JP2006222477A - Absent house patrol system and metering terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an absent house patrol system that can properly and flexibly inspect a state of absent houses and inform absentees about a result of the inspection. <P>SOLUTION: A host computer 2 includes a customer database 21 for storing location information of absent houses H and patrol items for inspecting a state of the absent houses H or the like, and an entry section for entering patrol results to metering terminals 4. The host computer 2 downloads the location information of the absent houses H to be patrolled and the patrol items or the like to the metering terminals 4, and each of the metering terminals 4 uploads the patrol results inspected and entered on the basis of the patrol items to the host computer 2. Then the host computer 2 transmits the patrol results to information terminals U of customers of the absent houses H (absentees) via the Internet N2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an unattended home inspection system for inspecting and inspecting an unoccupied home where a resident is absent (absence) for a long period of time, and in particular, providing an inspection result to the resident (absent), such as a power meter, a gas meter, etc. The present invention relates to an unattended home inspection system for inspecting and inspecting an out-of-home at the time of meter reading and transmitting the result to the absentee.

  If a resident (such as the owner of a house) has to leave the house for a long time due to work or other reasons, the resident or absentee is not I am worried about whether it is rough. For this reason, absentees want to return to their homes regularly to check the status of their homes.

On the other hand, there is known a home security system in which sensors and monitoring cameras are arranged at important points in a house to monitor the intrusion of a suspicious person (for example, see Patent Document 1). When an abnormal state is detected by a sensor, this home security system notifies an abnormality by transmitting an e-mail including an abnormality occurrence to a user's e-mail address (such as a mobile phone).
JP 2004-128821 A

  By the way, if the absentee regularly returns home and tries to check the situation of the house, it takes a lot of time and money, and the burden on the absentee is large. Also, depending on the circumstances of work or the distance to the home away from home, it may not be possible to go home.

  On the other hand, the home security system described in Patent Document 1 can detect an abnormality such as the intrusion of a suspicious person and notify the user of the abnormality, but can provide information desired by a long-term absentee. It is not a thing. In other words, the absentee wants to know the situation of the entire home away from home, and wants to know detailed and flexible information such as whether the home away from home is not damaged by a natural disaster or there is no trace of suspicious person intrusion. is there. In other words, the absentee wants a judgment material that can accurately determine whether the absentee can be relieved or whether the absence is abnormal. On the other hand, the home security system as described above only monitors a specific place where the sensor or the monitoring camera is arranged, and the sensor or the monitoring camera detects the occurrence of an abnormality or the location. Is only monitored. For this reason, in such a home security system, it is not possible to provide a judgment material that enables a long-term absentee to comprehensively determine the situation of being away from home. As a result, the absentee must return to his / her home and check the situation of the house himself / herself.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an unattended home inspection system that can accurately and flexibly check the status of an out-of-home location and transmit the inspection result to the absentee.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention described in claim 1 is a portable computer capable of managing data related to an unattended home where a customer is absent, and a portable computer capable of downloading and uploading data between the host computer. A home-based patrol system including a terminal, in which the host computer transmits information to a customer database storing a location information of a home away from home, a patrol item for checking the status of the home away, and the like. The mobile terminal includes a storage unit that stores data from the host computer and data to the host computer, a display unit that displays inspection items from the host computer, and the inspection result. The location information and inspection items of the unattended home that should be inspected are downloaded from the host computer to the mobile terminal. And over de, inspected based on this inspection item, and upload the inputted patrol results from the mobile terminal to the host computer, is characterized by transmitting the inspection results to the customer not home from the host computer.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the non-home patrol system according to the first aspect, the host computer manages the usage amount and fee of power, gas, water, etc., and formulates a meter reading patrol route. It is a utility bill management computer, and the portable terminal is a meter reading terminal for inputting meter reading data such as an electric power meter and a gas meter.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the unattended patrol system according to the first or second aspect, the portable terminal has a camera, and image data captured by the camera is included in the patrol result. .

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the unattended home inspection system according to any one of the first to third aspects, the transmission means of the host computer is a communication means to the Internet, and the inspection result is sent to the unattended home via the Internet. It is characterized by being sent to customers.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the unoccupied home inspection system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the host computer has a fee calculation means for calculating the inspection fee based on the inspection item. .

  The invention described in claim 6 is a meter-reading terminal that stores meter-reading route and the like and inputs meter-reading data such as a power meter and a gas meter. A display unit that is stored and displays the inspection items, an input unit that inputs inspection results, a storage unit that stores the input inspection results, and an output unit that outputs data in the storage unit. It is characterized by that.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the meter-reading terminal according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the meter reading terminal includes a camera, and image data captured by the camera is stored in a storage unit.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the inspection result that has been inspected and inputted based on the inspection item is transmitted from the mobile terminal to the unattended customer (absent person) via the host computer. You can check the status of your home without going home. In addition, by adding and changing inspection items according to the customer's request, accurate and flexible inspection according to the customer's request can be performed. As a result, the out-of-home customer can reduce the time and cost for returning home, and can perform out-of-home management based on accurate and flexible situation confirmation without returning home.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the host computer is a utility fee management computer and the portable terminal is a meter-reading terminal, it is possible to check out of home at the time of meter-reading such as a power meter. For this reason, inspection and inspection can be performed efficiently, and inspection is performed along with normal meter reading, so that customers who are not at home can request inspection with peace of mind.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the image data taken by the camera is transmitted to the customer at home as a patrol result, so that the customer can more accurately confirm the status of home away from home. .

  According to the invention described in claim 4, since the inspection result is transmitted to the customer who is away from home via the Internet, the customer can check the inspection result anytime and anywhere under the Internet environment. Prompt and reliable delivery is ensured. In addition, it is possible to respond quickly and accurately to inspection requests from customers via the Internet, so that inspection and inspection services can be improved.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the inspection fee is calculated by the fee calculation means of the host computer, it is possible to send the inspection fee together with the inspection result to the customer. For example, when the host computer is a utility fee management computer, the inspection fee can be added to the utility fee such as a power fee or a gas fee and charged to the customer, so that the fee management can be unified and efficient.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the non-home is inspected and inspected based on the inspection item stored in the meter-reading terminal, and the inspection result stored in the storage unit is output via the output means. The inspection results can be communicated to customers at home. In addition, since the inspection items are stored in the meter reading terminal, it is possible to check out-of-home when reading the meter such as a power meter, which can improve the efficiency of the inspection and inspection and give the customer a sense of security. it can.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the image data taken by the camera can be transmitted to the absentee (customer), and the absentee can more accurately confirm the status of the absentee's home visually.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on the illustrated embodiments.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an unattended home inspection system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The homeless patrol system 1 is mainly composed of a host computer 2 disposed at the head office, a terminal management computer 3 disposed at each sales office, and a meter reading terminal 4 (portable terminal).

  In this embodiment, the host computer 2 is a power (public) fee management computer that manages the power usage amount and fee of each customer and formulates a meter reading route, etc. The customer computer 21 and the customer server 22 It has. The host computer 2 can communicate data with the terminal management computer 3 via the dedicated line N1, and can communicate data with the information terminal U of the customer (absent person) who is away from home H via the Internet N2. Transmission means, not shown). In addition to customer meter reading data and fee data, the customer database 21 stores information related to the unattended home H where the customer is absent. That is, the location information of the unattended home H based on the application from the customer, the inspection item to check the status of the unattended home H, the inspection result, and the like are stored. Then, based on the information format shown in FIG. 2, the customer information is downloaded to the meter-reading terminal 4 or uploaded from the meter-reading terminal 4.

  That is, a contract number 211 is assigned to each customer name 212, and in association with the contract number 211, a location 213, an e-mail address 214, a meter number 215, a previous meter instruction number 216, a current meter instruction number 217, a patrol item 218, The inspection result 219 and others 220 are stored. When a plurality of contracts are made with the same customer name, a plurality of contract numbers are assigned to the same customer name.

  The customer name 212 stores the name of the contractor, and the location 213 stores the location address of the customer's home H or building. The e-mail address 214 stores the e-mail address of the customer's information terminal U according to the offer from the customer, and the meter number 215 stores the number of the power meter attached to the customer's home H or the like. The previous meter instruction number 216 stores the power meter instruction number at the previous meter reading, and the current meter instruction number 217 stores the power meter instruction number at the current meter reading. Here, the previous meter instruction number 216 is stored (input) by the host computer 2, and the current meter instruction number 217 is stored by the meter-reading terminal 4. The inspection item 218 stores the memory address in which the inspection item is stored when the inspection is not in the customer's home H contracted by the customer and the inspection / inspection of the absence home H is desired. Stores zero (NULL). Similarly, the inspection result 219 stores the memory address where the inspection result is stored when the home away from home H is inspected and inspected, and zero (NULL) when the inspection and inspection are not performed.

  Specifically, in the memory area of the memory address stored in the inspection item 218, in this embodiment, the inspection of the intrusion trace is performed as the first item 218a, the inspection of the lock is performed as the second item 218b, and the roughening is performed as the third item 218c. A condition check, a special check according to the customer's request, and the necessity 218e of photography based on the customer's request are stored as the fourth item 218d. In the memory area of the memory address stored in the inspection result 219, the first result 219a to the photo 219e that are inspection results corresponding to the first item 218a to the photo 218e that are the inspection items are stored. Here, the inspection item 218 and its memory area are stored (input) by the host computer 2, and the inspection result 219 and its memory area are stored by the meter-reading terminal 4. When data is downloaded from the host computer 2 to the meter reading terminal 4, the inspection result 219 is always zero.

  On the other hand, the host computer 2 includes a charge calculation means (not shown) for calculating a charge based on the number of meter instructions and the inspection item. In other words, the fee calculation means calculates the power fee based on the difference in the number of instructions between the previous meter instruction number 216 and the current meter instruction number 217, and also determines the inspection fee based on the number of inspection items 218a to 218e and the inspection contents. Calculate Then, the power charge and the inspection fee are added to obtain a charge to the customer. As a result, the charge management can be unified and efficient. In addition, it is also possible to charge the power charge and the inspection charge separately according to the customer's request.

  The terminal management computer 3 can perform data communication with the host computer 2 via the dedicated line N1, and can perform data communication with each meter reading terminal 4 by wireless communication. Then, the data from the host computer 2 is assigned to each metering terminal 4 and transmitted (downloaded), and the data from each metering terminal 4 is transmitted (uploaded) to the host computer 2, and serves as a terminal management client computer. Plays.

  The meter-reading terminal 4 is a portable terminal for inputting meter-reading data (number of instructions) of the power meter, and as shown in FIG. 3, mainly a storage unit 41, an input unit 42, a camera 43, a display unit 44, a transmission / reception unit 45, and It is comprised from the control part 46 which controls these. The storage unit 41 is a memory that stores data from the host computer 2, data to the host computer 2, and the like. The input unit 42 includes a keypad (see FIG. 4) for inputting meter reading data, inspection results, and the like. Yes. The camera 43 is composed of a CCD camera module mounted on a mobile phone or the like. The display unit 44 is composed of an LCD (see FIG. 4) for displaying a customer name, inspection items, and the like. It consists of a wireless modem. Then, the transmission / reception unit 45 downloads (receives) data from the terminal management computer 3 (host computer 2), stores the data in the storage unit 41, and sequentially displays the data on the display unit 44. Also, the meter reading data and patrol results input from the input unit 42 and the image data taken by the camera 43 are stored in the storage unit 41, and the data is uploaded (transmitted) to the terminal management computer 3 by the transmission / reception unit 45. is there.

  Next, the processing operation of the unattended patrol system 1 having such a configuration will be described based on the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

  First, the host computer 2 formulates a tour route (planned meter reading) in which the contract numbers 211 are arranged in the tour order in the above-described information format (see FIG. 2) (step S1). Next, the traveling route for each business office is transmitted from the customer server 22 to the terminal management computer 3 of the business office via the dedicated line N1, and further, the traveling route for each meter-reading terminal 4 is transmitted from the terminal management computer 3. It is downloaded to the corresponding meter-reading terminal 4 (step S2). And based on this patrol route, meter-reading and patrol by the meter-reading person K are performed (step S3).

  That is, first, customer data (information format) of the first customer is acquired and displayed on the display unit 44 (step S11), and based on the customer name 212 and the location 213 of this customer data, the meter reader K receives the customer's home. It goes to H etc. Then, after confirming that the meter number 215 on the customer data is the same as the meter number displayed on the power meter, the indicated number of the power meter is read (step S12), and the indicated number is read. Input to the terminal 4 (step S13). As a result, the number of instructions is stored in the meter instruction number 217 this time. Next, it is determined whether or not the out-of-home H needs to be checked (step S14). That is, when the inspection item 218 is zero, the process proceeds to step S18 described later as inspection unnecessary, and when the memory address as described above is stored in the inspection item 218, the inspection items 218a to 218e are displayed. (Step S15). Then, the out-of-home H is inspected according to the inspection items 218a to 218d, and further, when a photograph is requested, a photograph is taken (step S16), and the result is input to the meter reading terminal 4 (step S17). That is, in the present embodiment, the first result 219a stores whether or not there is a trace that a suspicious person has entered, and the second result 219b stores whether or not the lock has been locked. The third result 219c stores the roughness of the away home H as a level number, and the fourth result 219d stores the result of the special inspection. Further, when a photograph is taken, the image data is stored in the photograph 219e. Next, it is determined whether meter reading and patrol for all customers have been completed (step S18). If completed, the operation is completed, and if not completed, the process proceeds to the next customer (step S19). ), The same processing is performed.

  When meter reading and patrol are completed, meter reading data in each meter reading terminal 4 (storage unit 41) and data such as patrol results 219a to 219e are uploaded to the terminal management computer 3, and these data are transmitted to the customer server via the dedicated line N1. 22 (step S4). These data are processed by the host computer 2 (step S5), and as described above, a charge fee is calculated by the fee calculation means (step S6), and the processed data and the charge fee are stored in the customer database. 21 is stored. In the present embodiment, the patrol result is immediately transmitted to the customer of the away home H who has undergone patrol and inspection (step S7). That is, the inspection results 219a to 219e are transmitted as e-mails to the e-mail address 214 of the customer information terminal U via the Internet N2. The meter reading data and the billing fee are included in the e-mail and sent to the customer later as a document (transfer sheet).

  As described above, according to the unattended home inspection system 1, the inspection results 219a to 219e inspected based on the inspection items 218a to 218e are transmitted from the host computer 2 to the customer of the unattended home H. Without returning to the home away from home H, the status of the home away from home H can be confirmed. In particular, since the image data from the camera 43 is also transmitted, the customer can more accurately confirm the status of the home away from home. Moreover, by adding and changing the inspection items 218a to 218e according to the customer's request, it is possible to perform an accurate and flexible inspection according to the customer's request. That is, the customer can obtain a judgment material that can accurately determine whether the home away from home H can be relieved or whether the home away from home H is abnormal. As a result, the customer who is away from home can reduce the time and expense to return to the home away from home, and the home away from home can be managed based on accurate and flexible situation confirmation without returning to the home away from home for a long time. .

  In addition, the host computer 2 is a power rate management computer, and the out-of-home H is inspected when reading the power meter. Therefore, the inspection and inspection services can be performed efficiently, and the inspection and inspection services are reduced in price. it can. In other words, even if the customer is absent for a long period of time, unless the contract is cancelled, the meter reading of the power meter is performed periodically. Therefore, compared with the case where only the patrol and inspection of the away home H are bothered, time and labor are increased. Can be reduced. Moreover, checking the out-of-home H at the time of meter reading is not a heavy burden on the meter-reading person K and is also a human inspection, so it is more accurate and flexible than home monitoring. H can be checked. As a result, efficient, accurate and flexible inspection and inspection can be performed effectively. Furthermore, since the inspection is performed by the meter reader K, the customer at home H can request the inspection with peace of mind. This is because the meter reader K visits the meter even when the customer is at home, gains trust from the customer, and gives a sense of security to the customer as compared with the case where an unknown person checks the out-of-home H. Because.

  Furthermore, since the inspection results 219a to 219e are transmitted to the absentee's information terminal U via the Internet N2, the absentee can check the inspection results 219a to 219e anytime and anywhere under the Internet environment. Prompt and reliable information provision is ensured. It is also possible to respond quickly and accurately to inspection requests from absentees. In other words, if an absentee who has seen the inspection results 219a to 219e has an inspection request such as wanting to check something on the next inspection or an operation request such as picking up fallen leaves, The inspection request or the like may be sent to the host computer 2 via N2. The host computer 2 can add or change inspection items based on the inspection request and the like, and the inspection request is executed at the next inspection. In this way, patrols and inspections that better meet the needs of absentees are possible, and service can be improved.

  By the way, in this embodiment, the host computer 2 is a power charge management computer, and the meter reading terminal 4 is a terminal for inputting meter reading data of a power meter, but a utility charge for managing a utility charge such as a gas charge or a water charge. Of course, a combination of a management computer and a meter-reading terminal for inputting meter-reading data such as a gas meter or a water meter may be used. Furthermore, irrespective of such meter reading of the meter, a combination of a host computer that manages information related to the out-of-home H and a portable terminal that inputs the inspection result may be used. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the inspection results 219a to 219e are transmitted to the absentee as e-mails. However, the information server U of the absentee can access the customer server 22, and the inspection results 219a to 219a can be accessed from the customer server 22. 219e may be browsed and downloaded.

  Some existing meter reading terminals include a display unit, an input unit, and a storage unit, and can download and upload data to and from the host computer 2. Therefore, the above meter reading terminal stores the information of the out-of-home H where the customer is absent (contract number 211 or the like) and the inspection items 218a to 218e, and is equipped with a camera as necessary, as described above. The meter reading terminal 4 can be configured. Then, by performing meter reading and patrol with such a meter reading terminal 4, it is possible to construct an existing meter reading system as an unattended patrol system.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an unattended patrol system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows the information format between a host computer and a meter-reading terminal in the unattended patrol system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows schematic structure of the meter-reading terminal in the unattended patrol system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The perspective view of the meter-reading terminal in the unattended patrol system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the processing operation flow of the unattended patrol system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the patrol process flow of the unattended patrol system which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Home away visit system 2 Host computer 21 Customer database 22 Customer server 3 Terminal management computer 4 Meter-reading terminal (portable terminal)
N1 Dedicated line N2 Internet U Absent (customer) information terminal H Absent home (customer home)
K meter reading

Claims (7)

A non-home patrol system comprising a host computer for managing information related to a home away from the customer and a portable terminal capable of downloading and uploading data between the host computer,
The host computer has a customer database that stores inspection items and the like to check the location information of the unattended home and the status of the unattended home, and a transmission means for transmitting information to the unattended customer,
The portable terminal includes a storage unit that stores data from the host computer and data to the host computer, a display unit that displays inspection items from the host computer, and an input unit that inputs inspection results and the like. Have
The location information of the unattended home to be inspected, inspection items, etc. are downloaded from the host computer to the portable terminal, and inspection results inputted based on the inspection items are uploaded to the host computer from the portable terminal. Sending a patrol result from the host computer to the unattended customer;
An out-of-home patrol system characterized by that. The host computer is a utility fee management computer that manages the usage amount and fee of electricity, gas, water, etc., and formulates a meter reading route, etc.
The portable terminal is a meter-reading terminal for inputting meter-reading data such as a power meter and a gas meter.
The non-home patrol system according to claim 1. The mobile terminal has a camera, and includes image data captured by the camera in the inspection result.
The non-home patrol system according to claim 1 or 2. The transmission means of the host computer is a communication means to the Internet, and transmits the inspection result to the unattended customer via the Internet.
The non-home patrol system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The host computer has a fee calculation means for calculating a inspection fee based on the inspection item.
The absentee inspection system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A meter reading terminal that stores meter reading routes, etc., and inputs meter reading data such as a power meter and a gas meter,
Patrol items that should be checked for out-of-home conditions when the customer is absent are stored, a display unit that displays the patrol items, an input unit that inputs patrol results, and a memory that stores the patrol results that are input. And output means for outputting data in the storage unit,
A meter reading terminal. Having a camera and storing image data taken by the camera in the storage unit;
The meter-reading terminal according to claim 6.

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