiving or transmitting path of a signal. The rf receiving channel may include devices such as an ADC, an LNA, and a mixer, and the rf receiving channel may receive an rf signal through the second antenna module, process (e.g., amplify and downconvert) the rf signal to obtain a baseband signal, and transmit the baseband signal to the baseband module. The rf transmission channel may include a DAC, a mixer, a PA, and the like, and may receive the baseband signal from the baseband module, process (e.g., up-convert, amplify) the baseband signal to obtain an rf signal, and finally radiate the rf signal into space in the form of electromagnetic waves through the second antenna module.

When the first wireless communication technology uses a Time Division Duplex (TDD) mode to transmit and receive signals, the frequency of the transmitted signal and the frequency of the received signal may be the same, in this case, as shown in fig. 8B, the rf receive channel and the rf transmit channel may be connected to the antenna module through the switch module and the filter; when signal transmission is carried out, the radio frequency transmitting channel can be connected with the filter and the antenna module by controlling the switch module, and when signal receiving is carried out, the radio frequency receiving channel can be connected with the filter and the antenna module by controlling the switch module. In the case that the frequency of the transmission signal is different from the frequency of the reception signal when the first wireless communication technology transmits and receives the signal in a Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) manner, as shown in fig. 8C, the rf receiving path and the rf transmitting path may be connected to the antenna module through a duplexer, wherein the duplexer may include at least two filters, one filter is used for filtering the transmission signal, and the other filter is used for filtering the reception signal.

It should be noted that the switch module in the embodiments of the present application may be a module having a switching function, such as a Single Pole Double Throw (SPDT) switch, a metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation of the switch module.

(3) Second antenna module

The second antenna module may be an antenna corresponding to the first wireless communication technology, and the second antenna module may include one or more antennas.

The configurations illustrated in fig. 8A, 8B, and 8C are not intended to limit the first communication device. In other embodiments of the present application, the first communication device may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or split certain components, or a different arrangement of components.

Taking the first communication module and the first antenna module belonging to the first reader as described above as an example (when the first communication module and the first antenna module belong to the RFID reader described above, reference may be made to an implementation that the first communication module and the first antenna module belong to the first reader), since the frequency of the radio frequency signal (such as the first scanning signal) transmitted by the first reader may be within the operating frequency band of the first wireless communication technology, that is, the operating frequency band of the first reader may be the same as the operating frequency band of the first wireless communication technology, it may be considered that the second communication module and the second antenna module corresponding to the first wireless communication technology perform part or all of the functions of the first reader, or the first reader performs part or all of the functions of the second communication module and the second antenna module corresponding to the first wireless communication technology, thereby simplifying the hardware design, hardware cost is saved.

For example, the function of the first antenna module may be performed by the second antenna module, or the function of the second antenna module may be performed by the first antenna module, that is, the first antenna module and the second antenna module are the same antenna module. That is, the first communication module and the second communication module transmit signals through the same antenna module. Referring to fig. 8D, a schematic diagram of a possible structure of the first communication device when the first antenna module and the second antenna module are the same antenna module is shown. As shown in fig. 8D, the first communication module and the second communication module may be selectively connected to the second antenna module (or the first antenna module) through the switch module. For example, when the first communication module needs to send or receive a signal, the processing module may control the switch module to connect the first communication module with the second antenna module and disconnect the second communication module from the second antenna module; when the second communication module needs to send or receive signals, the processing module can enable the second communication module to be connected with the second antenna module through controlling the switch module, and the first communication module is disconnected with the second antenna module.

For another example, since the second communication module can transmit a complex modulation signal (for example, a signal modulated by an OFDM modulation method), the second communication module can be given the capability of transmitting a simple modulation signal (for example, a signal modulated by a pulse modulation method) or a single tone signal; that is, the function of the first communication module may be implemented by the second communication module, so that the first communication device may not need to include the first communication module or the second communication module is the same communication module as the first communication module. Referring to fig. 8E, a schematic diagram of a possible structure of the first communication device when the first antenna module and the second antenna module are the same antenna module and the function of the first communication module is implemented by the second communication module is shown. As shown in fig. 8E, the first communication device may include a processing module, a second communication module, and a second antenna module (or a first antenna module).

It should be noted that fig. 8D and fig. 8E above illustrate two examples of possible simplified hardware designs, for example, the function of the first communication module is completely performed by the second communication module in fig. 8E, and in a specific implementation, there may be other cases of simplified hardware designs, for example, the first communication module and the second communication module may share a part of devices.

In addition, taking fig. 8E as an example, when the second communication module implements the function of the first communication module (for example, the first reader), because the frequency of the radio frequency signal transmitted by the first reader is different from the frequency of the response signal fed back by the first electronic tag according to the radio frequency signal when the first reader and the first electronic tag perform signal interaction, when the second communication module transmits and receives the signal in the time division duplex manner, it may be caused that the response signal transmitted by the first electronic tag cannot be received after the second communication module transmits the radio frequency signal. To solve this problem, when the second communication module implements the function of the first communication module, the second communication module may be modified, for example, a radio frequency receiving channel is newly added, so that the second communication module may receive the response signal sent by the first electronic tag through the newly added radio frequency receiving channel.

Referring to fig. 8F, a schematic diagram of another possible structure of the first communication device when the first antenna module and the second antenna module are the same antenna module and the function of the first communication module is implemented by the second communication module. As shown in fig. 8F, the rf transmitting channel and the rf receiving channel 1 are connected to the second antenna module through the switch module and the duplexer (i.e., the rf transmitting channel and the rf receiving channel 1 may transmit and receive signals in a TDD manner), and the rf receiving channel 2 may be connected to the second antenna module through the duplexer. The duplexer may include at least two filters, one of the filters is configured to filter a signal transmitted by the rf transmit channel and a signal to be received by the rf receive channel 1, and the other filter is configured to filter a signal to be received by the rf receive channel 2. It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the number of the filters included in the duplexer may not be specifically limited, so as to implement the corresponding filtering process.

It should be noted that, when the second communication module implements the function of the first communication module (for example, an RFID reader), since the frequency of the radio frequency signal transmitted by the RFID reader is the same as the frequency of the response signal fed back by the RFID electronic tag according to the radio frequency signal when the RFID reader and the RFID electronic tag perform signal interaction, the second communication module may transmit the radio frequency signal and receive the response signal in a time division duplex manner without additionally adding a radio frequency receiving channel.

The structure of the second communication apparatus is described below.

Fig. 9A is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of the second communication device. As shown in fig. 9A, the second communication device may include a second communication module, a second antenna module connected to the second communication module, a third communication module, and a third antenna module connected to the third communication module.

Wherein the third communication module may be configured to: receiving a first scanning signal from the first device through a third antenna module; and sending a first response signal to the first device according to the first scanning signal, wherein the first response signal carries the configuration information of the second device. The second communication module may be to: a request signal from the first device is received and a network connection between the first device and the second device is established in accordance with the request signal.

In addition, the second communication device may further include a processing module, and the processing module may be connected to the second communication module.

As a possible implementation, the third communication module and the third antenna module may belong to the RFID electronic tag described above; as another possible implementation, the third communication module and the third antenna module may belong to the first electronic tag described above, where the third antenna module may be the first antenna illustrated in fig. 3A, and the third communication module may include the maser, the first duplexer, the power circuit, the modulation circuit, the storage and control circuit, and the like illustrated in fig. 3A, which may be referred to in detail in the foregoing description, and are not described herein again. In this case, the first response signal may be a response signal sent by the first electronic tag. The function of the second communication module in the second communication device corresponds to that of the second communication module in the first communication device, and therefore, the specific structure of the second communication module in the second communication device may refer to the description of the structure of the second communication module in the first communication device, and is not described herein again.

Fig. 9B is a schematic diagram of another possible structure of the second communication device. Compared to fig. 9A, in fig. 9B, the third communication module may be connected to the second communication module, and the third communication module is further configured to: and sending an activation signal to the second communication module, wherein the activation signal is used for activating the communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology, or the activation signal is used for waking up the communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology from a sleep state.

Similar to the first communication apparatus, the second communication module in the second communication apparatus may implement a communication function, a scanning function, a network connection function, etc. of the second device corresponding to the first wireless communication technology (e.g., Wi-Fi). After the second device starts the communication function corresponding to the Wi-Fi communication technology, other devices (such as the first device) may discover the second device through scanning, and then establish a Wi-Fi P2P connection with the second device. However, in order to save the power consumption of the device, after the second device starts the communication function corresponding to the Wi-Fi communication technology, if no other device establishes Wi-Fi P2P connection with the second device within a set time period, the second device may set the communication function corresponding to the Wi-Fi communication technology to a sleep state, for example, may close a radio frequency receiving channel in the radio frequency module (for example, the radio frequency receiving channel illustrated in fig. 8B or 8C, or the radio frequency receiving channel 1 illustrated in fig. 8F), and optionally, may also close a device in the baseband module for processing a signal received through the radio frequency receiving channel. That is, when the communication function corresponding to the Wi-Fi communication technology is in the sleep state, the second communication module does not receive the Wi-Fi signal (i.e., the signal modulated by the modulation method supported by the Wi-Fi communication technology), so that the other device cannot establish the Wi-Fi P2P connection with the second device. For example, the first device acquires the network connection information of the second device by sending the first scanning signal, and sends the request signal to the second device according to the network connection information, but since the communication function of the second device corresponding to the Wi-Fi communication technology is in a dormant state, the second device cannot receive the request signal, and thus the first device cannot establish network connection with the second device.

To solve this problem, in the embodiment of the present application, the third communication module may include a wave detection module, and the wave detection module is configured to send the activation signal to the second communication module. In one example, the detector module may be a diode detector circuit, the diode detector circuit may include an input loop, a diode and an RC low-pass filter, a first end of the detector module (i.e., an input end of the diode detector circuit) is connected to the first duplexer, and the capacitor is charged and discharged by a received radio frequency signal (e.g., a first scan signal) to control the on and off of the diode, so as to achieve dynamic balance; the second end of the detection module (i.e. the output end of the diode detection circuit) can output a detection voltage signal. Wherein, the larger the power of the received radio frequency signal is, the larger the voltage of the detection voltage signal is.

In this embodiment of the application, the detection module may be configured to determine whether the power of the radio frequency signal is greater than a power threshold, specifically, the first end of the detection module is connected to the first duplexer, and at this time, the detection module may receive the radio frequency signal and output a detection voltage signal. When the power of the radio frequency signal is greater than or equal to the power threshold (the radio frequency signal is an effective radio frequency signal, and the third communication module can respond to the radio frequency signal), the detection voltage signal is a high-level signal; when the power of the rf signal is less than the power threshold (indicating that the rf signal is an invalid rf signal and the third communication module does not respond to the rf signal), the detection voltage signal is a low level signal. The power threshold may be determined by calculation based on maximum likelihood detection theory or other possible signal detection theory. The activation signal sent by the detection module to the second communication module may refer to a high level signal.

The second end of the wave detection module is connected to the second communication module, which may mean that the second end of the wave detection module is connected to a baseband module in the second communication module. In this way, after the baseband module receives the activation signal sent by the detection module, the communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology may be activated, for example, a radio frequency receiving channel in the radio frequency module may be started, and optionally, a device in the baseband module for processing a signal received through the radio frequency receiving channel may also be started.

As a possible implementation, the function of the detection module can be implemented by the power circuit of the third communication module, that is to say the power circuit can send an activation signal to the second communication module in addition to supplying power to the storage and control circuit. In this case, the power supply circuit may include a diode detector circuit.

Taking the third communication module and the third antenna module as examples, which may belong to the first electronic tag described above (when the third communication module and the third antenna module belong to the RFID electronic tag described above, reference may be made to the implementation that the third communication module and the third antenna module belong to the first electronic tag), since the frequency of the response signal transmitted by the first electronic tag may be within the operating frequency band of the first wireless communication technology, that is, the operating frequency band of the first electronic tag is the same as the operating frequency band of the first wireless communication technology, it may be considered that the third antenna module performs the function of the second antenna module, or the second antenna module performs the function of the third antenna module, that is, the third antenna module and the second antenna module are the same antenna module, thereby simplifying the hardware design and saving the hardware cost.

Referring to fig. 9C, a schematic diagram of a possible structure of the second communication device when the second antenna module and the third antenna module are the same antenna module is shown. As shown in fig. 9C, the second communication module and the third communication module may be connected to the second antenna module (or the third antenna module) through the power dividing module. The power division module may include a first end, a second end, and a third end, the first end of the power division module is connected to the third communication module, the second end of the power division module is connected to the second communication module, and the third end of the power division module is connected to the second antenna module. The first end and the second end of the power dividing module are input ends, and the third end is an output end; or the third end of the power dividing module is an input end, and the first end and the second end are output ends.

For example, the power dividing module may be a power divider, and the power divider may divide one input signal into two (or more) output signals, where the powers of the two output signals may be equal or unequal, and at this time, the power of the input signal may be equal to the sum of the powers of the two output signals; and, the two (or multiple) input signals can be combined into one output signal in reverse, and at this time, the power of the output signal can be equal to the sum of the powers of the two input signals.

In one example, after the second antenna module receives a signal (e.g., a first scanning signal) transmitted by the first device, the power dividing module may divide the first scanning signal into two signals, where one signal is signal 1 and the other signal is signal 2, and transmit signal 1 to the third communication module and transmit signal 2 to the second communication module. After receiving the signal 1, the third communication module can identify the signal 1 and transmit a first response signal to the power division module; after the second communication module receives the signal 2, the second communication module may not respond because the signal 2 cannot be identified; in this way, the power division module may send the first response signal to the first device through the second antenna module.

In another example, after the second antenna module receives a signal (e.g., the second scanning signal) transmitted by the first device, the power dividing module may divide the second scanning signal into two signals, where one signal is signal 3 and the other signal is signal 4, transmit signal 3 to the third communication module, and transmit signal 4 to the second communication module. After the third communication module receives the signal 3, the third communication module may not respond because the signal 3 cannot be identified; after receiving the signal 4, the second communication module can identify the signal 4 and transmit a second response signal to the power division module; in this way, the power dividing module may send the second response signal to the first device through the second antenna module.

It should be noted that: (1) the above description about the structure of the first communication apparatus is mainly described by taking the first communication apparatus as an example to implement the function of the initiator device (such as the first device in the first embodiment or the second embodiment). Considering that the initiator device may also serve as the responder device in other possible scenarios, for the first communication apparatus, the first communication apparatus may also include a third communication module and a third antenna module connected to the third communication module (i.e. the first communication apparatus may also include an RFID electronic tag or a first electronic tag, where the RFID electronic tag or the first electronic tag stores configuration information of the first device), so as to implement the function of the responder device, as shown in fig. 10A.

In one example, as can be seen from the above description, to simplify the hardware design and save the hardware cost, the first antenna module, the second antenna module, and the third antenna module may be the same antenna module. In this case, as shown in fig. 10B, the first communication module and the second communication module may be connected to the first antenna module (or the second antenna module or the third antenna module) through the switch module and the power division module, and the third communication module may be connected to the first antenna module through the power division module. The power division module comprises a first end, a second end and a third end, the first end of the power division module is connected with the switch module, the second end of the power division module is connected with the third communication module, and the third end of the power division module is connected with the first antenna module. The first end and the second end of the power dividing module are input ends, and the third end is an output end; or the third end of the power dividing module is an input end, and the first end and the second end are output ends.

Thus, when the first device is the initiator device, the first device may send and receive signals through the first communication module and the second communication module, and the above description may be referred to for related implementation. When the first device is a responder device (for example, the fourth device needs to establish a network connection with the first device, the fourth device may be an initiator device, and the first device may be a responder device), the first device may send and receive signals through the second communication module and the third communication module; in this case, the processing module may control the switch module to connect the second communication module to the power dividing module and disconnect the first communication module from the power dividing module. For example, the fourth device sends a first scanning signal, and accordingly, the first antenna module of the first device may receive the first scanning signal and transmit the first scanning signal to the power division module, and the power division module divides the first scanning signal into two paths of signals, where one path of signal is signal 1 and the other path of signal is signal 2, and transmits signal 1 to the third communication module and transmits signal 2 to the second communication module. After receiving the signal 1, the third communication module can identify the signal 1 and transmit a first response signal to the power division module; after the second communication module receives the signal 2, the second communication module may not respond because the signal 2 cannot be identified; in this way, the power division module may transmit the first response signal to the fourth device through the first antenna module.

In another example, as can be seen from the above description, to simplify the hardware design and save the hardware cost, the first antenna module, the second antenna module and the third antenna module may be the same antenna module, and the function of the first communication module may be implemented by the second communication module, in which case, the structure of the first device may be as shown in fig. 10C.

(2) The above description about the structure of the second communication apparatus is mainly described by taking the second communication apparatus as an example to realize the function of the responder device (such as the second device in the first embodiment or the second embodiment). Considering that the responder device may also serve as the initiator device in other possible scenarios, for the second communication apparatus, the first communication module and the first antenna module connected to the first communication module may also be included in the second communication apparatus (i.e., the second communication apparatus may also include an RFID reader or the first reader) to implement the function of the initiator device, as shown in fig. 11.

Further, as can be seen from the above description, in order to simplify the hardware design and save the hardware cost, the structure of the second communication device may also be improved on the basis of fig. 11. For example, the structure of the second communication apparatus after being modified can be as shown in fig. 10B and 10C.

Based on the above embodiments, embodiments of the present application further provide a communication system, including the first communication device and the second communication device described in the above embodiments.

Based on the above embodiments, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program runs on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the communication method provided by the above embodiments. Storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. Taking this as an example but not limiting: a computer-readable medium may include a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.

Based on the above embodiments, the present application further provides a program product, which includes instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to execute the communication method provided by the above embodiments.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, embodiments of the present application may be provided as a method, system, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present application may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present application may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, optical storage, and the like) having computer-usable program code embodied therein.

The present application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to the application. It will be understood that each flow and/or block of the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and/or blocks in the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made in the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is intended to include such modifications and variations as well.

Claims

1. A method of communication, the method comprising:

sending a first scanning signal;

receiving configuration information fed back according to the first scanning signal from a second device, wherein the configuration information comprises network connection information of the second device;

according to the network connection information of the second equipment, sending a request signal to the second equipment, wherein the request signal is used for requesting to establish network connection between the first equipment and the second equipment;

the network connection is a network connection corresponding to a first wireless communication technology, and the frequency of the first scanning signal and the frequency of the request signal are located in an operating frequency band of the first wireless communication technology.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information further comprises identification information of the second device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first scanning signal is a single tone signal or a signal modulated by a first modulation method, and the request signal is a signal modulated by a modulation method supported by the first wireless communication technology;

the first modulation scheme is different from a modulation scheme supported by the first wireless communication technology.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:

transmitting a second scanning signal;

receiving identification information of a third device fed back according to the second scanning signal from the third device;

the frequency of the second scanning signal is located in the working frequency band of the first wireless communication technology.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second scanning signal is a signal modulated by a modulation scheme supported by the first wireless communication technology.

6. The method according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first wireless communication technology is a Wi-Fi communication technology, and the network connection is a Wi-Fi end-to-end P2P connection or a Wi-Fi access point, AP, connection; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

the first wireless communication technology is a Bluetooth communication technology, and the network connection is a Bluetooth connection.

7. A method of communication, the method comprising:

receiving a first scanning signal from a first device;

in response to the first scanning signal, sending configuration information to the first device, wherein the configuration information comprises network connection information of a second device;

receiving a request signal from the first device, the request signal requesting establishment of a network connection between the first device and the second device;

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the configuration information further comprises identification information of the second device.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the first scanning signal is a single tone signal or a signal modulated by a first modulation method, and the request signal is a signal modulated by a modulation method supported by the first wireless communication technology;

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein before receiving the first scanning signal from the first device, the communication function of the second device corresponding to the first wireless communication technology is in a sleep state;

simultaneously with or after receiving the first scanning signal from the first device, the method further comprises:

activating a communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology.

11. The method according to any of claims 7 to 10, wherein the first wireless communication technology is a wireless fidelity, Wi-Fi, communication technology, and the network connection is a Wi-Fi end-to-end, P2P, connection or a Wi-Fi access point, AP, connection; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

12. A communication apparatus, comprising a first communication module, a first antenna module connected to the first communication module, a second communication module, and a second antenna module connected to the second communication module;

the first communication module is configured to: sending a first scanning signal through the first antenna module, and receiving first configuration information fed back according to the first scanning signal from a second device, wherein the first configuration information comprises network connection information of the second device;

the second communication module is configured to: according to the network connection information of the second device, sending a request signal to the second device through the second antenna module, wherein the request signal is used for requesting to establish network connection between the first device and the second device;

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first configuration information further comprises identification information of the second device.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the first scanning signal is a single tone signal or a signal modulated by a first modulation scheme, and the request signal is a signal modulated by a modulation scheme supported by the first wireless communication technology;

15. The apparatus according to any of claims 12-14, wherein the second communication module is further configured to: sending a second scanning signal through the second antenna module, and receiving identification information of a third device from the third device, wherein the identification information of the third device is fed back according to the second scanning signal;

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the second scanning signal is a signal modulated by a modulation scheme supported by the first wireless communication technology.

17. The apparatus of any of claims 12-16, wherein the first antenna module and the second antenna module are the same antenna module;

the first communication module and the second communication module are selectively connected with the first antenna module through a switch module.

18. The apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 17, wherein the apparatus further comprises a third communication module and a third antenna module connected to the third communication module;

the third communication module is configured to: receiving, by the third antenna module, a third scanning signal, and sending, in response to the third scanning signal, second configuration information, the second configuration information including network connection information of the first device.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first antenna module, the second antenna module, and the third antenna module are the same antenna module;

the device also comprises a power divider, wherein the power divider comprises a first end, a second end and a third end;

the third communication module is connected with the first end of the power divider, the first communication module and the second communication module are selectively connected with the second end of the power divider through a switch module, and the first antenna module is connected with the third end of the power divider;

the first end and the second end of the power divider are input ends, and the third end of the power divider is an output end; or, the third end of the power divider is an input end, and the first end and the second end of the power divider are output ends.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 or 19, wherein the third communication module is further configured to: and sending an activation signal to the second communication module, wherein the activation signal is used for activating the communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology.

21. A communication apparatus, comprising a second communication module and a second antenna module connected to the second communication module;

the second communication module is configured to: sending a first scanning signal through the second antenna module, and receiving first configuration information fed back according to the first scanning signal from a second device, wherein the first configuration information comprises network connection information of the second device; according to the network connection information of the second device, sending a request signal to the second device through the second antenna module, wherein the request signal is used for requesting to establish network connection between the first device and the second device;

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the first configuration information further comprises identification information of the second device.

23. The apparatus according to claim 21 or 22, wherein the first scanning signal is a single tone signal or a signal modulated by a first modulation scheme, and the request signal is a signal modulated by a modulation scheme supported by the first wireless communication technology;

24. The apparatus according to any of claims 21-23, wherein the second communication module is further configured to: sending a second scanning signal through the second antenna module, and receiving identification information of a third device from the third device, wherein the identification information of the third device is fed back according to the second scanning signal;

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the second scanning signal is a signal modulated by a modulation scheme supported by the first wireless communication technology.

26. The apparatus according to any of claims 21 to 25, wherein the apparatus further comprises a third communication module and a third antenna module connected to the third communication module;

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the second antenna module and the third antenna module are the same antenna module;

the third communication module is connected with the first end of the power divider, the second communication module is connected with the second end of the power divider, and the second antenna module is connected with the third end of the power divider;

28. The apparatus of claim 26 or 27, wherein the third communication module is further configured to: and sending an activation signal to the second communication module, wherein the activation signal is used for activating the communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology.

29. The apparatus according to any one of claims 21 to 28, wherein the second communication module comprises a first radio frequency transmission channel, a first radio frequency reception channel, and a second radio frequency reception channel;

wherein, first radio frequency transmission channel with first radio frequency receiving channel passes through switch module and duplexer selective connection, second radio frequency receiving channel with the duplexer is connected, the duplexer with the second antenna module is connected.

30. A communication apparatus, comprising a second communication module, a second antenna module connected to the second communication module, a third communication module, and a third antenna module connected to the third communication module;

the third communication module is configured to: receiving a first scanning signal from a first device through the third antenna module, and sending configuration information to the first device in response to the first scanning signal, wherein the configuration information comprises network connection information of a second device;

the second communication module is configured to: receiving a request signal from the first device, the request signal requesting establishment of a network connection between the first device and the second device;

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the configuration information further comprises identification information of the second device.

32. The apparatus according to claim 30 or 31, wherein the first scanning signal is a single tone signal or a signal modulated by a first modulation scheme, and the request signal is a signal modulated by a modulation scheme supported by the first wireless communication technology;

33. The apparatus according to any of claims 30 to 32, wherein the third communication module is further configured to: and sending an activation signal to the second communication module, wherein the activation signal is used for activating the communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication technology.

34. The apparatus of any of claims 30 to 33, wherein the second antenna module and the third antenna module are the same antenna module;

the third communication module is connected to the first end of the power divider, the second communication module is selectively connected to the second end of the power divider, and the second antenna module is connected to the third end of the power divider;

35. A communication system comprising a communication apparatus according to any of claims 12 to 20 or a communication apparatus according to any of claims 21 to 29 and a communication apparatus according to any of claims 30 to 34.

36. A computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program or instructions are stored which, when executed by a communication apparatus, implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 6, or implement the method of any one of claims 7 to 11.

37. A chip comprising at least one processor and interface circuitry, wherein the interface circuitry is configured to provide the at least one processor with a program or instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, control an apparatus in which the chip is located to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 6, or to implement the method of any one of claims 7 to 11.

38. A terminal, characterized in that it comprises a communication device according to any one of claims 12 to 20, a communication device according to any one of claims 21 to 29, or a communication device according to any one of claims 30 to 34.

39. The terminal according to claim 38, wherein the terminal is an intelligent home device, an intelligent transportation device, an intelligent wearing device or an intelligent manufacturing device.