JP2001167375A - Radio meter-reading system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To confirm the radio wave environment of a master and a slave device individually and to predict a battery replacement period fairly accurately even if 'unnecessary operation' is frequently caused. SOLUTION: At least one of the master device and slave device 1 is provided with a 1st storage means 5 which electrically operates with an external signal not through actual communication and stores the frequency of 'unnecessary operations'.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wireless communication system in which a base unit can perform remote meter reading of a measuring unit by wireless communication with a slave unit provided in a measuring unit such as a water meter, a gas meter, a wattmeter, and a calorie meter. It relates to a meter reading system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 13 shows a conventional slave unit, for example. The slave unit 1 generally includes a wireless meter unit 1A
A transmission / reception circuit 3 for transmitting / receiving and modulating / demodulating a radio wave via the antenna 2, a control circuit 4 for controlling the transmission / reception circuit 3 and performing data processing, and an interface for connecting the control circuit 4 and the scale 7 And a power supply for driving these circuits.

However, a commercial power supply is difficult to use as a power source for the slave unit, and a battery is generally used. However, the battery gradually depletes as wireless transmission / reception is performed. Then, the battery is replaced or the entire wireless meter unit including the battery is replaced.

On the other hand, in the slave unit having such a configuration,
"Receive mode" in which power is supplied to the transmitting and receiving circuit so that the presence or absence of transmission from the parent device can be checked to save current consumption, and transmission from the parent device by temporarily stopping power supply to the transmitting and receiving circuit There is known an intermittent reception apparatus that alternately repeats a "standby mode" in which reception is not possible.

[0005] Therefore, in such a slave unit, in the "reception mode", for example, when a radio wave relating to a request for meter reading or security is received, a call signal transmitted from the master unit, for example, an ID code, is transmitted to the slave unit. Compare with a preset ID code, and if they do not match,
Return to the "standby mode" (hereinafter, this is referred to as "operation 1"). On the other hand, if the ID codes match, the control circuit reads the meter reading value and security information of the measuring instrument via the interface circuit, modulates it with the transmission / reception circuit, and transmits it to the master unit (hereinafter, “operation 2”). Call it).

Incidentally, in such a wireless meter reading system, a built-in control as described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-63975, in order to specifically predict the battery replacement time for each slave unit. There is known a circuit provided with a function of calculating the battery consumption from the number of transmissions and receptions, and transmitting the calculated battery consumption to the master unit.

[0007]

However, recently, with the spread of wireless telephones, for example, portable telephones, various radio waves have been used for such wireless communication. In some cases, a large number of wireless radio waves are flying near a certain location.

[0008] Such radio waves may include those in the frequency band used in the wireless meter reading system, and sometimes radio waves in such a frequency band are transmitted to the slave unit. And may cause the transmission / reception circuit to operate (hereinafter, referred to as “malfunction due to noise”).

However, the internal circuit operates electrically by an external signal even when the slave unit does not actually communicate, as in the case of "malfunction due to noise" or "operation 1" (hereinafter collectively referred to as "operation 1"). Although it is called “unnecessary operation”), although not as much as the consumption in the actual transmission / reception operation by “operation 2”,
A certain amount of current is wastefully consumed, and battery consumption is accelerated. In addition, when this "unnecessary operation" occurs, this is also counted as the number of times of transmission / reception, and the number of times of communication is stored more than the number of times of actual communication. There is.

[0010] In view of the above circumstances, the invention according to claim 1 can individually confirm the radio wave environment of the master unit and the slave unit.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a wireless meter reading system capable of predicting battery replacement time to some extent accurately.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a wireless meter reading system capable of ascertaining the number of times of transmission and the number of times of reception actually performed by the parent device and the child device. And

[0012] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wireless metering system capable of simultaneously grasping the frequency of wireless use in the vicinity of a used frequency band and the number of times the wireless metering system is actually used, and calculating detailed current consumption. The purpose is to provide.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a wireless meter reading system capable of confirming the number of “unnecessary operations”.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a wireless meter reading system capable of confirming the number of transmissions and the number of receptions of communication.

The invention according to claim 6 is, for example,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a wireless meter reading system that allows a parent device to remotely and simultaneously confirm the number of “unnecessary operations” of a child device and the number of times of communication.

The invention according to claim 7 or 8 is:
For example, it is an object of the present invention to provide a wireless meter reading system that can adjust battery consumption.

Further, the invention according to the ninth or tenth aspect provides a wireless meter reading system in which, for example, when the slave unit changes the time interval of the intermittent reception, the master unit can confirm information on the changed time interval. The purpose is to do.

[0018]

Therefore, the invention according to claim 1 comprises a master unit and a slave unit having a transmitting and receiving unit, and a scale connected to the slave unit. Send and receive signals between the parent machine and child machine,
In the wireless meter reading system for performing wireless meter reading of the measuring device with the master unit, at least one of the master unit and the slave unit stores the number of times of “unnecessary operation” electrically activated by an external signal even before actual communication is performed. The first storage means is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a master unit and a slave unit having a transmission / reception unit, and a weighing device connected to the slave unit. In the wireless meter reading system for transmitting and receiving signals at the master unit and performing wireless meter reading of the weighing device with the master unit, at least one of the master unit and the slave unit stores the number of times of transmission and the number of times of reception between them. A second storage means is provided.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a master unit and a slave unit having a transmitting and receiving unit, and a weighing device connected to the slave unit. In the wireless meter reading system that performs transmission and reception of signals at the master unit and performs wireless meter reading of the measuring device, at least one of the master unit and the slave unit was electrically operated by an external signal even before actual communication was performed. A first storage unit for storing the number of "unnecessary operations", and a second storage unit for storing, in at least one of the master unit and the slave unit, the number of times of transmission and the number of times of reception between them; Is provided.

The invention described in claim 4 is the first or third invention.
In the invention described in (1), at least one of the master unit and the slave unit is provided with a transmission unit that transmits only the content stored in the first storage unit.

The invention described in claim 5 is the invention according to claim 2 or 3
In the invention described in (1), at least one of the master unit and the slave unit is provided with a transmission unit that transmits only the content stored in the second storage unit.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, at least one of the master unit and the slave unit includes:
A transmission means for transmitting the contents stored in the first and second storage means is provided.

[0024] The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to claims 1, 3,
7. In the invention described in any one of 4, 5, and 6, the master unit performs intermittent reception of a transmission signal from the slave unit, and the master unit responds to the number of times of the “unnecessary operation” by the master unit. A change means for changing the intermittent reception cycle is provided in the master unit.

[0025] The invention according to claim 8 is the invention according to claims 1, 3,
In the invention according to any one of 4, 5, 6, and 7,
The slave unit performs intermittent reception of the transmission signal from the master unit,
Modification means for changing the intermittent reception cycle of the slave unit according to the number of times of the “unnecessary operation” by the slave unit is provided in the master unit or the slave unit.

The ninth aspect of the present invention is the first aspect of the present invention.
In the invention according to any one of 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, when the master unit itself changes the intermittent reception cycle according to the number of times of the “unnecessary operation” in the master unit, A transmission unit for transmitting information about the intermittent reception cycle after the change to the slave unit is provided in the master unit.

The invention described in claim 10 is the first invention.
In the invention described in any one of 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, the slave unit itself changes the intermittent reception cycle according to the number of times of the “unnecessary operation” in the slave unit. In such a case, a transmission means for transmitting information about the intermittent reception cycle after the change to the parent device is provided in the child device.

[0028]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows a child device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In the wireless meter unit 1A of the slave unit 1, in addition to the various circuits provided in the above-described conventional type, the internal circuits were electrically operated by external signals even before actual communication was performed. A first storage unit 5 for storing the number of “unnecessary operations” is provided.

The slave 1 performs intermittent reception in which the "reception mode" and the "standby mode" are repeated at a specific cycle to save current consumption.

The first storage means 5 stores the "operation 1" described above.
(See “Prior Art” section) and “Operation 2” (see “Prior Art” section) such as “Malfunction due to noise”
Transmission of various information to the base unit is not performed, for example, from other wireless communication means such as amateur radio telephones, transceivers, and mobile phones (hereinafter collectively referred to as radio telephones) or from the base unit. Immediately after the reception of the wireless signal, the number of “unnecessary operations” (see the column of “Prior Art”) that has returned to the “standby mode” is counted and stored. Based on the number of “unnecessary operations”, not only the number of “operation 1” but also the frequency of use of the wireless telephones in the vicinity of the used frequency band can be grasped.

It should be noted that the first storage means 5 includes a control circuit 4
Is connected to the transmission / reception circuit 3 via an external device, so that the information content on the number of “unnecessary operations” stored in the first storage means 5 can be transmitted to a parent device (not shown).

FIG. 2 shows a child device 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the slave unit 1, in the wireless meter unit 1A having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, instead of the first storage means 5, transmission and communication when actually communicating with a master unit (not shown) are performed. A second storage unit 8 for storing the number of receptions is provided.

The second storage means 8 stores the control circuit 4
Is connected to the transmission / reception circuit 3 via the communication device, so that the information content on the number of times of transmission and the number of times of reception of “communication” stored in the second storage means 8 can be transmitted to a parent device (not shown).

FIG. 3 shows a slave unit 1 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. This slave unit 1 has a wireless meter unit 1A
In addition to the various circuits provided in the above-mentioned conventional type, the first storage means 5 provided in the first embodiment
And the second storage means 8 provided in the second embodiment.

According to the third embodiment, the number of times of returning to the "standby mode" without performing "operation 2"("unnecessaryoperation"), as in "operation 1" or "malfunction due to noise" described above.
) And the number of times the wireless metering system was actually used and the communication was completed as in “Operation 2”, making it possible to grasp the usage status on the spot in more detail. Become. Further, if the average current consumption for “operation 1”, “malfunction due to noise” and “operation 2” is calculated in advance from these data, the current consumption used up to the present time can be roughly calculated. At the same time, the remaining capacity of the battery mounted on the slave unit 1 can be roughly confirmed.

In the slave 1 of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG.
In the slave 1 according to the embodiment, a first control unit 10 is added in order to wirelessly transmit the contents stored in the first storage unit 5 and the second storage unit 8 to the master unit 9.

The slave 1 can read the contents stored in the first storage means 5 and the second storage means 8 in response to a call request from the master 9. Further, at the time of meter reading, it can be read together with the meter reading of the measuring device 7. Further, in order to confirm the contents stored in the first storage means 5 and the second storage means 8 outside the slave unit 1, the contents stored in these are displayed on an appropriate meter or the like via a wire via the interface circuit 6. May be.

Note that, in addition to the fourth embodiment, for example, in the slave 1 having the same configuration as the slave 1 according to the third embodiment,
A transmission unit for transmitting only the contents stored in the first storage unit 5 may be provided. Similarly, a transmission unit that transmits only the content stored in the second storage unit 6 may be provided.

Next, an intermittent receiving method according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described using the wireless meter reading system of the fourth embodiment. In the intermittent receiving method according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, the slave 1 normally performs a receiving operation at a timing as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when a radio wave near the frequency band used in the wireless metering system according to the present invention flies around the installation location of the child device 1 at a considerable frequency of use, the child device 1 A considerable amount of current is consumed because the radio wave is erroneously determined to be a transmission radio wave from the device and is processed ("malfunction due to noise" is caused).

Therefore, in the intermittent reception method of this embodiment,
For example, the control unit 10 calculates by using the data in the first storage unit 5 and the second storage unit 8 (or the data in the first storage unit 5 alone, or the data in the second storage unit 8 only). The control circuit 4 changes the period of the intermittent reception of the slave unit 1 from the consumed current thus obtained, thereby making it possible to adjust the decrease in the consumed current. Thereby, the battery consumption ratio can be adjusted so as to be substantially equal to that of the slave unit installed in a place where the occurrence of “unnecessary operation” is small.

The calculation of the current consumption may be performed by the slave unit 1 itself or by the master unit 9 as in this embodiment. For example, when the parent device 9 does not care much about the current consumption, such as an NCU (network control unit), the current consumption of the child device 1 can be reduced by making the parent device 9 calculate. it can. FIG. 5 (B)
Is a case where the period of the intermittent reception is doubled as in the case of FIG. 5A, but the period may be set to be twice or more. In this embodiment, the handset 1 itself changes the intermittent reception cycle of the handset 1, but a configuration in which a means for changing the intermittent reception cycle of the handset 1 is provided on the master side is also possible. Good. Of course, in such a configuration, if the configuration as a system is facilitated, the base unit 9 may also calculate the current consumption.

The period of the intermittent reception cycle may be changed after a certain period elapses, for example, one month or one year, or at every meter reading. Alternatively, the current consumption may be calculated as needed, and may be changed each time. As a specific method of changing the intermittent reception cycle,
For example, the cycle may be gradually expanded as the current is actually used, or the cycle may be increased at night and reduced during the day. Further, for example, 10am
The period may be set small in a meter reading time zone such as a time zone from to 4 pm, and may be set large in other time zones.

In this embodiment, the control circuit 4 is configured to change the intermittent reception cycle of the slave unit 1 based on the current consumption calculated based on the data in the first storage unit 5 and the second storage unit 8. Instead of such a method, for example, the control circuit 4 may be configured to change the intermittent reception cycle of the handset 1 based on the current consumption calculated based only on the data in the first storage unit 5. Further, the control circuit 4 may be configured to change the cycle of the intermittent reception of the handset 1 based on the current consumption calculated based only on the data of the second storage means 8.

FIG. 6 shows a wireless meter reading system according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. In the slave 1 of this embodiment, a second controller 11 is provided instead of the first controller 10 in the slave 1 of the fourth embodiment.

The second control means 11 determines the period of the intermittent reception according to the number of times of the “unnecessary operation” (in this embodiment, the “reception mode” time is fixed to a minimum, "The time will be changed)
Is changed to transmit a new cycle to the master unit 9 side, and wireless communication is used.

In this embodiment, a call from the slave unit 1 or the like
The intermittent reception cycle is read from the contents stored in the first storage means 5 and the second storage means 8, and this cycle, that is, slightly exceeds the sum of the "standby mode" time and the "reception mode" time of the slave unit. The optimum transmission time is determined, and meter reading and the like are performed using the optimum call message (command signal) according to the transmission time. Further, after the meter reading, the intermittent reception cycle of the slave unit 1 is changed, the new intermittent reception cycle is stored in the base unit 9, and a ringing message of an optimal length corresponding to the cycle is read from the next meter reading or the like. Wireless communication may be performed by a command signal).

Next, the master unit 9 according to the present invention will be described. The master unit 9 of the seventh embodiment shown in FIG.
And a transmission / reception circuit 13 for transmitting / receiving and modulating / demodulating a radio signal via the control unit, a control circuit 14 for controlling the master unit 9 and performing data processing, and a first storage unit 15. The master unit 9 is used for a wireless meter reader, an NCU, a remote counter display unit, and the like.

Master unit 9 performs intermittent reception in which "reception mode" and "standby mode" are repeated at a specific cycle in order to save current consumption. It is in a “reception mode” state of waiting for reception due to a call from a wireless device or the like.

When entering the "reception mode", the control circuit 14 activates the transmission / reception circuit 13 and checks whether or not there is reception. When a call from the slave unit 1 or a call from another wireless device is confirmed, a transmitted call signal, for example, an ID code is compared with an ID code preset in the master unit,
If they do not match, the process returns to the "standby mode" again (hereinafter, referred to as "operation 3"). If the ID codes match, the control circuit 14 reads a request such as a call from the handset 1 or a call from another wireless device and processes the request as appropriate (hereinafter, referred to as "operation 4").

Like the first storage means 5 of the first embodiment, the first storage means 15 transmits the data to the master unit in the "operation 4" like the "operation 3" or the "malfunction due to noise" described above. Various information is not transmitted, and the number of “unnecessary operations” that return to the “standby mode” immediately after receiving a wireless signal from a base unit or a wireless telephone is stored. Based on the number of “unnecessary operations”, not only the number of “operation 3” but also the frequency of use of the wireless telephone near the used frequency band can be grasped.

In FIG. 7, the master unit 9 of the seventh embodiment is shown.
In the base unit 9 'having the first storage means 15 for storing the number of malfunctions due to noise, the "standby" is not performed and the "standby 4" is performed, as in the "stop 3" described above. By storing the number of times of returning to the "mode", it is possible to grasp the use frequency of a wireless telephone or the like near the use frequency band.

The first storage means 15 is connected to the transmission / reception circuit 13 via the control circuit 14, and the information content about the number of "unnecessary operations" stored in the first storage means 15 is shown in FIG. The data can be transmitted to an external child device 1 or the like.

The master unit 9 according to the eighth embodiment shown in FIG. 8 is different from the master unit 9 'according to the seventh embodiment in that a master unit 9' transmits and receives communication with the slave unit 1 and the like. The second storage means 16 for storing the number of operations is provided in place of the first storage means 15. This allows
The number of times of the “operation 4”, that is, the number of times the communication is actually completed can be grasped.

In the eighth embodiment, a transmission / reception circuit 13 is provided as a transmission / reception means for transmitting / receiving only the contents stored in the second storage means 16. The information content about the number of times of transmission and the number of receptions of communication with the child device can be transmitted to the child device 1 or the like.

The master unit 9 according to the ninth embodiment shown in FIG.
In addition to the antenna 12, the transmission / reception circuit 13, and the control circuit 14,
The first storage unit 15 stores the number of times of “operation 3” or “malfunction due to noise”, and the second storage unit 16 stores the number of times of transmission and reception of communication.

As a result, the number of times of returning to the “standby mode” without performing “operation 4” as in “operation 3” or “malfunction due to noise” and the number of times of “operation 4”, The number of times communication has been completed by wireless meter reading and the like can be simultaneously grasped, and the usage status can be grasped in more detail.

Also, if the current consumption for “operation 3” and “operation 4” is calculated in advance from these data, the current consumption value used up to the present time can be roughly calculated, and the parent current can be calculated. An approximate remaining value of the battery mounted on the machine 9 is obtained.

The master unit 9 of the tenth embodiment shown in FIG. 10 differs from the master unit 9 of the ninth embodiment in that the contents stored in the first storage means 15 and the second storage means 16 are stored in the radio equipment 19.
The first control means 17 is added for wireless transmission to the side.

For example, in the base unit (for example, a mobile station carried by a meter reader) 9, a call from another wireless device (for example, a fixed station) 19 causes the first storage unit 15 and the second storage unit to be called. The contents stored at 16 can be read. Also, at the time of meter reading, it can be read together with the meter reading of the measuring instrument. Further, an interface circuit (not shown) or the like is connected to the first control means 17 for transmitting the contents stored in the first storage means 15 and the second storage means 16 of the master unit 9. Alternatively, the content stored in the second storage means 16 may be read by wire.

In this embodiment, the first storage means 15
And the contents stored in the second storage means 16
Although the first control means 17 is added for wireless transmission to the ninth side, for example, a transmission means for transmitting only data in the first storage means 15 may be provided. Further, a transmission unit for transmitting only the data in the second storage unit 16 may be provided.

Next, an intermittent reception method according to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention will be described using the wireless metering system of the tenth embodiment. In the intermittent reception method according to the eleventh embodiment, the reception operation is normally performed at the timing shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the radio wave near the frequency band used in the wireless metering system of this embodiment flies around the place where the base unit 9 is installed with a considerable frequency of use, it is determined that the base unit 9 is noise. It consumes a considerable amount of current.

Therefore, in this intermittent reception method, the control circuit 1 uses the battery consumption current calculated by the first control means 17 based on the data in the first storage means 15 and the second storage means 16.
4 can change the intermittent reception cycle of the master unit 9 itself. For example, in a place where “unnecessary operation” occurs frequently, adjustment can be made to reduce the current consumption and extend the battery replacement period.

As in this embodiment, the calculation of the current consumption may be performed by the master unit 9 itself, or may be performed by the slave unit 1 or another wireless device 19 or the like.

FIG. 11B shows a case where the period of the intermittent reception is doubled as compared with FIG. 11A, but a period which is twice or more may be set. The intermittent reception cycle may be changed after a certain period of time, for example, after eight years, or every time the meter is read. Alternatively, the current consumption may be calculated as needed, and may be changed each time.

As a specific method of changing the intermittent reception cycle, for example, the cycle may be gradually expanded as the current is actually used, or the cycle may be increased at night and reduced during the day. Good. Further, for example, 10
The period may be set small in a meter reading time period such as a time period from am to 4 pm, and may be increased in other time periods.

In this embodiment, the first storage means 15
The control circuit 14 is configured to change the intermittent reception cycle of the base unit 9 based on the current consumption calculated based on the data of both the first storage unit and the second storage unit. The control circuit 14 may be configured to change the intermittent reception cycle of the base unit 9 based on the current consumption calculated based only on the data of the means 15. Moreover,
The control circuit 14 may be configured to change the intermittent reception cycle of the base unit 9 based on the current consumption calculated based only on the data in the second storage unit 8.

FIG. 12 shows a wireless meter reading system according to a twelfth embodiment of the present invention. In the master unit 1 of this embodiment, a second control unit 18 is provided instead of the first control unit 17 in the master unit 9 of the tenth embodiment.

The second control means 18 transmits the new cycle information to the slave unit 1 when the cycle of the intermittent reception is changed according to the number of times of the “unnecessary operation”. , Transmitting using wireless. Based on the cycle information, the handset 1 that has received the cycle information
The transmission time to transmit to the side can be changed. In addition,
As in the case of the above-described sixth embodiment, the optimum transmission message size is set to a time slightly longer than the intermittent reception cycle of the master unit as in the case of the sixth embodiment.

That is, in this embodiment, the slave unit 1 reads the intermittent reception cycle of the base unit 9 by calling another wireless device or calling the base unit 9, and this period (“reception mode”).
An optimal transmission time slightly longer than the sum of the time and the "standby mode" time) is determined, and communication of the call message is performed using this length. Also, at the time of meter reading, the base unit 9 is configured to appropriately change the intermittent reception cycle of the handset 1 and perform wireless communication of a call message (command signal) with an optimal time length from the next meter reading. Is also good.

[0070]

As described above, according to the present invention, at least one of the master unit and the slave unit performs the number of "unnecessary operations" electrically activated by an external signal even before actual communication is performed. Is provided. For example, at the installation location of the master unit or the slave unit, for example, the frequency of wireless communication by another person at a frequency near the frequency band used by the master unit or the slave unit is provided. Can be grasped, and the radio wave environment in the vicinity of the installation location of the parent device and the child device can be grasped.

This makes it possible to compare the number of “unnecessary operations” with the master unit and the slave unit provided in a place other than this place, and to reduce the consumption of the battery built in the master unit and the slave unit. You can roughly grasp whether it is intense or not compared to that of the installation location,
Since the battery replacement time can be grasped in detail for each installation location, the replacement time can be managed in more detail for each installation location, which is convenient.

Further, according to the invention of claim 2, the master unit and the slave unit are provided with the second storage means for storing the number of transmissions and the number of receptions of these communications, respectively. The usage state, that is, the number of transmission operations and the number of reception operations can be accurately grasped, which is useful for predicting when the battery built in the master unit or the slave unit will run out, and is convenient.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, at least one of the master unit and the slave unit stores the number of "unnecessary operations" electrically activated by an external signal even before actual communication is performed. And a second storage means for storing at least one of the number of times of transmission and the number of times of reception between these at least one of the master unit and the slave unit. And the number of times the wireless metering system has actually been used, and the detailed current consumption can be calculated, making it possible to accurately predict when the built-in battery in the master unit or slave unit will run out. Useful and more convenient.

Further, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, at least one of the master unit and the slave unit is provided with a transmission unit for transmitting only the contents stored in the first storage unit, so that the "unnecessary" It is possible to check the number of "operations", so for example, check the radio wave environment around each slave sequentially, and if the number of "unnecessary operations" is large, extend the intermittent reception cycle. This is convenient because a good or bad measure for adjusting the wear-out period can be taken.

Further, according to the fifth aspect of the invention, at least one of the master unit and the slave unit is provided with a transmission unit for transmitting only the contents stored in the second storage unit. Since the number of transmissions and the number of receptions with the device can be confirmed sequentially from a remote location, for example, if the number of times is large, the intermittent reception cycle is extended, and a good measure is taken to adjust the battery consumption period of the child device. This is convenient.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, at least the slave unit is provided with means for transmitting the contents stored in the first and second storage means. And the number of transmissions and receptions of communications actually performed by the child device can be grasped at a location away from the child device, so it is possible to actually determine when the battery expiration date of the battery built in the parent device and the child device will expire. This can be predicted without operating the slave unit on site, which is convenient. Moreover, according to the invention of claim 6, the contents stored in the first storage means and the second
Since the contents stored in the storage means can be checked at the same time, a considerable amount of time and labor can be reduced as compared with a case where both of them are checked one by one. As a result, the current consumption can be reduced, which is effective.

Further, according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the master unit intermittently receives the transmission signal from the slave unit, and intermittently receives the master unit in accordance with the number of “unnecessary operations” by the master unit. The main unit is provided with a means for changing the period of the main unit. For example, in a place where the amount of current consumption due to "unnecessary operation" is large, the time of the "standby mode" in which the main unit and the child unit are not received is changed to be extended. Therefore, the current consumption due to “unnecessary operation” in the base unit can be reduced, and the expiration date of the battery of the base unit can be adjusted according to the use environment. This makes it possible to adjust the replacement time at the same time by equalizing the life of the batteries of the respective base units at different installation locations, so that the battery replacement work can be performed at the same time in each region.

Further, according to the invention of claim 8, the slave unit performs intermittent reception of the transmission signal from the master unit, and performs the intermittent reception of the slave unit in accordance with the number of “unnecessary operations” by the slave unit. A means for changing the cycle is provided in the master unit or the slave unit. For example, in a place where the amount of current consumption due to “unnecessary operation” is large, the “standby mode” in which the master unit and the slave unit are not received
Can be extended to extend the time, the amount of current consumption due to “unnecessary operation” in the child device can be reduced, and the battery expiration date of the child device can be adjusted according to the usage environment. This makes it possible to adjust the replacement time at the same time by equalizing the lifespan of the batteries of the slave units at different installation locations, so that the battery replacement work can be performed at the same time in each region.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, when the master unit itself changes the intermittent reception cycle in accordance with the number of “unnecessary operations” in the master unit, the intermittent reception cycle after the change is changed. Is provided in the master unit, and the new intermittent reception cycle after the change can be transmitted to the slave unit from a location remote from the slave unit. As a result, the slave unit can transmit the call message to the master unit at an optimal size corresponding to the new cycle. For example, troubles such as inability to receive the call message at the master unit and causing a call failure may occur. Therefore, a highly reliable wireless communication system can be realized.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, when the slave unit itself changes the intermittent reception cycle in accordance with the number of “unnecessary operations” in the slave unit, the intermittent reception cycle after the change is changed. The slave unit is provided with a transmission means for transmitting the information of (1) to the master unit, and the new intermittent reception cycle after the change can be transmitted to the master unit from a location remote from the master unit. This allows
The base unit can transmit the call message to the slave unit at an optimal size corresponding to the new cycle, and can prevent troubles such as, for example, not being able to easily receive the call message by the slave unit and causing a call failure. Thus, a highly reliable wireless communication system can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram showing a slave unit of a wireless meter reading system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a slave unit of a wireless meter reading system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration block diagram showing a slave unit of a wireless meter reading system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a slave unit of a wireless meter reading system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

5A and 5B are timing charts showing the operation of the slave unit, wherein FIG. 5A shows normal intermittent reception timing, and FIG. 5B shows intermittent reception timing with an extended standby time.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a slave unit of a wireless meter reading system according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a configuration block diagram showing a master unit of a wireless meter reading system according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a master unit of a wireless meter reading system according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a master unit of a wireless meter reading system according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a master unit of a wireless meter reading system according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention.

11A and 11B are timing charts showing the operation of the master unit, wherein FIG. 11A shows normal intermittent reception timing, and FIG. 11B shows intermittent reception timing with a longer standby time.

FIG. 12 is a configuration block diagram showing a master unit of a wireless meter reading system according to a twelfth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a configuration block diagram showing a slave unit of a conventional wireless meter reading system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 slave unit 1A wireless meter unit 2 antenna 3 transmission / reception circuit 4 control circuit 5 first storage means (slave unit side) 6 interface circuit 7 meter (weighing device) 8 second storage means (slave unit side) 9 master unit 9 'parent Machine 10 First control means (Slave side) 11 Second control means (Slave side) 12 Antenna 13 Transmission / reception circuit 14 Control circuit 15 First storage means (Master side) 16 Second storage means (Master side) 17 First control means (master unit side) 18 Second control means (master unit side) 19 Wireless device

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Norio Nakane 2-2-1 Nishiki, Naka-ku, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture Inside Ricoh Elemex Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yukio Kodama 2-Nishiki, Naka-ku, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture No. 13 F-term in Ricoh Elemex Co., Ltd. (reference) 2F073 AA08 AB02 BB02 BC02 5K048 AA15 BA36 DB01 DC01 EA16 EB10 FA04 HA01 HA02

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A master and a slave having a transmitting and receiving unit, and a weighing device connected to the slave, and transmitting and receiving signals between the master and the slave through the transmitting and receiving unit. In the wireless meter reading system that performs wireless meter reading of the measuring device in the master unit, at least one of the master unit and the slave unit, the number of times of `` unnecessary operation '' electrically operated by an external signal even before actual communication is performed. A wireless meter reading system provided with first storage means for storing. 2. A master / slave unit having a transmitting / receiving unit, and a weighing device connected to the slave unit, and mutually transmitting / receiving signals between the master unit and the slave unit through the transmitting / receiving unit, In the wireless meter reading system for performing wireless meter reading of a measuring device with the master device, at least one of the master device and the slave device is provided with a second storage unit that stores the number of times of transmission and the number of times of reception between these devices. Wireless meter reading system. 3. A master unit and a slave unit having a transmission / reception unit, and a weighing device connected to the slave unit, and signals are exchanged between the master unit and the slave unit through the transmission / reception unit. In the wireless meter reading system that performs wireless meter reading of the measuring device in the master unit, at least one of the master unit and the slave unit, the number of times of `` unnecessary operation '' electrically operated by an external signal even before actual communication is performed. A first storage unit for storing the information, and at least one of the master unit and the slave unit includes a second storage unit for storing the number of times of transmission and the number of times of reception between them. Unrelated meter reading system. 4. The wireless meter reading device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the master unit and the slave unit is provided with a transmission unit for transmitting only the content stored in the first storage unit. system. 5. The wireless meter reader according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the master unit and the slave unit includes a transmission unit that transmits only the content stored in the second storage unit. system. 6. The wireless meter reading device according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the parent device and the child device is provided with transmission means for transmitting the contents stored in the first and second storage means. system. 7. A change means for performing intermittent reception of a transmission signal from a slave unit and changing a period of the intermittent reception of the master unit according to the number of times of the “unnecessary operation” performed by the master unit. The wireless meter reading system according to any one of claims 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6, wherein the wireless meter reading system is provided in a parent device. 8. A changing means for performing intermittent reception of a transmission signal from a master unit and changing a period of the intermittent reception of the slave unit in accordance with the number of times of the “unnecessary operation” by the slave unit. Claim 1, 3, 4, characterized in that it is provided in the machine or slave unit
The wireless meter reading system according to any one of 5, 6, and 7. 9. When the master unit changes the intermittent reception cycle according to the number of times of the “unnecessary operation” in the master unit, information about the intermittent reception cycle after the change is transmitted to the slave unit. The wireless meter reading system according to any one of claims 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, wherein a transmission unit for performing the reading is provided in the master unit. 10. When the slave unit itself changes the intermittent reception cycle in accordance with the number of times of the “unnecessary operation” in the slave unit, information about the intermittent reception cycle after the change is transmitted to the master unit. The wireless meter reading system according to any one of claims 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, wherein a transmitting unit for performing the reading is provided in the slave unit.