Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08C—TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS FOR MEASURED VALUES, CONTROL OR SIMILAR SIGNALS
  • G08C15/00—Arrangements characterised by the use of multiplexing for the transmission of a plurality of signals over a common path
  • G08C15/06—Arrangements characterised by the use of multiplexing for the transmission of a plurality of signals over a common path successively, i.e. using time division
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08C—TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS FOR MEASURED VALUES, CONTROL OR SIMILAR SIGNALS
  • G08C17/00—Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
  • G08C17/02—Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link using a radio link

Definitions

• the invention relates to a method for transmitting measurement data according to the preamble of claim 1.
• Such methods are carried out via data transmission cables which extend between a central evaluation unit and several measuring units connected to it.
• a multiplexer is then provided in the evaluation unit, which connects one of the measuring units to an I / O interface of the evaluation unit at predetermined times.
• Such a data transmission cannot be used for many applications, either because the distances between the measuring units and the central evaluation unit are too large, or because the installation of the different data transmission cables is costly or related Annoyances are unacceptable.
• An example of this is remote consumption reading in existing buildings.
• the reading of the measuring devices involves high personnel costs, in particular also because in most one-person households no one is to be found during the day.
• the time periods required for transmission for a measuring unit can be in the range of a few 10 ms.
• all the measuring units of interest can then be sent on a common working frequency, with narrow individual transmission windows being allocated to the individual measuring units.
• a single evaluation unit can then be provided for all measuring units, the receiving part of which is matched to the common operating frequency. Since one can realize a very large number of time slices per day (a few million) in the abovementioned short individual transmission periods, the probability is that two
• Send measuring units (of a total number of 100 to 1000 units, as are typically required for reading consumption in residential complexes) at the same time, very small.
• the small number of overlaps that occur in data sets sent simultaneously by different measuring units are recognized by the evaluation unit and the corresponding signal sequences are rejected.
• a transmission method according to the invention, specified in claim 1, can thus be implemented with little circuit technology. niche effort and perform safely.
• an RF transmission power of 20 mW is sufficient, which corresponds to a feed power for the operating circuit of approximately 200 mW.
• this results in a total of electricity consumption data which, when using long-term batteries, enables the measuring unit to work for typically 10 years.
• the working time of the radio transmission is thus comparable to the calibration periods of the measuring units, so that it is sufficient to change them at intervals of typically about 10 years in total.
• measurement data are only sent out from a measurement point if they have changed to a significant degree compared to the measurement data last sent. For example, for heat consumption measuring units in the summer, when there is no heating, transmission of measurement data is completely dispensed with for days and weeks. In this way, an extended service life of the long-term battery of the measuring unit is achieved.
• this test method which is known per se, is used to determine overlaps of data records in a simple manner, because the time overlap between data records sent independently by different measuring units results in an overall signal sequence with a completely different bit pattern, the essentially corresponds to an OR operation of the two individual patterns. If the time shift between the two sub-bit patterns of large, corresponding to the check digit at the end of the overall sequence recognized by the evaluation unit, which is part of the temporally subsequent bit pattern, not the total above • data obtained. With only a small time shift, either no check number recognizable as such is obtained at the end of the overall sequence or a check number which also does not match the previous data sequence.
• test criteria can be that the transmitted measurement data must grow monotonously.
• the transmission of measurement data that is smaller than the last correctly transmitted measurement data indicate an error.
• the errors that occur can be stored in the evaluation unit and kept ready for later evaluation with a view to eliminating errors.
• the development of the invention according to claim 8 is advantageous in terms of increasing the security of the data transmission.
• Figure 1 a block diagram of a system for measuring the heat consumption in a building complex
• FIG. 2 shows a flow chart of a test program which is used in a computer of an evaluation unit of the system according to FIG. 1;
• FIGS. 3 and 4 block diagrams similar to FIG. 1, in which modified embodiments for a system for measuring heat consumption in a building complex are shown.
• 10 denotes a total heat consumption measuring unit which, at irregular intervals, emits a data record via an antenna 12, which has the following structure: block start mark, measurement data (current state of heat counting), identification data (number and, if appropriate, type) the measuring unit), block end mark.
• This data can be accommodated in a typical heat consumption measuring unit in an RF signal packet of approximately 10 ms duration.
• the RF signal packet is received by an antenna 14 which belongs to an evaluation unit 16 set up in the building complex for a reader. This demodulates the RF signal packet, checks it and stores the heat consumption data for the measuring unit in an assigned memory field (RAM and / or hard disk), as will be described in more detail later.
• RAM random access memory
• the measuring unit 10 is a self-sufficient unit which does not rely on electricity from the electrical network and which is connected to the heating body of a room is attached to a residential unit of the building complex or is assigned to a hot water meter for this residential unit.
• a larger number of other measuring units, one of which is symbolically shown at 10-i, are installed at other locations in the building complex.
• the total number of measuring units 10-i cooperating with the evaluation unit 16 can be between 20 and 1000.
• the measuring unit 10 contains a temperature sensor 18 which is thermally coupled to the associated consumer.
• An identification signal for the measuring unit 10 is stored in a read-only memory 20, e.g. in the form of a number assigned to this measuring unit.
• a computing circuit 22 integrates the output signal of the sensor 18, weights it if necessary in a predetermined manner and assembles the consumption value measurement signal thus obtained with the identification signal transmitted from the read-only memory 20 and a block start mark and a block end mark to form a data record .
• the data record provided by the computing circuit is forwarded to a memory 24, which is activated for reading in at midnight in the exemplary embodiment under consideration here.
• a clock module 26 of the measuring unit is connected to a timer circuit 28 programmed at midnight, the output terminal of which is connected to the control terminal of the memory 24.
• a random generator 30 Through the output signal of the timer circuit 28 is also a random generator 30 initiated. This receives three input signals, namely the content of the read-only memory 20, the output signal of the sensor 18 reduced by the cut-off circuit 32 to the last digit after the decimal point, and its own output signal. From these three signals, it calculates a set of transmission times distributed randomly over a full day according to a predetermined algorithm. For the exemplary embodiment considered here, it is assumed that 6 broadcast times are desired per day, the mean interval of which is therefore 4 hours.
• the six transmission times are provided at the output for a second time switch circuit 34, which additionally receives the time of day provided by the clock module 26.
• the time switch circuit 34 activates a transmission circuit 36.
• block start mark, measurement data, identification data, block end mark converts this data set into serial representation and modulates using the Serial bit pattern of the output signal of an RF generator belonging to the transmitting circuit 36, which is not shown separately in the drawing, and which has a transmitting power of approximately 20 mW and operates in the higher MHz or in the lower GHz range.
• the transmission circuit 36 is supplied with energy by a long-term transmission battery 38, which can provide the power of approximately 200 mW required to operate the transmission circuit for the abovementioned short transmission periods over a period of approximately 10 years.
• the supply of the electronic logic timer circuits of the measuring unit 10 takes place via a long-term measuring battery, which is shown only schematically in FIG. 1, without specifying the connections to the individual timer circuits in detail.
• a display unit 42 is also connected to the output of the memory 24.
• the evaluation unit 16 has a receiving circuit 44, which demodulates and forms the signals received at the antenna 14.
• the signal stream then obtained is fed to an input of a computer 46 which operates according to the block diagram shown in FIG. 2 with regard to the evaluation and storage of incoming measurement data.
• the computer first checks the incoming signal stream for the occurrence of a block start mark. If one is found, the following signals are read in until a block end mark is found.
• the block marks are split off from the data set thus obtained and the check bit is separated.
• a control check number is then calculated from the measurement data, which is then compared with the transmitted check number. If the two check numbers do not match, there is a return to the starting point of the routine.
• the computer 46 fetches one or more of the read / write memories 48 connected to it, which can be a sufficiently large RAM or a hard disk or a floppy disk drive Previously transmitted measurement data records stored there of the measurement unit belonging to the measurement data record obtained in accordance with the identification signal.
• the read / write memories 48 can be a sufficiently large RAM or a hard disk or a floppy disk drive Previously transmitted measurement data records stored there of the measurement unit belonging to the measurement data record obtained in accordance with the identification signal.
• the new measurement data set is subjected to a plausibility check, which is used for a heat consumption measurement, e.g. can simply consist in checking whether the new heat consumption value is greater than the last stored value.
• the plausibility check can also consist in checking whether the measurement data record just received represents a continuous and plausible further development of a plurality of data records previously received.
• the measurement data records obtained earlier for other measurement units can also be consulted if their measurement signals are factually related.
• the measurement data record just obtained also satisfies the plausibility check, the measurement data record is combined with the time provided by a clock module 50 of the computer 46 and stored in a field of the read / write memory 48 provided for the measurement unit 10 under consideration.
• this field can consist of only a single memory cell, but the memory area preferably comprises at least as many memory cells for data records as are sent by a measuring unit 10 per day.
• the read / write memory 48 is generally read out once a day by a higher-level control center, not shown in the drawing, via a modem 52.
• the Modem 52 can be a TEMEX unit. If an otherwise correct data record does not meet the plausibility check, this data record is also stored together with the time in an error memory 54, which is also a read / write memory and together with the read / write memory 48 via the modem 52 from the central one Control center is read out, which then draws conclusions from the errors that have occurred about possible repair measures to be taken or improvements to the installation.
• the read / write memory 48 and the error memory 54 can be partial areas of a single large memory.
• a keyboard 56 and a monitor 58 can be connected to the computer 46 for local testing and maintenance, e.g. in the form of a portable calculator.
• the electronics of the measuring units 10 is further simplified.
• only a single next transmission time is calculated at random, that is to say a next transmission time that is the same as that viewed Embodiment is at any time within four hours after the current broadcasting time.
• the transmission circuit 36 is also connected directly to the output of the computing circuit 22.
• the outputs of the memories 24 and 60 are connected to the inputs of a comparator 62, which then provides an output signal when the two input signals differ by more than a predetermined value, which can be set, for example, on a potentiometer 64.
• An AND gate 66 is inserted between the output of the time switch circuit 34 and the control terminal of the transmission circuit 36, the second input of which is connected to the output of the comparator 62. In this way, the control of the transmitting circuit 36 does not take place as long as the measurement data have changed only insignificantly.

Landscapes

• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
• Arrangements For Transmission Of Measured Signals (AREA)
• Communication Control (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=6464375

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (11)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (20)

Family Cites Families (6)

• 1992
  • 1992-07-29 DE DE4225042A patent/DE4225042C2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 1993
  • 1993-07-21 WO PCT/EP1993/001932 patent/WO1994003882A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 1993-07-21 DE DE59304437T patent/DE59304437D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1993-07-21 DK DK93915970.3T patent/DK0653087T3/da active
  • 1993-07-21 HU HU9500219A patent/HU216366B/hu not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1993-07-21 ES ES93915970T patent/ES2095064T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1993-07-21 AT AT93915970T patent/ATE145081T1/de active
  • 1993-07-21 PL PL93307270A patent/PL172460B1/pl unknown
  • 1993-07-21 SK SK102-95A patent/SK280398B6/sk unknown
  • 1993-07-21 EP EP93915970A patent/EP0653087B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1993-07-21 CZ CZ95211A patent/CZ284215B6/cs not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1997
  • 1997-01-30 GR GR970400154T patent/GR3022440T3/el unknown

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events