JP2006074281A - Method and program for setting repeater route of radio communication apparatus group - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and a program for setting a repeater route of a radio communication apparatus group, by which a repeater route can be efficiently set, and even in the case of adding a repeater, the repeater route can be simply set. <P>SOLUTION: Repeaters and slave sets whose connection with a master set is previously registered are installed on installation places (S1029) and a connection between the master set and each slave set is checked at first (S103). A slave set of which the communication is disabled is judged (S104) and connection from repeaters to the slave set of which the communication is disabled is checked (S105). When there are repeaters capable of communicating with the slave set, the repeater having the highest communication state is registered and a repeater route is set. When there is a slave set which can not communicate with also the repeaters, an additional repeater is registered and installed, and similar processing is repeated from the step S103. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and a program for setting a relay route for performing communication between a parent device and a child device via a relay device in a wireless communication device group including a parent device, a relay device, and a child device.

With the spread of wireless communication technologies such as mobile phones and extra-small wireless communication, their use is being promoted in various fields. For example, in public utilities such as water, electricity, and gas deployed in each house, it has been proposed to install wireless communication devices in each house and automatically collect the usage amount using wireless communication technology. Patent Document 1 describes that measurement results of gas usage, water usage, and electricity usage are transmitted from an information collection terminal installed in each house to a data center server via the Internet. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a system comprising a center, a telemeter that outputs meter reading data, and a transmitter that transmits meter reading data input from the telemeter to the center via a telephone line. It is described that a repeater is provided, a plurality of telemeters are connected to the parent repeater, and a plurality of slave repeaters 5 are connected to the parent repeater to connect a plurality of telemeters to each slave repeater. Has been.
JP 2002-298031 A JP-A-8-186653

  In such a group of wireless communication devices, it is necessary to set a relay route through which relay device performs communication between the parent device and the child device. A conventional setting method is shown in FIG. First, a preliminary survey of the installation location is performed, and a communication test is conducted on the installation location of the repeater based on the location of the slave unit and the location of the master unit (S200). For example, since the installation place of the child device is installed in each house, the user's house is determined as the installation place. In addition, since the parent device is generally installed in a house that is the center of the area, the installation location of the parent device is also determined in advance. In this way, based on the installation bases of the master unit and the slave unit determined in advance, a communication test is performed on the slave unit that cannot communicate far from the master unit to investigate the installation position of the relay unit.

  Next, connection registration between the relay device and the slave device connected to the relay device is performed based on the investigation result (S201), connection registration between the master device and the relay device is performed (S202), and the master device and the slave device are performed. (S203). At this point, a relay route is set based on the previous investigation result.

  Then, the set master device, relay device, and slave device are installed based on the preliminary investigation results (S204), and a communication test is performed (S205). As a result of the communication test, it may be possible to establish communication between the master unit and slave units. However, if there are slave units that cannot communicate, additional relay units are required. It is necessary to review the place and start again from step S201.

  In this way, if the number of relay units and the installation location are determined in the preliminary survey and set before setting the relay route, if there is a slave unit that cannot communicate in the communication test, the master unit, repeater unit, and slave unit again It is necessary to review the relay route, and the setting work is very inefficient.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a relay route setting method for a wireless communication device group that can efficiently set a relay route and can be easily set even when a relay device is added, and a program therefor. It is for the purpose.

A relay route setting method for a wireless communication device group according to the present invention is a method for setting a relay route for a wireless communication device group including a parent device, a relay device, and a child device, and communicates between the parent device and the child device. Register the slave unit with the master unit, communicate between the master unit and the repeater unit, register the repeater unit with the master unit, and place the master unit, repeater unit, and slave unit at the installation location. The slave unit communicates with all slave units to determine which slave units cannot communicate, and each relay unit instructs the slave units to communicate with slave units that cannot communicate. A good repeater is registered in the master as a repeater of the slave. In addition, if there is no repeater that can communicate with the slave unit that cannot communicate, register the additional repeater in the master unit and communicate with all the slave units from the master unit with the additional repeater placed. The slave unit that cannot communicate with each other is instructed from the master unit so that each relay unit can communicate with the slave unit that cannot communicate. It is registered in the parent machine as a relay machine.

  The relay route setting program for a group of wireless communication devices according to the present invention determines the procedure for performing communication from the master unit to which the relay unit and slave units are registered to the computer, and the slave unit that cannot be communicated from the master unit. A procedure for instructing each relay device to communicate with a slave device that cannot communicate, a procedure for determining a repeater with the best communication status for a slave device that cannot communicate, and a communication status that is best The procedure for registering the relay device determined to be the relay device of the child device to the parent device is executed.

  By having the configuration as described above, since the slave unit is registered in the master unit and placed at the installation location, the slave unit that cannot communicate with the master unit can be determined. Since the repeater with the best communication state is judged and registered, the relay route is set by the repeater with the master unit and slave units installed, so the setting work can be simplified and reliably performed A relay route can be set.

  In addition, if there are slave units that cannot communicate even if a repeater is used, it is necessary to install an additional repeater, but after registering and installing only the additional repeater, communication with the master unit is performed again. It is only necessary to determine and register the relay device with the best communication status for the slave device that cannot communicate by determining the slave device that cannot be communicated. It is not necessary to perform the work of reconnecting the connection and the connection between the repeater and the slave unit again. Therefore, the repeater can be additionally installed while performing the communication test, and the setting work can be made more efficient.

  Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail. The embodiments described below are preferable specific examples for carrying out the present invention, and thus various technical limitations are made. However, the present invention is particularly limited in the following description. Unless otherwise specified, the present invention is not limited to these forms.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of a system provided with a group of wireless communication devices for implementing a setting method according to the present invention. The wireless communication device group includes a single parent device 1, a plurality of relay devices 2a, 2b,..., And a plurality of child devices 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d,. The base unit 1 is installed, for example, in a house that is the center of the area, and the slave units 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d,... Are each installed in a house that is supplied with gas. The slave unit is provided by being connected to a gas meter-reading meter, and transmits the meter-reading result to the master unit. When wireless communication is not possible between the parent device and the child device, the relay devices 2a, 2b,... Are installed between them to relay and transmit the communication between the parent device and the child device. I am doing so.

The setting device 10 used when setting the relay route is connected to the parent device 1. The setting device 10 includes a control unit 11 that controls the entire device, a transmission / reception unit 12 that transmits and receives information between the parent device 1 and the control unit 11, and a storage that stores a program for setting processing and data necessary for control processing. Unit 13, a storage unit 14 that stores data necessary for setting a relay route, a display unit 15 that displays processing results related to the setting, and a key input unit 16.

  FIG. 2 shows a processing flow for setting a relay route. First, connection registration is performed between the parent device 1 and the child devices 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d,... (S100). In connection registration, the frequency channel of the master unit and the slave unit is set, and the registration mode is set for each of the master unit and the slave unit to start registration. Check the communication status of the slave unit and complete connection registration. Next, connection registration is performed between the parent device 1 and the relay devices 2a, 2b,... (S101). As in the case of the slave unit, the frequency channels of the master unit and the relay unit are set, the registration mode is set, and the relay unit registration is started. Confirm the communication status of the repeater and complete the connection registration. The number of repeaters should be determined roughly by looking at the distribution of slave units. By the above connection registration, the relay unit and the slave unit are registered in the base unit 1 and can be identified.

  Next, the master unit, the relay unit, and the slave unit are installed at predetermined locations (S102). At this point, no relay route is set. Therefore, the setting device 10 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to the base unit 1 and the relay route setting process is started.

  First, in order to confirm the connection between the parent device 1 and all of the child devices 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d,..., A signal for confirming the connection is transmitted from the parent device 1 to each child device. (S103). The slave units installed in the communicable area from the master unit 1 can communicate with each other, but the slave units in other areas cannot communicate with each other. (S104).

  Next, an instruction signal is transmitted from the master unit 1 to each relay unit so that a connection confirmation signal is transmitted from each relay unit to the slave unit that cannot communicate, and communication is performed with the slave unit that cannot communicate. It is checked whether it is possible (S106). If communication is possible between the slave unit that cannot communicate and any one of the relay units, the relay unit having the best communication state is determined for each of the slave units that cannot communicate (S107). Based on the determination result, the repeater is registered in the parent device. Thus, the relay route is set according to the actual communication state.

  In step S106, if there is a slave unit that cannot communicate with the relay unit, an additional relay unit is registered in the master unit and installed at a position where it can communicate with the slave unit that cannot communicate (S109). In this case, it is not necessary to register again for other repeaters and slave units. And it returns to step S103 and confirms the connection between a main | base station and a subunit | mobile_unit again. The slave unit that cannot communicate is determined, and the slave unit that cannot communicate is confirmed to be connected to the relay unit and the relay unit having the best communication state is registered (S108). Therefore, even for the slave unit that cannot communicate before adding the relay unit, the communication state can be secured by the added relay unit, and the relay route is set.

Conventionally, after conducting a field survey in advance and setting a relay route in advance, the master unit, repeater unit, and slave unit are arranged, so if there are slave units that cannot communicate, it is necessary to start from the beginning. However, in the setting process described above, it is possible to add a repeater while performing a communication test after roughly installing the required repeater, so no prior investigation is required and the setting process can be completed at once. Can do.

  In the example described above, the setting device is connected to the parent device to perform setting processing. However, a setting processing program is stored on the center side that centrally manages the parent device, and the parent device is remotely controlled. May be controlled. In this case, it is necessary to set an identification code so that it is not connected to a different master unit of a gas sales company, and to automatically identify which gas sales company it belongs to when connecting and checking the connection with the relay and slave units. Good.

  Further, when a new child device is installed, if it is installed after being registered in advance in the nearest parent device, and setting processing is performed in the same manner as described above, a relay route for the newly installed child device can be easily set.

1 is a system schematic diagram for carrying out an embodiment according to the present invention. It is a setting process flow explaining the embodiment according to the present invention. It is the setting process flow of the conventional relay route.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Master machine, 2 ... Relay machine, 3 ... Slave machine, 10 ... Setting apparatus.

Claims (3)

  A method for setting a relay route of a group of wireless communication devices including a parent device, a relay device, and a child device, communicating between the parent device and the child device, registering the child device in the parent device, and the parent device and the relay device Register the relay unit with the master unit and communicate with the slave unit from the master unit to all the slave units with the master unit, repeater unit, and slave unit located at the installation location. Judgment and instruct the parent unit to communicate with the slave unit that cannot communicate, and register the relay unit with the best communication status to the slave unit that cannot communicate with the slave unit A relay route setting method for a group of wireless communication devices.   If there is no repeater that can communicate with the slave unit that cannot communicate, register the additional repeater in the master unit and communicate with all the slave units from the master unit with the additional repeater placed. A slave unit that cannot communicate is determined, each relay unit instructs the slave unit to communicate with the slave unit that cannot communicate, and the relay unit that is in the best communication state for the slave unit that cannot communicate is the relay unit of the slave unit. The relay route setting method of the wireless communication device group according to claim 1, wherein: On the computer,
Procedure for communicating from the master unit with which the relay and slave units are registered to all the slave units,
Procedure to determine the slave unit that cannot communicate with the master unit,
Procedure for instructing each slave unit to communicate with a slave unit that cannot communicate,
To execute the procedure to determine the relay device with the best communication status for the slave device that cannot communicate, and the procedure to register the relay device determined to have the best communication status with the slave device as the relay device of the slave device. A relay route setting program for a group of wireless communication devices.

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