JP2004312491A - Method for registering connection relation between slave station and master station o - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for more surely registering the connection relations between a master station and a slave station without affected by the installation environment, etc., of the slave station. <P>SOLUTION: In the method for registering the connection relation between a slave station and the master station in an automatic meter reading system comprising: slave stations which can communicate with the meters respectively by a wire connection; the master station O which can communicate with the plurality of slave stations through a particular extension network using small power radio and has a PHS terminal; and a meter reading center which can communicate with the master station through a PHS line network, a portable device H which performs wire connection L with the slave stations to be able to communicate with the slave stations and has a PHS terminal to be able to communicate with the meter reading center C is temporarily connected to an unregistered slave station Kj, and the connection relation between the master station O and the slave station Kj is registered during the connection. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of registering a connection relationship between a master station O and a slave station of a wireless device that performs meter reading represented by a gas meter.
[0002]
[Prior art]
It is known that an automatic meter reading system such as a gas meter or a water meter is configured as follows (for example, see Patent Document 1).
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the automatic meter reading system. A plurality (number = n) of meters Mi (i = 1,..., N) installed in a house or the like are connected to slave stations Ki (i = 1,. The meter reading data is transmitted to the slave station Ki in accordance with the communication procedure described above. A plurality of slave stations Ki transmit meter reading data to a common master station O that can communicate via a specific extension network using low-power radio. The master station O has a PHS terminal, and transmits meter reading data received from a plurality of slave stations to the meter reading center C via a PHS network P (public network).
[0003]
In order for meter reading data of the meter Mi to be stored at a predetermined position of the meter reading center, the connection relationship between the meter Mi, ie, the slave station Ki and the master station O, must be registered in the meter reading center.
Conventional connection relation registration between the slave station and the master station O has been performed in the following procedure. FIG. 4 is a system diagram showing a conventional connection relationship registration procedure between a slave station and a master station O. The procedure proceeds from the top to the bottom of the paper and in the direction of the arrow. The newly installed slave station is, for example, K1. First, using a PHS terminal or the like, a message 1 of a command for registering the slave station K1 newly installed in the master station O is transmitted from the meter reading center to the master station O already installed. The master station O that has received the message 1 sends the message 2 via the specific low-power radio extension network. The mobile station K1 in a state where it can receive this radio wave, that is, the mobile station K1 whose connection relation is not registered, transmits the telegram 3 which is information of the mobile station K1 to the master station O via the extension network similarly after receiving the telegram 2. The master station O receives the message 3, registers the information of the slave station K1 that can newly communicate with the master station O, and sends the registration information as the message 4 to the meter reading center using the PHS network. I was
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-77429 (page 2, FIG. 1)
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the conventional method of registering the connection relationship between the master station and the slave station as described above, the connection of a specific low-power line between the master station and the slave station may be unstable depending on the installation environment of the slave station. There is a problem that the connection relationship between the master station and the slave station may not be registered correctly.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method capable of more reliably registering the connection relationship between a master station and a slave station without being affected by the installation environment of the slave station.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the object of the present invention, a master station capable of communicating with a meter via a wired connection and a plurality of slave stations via a specific extension network using low-power radio, and having a PHS terminal. In a method for registering a connection relationship between a slave station and a master station in an automatic meter reading system including a station and a meter reading center capable of communicating with the master station via a PHS circuit network, communication with the slave station is performed by performing wired connection with the slave station. A portable mobile device for registration, which has a PHS terminal and can communicate with the meter reading center, is temporarily connected to an unregistered slave station, and the connection relationship between the master station and the slave station is registered during connection.
[0007]
During the connection, the procedure for registering the connection relationship between the master station O and the slave station is as follows:
Sending a message 1 for registering a connection relationship between the existing master station O and the slave station to the slave station through a wire connected from the registration portable device;
-After receiving the message 1, the slave station sends a message 2 having information of the slave station to the registration portable device through a wire.
-The registration portable device that has received the message 2 sends the message 2 to the master station O using the PHS network.
The master station O that has received the message 2 determines that the slave station can communicate with the slave station, and after registering the information of the slave station, uses the PHS network as information 3 regarding the slave station of the master station O. And send it to the registration portable device,
The registration portable device sends the telegram 3 to the slave station;
The slave station receives the message 3, registers information of the master station O with which the slave station can communicate, and sends a message 4 as a response message to the registration portable device.
It is good.
[0008]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a state in which a registration portable device is connected to the automatic meter reading system according to the present invention.
The registration portable device H is connected to the slave station Kj by wire L, and can communicate with the meter Mj via the slave station Kj as before, and has a PHS terminal and can communicate with the automatic meter reading system via the PHS network. Need. A device having such a function can be easily manufactured using a circuit board constituting a slave station, a circuit board constituting a master station O, a computer, and the like.
[0009]
FIG. 2 is a system diagram showing a procedure for registering a connection relationship between an existing master station O and a newly installed slave station according to the present invention.
The procedure for registering the connection relation of the newly installed slave station Kj will be described below.
{Circle around (1)} First, the portable device H for registration is connected to the newly installed slave station Kj via a wired connection L.
(2) From the registration portable device H to the slave station Kj through the wired connection L, the existing master station O is set.
(3) Send a message 1 for registering the connection relationship between O and the slave station Kj.
[0010]
{Circle over (4)} After receiving the message 1, the slave station Kj sends a message 2 having information on the slave station Kj to the registration portable device H via a wire.
(5) The registration portable device H that has received the message 2 sends the message 2 to the master station O by using the PHS network, which is the same infrastructure as the master station O.
{Circle around (6)} The master station O that has received the message 2 determines that the slave station Kj can communicate with the slave station Kj, registers the information of the slave station Kj, and then sends the information regarding the slave station Kj of the master station O as a response message. The message 3 is transmitted to the registration portable device H using the PHS network.
{Circle around (7)} The registration portable device H sends the message 3 to the slave station Kj in accordance with a wired communication procedure between the slave station Kj and the device.
[0011]
{Circle around (8)} The slave station Kj receives the message 3, registers information of the communicable master station O of the slave station Kj based on the received information, and transmits a message 4 as a response message between the slave station Kj and the device. Is transmitted to the registration portable device H according to the wired communication procedure.
(9) Finally, the wired connection L of the recording portable device H is disconnected from the slave station Kj.
Thereafter, the meter reading center C can acquire the meter reading data of the j-th meter Mj according to the registration information.
As described above, since the registration of the connection relationship between the master station O and the newly installed slave station is performed using the PHS network, which is an infrastructure that is less affected by the environment, without using the specific low-power radio, Even if the installation environment of the meter is bad, registration can be performed without error.
[0012]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, each of the slave stations capable of communicating with the meter through a wired connection, and a master station O capable of communicating with a plurality of slave stations via a specific extension network using low-power radio, and having a PHS terminal, In a method for registering a connection relation between a slave station and a master station O in an automatic meter reading system comprising a meter reading center capable of communicating with the master station O via a PHS circuit network, the slave station can communicate with the slave station through a wired connection. In addition, since the registration portable device having a PHS terminal and capable of communicating with the meter reading center is temporarily connected to an unregistered slave station, the connection relationship between the master station O and the slave station is registered during the connection. The connection relationship between the master station O and the slave stations can be registered more reliably without passing through a specific extension network using low-power radio, that is, without being affected by the installation environment of the meter.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a state in which a registration portable device is connected to an automatic meter reading system according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a system diagram showing a procedure for registering a connection relationship between an installed master station O and a newly installed slave station according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an automatic meter reading system.
FIG. 4 is a system diagram showing a conventional connection relationship registration procedure between a slave station and a master station O.
[Explanation of symbols]
Mi (i = 1 to n) i-th meter Ki (i = 1 to n) slave station L connected to i-th meter Wired connection Mj j-th meter (new)
Kj slave station connected to the j-th meter (new)
O Master station O
Portable device for registration of P PHS network H

Claims (2)

Each of the slave stations can communicate with the meter through a wired connection, and can communicate with a plurality of slave stations through a specific extension network using low-power radio, and can also communicate with a master station O having a PHS terminal and a PHS line network. In a method for registering a connection relationship between a slave station and a master station O in an automatic meter reading system comprising a meter reading center capable of communicating with the master station O, a wired connection with the slave station can be made to communicate with the slave station, and a PHS terminal is provided. A mobile station for registration capable of communicating with a meter reading center, temporarily connecting to an unregistered slave station, and registering a connection relationship between the master station O and the slave station during connection. A method for registering a connection relationship with the O. During the connection, the procedure for registering the connection relationship between the master station O and the slave station is as follows:
Sending a message 1 for registering a connection relationship between the existing master station O and the slave station to the slave station through a wire connected from the registration portable device;
-After receiving the message 1, the slave station sends a message 2 having information of the slave station to the registration portable device through a wire.
-The registration portable device that has received the message 2 sends the message 2 to the master station O using the PHS network.
The master station O that has received the message 2 determines that the slave station can communicate with the slave station, and after registering the information of the slave station, uses the PHS network as information 3 regarding the slave station of the master station O. And send it to the registration portable device,
The registration portable device sends the telegram 3 to the slave station;
The slave station receives the message 3, registers information of the master station O with which the slave station can communicate, and sends a message 4 as a response message to the registration portable device.
A method for registering a connection relationship between a slave station and a master station O.

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