JP2002163300A - Meter reading system with ic card - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a meter reading system with an IC card capable of preventing a human mistake and simplifying the meter reading work. SOLUTION: This meter reading system for reading a variable of electricity, water supply, gas or the like, applies the IC card 4 having an electronic circuit 2 for storing the variable and an antenna 3 for wirelessly communicating the variable, as a medium for holding the read variable, and the variable is read by using a portable terminal 5 capable of wirelessly communicating with the IC card 4.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a meter reading system for ascertaining the amount of electricity, water, gas, etc. used, and more particularly, to an IC that eliminates human error and facilitates meter reading.
The present invention relates to a meter reading system using a card.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a general method for ascertaining the usage of electricity, water, gas, and the like, as shown in FIG. Meter 42) is installed at the place of use, and a meter reader visually checks the meter value displayed on the meter 41. The measured value displayed on the meter 41 is a cumulative value up to the present. The meter reader writes the current cumulative value of the meter reading in the current meter reading column of the document 43, and compares the current cumulative value with the past cumulative value already written in the previous meter reading column of the document 43 to determine the current usage. I have. In recent years, portable portable information processing terminals 44 having data collection and calculation functions have been developed.
Is used, and the meter reader inputs the current accumulated value of the meter reading to the portable information processing terminal 44, and the portable information processing terminal 44
Performs a process of calculating the current usage amount by comparing the current accumulated value with the past accumulated value stored at the time of the previous meter reading.

[0003]

According to the conventional method, a meter reader visually checks the meter value displayed on the meter 41 and writes the meter value on a document 43 or writes it on a portable information processing terminal 44. Since manual input is performed, human error such as reading error or input error of the weighing value is inevitable.

[0004] The meter 41 is not always installed in a place where it is easy to see, but is often installed in a place that is difficult to see, such as a corner of a building, a high position, or a low position. For this reason, in the meter reading operation, the user enters a narrow place or takes an unreasonable posture, and much labor is required.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an IC which solves the above-mentioned problems, eliminates human errors, and facilitates meter reading.
An object of the present invention is to provide a meter reading system using a card.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a system for measuring meter values such as electricity, water, gas, etc., which stores meter values as a medium for carrying meter values to be metered. An IC card provided with an electronic circuit for performing the measurement and an antenna for wirelessly communicating the measured value is used.

The meter value may be measured using a portable terminal capable of wirelessly communicating with the IC card.

[0008] As the weighed value, a cumulative value up to the present and a past cumulative value before the present value may be stored in the IC card.

The portable terminal reads the current cumulative value and the past cumulative value stored in the IC card, and the portable terminal calculates the latest usage by comparing the current cumulative value with the past cumulative value. Processing may be performed.

[0010] An identification number may be held in the IC card so as to be readable by the portable terminal, and the IC card to be read may be identified by the identification number.

An input means for inputting an identification number to the portable terminal is provided, and a meter reader inputs the identification number to be read to the portable terminal, and brings the portable terminal close to a communicable distance with the IC card to be read. Then, the portable terminal may check the input identification number and the identification number read from the IC card to execute the meter reading.

[0012]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, a meter reading system according to the present invention comprises a meter section 1 for displaying a measured value and an electronic circuit for storing the measured value as a medium for carrying the measured value such as electricity, water, gas or the like. An IC card 4 provided with an antenna 3 for wirelessly communicating a measurement value with a measurement value 2 is used.

Further, the meter reading system according to the present invention is shown in FIG.
As shown. The meter reading is performed using the portable terminal 5 capable of wireless communication with the IC card 4.

The IC card 4 has an electronic circuit 2 such as an IC module including a memory and an antenna 3 such as an antenna coil connected to the electronic circuit 2 built in a card-shaped base, and has an RFID function. What is the RFID function?
This is a function that allows the identification number to be recognized from the outside in a non-contact manner by holding the identification number in the electronic circuit 2 and wirelessly transmitting the identification number from the antenna 3. Data such as a measured value is stored in the electronic circuit 2, and the data can be read from the outside together with the identification number. IC card 4
Is also called an RFID tag.

The IC card 4 used in the present invention is provided with a meter unit 1 capable of displaying a plurality of digits on the surface of a base, and the meter unit 1 has a cumulative value up to the present (hereinafter referred to as a current cumulative value). Is displayed. In the electronic circuit 2, the current accumulated value displayed on the meter unit 1 and the past accumulated value before that (specifically, the value displayed at the time of the previous meter reading)
And the previous usage amount calculated from these accumulated values, and IC
An identification number for identifying the card 4 is stored. This IC card 4 is called an RFID meter. This RFID meter 4
Is installed in the measuring device 6.

The portable terminal 5 is also called a portable antenna terminal. The portable antenna terminal 5 performs non-contact wireless communication with the antenna 3 of the RFID meter 4 and
The data stored in the electronic circuit 2 of the meter 4 can be read. The portable antenna terminal 5 can read not only the current cumulative value, but also the past cumulative value and the previous usage amount, and can also read the identification number. The portable antenna terminal 5 has a finite communication distance with respect to the RFID meter 4.

The portable antenna terminal 5 is provided with an input means (not shown) for a meter reader to input an identification number, and collates the input identification number with the identification number read from the RFID meter 4. Function is provided.
In addition, the portable antenna terminal 5 has a function of calculating the latest usage amount (specifically, the current usage amount) by comparing the current cumulative value with the past cumulative value, and prints out the meter reading data with an attached printer. Function is provided.

The meter reader carries the portable antenna terminal 5 to the place where the measuring device 6 is installed for meter reading.

Hereinafter, a flow of a meter reading operation by the meter reading system of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

Here, the basic information such as the identification number (ID) and name of the consumer to be read, the meter display value at the previous meter reading (past accumulated value), the information such as the last used amount, etc., are measured by the measuring device 6. Is stored in the memory of the RFID meter 4 incorporated in the.

At the time of meter reading, first, the meter reader inputs the ID of the consumer whose meter is to be read into the portable antenna terminal 5 (S).
1). Next, the meter reader connects the portable antenna terminal 5 to the RFI.
Close to the communicable distance toward the D meter 4 and
A state is established in which wireless communication between the D meter 4 and the portable antenna terminal 5 is possible (S2). Thereby, the portable antenna terminal 5 can read the stored content of the RFID meter 4. Therefore, the portable antenna terminal 5
A question signal for inquiring about D is transmitted (S3). The RFID meter 4 that has received the inquiry signal returns its own ID (S4). The portable antenna terminal 5 receives the returned ID and performs an ID correspondence determination (collation) (S5).

As a result of the comparison, when the ID input to the portable antenna terminal 5 matches the ID stored in the RFID meter 4, the portable antenna terminal 5 executes the following meter reading processing.

First, the RFID meter 4 reads the measured value of the measuring device 6 by an electric signal, and
And stored in a memory in the electronic circuit 2 (S
6). This memory stores the present meter display value (current cumulative value), the meter display value at the previous meter reading (past cumulative value), and the previous usage amount. And RFID
The meter 4 transmits the data stored in these memories to the portable antenna terminal 5 as meter reading data (S7).

The portable antenna terminal 5 receives the meter reading data, and calculates the current usage based on the received meter reading data (S8). The portable antenna terminal 5 transmits the calculated current usage amount to the RFID meter 4 (S9). R
The FID meter 4 stores the received current usage amount in the memory as the previous usage amount and stores the currently transmitted current transmission value in the memory as the past cumulative value (S10). On the other hand, the portable antenna terminal 5 prints out the present cumulative value, the past cumulative value, and the current usage amount as meter reading data in the specification by the attached printer (S11).

As described above, according to the present invention, the display function, the storage function and the R
In order to use the RFID meter 4 with the FID function,
The measured value displayed on the meter section 1 is stored in the electronic circuit 2 as meter reading data, and is transferred to the portable antenna terminal 5. For this reason, data can be electrically confirmed and error-free data transfer becomes possible. In the meter reading operation, the meter reading data is not handled artificially, and a human error is eliminated.

According to the present invention, the meter reading data stored in the electronic circuit 2 is transferred to the portable antenna terminal 5 via the antenna 3 by non-contact wireless communication. The meter reading operation can be carried out simply by holding the meter. Therefore, the meter reading operation can be easily performed even in a bad working environment.

In the present invention, the ID stored in the RFID meter 4 and the ID input to the portable antenna terminal 5 are used.
Since the meter reading process is executed only when と matches, there is no mistake in reading the meter by mistaking the consumer.

[0029]

The present invention exhibits the following excellent effects.

(1) There is no human error because the meter reader does not perform visual inspection, handwriting, or manual input.

(2) Since the portable terminal measures the meter value by wireless communication with the IC card, the meter reader can easily perform the meter reading operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a measuring device using an IC card according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram conceptually showing communication between an IC card and a portable terminal according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a meter reading operation by the meter reading system of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram conceptually showing a conventional meter reading method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 meter section 2 electronic circuit 3 antenna 4 IC card (RFID meter) 5 portable terminal (portable antenna terminal) 6 measuring device

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G06K 19/00 G06K 19/00 Q (72) Inventor Toshiyuki Horikoshi 5-1-1 Hidakacho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture No. 1 F-term in Hitachi Cable, Ltd. Research Institute of Technology (reference) 2C005 MA40 NA09 QB01 SA06 SA12 TA28 5B035 BB09 CA23 5B058 CA17 YA20

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A system for measuring meter values such as electricity, water, gas, etc., comprising an electronic circuit for storing meter values and an antenna for wirelessly communicating meter values as a medium for holding meter values to be measured. A meter reading system using an IC card, wherein a card is used. 2. The meter reading system using an IC card according to claim 1, wherein the meter value is read using a portable terminal capable of wirelessly communicating with the IC card. 3. The meter reading system using an IC card according to claim 1, wherein an accumulated value up to the present and a past accumulated value before the measured value are stored in the IC card as the measured value. 4. The portable terminal reads the current cumulative value and the past cumulative value stored in the IC card, and compares the current cumulative value and the past cumulative value with the portable terminal to determine the latest usage amount. 4. The meter reading system using an IC card according to claim 3, wherein the calculating process is performed. 5. The IC card according to claim 1, wherein an identification number is held in the IC card so as to be readable by the portable terminal, and the IC card to be read is identified by the identification number.
7. A meter reading system using the IC card according to any one of the above-described items. 6. An input means for inputting an identification number to the portable terminal, wherein a meter reader inputs an identification number to be read to the portable terminal, and the portable terminal can communicate with the IC card to be read. 6. The meter reading system using an IC card according to claim 5, wherein when approaching the portable terminal, the portable terminal performs the meter reading by comparing the input identification number with the identification number read from the IC card.