JP2008022147A - Terminal network controller - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a terminal network control system capable of giving and taking an information such as an automatic meter inspection, even when a center-side network controller and a terminal-side network controller are connected through a communication system without no-ringing trunk. <P>SOLUTION: When a telephone call arrives at the terminal-side network controller 11, the terminal-side network controller 11 absorbs and processes only the first ringing without sending it to a subsequent telephone 13. When the telephone call is made to the terminal-side network controller 11 from the center side by a one-ringing, and a ringing signal for an arriving communication is completed only by the first ringing; it is decided as calling from the center-side network controller 3a, and the terminal-side network controller 11 calls a terminal to a communication place (a common center 1) for a predetermined telephone number through a communication network 4 in response to the completion of such a ringing. The terminal-side network controller 11 can give and take the information of a meter 14 to the center side by a communication with the communication place. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention utilizes a public communication network such as an ISDN line or a general analog line, and is particularly applicable to automatic meter reading of meters such as gas, electricity and water and transmission of meter reading data. About.

  Conventionally, electricity, gas, water, and the like are indispensable energy in companies and general households, and the safe and reliable supply and management to a huge number of users has become a daily issue for suppliers. In the era of liberalization competition, suppliers are required to improve operational efficiency, save costs, and improve customer service.

  Against this backdrop, regular meter reading and user check of equipment are a heavy burden on the supplier and may require an arrangement for the user. It was. For this reason, a system that automatically performs meter reading and checking from a remote location using a public telephone line to which most users are subscribed has been introduced, and is beginning to spread to ordinary households. In particular, the development and popularization of automatic remote meter reading and automatic remote diagnosis in the field of city gas and LP gas, where safety effects are important, are remarkable.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a communication system for performing data transmission using a telephone line between a conventional general center side system and terminal side system. In FIG. 7, a host device 2 on the center 1 side uses a public telephone line 4 and its exchanges 5 and 6 via a center network control device (C-NCU; (Network Control Unit)) 3 to It communicates with the meter 14 through a terminal network control device (T-NCU) 11 to which a back connection device (downstream connection device) such as a telephone 13 is connected to obtain necessary meter reading data (see Patent Document 1). ). Although not shown in detail, in addition to the meter 14, a security device such as a sensor or a switch can be connected to the terminal network control device 11. Further, as a back connection device that passes through the wall of the house and is placed in the home, an information device such as a facsimile can be connected in addition to the telephone 13. The terminal-side switching center 6 can be provided with a no-ringing (NR) trunk in order to perform data transmission by no-ringing.

  In the above-described conventional communication system, the ringing of the telephone set 13 connected behind the terminal network control device 11 normally passes a current for ringing for 1 second, and the terminal network control device 11 performs the next 2 seconds. The ringing stops when the current is turned off. By repeating the ringing for 1 second and the ringing stop for 2 seconds, the telephone set 13 emits a ringing tone.

  By the way, in recent years, a dry copper or the like that does not use a communication line provider's line, such as an IP phone via the Internet, has appeared. In the case of IP telephones, ringing that rings the telephone bell is not performed, so that there is an event that automatic meter reading using no ringing of a communication line operator cannot be performed. This trend is expected to increase in the future.

For this reason, a new ringing type NCU is under investigation.
JP 2004-201157 A (paragraph [0012], FIG. 1)

  Therefore, even when the center-side network control device and the terminal-side network control device are connected via a communication system that does not use a no-ringing trunk, the center side and the terminal side use the first part of ringing. There is a problem to be solved in terms of establishing information transmission between them.

  The object of the present invention is to enable the exchange of information such as automatic meter reading even when the center side network control device and the terminal side network control device are connected via a communication system that does not use a no-ringing trunk. It is to provide a terminal network control system.

  In order to solve the above problems, a terminal network control system according to the present invention is a terminal network control system in which a back connection device is connected behind a terminal side network control device connected via a communication network. The network control device makes a terminal call to a predetermined telephone number via the communication network in response to the ringing signal arriving at the terminal side network control device being terminated only by the first ringing, It consists of communicating with a destination with a telephone number.

  According to this terminal network control system, when there is an incoming call to the terminal-side network control device, the terminal-side network control device absorbs the first ringing without first sending it to the back-end telephone. To process. When the center side makes a call to the terminal side network control device with one ringing and the ringing signal of the received communication ends only with the first ringing (communication is cut off with one ringing), the terminal responds to the end of such ringing. The side network control device determines that it is, for example, from the center side network control device, and makes a terminal call to a communication destination having a predetermined telephone number via the communication network. The terminal-side network control device can exchange information by communicating with the communication destination having the telephone number.

  In this terminal network control system, in response to detecting the first ringing signal, the terminal-side network control device absorbs the ringing for a predetermined time from the beginning and does not flow to the backward connection device. In other words, the terminal call can be made after the elapse of the first predetermined time in the predetermined time. This predetermined time is usually about 3 seconds because the ringing ringing cycle is 3 seconds in total, that is, ringing for 1 second and stopping the ringing hands for 2 seconds thereafter. Of the predetermined time for making a terminal call, the first fixed time elapses is the time within this ringing cycle, so that the time length is between 1 second and 2 seconds.

  In the above terminal network control system, when the terminal call is not made within a certain period, the terminal call can not be retried. As a fixed period, it can be set as about 5 minutes, for example. That is, it is possible to set the time to wait for a call from the terminal side on the center side by determining the time not to retry from the terminal. Thereby, it is possible to decide whether to retry again from the center side, and it is possible to make a system led by the center side.

  The terminal-side network control device can flow the second or subsequent ringing to the backward connection device in response to the ringing signal reaching the terminal-side network control device continuing for the second time or more. The first ringing is used to determine whether or not to make a terminal call depending on whether or not it is the only ringing, so when ringing continues for the second time or more, the terminal to the center side network control device Do not place a call and use the second or subsequent ringing to a back connection device connected to the back of the terminal-side network control device such as a telephone for normal communication services such as ringing the telephone. be able to.

  A host device having the telephone number is connected to the communication network via a center-side network control device, the back connection device includes a meter-reading target device such as a meter, and the terminal network control system includes the terminal network control system, The present invention can be applied as an automatic meter reading terminal network control system that transmits meter reading data of the meter-reading target device to the host device via the communication connected by terminal calling. If a host device (for example, a meter management organization) connected to the communication network via the center-side network control device is defined as a device having a telephone number, the terminal-side network control device can only perform one ringing. The terminal side network control device calls the host device by calling the terminal. When the host device is connected, the meter reading data of the meter reading target device is transmitted to the host device via the communication network. The center side network control device receives a terminal call from the terminal side network control device and performs processing such as meter reading. When the terminal-side network control device receives a call other than the call from the center-side network control device, if the call is one-ringing, a terminal call is made to the center side. However, in this case, since there is no job corresponding to the center side, an end command is sent to the terminal side network control device.

  In the terminal network control device applied as the automatic meter-reading terminal network control system, the terminal-side network control device operates at least detecting the number of times of ringing only when a predetermined period or more has elapsed. Consists of. For public charges such as gas, electricity, water, etc., charge calculation according to the amount used is performed every month, so the predetermined period is set, for example, as one month. When the communication with the center has passed for one month, detection of the number of ringing is set to operate in order to obtain new meter reading data. If the communication with the center is less than one month from the previous communication, there is a high possibility that it is a so-called nuisance call due to mischief or the like.

  In the terminal network control system applied as the automatic meter reading terminal network control system, the backward connection device further includes a communication terminal device such as a telephone or a facsimile.

  Since the terminal network control system according to the present invention is configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained. That is, in this terminal network control system, even if the center side network control device and the terminal side network control device are connected via a communication system that does not use a no-ringing trunk, There is provided a terminal network control system that enables exchange of information such as automatic meter reading between the terminal and the terminal side. The terminal network control system is also compatible with dry copper, IP phone, CATV phone, etc. that do not use the telephone line of the communication line operator. Further, it is not necessary to use a no-ringing service that does not ring at any time during meter reading, that is, a conventional ringing system may be used, so that cost can be reduced. The terminal-side network control device has a function of absorbing the first ringing without flowing it to a backward connection device such as a telephone connected behind, and flowing the second and subsequent rings backward. When communication is interrupted by the second ringing, it is necessary to communicate with the center side. However, the addition of these functions can be done by changing the circuit, and no significant improvement is required. In addition, the method in which the terminal-side network control device transmits a terminal at the first ringing has a possibility of generalization regardless of the region and a new service on a global scale in the future.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a terminal network control system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a communication system configuration to which a terminal network control system according to the present invention is applied. Components equivalent to those of the conventional system shown in FIG. 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  According to the communication system configuration shown in FIG. 1, the joint center 1 includes a center device (host device) 2, an output side network control device (CO-NCU) 3 a connected to the center device 2, and an input side network control device ( CI-NCU) 3b. On the center side and the terminal side, the illustration of the exchange is omitted. The telephone 13 is connected behind the terminal-side network control device 11 as usual. The center-side output-side network control device 3a and the input-side network control device 3b are connected to various meters 14 such as a user's gas, electric machine, and water through a communication network 4 such as the Internet or a dedicated telephone line network. It is connected to the control device 11.

  The center-side output-side network control device 3a has a function of disconnecting the communication by one-ringing when communicating with the terminal-side network control device 11. The input side network control device 3b has a function of receiving a terminal call from the terminal side network control device 11 and executing a processing menu. When the center apparatus 2 performs some processing from the center side to the terminal side, the terminal side network is temporarily set after performing one-ringing communication from the output side network control apparatus 3a on the center side and disconnecting the communication. Software that performs processing when receiving a call communication from the control device 11 is provided.

  The terminal-side network control device 11 has a function of not ringing the ringing at the telephone 13 behind the ringing when the first ringing from the output-side network control device 3a on the center side occurs. When the second ringing does not occur in the terminal-side network control device 11, that is, when the received communication is one-ringing communication, the terminal-side network control device 11 is predetermined for the center side. Make a terminal call by phone number. When the second ringing occurs in the terminal-side network control device 11, the terminal-side network control device 11 rings a bell on the telephone set 13 behind. Accordingly, when one-ringing is made from the center side to the terminal side, the terminal-side network control device 11 makes a terminal call to the center side, and the center-side input-side network control device 3b is sent from the terminal-side network control device 11 Upon receiving the incoming call, processing such as meter reading is performed.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation image in the case of meter reading at any time. First, the meter reading menu is executed at any time on the center side. When the menu for meter reading is executed at any time (step 0, abbreviated as “S0”, the same shall apply hereinafter), the center side output side network control device (abbreviated as “CO-NCU”); ) To the terminal side network control device (abbreviated as “terminal NCU”; hereinafter the same in the description of FIG. 2) (S1). A call is transmitted from the CO-NCU to the terminal NCU via the communication network, and the line is disconnected by one ringing (S2). In the terminal NCU, communication is disconnected by one ringing. At this time, the bell of the telephone connected behind by the function of the terminal NCU does not ring (S3). In response to the disconnection of communication due to one ringing, the terminal NCU makes a terminal call to the center (S4), so that the terminal transmission from the terminal NCU is communicated to the center side via the communication network (S5).

  The center side input side network control device (abbreviated as “CI-NCU”; hereinafter the same in the description of FIG. 2) receives communication from the terminal NCU (S6). Since there is a meter reading job at any time on the center side, a meter reading command is sent to the terminal NCU at any time (S7). That is, the command on the center side is communicated to the terminal NCU via the communication network (S8). The terminal NCU performs meter reading in response to a meter reading command from the center side (S9). The meter reading result is returned to the center side (S10). That is, the meter reading value from the terminal NCU is returned to the center side via the communication network (S11).

  On the center side, the received meter reading value is displayed on a screen of a personal computer monitor or the like (S12), and an end command is transmitted to the terminal NCU (S13). That is, on the center side, an end command is transmitted from the CO-NCU to the terminal via the communication network (S14). The terminal NCU receives the end command and ends the process (S15).

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the terminal network control system according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, after the start, the terminal network control device determines whether or not there is ringing (S20). If there is ringing, the ringing count is updated to +1 (S21). When there is no ringing, step S20 is repeated. After S21, when the elapsed time is a timeout (for example, 3 seconds which is the ringing period) (S22), the terminal network control device recognizes that the ringing is one ringing (S23), and sets the telephone function to off-hook ( In step S24, a predetermined telephone number is dialed by calling the terminal (S25), and communication is made with the center side (S26). On the other hand, if it is determined in S22 that the time-out has not occurred, it is determined whether or not there is ringing (S27). If there is no ringing in this determination, the process returns to the determination in S22. The number of times of ringing is increased to +1 (S28), and ringing is made to ring the back telephone or the like without calling the center side (S29).

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing another example of the operation of the terminal network control system according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, after starting, the terminal network control device initializes a flag (0 is substituted) (S30), and determines whether or not there is ringing (S31). If there is ringing, time measurement is performed (S32), and it is determined whether or not the ringing continues for 0.5 seconds or more (S33). When the ringing has continued for 0.5 seconds or more, it means that the ringing has been made once, the flag is set to 1 (S34), and then the process returns to S31. If the ringing has not continued for 0.5 seconds or longer in the determination of S33, the flag value is not changed (the value remains 0), and the process returns to S31.
If it is determined in S31 that there is no ringing, it is determined whether or not the flag is 1 (S35). If the flag is not 1 in S35, the ringing has not continued for 0.5 seconds or more immediately before, so the system may be terminated. When the determination in S35 is YES, that is, when the flag is 1, since the ringing may have continued for 0.5 seconds or more immediately before, it is determined whether or not 3 seconds as the ringing period has elapsed (S36). ).
If it is determined in S36 that the ringing period has not elapsed for 3 seconds, the process returns to S31. However, when 3 seconds have elapsed, it is determined again whether ringing is present (S37).
If there is no ringing in the determination of S37, it is determined whether or not 3 seconds have passed (S38). If it is determined in S38 that 3 seconds have not elapsed, the process returns to S37, but if 3 seconds have elapsed, it is determined that the ringing is one ringing, and the off-hook (S40), dial (S41), center side Communication (S42) is sequentially executed.
In the determination of the presence / absence of ringing in S37, the flag value is set to 0 if it is determined that there is ringing (S39). In this case, since ringing has existed twice, it is connected to the rear (S43) and the telephone or the like rings.

  As an example of using this terminal network control system, a terminal device having a telephone number can be communicated with a device having a communication function that an individual who is out of the office has, that is, a mobile phone, a fixed telephone, a personal computer with a communication function, etc. As a terminal device, the back connection device connected to the terminal network control device is equipped with a monitoring function for cameras, sensors, etc., or an operation setting function for various devices placed in houses, offices, factories, etc. As the terminal device, monitoring information or setting information from a terminal device such as a house can be transmitted to the terminal device in response to the first ringing only. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, by developing a system in which the terminal side network control device transmits a terminal at the first ringing, when calling from a mobile phone to the home with one ringing, the security terminal at the home will There is a possibility that communication will enter the phone, and home appliance operations (bath setting and room monitoring) will be possible with a push signal from the phone.

  As another application example of this terminal network control system, a terminal device having a telephone number is a device having a communication function, that is, a terminal device such as a mobile phone, a fixed telephone, a personal computer having a communication function, and the terminal network control. The rear connection device connected to the device is a terminal device having a monitoring function such as a camera and a sensor, and the terminal device and the terminal device can be connected via the IP telephone network. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the terminal device is a sensor or a monitoring device installed in each of villa A and villa B, the terminal device is a mobile phone, a personal computer, a facsimile, and the IP phone network via the center. Since it can be connected, it is possible to provide a wide range of services that are cost-effective regardless of region.

  In this terminal network control system, there is a possibility that the terminal-side network control device transmits to the center side even when the terminal-side network control device makes a ringing communication only once by mistake. In this case, since there is no corresponding job in the host device in the center, the processing can be ended simply by sending an end command to the terminal side network control device. Also, since processing from the center side must be performed after waiting for a call from the terminal side network control device to come, it will take some time compared to the conventional, but work such as automatic meter reading at night It is considered that there is almost no increase in the burden on either the host side or the user side. In addition, if the meter user moves to the same telephone number and the terminal side network controller is not attached to the telephone number, the user's telephone bell will ring only once at the first communication from the center side. However, it can be handled by installing or updating the terminal side network control device.

It is a block diagram which shows the outline of the communication system structure with which the terminal network control system by this invention is applied. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement image when the terminal network control system by this invention is applied to meter-reading at any time. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the terminal network control system by this invention. It is a flowchart which shows another example of operation | movement of the terminal network control system by this invention. It is the schematic which shows the example of 1 utilization of the terminal network control system by this invention. It is the schematic which shows another example of utilization of the terminal network control system by this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the communication system between the conventional general center side system and terminal side system.

Explanation of symbols

1 Joint Center 2 Center Device 3a Output Network Control Unit (CO-NCU)
3b Input side network controller (CI-NCU)
4 Communication network 11 Terminal side network control device 13 Telephone 14 Meter

Claims (9)

In a terminal network control system in which a backward connection device is connected behind a terminal-side network control device connected via a communication network,
The terminal-side network control device makes a terminal call to a predetermined telephone number via the communication network in response to the fact that the ringing signal that has reached the terminal-side network control device is terminated only by the first ringing. And a terminal network control system comprising communicating with a communication destination having the telephone number.   In response to detecting the first ringing signal, the terminal-side network control device absorbs the ringing for a predetermined time from the beginning, so that the terminal-side network control device does not flow to the backward connection device. 2. The terminal network control system according to claim 1, wherein said terminal call is made after the first predetermined time.   3. The terminal network control system according to claim 1, wherein the terminal-side network control device does not retry the terminal call if the terminal call is not made within a certain period.   The terminal-side network control device is configured to flow the second or subsequent ringing to the backward connection device in response to the ringing signal reaching the terminal-side network control device continuing for the second time or more. The terminal network control system according to 1.   A host device having the telephone number is connected to the communication network via a center-side network control device, the back connection device includes a meter-reading target device such as a meter, and the terminal network control system includes the terminal network control system, 5. The automatic meter reading terminal network control system for transmitting meter reading data of the meter-reading target device to the host device via the communication connected by terminal call. The terminal network control system according to the item.   6. The terminal network according to claim 5, wherein the terminal-side network control device is configured to operate at least the detection of the number of times of ringing only when a predetermined period or more has elapsed since the previous transmission of the meter-reading data. Control system.   The terminal network control system according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the backward connection device further includes a communication terminal device such as a telephone or a facsimile.   The terminal having the telephone number is a communication terminal device such as a mobile phone, a fixed phone, a personal computer having a communication function, and the back connection device is a monitoring function of a camera, a sensor or the like, or an operation setting of a device such as a home appliance. The terminal device having a setting function to perform, wherein monitoring information or setting information from the terminal device is transmitted to the terminal device in response to the one-time ringing only for the first time. 2. A terminal network control system according to item 1. The terminal having the telephone number is a mobile phone, a fixed phone, a terminal device such as a personal computer having a communication function, and the back connection device is a terminal device having a monitoring function such as a camera or a sensor. The terminal network control system according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device is connected via an IP telephone network.