JP2008278308A - Radio communication system and radio terminal device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a radio communication system capable of more accurately predicting the lifetime of a battery of a radio terminal device, and a radio terminal device. <P>SOLUTION: An approximate expression calculating part 46 of a server device 4 calculates an approximate expression on the basis of the remaining amount of the battery of the radio terminal device. When the approximate expression is calculated, a prediction time calculating part 47 calculates a prediction time when the battery consumes and a predicted remaining time until the battery consumes on the basis of the approximate expression. Thus, it is possible to more accurately predict the lifetime of the battery of the radio terminal device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless communication system and a wireless terminal device, and more particularly to a wireless terminal device driven by a battery and a wireless communication system including the wireless terminal device.

  For example, in a wireless communication system using a wireless network such as ZigBee (registered trademark), a wireless terminal device is normally driven by a battery (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). For this reason, when the battery is consumed and the wireless terminal device does not operate, a problem may occur in the wireless communication system. Therefore, various methods for managing the driving of the wireless terminal device have been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, the operation of the wireless terminal device is continued by changing the communication path according to the current remaining battery level.

JP 2004-350010 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-183896 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-164487 Zigbee Alliance, [online], [Search April 23, 2007], Internet, <http://www.zigbee.org/en/index.asp>

  However, since the frequency of operation of the wireless terminal device varies depending on the role and application in the network, it is difficult to predict how long it will operate even if the current battery level is known. For example, sensor-type wireless terminal devices that are frequently detected, wireless terminal devices used for multi-hop wireless relay, wireless terminal devices that frequently retransmit wireless signals due to poor communication quality, etc. Since the battery is exhausted earlier, if attention is paid only to the current remaining battery level, the battery may suddenly stop driving, which may affect the operation of the entire wireless communication system.

  Then, this invention aims at providing the radio | wireless communications system and radio | wireless terminal apparatus which can estimate the lifetime of the battery of a radio | wireless terminal apparatus more correctly.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a wireless communication system and a wireless terminal device that can drive the wireless terminal device for a longer time.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a wireless communication system according to the present invention is a wireless communication system including a server and at least one wireless terminal device connected to the server via a wireless network. , A measurement unit that measures the remaining battery level of the wireless terminal device, a storage unit that stores the remaining battery level measured by the measurement unit, and a battery that is consumed based on the past remaining battery level stored in the storage unit And a calculation unit that calculates a predicted time until and an output unit that outputs the predicted time calculated by the calculation unit.

  The wireless communication system further includes a communication control unit that controls the wireless communication of the wireless terminal device, and a determination unit that determines whether or not the predicted time is equal to or less than a threshold value. If it is determined that is less than or equal to the threshold value, the frequency of wireless communication may be reduced.

  In the communication wireless system, the wireless terminal device includes a plurality of grouped wireless terminal devices, and the determination unit determines that the longest value of the predicted times of the wireless terminal devices included in the group is equal to or less than a threshold value. If the determination unit determines that the longest value of the predicted time of each wireless terminal device included in the group is equal to or less than the threshold, the longest value for the destination associated with the group You may make it further provide the notification part which notifies that is below a threshold value.

  Further, in the wireless communication system, the wireless terminal device includes a plurality of grouped wireless terminal devices, and the determination unit determines that the shortest value among the predicted times of the wireless terminal devices included in the group is equal to or less than a threshold value. If the determination unit determines that the shortest value of the predicted time of each wireless terminal device included in the group is equal to or less than the threshold, the shortest value for the destination associated with the group You may make it further provide the notification part which notifies that is below a threshold value.

  Another wireless communication system according to the present invention is a wireless communication system including at least a wireless network, a wireless terminal device wirelessly connected to the wireless network, and a server that communicates with the wireless terminal device. The wireless terminal device includes a measurement unit that measures the remaining battery level of the wireless terminal device, and a communication unit that transmits the remaining amount measured by the measurement unit to the server. The server receives the communication unit from the communication unit. A storage unit for storing the remaining amount, a calculation unit for calculating a predicted time until the battery is consumed based on the past remaining amount stored in the storage unit, and a predicted time calculated by the calculation unit are output. And an output unit.

  In the wireless communication system, the measurement unit measures the number of communication times of the wireless terminal device instead of the remaining battery level, the storage unit stores the number of communication times, and the calculation unit stores the number of communication times stored in the storage unit. The predicted time until the battery is consumed may be calculated based on the remaining amount.

  In the wireless communication system, the measurement unit measures the communication quality of the wireless terminal device instead of the remaining battery level, the storage unit stores the communication quality, and the calculation unit stores the communication quality stored in the storage unit. The predicted time until the battery is consumed may be calculated based on the remaining amount.

  The wireless terminal device according to the present invention is a wireless terminal device connected to a server via a wireless network, and stores a measurement unit that measures the remaining amount of the battery and the remaining amount measured by the measurement unit. A storage unit, a calculation unit that calculates a predicted time until the battery is consumed based on a past remaining amount stored in the storage unit, and an output unit that outputs the predicted time calculated by the calculation unit It is characterized by having.

  The wireless terminal device further includes a communication control unit that controls wireless communication, and a determination unit that determines whether or not the prediction time is equal to or less than a threshold value. If it is determined that there is, the frequency of wireless communication may be reduced.

  In the wireless terminal device, the measurement unit measures the number of times of communication by wireless communication instead of the remaining battery level, the storage unit stores the number of times of communication, and the calculation unit stores the number of times of communication stored in the storage unit. An estimated time until the battery is consumed may be calculated based on the remaining amount.

  In the wireless terminal device, the measurement unit measures the communication quality of wireless communication instead of the remaining battery level, the storage unit stores the communication quality, and the calculation unit stores the communication quality stored in the storage unit. An estimated time until the battery is consumed may be calculated based on the remaining amount.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the lifetime of the battery of a radio | wireless terminal apparatus can be estimated more correctly by calculating the prediction time until a battery runs out based on the past remaining amount of the battery of a radio | wireless terminal apparatus.

  Further, according to the present invention, when it is determined that the predicted time is equal to or less than the threshold value, the amount of power consumed by the wireless terminal device is reduced by reducing the frequency of wireless communication. As a result, the wireless terminal device Can be driven longer.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
The radio | wireless communications system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention is related with the system which transmits sensor information from the radio | wireless terminal apparatus provided with the sensor regularly or at the time of abnormality detection. As shown in FIG. 1, such a wireless communication system 1 includes a plurality of wireless terminal devices 2 that form a wireless multihop network by performing wireless communication with each other, a multihop network, the Internet, and a LAN (Local Area Network). ), A reader 3 for communicating various information with the wireless terminal device 2 and other devices connected to the network 10 via a known network 10 such as a WAN (Wide Area Network), and the reader 2 connected to the network 10 The server apparatus 4 which transmits / receives various information is provided at least.

<Wireless terminal apparatus 2>
As shown in FIG. 2, the wireless terminal device 2 includes a wireless communication unit 21, a sensor unit 22, a battery remaining amount measuring unit 23, and a control unit 24. Such a wireless terminal device 2 is driven by the electric power stored in the battery 25.

  The wireless communication unit 21 includes a communication interface device that transmits and receives various types of information to and from other wireless terminal devices 2 and the reader 3 via wireless signals.

  The sensor unit 22 includes a sensing device that detects a predetermined event and outputs the detected sensor information to the control unit 24.

  The battery remaining amount measuring unit 23 includes a measuring device that measures the remaining amount of the battery 25 and outputs the measured remaining amount information to the control unit 24. Specifically, the battery remaining amount measuring unit 23 measures the voltage value of the battery 25. Therefore, the remaining amount information includes the voltage value of the battery 25.

  The control unit 24 is a circuit unit that controls operations of the wireless communication unit 21, the sensor unit 22, and the battery remaining amount measurement unit 23. Such a control unit 24 includes a communication control unit 24a, a sensor control unit 24b, and a measurement control unit 24c.

  The communication control unit 24 a controls the operation of the wireless communication unit 21. Specifically, when sensor information is detected by the sensor unit 22 or remaining amount information is measured by the battery remaining amount measuring unit 23, these are transmitted to the reader 3 via the multihop network. In addition, when various types of information are received from one wireless terminal device 2, so-called multi-hop relay is performed in which the information is transmitted to another wireless terminal device 2. Further, based on the control information received from the server device 4, the frequency and timing of the operation of the wireless communication unit 21 are controlled.

  The sensor control unit 24 b controls the sensing operation by the sensor unit 22. Specifically, the sensing operation is performed by the sensor unit 22 at a predetermined interval, and the detected sensor information is output to the communication control unit 24a. In addition, sensor information detected by the sensor unit 22 when a predetermined event occurs is output to the communication control unit 24a. Further, the frequency and timing of the sensing operation by the sensor unit 22 are controlled based on the control information received from the server device 4.

  The measurement control unit 24 c controls the operation of measuring the remaining amount of the battery 25 by the remaining battery amount measurement unit 23. Specifically, the battery remaining amount measurement unit 23 performs a measurement operation at a predetermined interval, and the measured remaining amount information is output to the communication control unit 24a. Further, based on the control information received from the server device 4, the frequency and timing of the measurement operation by the battery remaining amount measuring unit 23 are controlled.

<Reader 3>
The reader 3 is an interface device that transmits and receives various kinds of information via the multi-hop network and the network 10. Specifically, the sensor information and remaining amount information received from the wireless terminal device 2 via the multi-hop network are transmitted to the server device 4 via the network 10. In addition, the control information received from the server device 4 via the network 10 is transmitted to the wireless terminal device 2 as the destination via the multi-hop network.

<Server device 4>
The server device 4 is a device that manages the remaining battery level of each wireless terminal device 2, and includes a communication unit 41, a received information analysis unit 42, a remaining battery level DB (Date Base) 43, a timer unit 44, A battery remaining amount collecting unit 45, an approximate expression calculating unit 46, a predicted time calculating unit 47, a determining unit 48, a display unit 49, a notification destination DB 50, and a notification control unit 51 are provided.

  The communication unit 41 transmits and receives various information to and from the reader device 3 via the network 10. Specifically, the remaining amount information and the sensor information are received from the terminal device 2 through the multi-hop network, the reader device 3 and the network 10. In addition, the control information is transmitted to the terminal device 2 via the network 10, the reader device 3, and the multi-hop network.

  The reception information analysis unit 42 analyzes the information received by the communication unit 41 to extract remaining amount information, and sends it to the battery remaining amount DB 44.

  The battery remaining amount DB 43 stores the remaining amount information extracted by the reception information analyzing unit 42. Here, the remaining amount information is stored for each wireless terminal device 2.

  The timer unit 44 measures a predetermined time, generates a trigger signal when the predetermined time elapses, and sends the trigger signal to the battery remaining amount collecting unit 45.

  When the battery remaining amount collecting unit 45 receives the trigger signal from the timer unit 44, the remaining battery amount information of each wireless terminal device 2 stored in the remaining battery amount DB 43 is collected and extracted. The remaining amount information is freely extracted as appropriate, for example, all data stored in the battery remaining amount DB 43 or within a predetermined period.

  The approximate expression calculation unit 46 calculates an approximate expression based on the remaining amount information extracted by the battery remaining amount collection unit 45.

  The predicted time calculation unit 47 calculates a predicted time when the battery 25 is consumed and a predicted remaining time until the battery is consumed based on the approximate formula calculated by the approximate formula calculation unit 46.

  Based on the predicted time calculated by the predicted time calculation unit 47, the determination unit 48 determines whether the predicted remaining time until the battery 25 is consumed is equal to or less than a threshold value. When it is below the threshold, the notification control unit 51 causes the wireless communication terminal determined to be below the threshold to send a control signal.

  The display unit 49 displays the determination result by the determination unit 48.

  The notification destination DB 50 stores identification information for identifying the wireless terminal device 2 included in the wireless communication system 1 and information on the mail address and telephone number of the maintenance manager of each wireless terminal device 2.

  Based on the determination result by the determination unit 48 and the notification destination DB 51, the notification control unit 51 generates a control signal addressed to the wireless terminal device 2 whose estimated remaining time is equal to or less than the threshold value, and transmits the control signal by the communication unit 41.

  Such a server device 4 includes an arithmetic device such as a CPU, a storage device such as a memory and an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), an input device that detects input of information from the outside such as a keyboard, a mouse, a pointing device, a button, and a touch panel, I / F devices that send and receive various types of information via communication lines such as the Internet, LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), etc., and CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or FED The computer includes a display device such as (Field Emission Display) and a program installed in the computer. That is, the hardware device and software cooperate to control the above hardware resources by a program, and the communication unit 41, the reception information analysis unit 42, the battery remaining amount DB 43, the timer unit 44, and the battery remaining amount collection described above. The unit 45, the approximate expression calculation unit 46, the predicted time calculation unit 47, the determination unit 48, the display unit 49, the notification destination DB 50, and the notification control unit 51 are realized. Note that the program may be provided in a state of being recorded on a recording medium such as a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or a memory card.

<Operation of wireless communication system>
Next, the operation of the wireless communication system will be described.

≪Information reception operation≫
First, the information reception operation by the server device 4 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The control unit 24 of the wireless communication terminal 2 causes the remaining battery level measurement unit 23 to perform the remaining battery level measurement operation by the measurement control unit 24c, or causes the sensor unit 22 to perform the sensing operation by the sensor control unit 24b. When the sensor information and the remaining amount information are generated, the communication control unit 24a transmits the sensor information and the remaining amount information to the server device 4. The sensor information and remaining amount information transmitted from the wireless terminal device 2 reaches the server device 4 via the multi-hop network, the reader 3 and the network 10. When the server device 4 receives the sensor information and the remaining amount information through the communication unit 41 (step S1), the information analysis unit 42 extracts the remaining amount information from the received information (step S2) and stores it in the battery remaining amount DB 43. (Step S3).

  An example of the remaining battery level DB 43 is shown in FIG. This FIG. 5 shows the remaining battery information DB 43 in which the remaining battery information received from the wireless terminal devices 2a to 2c driven by the 3 [V] circuit, that is, the voltage value [V] of the battery 25 is stored at intervals of 5 minutes. Shows the data structure. As described above, the battery remaining amount DB 43 stores the remaining amount information separately for each wireless terminal device 2 included in the wireless communication system 1 for each time zone when it reaches the server device 4. In general, a signal from each wireless terminal device 2 is received asynchronously, but a plurality of signals may arrive in a predetermined time zone or may not reach a predetermined time zone. When a plurality of messages are received, the information analysis unit 42 stores the average value, the maximum value, or the minimum value of the plurality of values in the battery remaining amount DB 43 as the value of the time zone. In FIG. 5, the blank part indicates a case where the remaining amount information cannot be received.

  As described above, the remaining battery level information of each wireless terminal device 2 is stored in the remaining battery level DB 43 at predetermined time intervals.

≪Predictive action≫
Next, with reference to FIG. 6, the prediction operation | movement by the server apparatus 4 is demonstrated.

  First, when a predetermined time is counted by the timer unit 44 and a trigger signal is generated (step S11: YES), the battery remaining amount collecting unit 45 obtains the remaining amount information of each wireless terminal device 2 from the battery remaining amount DB 43. collect.

  When the remaining amount information is collected, the approximate expression calculation unit 46 calculates an approximate expression based on the remaining amount information (step S12). This calculation method will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a graph showing the remaining amount information in the remaining battery level DB 43 shown in FIG.

  The approximate expression calculation unit 46 calculates a primary approximate expression by the least square method or the like based on the remaining amount information within a predetermined period. For example, in the case of FIG. 7, the approximate expression is calculated based on the remaining amount information received between immediately before and 30 minutes before. It should be noted that the remaining amount information period from which the approximate expression is calculated can be freely set as appropriate based on the interval at which the remaining amount information is received from each wireless terminal device 2, the attenuation amount of the battery 25, and the like. . In FIG. 7, in the case of the wireless terminal device 2a, it is assumed that an approximate straight line indicated by a one-dot chain line of the symbol a is calculated.

  When the approximate expression is calculated, the predicted time calculation unit 47 calculates the predicted time when the battery 25 is consumed and the estimated remaining time until the battery 25 is consumed based on the approximate expression (step S14). For example, in FIG. 7, it is assumed that the minimum value of the drive voltage of the wireless terminal devices 2a to 2c is set to 2.5 [V]. At this time, the approximate straight line a of the wireless terminal device 2a and the straight line indicating 2.5 [V] intersect at the time of 12:00. Therefore, the predicted time calculation unit 47 calculates the predicted time when the battery 25 of the wireless terminal device 2a is consumed as 12:00. Further, since the current time is 11:40, the predicted time calculation unit 47 calculates that the predicted remaining time until the battery 25 is depleted is 20 minutes by subtracting the current time from the predicted time.

  Note that the minimum value of the drive voltage may be set based on a voltage value when communication from the wireless terminal device 2 has been interrupted in the past.

  When the predicted time is calculated, the determination unit 48 determines whether or not there is a wireless terminal device 2 whose estimated remaining time until the battery 25 is exhausted is equal to or less than the threshold (step S15). Here, the threshold value can be set as appropriate according to the characteristics of the wireless communication system such as 10 minutes or 1 hour.

  When there is a wireless terminal device 2 whose estimated remaining time is equal to or less than the threshold (step S15: YES), the notification unit 51 sends the destination of the wireless terminal device 2 and the maintenance manager of the wireless terminal device 2 from the notification destination DB 50. The communication unit 41 notifies that the estimated remaining time is equal to or less than the threshold (step S17). Specifically, the notification unit 41 generates a control signal indicating that the predicted remaining time is equal to or less than the threshold, and transmits the control signal to the wireless terminal device 2 by the communication unit 41. In addition, the notification unit 41 generates a mail indicating that the estimated remaining time is equal to or less than the threshold value, and transmits the mail to the maintenance manager of the wireless terminal device 2 through the communication unit 41. In addition, the notification unit 41 calls the maintenance manager's telephone of the wireless terminal device 2 through the communication unit 41, and outputs a voice guidance message indicating that the estimated remaining time is equal to or less than the threshold value.

  The control unit 24 of the wireless terminal device 2 that has received the control signal lowers the frequency of operation of the wireless communication unit 21 by, for example, the communication control unit 24a. Further, the frequency of the sensing operation by the sensor unit 22 is lowered by the sensor control unit 24b. Further, the measurement control unit 24c reduces the frequency of the measurement operation by the battery remaining amount measurement unit 23. Further, the timing of each operation is changed so that each of at least two of the wireless communication unit 21, the sensor unit 22, and the remaining battery level measurement unit 23 do not operate at the same time. By performing at least one of these operations, the operation of the wireless terminal device 2 is reduced, and the speed at which the battery 25 is consumed can be reduced. Therefore, the wireless terminal device 2 is operated for a long time. As a result, the frequency of maintenance can be reduced.

  For example, when a certain wireless terminal device 2 performs a sensing operation at a rate of once every 10 seconds and transmits sensor information to the server device 4, the amount of power required for the transmission operation of the wireless communication unit 21 and the sensor unit 22 Suppose that it is found that the amount of power required for the transmission operation is greater for the transmission operation. At this time, the control unit 24 maintains the sensing operation once every 10 seconds, but the transmission operation is performed once every 20 seconds, so that the speed at which the battery 25 of the wireless terminal device 2 is consumed is slowed down. can do.

  The transmission operation interval and the sensing operation interval to be changed may be calculated by back-calculating from the threshold so that the operation is longer than the predicted remaining time threshold. For example, when it is determined that the predicted remaining time of a certain wireless terminal device 2 has fallen below the threshold value of 3 days, the transmission of the wireless terminal device 2 is calculated from the power consumption required for one transmission operation measured in advance. The interval may be calculated backward and a control signal for changing the transmission interval may be sent from the server device 4 to the terminal. By doing in this way, the speed at which the battery of the wireless terminal device 2 is consumed can be reduced. At this time, the estimated remaining time used for back calculation may be set to a value longer than the threshold value by hysteresis.

  When the frequency and timing of the transmission operation, sensing operation, and measurement operation are changed, change information indicating the change may be recorded. This change information may be recorded in, for example, a wireless remaining amount DB 43 or a database newly provided in the server device 4. Thereby, it becomes possible to display change information on the display part 49, and to make a user grasp | ascertain the operation condition of the radio | wireless terminal apparatus 2 easily.

  Further, the maintenance manager of the wireless terminal device 2 can recognize more effectively that the battery 25 of the wireless terminal device 2 has a short life by receiving the mail or the voice guidance message. By exchanging or charging the second battery 25, it is possible to prevent a malfunction from occurring in the operation of the wireless communication system 1.

  When there is no wireless terminal device 2 whose predicted remaining time is equal to or less than the threshold (step S15: NO) or a control signal is transmitted, the display unit 49 displays the wireless terminal device 2 included in the wireless communication system 1 in the display device. The estimated remaining time is displayed (step S16). For example, the estimated remaining time may be displayed as shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, rectangular icons with reference numerals 2a to 2l represent wireless terminal apparatuses 2a to 2l, dotted lines connecting the icons represent communication paths, and the icons are located at the positions of the wireless terminal apparatuses 2a to 2l. On the display screen. In addition, each icon is painted black when the estimated remaining time is 3 days or less, shaded when 4-30 days, and white when 30 days or more. Further, the estimated remaining time is displayed near each icon. In this way, by reflecting the predicted remaining time on the color or character, the user of the wireless communication system 1 can easily identify the predicted remaining time of the wireless terminal device 2. Further, by displaying the arrangement of the wireless terminal device 2 and the communication path, it becomes possible to recognize the operating environment of each wireless terminal device 2, so that the degree of consumption of the battery 25 can be easily predicted. For example, in FIG. 8, the wireless terminal devices 2a, 2f, and 2i have many communication paths generated with other wireless terminal devices 2, so that they are frequently used as relay devices in a multi-hop network and the life of the battery 25 is shortened. It can be predicted to be short.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the battery life of the wireless terminal device is more accurately determined by calculating the estimated time until the battery is consumed based on the remaining amount information of the battery 25 of the wireless terminal device 2. Can be predicted.

  In the present embodiment, the approximate expression calculation unit 46 calculates the primary approximate expression, but may calculate polynomial approximation, logarithmic approximation, or the like. In particular, when predicting the past sufficiently long, it is possible to include an inflection point where the tendency of the remaining battery level to change within the specified period. More accurate predicted time can be calculated.

  In the present embodiment, the predicted time is calculated based on the time change of the remaining battery level. For example, the predicted time is predicted based on the number of communications, the amount of data, the communication quality, and the like of each wireless terminal device 2. The time may be calculated. Each case will be described below.

(Number of communications)
When the number of times of communication of the wireless terminal device 2 is used, first, the amount of power of the battery 25 consumed in one communication is measured in advance, and this is stored in the battery remaining amount DB 43 or the power consumption amount DB provided in advance in the server device 4 Store it in. In such a state, the wireless terminal device 2 measures the number of communication by the wireless communication unit 21 by the communication control unit 24 a and transmits this communication number information to the server device 4. In the server device 4, first, the received communication count information is stored in the battery remaining amount DB 43 or the communication count DB provided in advance in the server device 4. Then, when the trigger signal is generated, the battery remaining amount collection unit 45 acquires the communication count information within a predetermined period from the battery remaining amount DB 43 or the communication count DB. The approximate expression calculation unit 46 relates to the time change of the power consumption by the same method as the case of using the time change of the remaining battery level based on the acquired number-of-times information and the amount of power consumed in one communication. An approximate expression is calculated. The predicted time calculation unit 47 calculates a predicted time when the battery 25 is consumed and a predicted remaining time until the battery 25 is consumed based on the calculated approximate expression and the remaining amount information stored in the battery remaining amount DB 43. To do.

(amount of data)
When the data amount of data transmitted from the wireless terminal device 2 is used, first, the power amount of the battery 25 consumed in one communication operation is measured in advance, and this is stored in the battery remaining amount DB 43 or the server device 4 in advance. It is stored in the provided power consumption DB. In such a state, the wireless terminal device 2 measures the number of communication by the wireless communication unit 21 by the communication control unit 24 a and transmits this communication number information to the server device 4. In the server device 4, first, the received communication frequency information is stored in the battery remaining amount DB 43 or the communication frequency DB provided in advance in the server device 4. At this time, the reception information analysis unit 42 analyzes the transmission signal received from the wireless terminal device 2 to detect the number of times of sensing and the packet length, and also includes the data amount information from the battery remaining amount DB 43 or the communication number DB. Store. When the trigger signal is generated, the battery remaining amount collection unit 45 acquires the communication count information and the data amount information within a predetermined period from the battery remaining amount DB 43 or the communication count DB. The approximate expression calculation unit 46 calculates the power consumption amount of the wireless terminal device 2 required for delivering one piece of transmission information to the server device 4 based on the power amount consumed in one communication operation and the data amount information. Based on this and the acquired number of times information, an approximate expression related to the temporal change in power consumption is calculated in the same manner as in the case of using the temporal change in the remaining battery level. The predicted time calculation unit 47 calculates a predicted time when the battery 25 is consumed and a predicted remaining time until the battery 25 is consumed based on the calculated approximate expression and the remaining amount information stored in the battery remaining amount DB 43. To do.

  For example, in the case of the transmission signal of the wireless terminal device 2 illustrated in FIG. 9, the transmission signal includes two pieces of sensor information generated by the wireless terminal device 2. From this, the reception information analysis unit 42 detects that the number of times of sensing performed at the time of one communication with the wireless terminal device 2 is two. Further, the time required for transmission is calculated from the signal length of the transmission signal, and the amount of power consumed in the transmission operation of the transmission signal in one communication is calculated from the amount of power with respect to the communication time of the wireless terminal device 2. Finally, one transmission signal is delivered to the server device 4 from the amount of power consumed by the sensing operation, the amount of power consumed by the transmission operation, and the amount of power consumed by a normal operation such as standby power of the wireless terminal device 2. The amount of power consumed is calculated. An approximate expression is calculated based on the amount of power, the number of transmissions of the transmission signal, and the remaining amount information of the battery 25, and an estimated time at which the battery 25 is consumed is calculated based on the approximate expression.

(Communication quality)
When using the communication quality of the wireless terminal device 2, first, the wireless terminal device 2 is provided with a function of measuring the wireless communication quality, and this communication quality information is stored in the battery remaining amount DB 43 or the server device 4 with the power consumption DB provided in advance. Store it in. In such a state, the server device 4 stores the received communication quality information in the battery remaining amount DB 43 or the communication quality DB provided in advance in the server device 4. When the trigger signal is generated, the battery remaining amount collection unit 45 acquires communication quality information within a predetermined period from the battery remaining amount DB 43 or the communication count DB. Based on the acquired communication quality information, the approximate expression calculation unit 46 calculates the power consumption required to deliver one signal to the server from the number of retransmissions predicted for the communication quality. Based on the number of signals delivered to the device 4, the estimated time is calculated by calculating an approximate expression in the same manner as in the case of using the time change of the remaining battery level.

  For example, the wireless terminal device 2 has a function of measuring electric field strength (RSSI) with respect to a wireless link between the wireless terminal device 2 and another wireless terminal device 2 and transmitting it to the server device 4, and a wireless terminal as shown in FIG. You may make it provide previously what measured and formulated the frequency | count of resending with respect to the electric field strength between the apparatuses 2. FIG. In this case, the approximate expression calculation unit 46 of the server device 4 first calculates an expected value of the number of times retransmission occurs from the value of the electric field strength included in the signal received from the wireless terminal device 2. In the case of FIG. 10, the expected value of retransmission when the electric field strength is A is one time. Next, the sum of this expected value and the received signal itself is calculated as the expected value of the number of signal transmissions required for one signal transmission, and the power consumption is calculated based on the number of signal transmissions. To do. Based on the amount of power and the number of transmission signals received within a predetermined period, an approximate expression related to the temporal change in power consumption is calculated in the same manner as in the case where the temporal change in the remaining battery level is used. The predicted time calculation unit 47 calculates a predicted time when the battery 25 is consumed and a predicted remaining time until the battery 25 is consumed based on the calculated approximate expression and the remaining amount information stored in the battery remaining amount DB 43. To do.

  In addition, the server device 4 counts the communication frequency of the wireless terminal device 2 for a predetermined period, and divides the difference between the remaining battery level before counting and the remaining battery level after counting by the communication frequency, thereby reducing the battery for one communication. 25 power consumption may be calculated. In this case, the estimated time is calculated by calculating an approximate expression based on the calculated electric energy and the number of communication times of the transmission signal in the same manner as in the case of using the time change of the remaining battery level.

  In this embodiment, the prediction operation is performed by the server device 4, but may be performed by the wireless terminal device 2. In this case, the constituent elements of the server device 4 surrounded by a dotted line in FIG. 3, that is, the battery remaining amount DB 43, the timer unit 44, the remaining battery amount collecting unit 45, the approximate expression calculating unit 46, the predicted time calculating unit 47, and the determining unit. 48 can be realized in the wireless terminal device 2. Specifically, it can be realized by storing the remaining amount information measured by the remaining battery level measurement unit 23 in the remaining battery level DB 43 and performing the prediction operation described with reference to FIG. This

  In the present embodiment, various types of information are collected in the server device 4 via the network 10. However, for example, the reader device 3 and the server device 4 may be directly connected by a USB cable or the like.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, a plurality of wireless terminal devices 2 included in the first embodiment described above are divided into a plurality of groups. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the same names and symbols are assigned to the same components as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

  For example, in a wireless communication system arranged in a mountainous area or the like, since maintenance is difficult, there are cases where redundancy is provided in the installation of the wireless terminal device 2. In other words, there are cases where a large number of wireless terminal devices 2 are arranged in advance, and even if some of the batteries of the wireless terminal device 2 are exhausted, any one of the wireless terminal devices 2 may be operating. is there. In such a case, the wireless terminal devices 2 are grouped in advance, and the longest predicted remaining time of the wireless terminal devices 2 included in the group is set as the predicted remaining time of the group.

  As an example, in the case of FIG. 11, the wireless terminal device 2a, the wireless terminal devices 2b and 2c, the wireless terminal devices 2d and 2e, the wireless terminal devices 2f and 2i, the wireless terminal devices 2g and 2j, the wireless terminal device 2h, and the wireless terminal device 2k And 2l are grouped. Here, in the group of the wireless terminal devices 2b and 2c, the estimated remaining time of the wireless terminal device 2b is “3 days” and the estimated remaining time of the wireless terminal device 2c is “30 days or more”. Will be "30 days or more".

  Such group setting relating to grouping can be freely performed as appropriate based on the use and configuration depending on the physical positional relationship, the type of sensor, and the like. This group setting may be registered in advance by providing a group setting DB in the server device 4. Further, the group setting may be registered in the notification destination DB 50.

≪Predictive action≫
Next, with reference to FIG. 12, the prediction operation | movement by the server apparatus 4 in this Embodiment is demonstrated. In FIG. 12, steps equivalent to the prediction operation described with reference to FIG. 6 in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

  When the predicted time is calculated in steps S11 to S14, the determination unit 48 determines whether there is a wireless terminal device 2 whose estimated remaining time until the battery 25 is consumed is equal to or less than the threshold (step S15).

  When there is a wireless terminal device 2 whose predicted remaining time is equal to or less than the threshold (step S15: YES), the determination unit 48 confirms whether or not a group setting is made for the wireless terminal device 2 (step S21). This confirmation is performed by confirming the group setting DB and the notification destination DB 50.

  When the group is set (step S21: YES), the determination unit 48 acquires the estimated remaining time of another terminal device of the group to which the wireless terminal device 2 determined to be equal to or less than the threshold, and predicts the group The remaining time is calculated (step S22). The calculated estimated remaining time of the group is displayed on the display unit 49. At this time, the display unit 49 may display information regarding whether or not the estimated remaining time of the group exceeds the threshold value.

  When the predicted remaining time of the group is calculated, the notification unit 51 extracts a destination set in advance in association with the group from the notification destination DB 50 and notifies the communication unit 41 that the predicted remaining time is equal to or less than the threshold value. (Step S23), the process of step S17 is performed.

  On the other hand, when the group setting is not made (step S21: NO), the server device 4 performs the process of step S17.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when a plurality of wireless terminal devices 2 are divided into a plurality of groups and the estimated remaining time of the wireless terminal device 2 set as a group is equal to or less than a threshold value, this is indicated to the group. Since the notification is made to the associated destination, maintenance of the wireless terminal device 2 such as battery replacement or charging based on this notification can prevent problems from occurring in the entire system.

  In the present embodiment, the longest predicted remaining time of the wireless terminal devices 2 included in the group is set as the predicted remaining time of the group, but conversely, the wireless terminal devices 2 included in the group. The shortest predicted remaining time may be set as the predicted remaining time of the group. For example, in the case of the wireless terminal device 2 that functions as various sensors provided in a car, if a failure occurs in one wireless terminal device 2, a large failure may occur as a whole. In such a case, the shortest predicted remaining time of the wireless terminal devices 2 included in the group is set as the predicted remaining time of the group, thereby preventing problems in the entire system. .

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the wireless communication system 1 including the wireless terminal device 2 that transmits sensor information has been described. However, if the wireless communication system includes a wireless terminal device that operates on a battery, various systems may be used. Needless to say, it can be applied.

  Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the wireless terminal device 2 and the server device 4 have been described as being connected via a multi-hop network, the reader 3, and the network. However, the wireless terminal device 2 and the server device 4 are connected via a wireless network. If so, for example, it is possible to connect freely and appropriately, for example, by connecting directly via a wireless network, or by combining a wireless network and a wired network.

  The present invention can be applied to a wireless terminal device driven by a battery and a wireless communication system having the wireless terminal device.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the radio | wireless communications system of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a radio | wireless communication terminal. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a server apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows information reception operation | movement. It is a figure which shows residual amount information typically. It is a flowchart which shows prediction operation | movement. FIG. 6 is a graph of remaining amount information shown in FIG. 5. It is a figure which shows the display screen of the display part 49 typically. It is a figure which shows typically the data structure of a transmission signal. It is a figure which shows an example of the relationship between electric field strength and the frequency | count of resending. It is a figure which shows typically the display screen of the display part 49 of 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the prediction operation | movement of 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Communication system, 2 ... Wireless terminal device, 3 ... Reader, 4 ... Server, 10 ... Network, 21 ... Wireless communication part, 22 ... Sensor part, 23 ... Battery residual amount measurement part, 24 ... Control part, 24a ... Communication Control unit, 24b ... sensor control unit, 24c ... measurement control unit, 41 ... communication unit, 42 ... received information analysis unit, 43 ... battery remaining amount DB, 44 ... timer unit, 45 ... battery remaining amount collection unit, 46 ... approximate Formula calculation unit, 47 ... predicted time calculation unit, 48 ... determination unit, 49 ... display unit, 50 ... notification destination DB, 51 ... notification control unit.

Claims (11)

A wireless communication system comprising a server and at least one wireless terminal device connected to the server via a wireless network,
A measurement unit for measuring the remaining battery level of the wireless terminal device;
A storage unit for storing the remaining amount measured by the measurement unit;
A calculation unit that calculates a predicted time until the battery is consumed based on the past remaining amount stored in the storage unit;
An output unit that outputs the predicted time calculated by the calculation unit. A communication control unit for controlling wireless communication of the wireless terminal device;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the predicted time is equal to or less than a threshold;
The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the communication control unit reduces the frequency of the wireless communication when the determination unit determines that the predicted time is equal to or less than a threshold value. The wireless terminal device is composed of a plurality of grouped wireless terminal devices,
The determination unit determines whether the longest value of the predicted times of the wireless terminal devices included in the group is equal to or less than the threshold value,
When the determination unit determines that the longest value among the predicted times of the wireless terminal devices included in the group is equal to or less than the threshold value, the longest value is stored in the destination associated with the group. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit that notifies that the threshold value is less than or equal to the threshold value. The wireless terminal device is composed of a plurality of grouped wireless terminal devices,
The determination unit determines whether or not the shortest value of the prediction times of the wireless terminal devices included in the group is equal to or less than the threshold value.
When the determination unit determines that the shortest value among the predicted times of the wireless terminal devices included in the group is equal to or less than the threshold value, the shortest value is stored in the destination associated with the group. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit that notifies that the threshold value is less than or equal to the threshold value. A wireless communication system comprising at least a wireless network, a wireless terminal device wirelessly connected to the wireless network, and a server that communicates with the wireless terminal device,
The wireless terminal device
A measurement unit for measuring the remaining battery level of the wireless terminal device;
A communication unit that transmits the remaining amount measured by the measurement unit to the server,
The server
A storage unit for storing the remaining amount received from the communication unit;
A calculation unit that calculates a predicted time until the battery is consumed based on the past remaining amount stored in the storage unit;
An output unit that outputs the predicted time calculated by the calculation unit. The measurement unit measures the number of communication times of the wireless terminal device instead of the remaining battery level,
The storage unit stores the number of communication times,
6. The calculation unit according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit calculates an estimated time until the battery is consumed based on the number of communication times stored in the storage unit and the remaining amount. The wireless communication system described. The measurement unit measures communication quality of the wireless terminal device instead of the remaining battery power,
The storage unit stores the communication quality,
6. The calculation unit according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit calculates an estimated time until the battery is consumed based on the communication quality and the remaining amount stored in the storage unit. The wireless communication system described. A wireless terminal device connected to a server via a wireless network,
A measurement unit for measuring the remaining battery level;
A storage unit for storing the remaining amount measured by the measurement unit;
A calculation unit that calculates a predicted time until the battery is consumed based on the past remaining amount stored in the storage unit;
An output unit that outputs the predicted time calculated by the calculation unit. A communication control unit for controlling wireless communication;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the predicted time is equal to or less than a threshold; and
The wireless terminal device according to claim 8, wherein the communication control unit reduces the frequency of the wireless communication when the determination unit determines that the predicted time is equal to or less than a threshold value. The measurement unit measures the number of times of communication by the wireless communication instead of the remaining battery level,
The storage unit stores the number of communication times,
The wireless terminal according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the calculation unit calculates an estimated time until the battery is consumed based on the number of communication times stored in the storage unit and the remaining amount. apparatus. The measurement unit measures the communication quality of the wireless communication instead of the remaining battery level,
The storage unit stores the communication quality,
The wireless terminal according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the calculation unit calculates a predicted time until the battery is consumed based on the communication quality and the remaining amount stored in the storage unit. apparatus.

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