JP2009181325A - Data collection device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a data collection device allowing suppression of a communication error. <P>SOLUTION: A wireless communication control part 45 controls wireless communication by a wireless communication part 46, and detects an evaluation parameter for evaluating a communication state in the wireless communication. A data control part 40 displays the evaluation parameter detected by the wireless communication control part 45 on a data display part 44 and a display part provided in a housing part visibly from the outside. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a data collection device, and more particularly to a data collection device that collects outdoor environmental information.

With the recent introduction of IT, information communication technology using an electric communication line such as the Internet is utilized in various fields. For example, a data collection device that collects information on the surrounding environment is installed at a remote location, and the information from this data collection device is aggregated via a telecommunication line and managed centrally, or collected by the data collection device. It is possible to browse the information at home. As an example, such a data collection device is installed on a farmland (farm), and collects various information such as environmental information such as temperature, humidity, and solar radiation, information on the growth of agricultural products, and work information such as application of agricultural chemicals. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). Since this type of data collection device is generally set outdoors, it performs radio communication by radio waves with an access point, thereby establishing a connection with a telecommunication line.
JP 2006-42721 A

  However, if the data collection device is not installed in an appropriate communication environment, the communication state with the access point is deteriorated, so that communication errors may occur frequently.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a data collection device capable of suppressing communication errors.

  In order to solve this problem, the present invention is a data collection device that is installed outdoors and collects information on the surrounding environment at the installation location, and a communication unit that performs radio communication with an access point by radio waves. A communication control unit for controlling the wireless communication by the communication unit and detecting an evaluation parameter for evaluating a communication state in the wireless communication; a display unit provided on the housing unit so as to be visible from the outside; and a communication control unit. A data control unit that reads the detected evaluation parameter and displays the read evaluation parameter on the display unit.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the communication control unit detects the radio wave intensity from the packet acquired through the communication unit as the evaluation parameter.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the communication control unit detects the packet error rate from the packet acquired through the communication unit as the evaluation parameter.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the data control unit instructs the communication control unit to stop communication when the read evaluation parameter is outside the communication permission range.

  According to the present invention, since a data collection device can be installed avoiding a place where the communication environment is bad, the deterioration of the communication state with the access point is suppressed, and the occurrence of communication errors can be reduced. .

  In addition, in a scene where the communication state is bad, communication can be stopped, so that the occurrence of communication errors can be reduced.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a crop cultivation support system 1 to which a data collection device 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The crop cultivation support system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a farmer computer (hereinafter referred to as “farmer PC”) 2 provided on the farmer's worker side, a data collection device 3 provided on the farmland, and a tabulation / analyzer side. The server 4 is mainly configured. In this crop cultivation support system 1, the farmer PC 2, the data collection device 3 and the server 4 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via an electric communication line 5 such as the Internet.

  The farmer-side PC 2 is configured by a general-purpose information processing device such as a personal computer, a mobile phone, or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). This farmer-side PC 2 browses or downloads various information (specifically, collected data) held by the data collection device 3 or the server 4 via the telecommunication line 5 or collects data via the telecommunication line 5. The apparatus 3 can be operated remotely.

  The data collection device 3 is installed in a farmland that grows crops, and collects information on the farmland and the crops in the farmland. The data collection device 3 can perform information communication with the farmer-side PC 2 or the server 4 through the electric communication line 5 by performing wireless communication with an access point (not shown). Details of the data collection device 3 will be described later.

  The server 4 is configured by a general-purpose information processing device such as a workstation. This server receives information collected by the data collection device 3, aggregates the received information in a predetermined format for each farm, and analyzes the aggregated information using an analysis method such as statistical processing. It is possible to extract information related to the optimal growth conditions for the farmland and the crop, and to realize a function of transmitting the totaled information or the extracted information to the farmer PC 2.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the appearance of the data collection device 3. The data collection device 3 is mainly composed of a main unit 30 and information collection means.

  The main unit 30 includes a housing portion 31 and leg portions 32. A portion of the leg portion 32 is embedded in the ground, and the main body unit 30 is installed on the farmland by supporting the housing portion 31.

  The housing part 31 is a substantially quadrangular prism-shaped housing that houses therein a plurality of electronic components necessary for information collection, and is mainly composed of a main body part 33, a bottom plate part 35, and an antenna cover 36. . The main body portion 33 and the bottom plate portion 35 are made of metal from the viewpoint of securing the strength of the data collection device 3, and the antenna cover 36 is made of resin from the viewpoint of not hindering the radio wave characteristics of the antenna described later. Yes.

  The main body 33 is a cylindrical member having a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape, and includes four side walls. In these side wall portions, the three side wall portions having a substantially U-shaped cross section are integrally formed with each other, and the remaining side wall portions are configured to be detachable from the side wall portions. Of the three integrally formed side wall portions, a pair of side wall portions facing each other has a groove-like rail portion extending in the axial direction (longitudinal direction) of the main body portion 33 at a position corresponding to the inner wall portion. Each is formed. The pair of rail portions hold the fixing plate by holding the edge portions on both sides of the fixing plate (not shown) accommodated in the housing portion 31 (main body portion 33), and the main body portion. The slide of the fixed plate which can be inserted / removed with respect to 33 is guided.

  Various electronic components necessary for information collection are fixed to the fixing plate accommodated in the main body 33, and necessary wiring is performed between the individual electronic components. The electronic components in the data collection device 3 include a CPU board constituted by a wireless card in addition to a CPU and a memory, a data collection board that collects data by acquiring signals from sensors and cameras, and power to various electronic components. Examples thereof include an AC / DC power supply and a DC / DC power supply. In addition to this, there are a sensor interface to which a cable connected to information collecting means such as a sensor and a camera is physically connected, a power supply interface to which a cable connected to an external power source is physically connected, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 3, an antenna unit 37 is disposed on the main body 33. The antenna unit 37 includes a pair of antennas 37a and a plate-shaped antenna reflection plate 37b. The antenna reflecting plate 37b is attached so as to cover the upper opening of the main body 33, and the antenna 37a is provided upright on the upper surface thereof. The antenna reflector 37b is made of a member having excellent radio wave reflection characteristics, and is designed so that radio waves from the antenna 37a are not obstructed by the metal main body 33. The antenna unit 37 is electrically connected to an electronic component such as a CPU board that is fixed to a fixed plate.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, in the main body 33, an opening penetrating the inside and outside of the main body 33 is formed in an upper portion of a certain side wall, and this opening is a transparent molded with resin or the like. A display window 34 is attached. A display unit 38 is attached to the inside of the main body 33 in a position corresponding to the display window 34, and information displayed on the display unit 38 can be confirmed through the display window 34. The display unit 38 includes, for example, a pilot lamp 38a such as an LED, and a display 38b such as a liquid crystal, and can display various information. The display unit 38 is electrically connected to an electronic component such as a CPU board that is fixed to a fixed plate.

  Referring to FIG. 2 again, the bottom plate portion 35 is disposed at the bottom portion of the main body portion 33 and holds the function of sealing the bottom opening of the main body portion 33 and the fixing plate accommodated in the main body portion 33. It has a function to do. The bottom plate portion 35 also has a function of connecting the leg portion 32 and the housing portion 31 described above.

  The antenna cover 36 is disposed on the upper part of the main body part 33 and has a function of sealing the upper opening of the main body part 33. The antenna cover 36 has a shape corresponding to the external shape of the antenna unit 37, and also has a function of accommodating the antenna unit 37 and covering it (see FIG. 3).

  The information collection means includes a sensor that collects information on the farmland and crops in the farmland, and, for example, a column 39 is attached to a part thereof. The support column 39 is configured independently of the main unit 30, and a part of the support column 39 is embedded in the ground and stands on the farmland. In the present embodiment, a temperature / humidity sensor 61 and a camera unit 70 which are one of information collecting means are attached to the support column 39.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram functionally showing the configuration of the data collection device 3. In the data collection device 3, when the main body unit 30 grasps this functionally, the data control unit 40, the data collection unit 41, the data calculation unit 42, the data storage unit 43, the data display unit 44, Wireless communication control unit 45, wireless communication unit 46, sensor interface (sensor I / F) unit 48, power supply unit 49, internal environment control unit 50, internal environment detection unit 51, and internal environment adjustment unit 52 have. The functions of these functional elements are realized by various electronic components housed in the main unit 30. For example, the data control unit 40, the data calculation unit 42, the data storage unit 43, and the wireless communication control unit 45 are realized by a CPU board, the wireless communication unit 46 is realized by an antenna unit 37, and the data display unit 44 is realized by a display unit 38. It seems to have been done.

  The data control unit 40 performs numerical calculation, information processing, device control, and the like, and comprehensively controls the operation of the data collection device 3. In relation to the present embodiment, the data control unit 40 can store information generated by the data calculation unit 42 in the data storage unit 43 or display the information on the data display unit 44 in real time. Further, the data control unit 40 can cause the data display unit 44 to display the radio wave intensity detected by the wireless communication control unit 45.

  Furthermore, when the data control unit 40 acquires a transmission request (collection data transmission request to the server 4) from the wireless communication control unit 45, the data control unit 40 stores a predetermined amount of collection data (for example, the server 4) stored in the data storage unit 43. (Collected data for untransmitted) is read out and the collected data is output to the wireless communication control unit 45. Further, when the data control unit 40 obtains a transmission request from the wireless communication control unit 45 (collection data browsing request or download request to the farmer-side PC 2), the data control unit 40 stores the collected data for a predetermined period specified in the request as a data storage. Read from the unit 43. The data control unit 40 converts the read collected data into a viewable format or a downloadable format, and then outputs the collected data to the wireless communication control unit 45.

  The data collection unit 41 automatically collects sensor signals from various sensors 60 to 67 as information collection means and image signals from the camera unit 70 via the sensor I / F unit 48 at a preset cycle. To do. Data collected by the data collection unit 41 is output to the data calculation unit 42.

  The data calculation unit 42 converts the sensor signal (voltage value, etc.) into a predetermined format (for example, temperature) that can be understood by the user for each of various signals output from the data collection unit 41. By doing so, the collected data is generated. The collected data generated in the data calculation unit 42 is output to the data control unit 40.

  The data storage unit 43 has a function of storing collected data. The collected data output from the data calculation unit 42 to the data control unit 40 is stored in the data storage unit 43 by the data control unit 40. In the data storage unit 43, for each collected data, for example, the time and date when the data is acquired are stored in association with the data.

  The data display unit 44 is controlled by the data control unit 40 to display the collected data output from the data calculation unit 42, the radio wave intensity detected by the wireless communication control unit 45, and the current operation status Various information is displayed. The data display unit 44 allows the collected data to be viewed in real time on the farmland, and the communication state and the operation state thereof can be confirmed.

  The wireless communication control unit 45 decodes the packet from the wireless communication unit 46, outputs the decoded signal to the data control unit 40, converts the signal from the data control unit 40 into a packet, and converts the converted packet to Or output to the wireless communication unit 46. In the present embodiment, the wireless communication control unit 45 also has a function of detecting radio wave intensity such as RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) from the transmitted packet.

  In the present embodiment, the wireless communication control unit 45 requests the data control unit 40 to transmit collected data to the server 4 at predetermined time intervals. Correspondingly, when the collected data is acquired from the data control unit 40, the wireless communication control unit 45 transmits the collected data to the designated access point via the wireless communication unit 46, thereby allowing the server 4 to The collected data is transmitted. In addition, when the wireless communication control unit 45 receives a browsing request or download request for collected data from the farmer-side PC 2 via the wireless communication unit 46, the wireless communication control unit 45 sends the collected data to the farmer-side PC to the data control unit 40. Request transmission. Correspondingly, when the collected data is acquired from the data control unit 40, the wireless communication control unit 45 transmits the collected data to the designated access point via the wireless communication unit 46, thereby making a transmission request. The collected data is transmitted to the transmitted farmer PC2.

  The wireless communication unit 46 functions as an antenna that performs wireless communication with an access point using radio waves. Specifically, the wireless communication unit 46 receives a packet wirelessly transmitted from the access point by radio waves via the antenna 37 a and outputs the received packet to the wireless communication control unit 45. In addition, the wireless communication unit 46 transmits the packet acquired from the wireless communication control unit 45 via the antenna 37a, and wirelessly transmits to the access point by radio waves.

  The sensor I / F unit 48 transmits detection signals and image signals from information detection means for detecting information on farmland and farm products on the farmland, such as various sensors 60 to 67 and the camera unit 70, to the data collection unit 41.

  The power supply unit 49 receives power from a power source such as a solar panel, a 100V power supply, a 12V battery, etc., thereby supplying power to each part of the system of the main unit 30 and controlling the power state.

  The internal environment control unit 50 has a function of controlling the internal environment so that an electronic component housed therein does not malfunction due to a change in the internal environment of the main unit 30 due to a change in the outside air temperature or rain and ice. ing. The internal environment control unit 50 controls the internal environment adjustment unit 52 (for example, any one of a fan, a heating device, and a cooling device) based on a detection result from the internal environment detection unit 51 that detects an internal environment such as a temperature / humidity sensor. By doing so, the internal environment is controlled under a predetermined environment.

  Sensor signals from various sensors 60 to 77 serving as information collection means and image signals from the camera unit 70 are input to the main body unit 30 having such a configuration via the sensor I / F unit 48.

  The temperature / humidity sensors 60 to 62 are sensors for detecting temperature and humidity, and a platinum resistance thermometer type (temperature), a capacitive polymer type (humidity), and the like can be used. As shown in FIG. 5, the temperature / humidity sensor 60 detects the temperature and humidity in the farmland from the air taken into the housing portion 31 of the main unit 30. The temperature / humidity sensor 61 is attached to the outside of the main unit 30, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, and supports the temperature and humidity in the farmland. Moreover, the temperature / humidity sensor 62 is installed at a location different from the temperature / humidity sensor 61 in the farmland, and detects the temperature and humidity in the farmland.

  The soil temperature sensor 63 is a sensor that detects the soil temperature in the farmland. The soil moisture sensor 64 is a sensor that detects soil moisture in farmland. For example, an electrical resistance type sensor can be used. The soil EC sensor 65 is a sensor that detects the fertilizer content tendency existing in the soil of farmland using the electrical conductivity. The solar radiation amount sensor 66 is a sensor that detects the total solar radiation amount on the ground surface, and a thermocouple type or the like can be used. The CO2 sensor 67 is a sensor that detects the CO2 concentration, and an individual polymer type or the like can be used.

  The camera unit 70 is mainly composed of a camera (not shown) and a power supply unit (not shown) for driving the camera, and these elements are accommodated inside the housing part. The camera unit 70 is attached to the column 39 as shown in FIG. The camera has a built-in image sensor (for example, a CCD or CMOS sensor), captures an image of a farmland and a landscape including agricultural products on the farmland, and outputs this as an image signal. The power supply unit receives power from a power source such as a solar panel, a 100V power supply, or a 12V battery, thereby supplying power to each part of the system of the camera unit 70 and controlling the power state.

  In the data collection device 3 having such a configuration, the data collection device 3 is installed on the farmland according to the following procedure. First, when the user transports the main unit 30 to the installation site of the farmland, the user operates a power switch (not shown) that is electrically connected to the power supply unit 49 at the installation site to turn on the power to the main unit 30. throw into. When the power of the main unit 30 is turned on, the data control unit 40 starts up the system. Then, the user operates an operation switch electrically connected to the data control unit 40 to display the radio wave intensity detected by the wireless communication control unit 45 on the data display unit 44, specifically, the display unit 38. . Thereby, the radio wave intensity corresponding to the current position is displayed on the display unit 38. The user searches for an optimal installation location by appropriately changing the installation location while referring to the radio wave intensity. When the installation location is determined, the user embeds the leg portion 32 of the main unit 30 in the ground and completes the installation of the main unit 30.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the radio field intensity can be displayed on the display unit 38, the installation location of the data collection device 3 (specifically, the main unit 30) is determined with reference to this. be able to. Therefore, since the data collection device 3 can be installed avoiding a place where the communication environment is bad, the deterioration of the communication state with the access point is suppressed, and the occurrence of communication errors can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the radio communication control unit 45 detects the radio field intensity. However, the present invention is not limited to this as long as it has a property as an evaluation parameter for evaluating the communication state in the radio communication. A form can be adopted. As such an evaluation parameter, for example, a packet error rate can be used.

  For example, the wireless communication control unit 45 detects a reception error such as a CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) error for checking a packet error, for example, from the packet transmitted from the wireless communication unit 46. Then, the wireless communication control unit 45 calculates (detects) a packet error rate based on the detected reception error. This packet error rate indicates the ratio of the number of packets in which errors have occurred among all the received packets.

(Second Embodiment)
The data collection device 3 according to the second embodiment will be described below. The difference between the data collection device 3 according to the second embodiment and that of the first embodiment is that communication restriction is performed according to the communication state on the assumption that the data collection device 3 is installed on the farmland. That is. Hereinafter, the components common to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted, and differences will be mainly described.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure performed by the data collection device 3 according to the second embodiment. The process shown in this flowchart is called at a predetermined cycle and executed by the data control unit 40.

  First, in step 1 (S1), the data control unit 40 reads from the wireless communication control unit 45 the communication state in wireless communication, specifically, the radio wave intensity detected by the wireless communication control unit 45.

  In step 2 (S2), the data control unit 40 determines whether or not the read communication state is within the communication permission range. This communication permission range defines a range of communication states in which communication can be maintained without causing a transmission or reception error in wireless communication between the antenna unit 37 of the data collection device 3 and the access point. is there. The communication permission range is preset in advance through experiments and simulations.

  If an affirmative determination is made in step 2, that is, if the communication state is within the communication permission range, the process proceeds to step 3 (S3). On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 2, that is, if the communication state is not within the communication permission range, the process proceeds to step 4 (S4).

  In step 3, the data control unit 40 sets the communication permission flag F to “0”. The communication permission flag F is a flag indicating whether or not communication by the wireless communication control unit 45 is permitted. “0” indicates communication permission and “1” indicates communication disapproval. That is, when the communication permission flag F is set to “0”, the data control unit 40 instructs the wireless communication control unit 45 to allow communication.

  In step 4, the data control unit 40 sets the communication permission flag F to “1”. When the communication permission flag F is set to “1”, the data control unit 40 instructs the wireless communication control unit 45 to stop communication.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, communication can be stopped in a scene where the communication state is bad, so that occurrence of communication errors can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the radio communication control unit 45 detects the radio field intensity as the communication state. However, the present invention is not limited as long as it has a property as an evaluation parameter for evaluating the communication state in the radio communication. Other forms can be employed. A packet error rate or the like can be used as such an evaluation parameter.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made to the above embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the data collection device 3 collects information on farmland and crops in the farmland. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and generally collects outdoor environment information. It can be applied as a data collection device.

The block diagram which shows the whole structure of the crop cultivation assistance system 1 to which the data collection device 3 is applied. The perspective view which shows the external appearance of the data collection device 3 typically An exploded perspective view showing the upper part of the main unit 30 An enlarged side view showing the vicinity of the display unit 38 Functional block diagram of the configuration of the data collection device 3 The flowchart which shows the process sequence by the data collection device 3 concerning 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 Crop development support system 2 PC
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Data collection device 4 Server 5 Electric communication line 30 Main body unit 31 Housing part 32 Leg part 33 Main body part 34 Display window 35 Bottom plate part 36 Antenna cover 37 Antenna unit 37a Antenna 37b Antenna reflector 38 Display unit 38a Pilot lamp 38b Display 39 Support | pillar DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 40 Data control part 41 Data collection part 42 Data operation part 43 Data storage part 44 Data display part 45 Wireless communication control part 46 Wireless communication part 48 Sensor I / F part 49 Power supply part 50 Internal environment control part 51 Internal environment detection part 52 Inside Environmental adjustment unit 60 Temperature / humidity sensor 61 Temperature / humidity sensor 62 Temperature / humidity sensor 63 Soil temperature sensor 64 Soil moisture sensor 65 Soil EC sensor 66 Solar radiation sensor 67 CO2 sensor 70 Camera unit

Claims (4)

In a data collection device that is installed outdoors and collects information on the surrounding environment at the installation location,
A communication unit that performs radio communication with an access point by radio waves;
A communication control unit that controls wireless communication by the communication unit and detects an evaluation parameter for evaluating a communication state in the wireless communication;
A display portion provided on the housing portion so as to be visible from outside;
And a data control unit that reads the evaluation parameter detected by the communication control unit and displays the read evaluation parameter on the display unit.   The data collection device according to claim 1, wherein the communication control unit detects a radio wave intensity from a packet acquired through the communication unit as the evaluation parameter.   The data collection device according to claim 1, wherein the communication control unit detects a packet error rate from the packet acquired through the communication unit as the evaluation parameter.   4. The data control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the read evaluation parameter is outside a communication permission range, the data control unit instructs the communication control unit to stop communication. A data collection device according to claim 1.

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