JP2014155199A - Communication system, master unit and server - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication system, a master unit and a server, capable of reducing the occurrence probability of communication congestion between the master unit and a communication device, at the transmission of data from a server to the communication device under the control of the master unit.SOLUTION: A concentrator 3 includes: a monitoring unit 34 for measuring communication traffic between with a communication device 2; a determination unit 35 for determining whether or not the measurement result of the monitoring unit 34 is smaller than and including a threshold; and a first notification unit 36 for notifying a server 4 according to the determination result. Further, the server 4 includes a transmitter unit 43 for controlling data transmission to the communication device 2 under the control of the concentrator, according to the notification from the first notification unit 36 in a manner to suppress data transmission during a period, when the measurement result of the monitoring unit 34 exceeds the threshold. Thus, it is possible for a communication system 1 to avoid the occurrence of communication congestion between the concentrator 3 and the communication device 2, at data transmission from the server 4 to the communication device 2.

Description

  According to the present invention, a communication device attached to a measuring instrument that measures consumption of resources at a consumer is provided in a plurality of consumers, and a server transmits data to the plurality of communication devices via a parent device. The present invention relates to a configured communication system, a base unit used for the communication system, and a server.

  Conventionally, the power used by consumers is measured by a power measuring device, and the master device is configured to periodically acquire measurement data from a communication device (slave device) attached to the power measuring device. A meter reading system has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the system described in Patent Document 1, the master unit communicates with a server (upper management apparatus) managed by an electric power company through a wide area information communication network, and notifies the server of the power used by the consumer.

  Here, the base unit variably determines the slot interval according to the communication condition between the communication device and the means for periodically obtaining the measurement data from each communication device at the slot interval that is the specified time. Means. As a result, the master unit periodically acquires measurement data from the communication device at regular intervals in regular meter reading, so even if there are multiple communication devices, it acquires measurement data from each communication device without causing congestion. it can.

  Further, in the system as described above, when the measurement data is missing, the server has a backup meter reading function that attempts to individually acquire the measurement data through the master unit for the communication device lacking the measurement data. ing. Thereby, the server can complement the measurement data that has been lost in the regular meter reading.

JP 2010-4263 A

  By the way, in the system as described above, the bandwidth between the parent device and the communication device is usually narrower than the bandwidth between the server and the parent device. However, in the system described in Patent Document 1, the master unit is merely limited by the slot interval for the communication interval with each communication device at the time of regular meter reading. There are no particular restrictions.

  Therefore, when the server transmits data to each communication device via the parent device, if the data transmission interval is relatively short, communication traffic increases between the parent device and the communication device, resulting in communication congestion. A communication error may occur. For example, at the time of the above-mentioned backup meter reading, if measurement data is requested at a relatively short time interval to a communication device managed by the same parent device, communication traffic increases between the parent device and the communication device, resulting in communication congestion. It can happen.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above reasons, and reduces the probability of occurrence of communication congestion between the parent device and the communication device when data is transmitted from the server to the communication device managed by the parent device. An object of the present invention is to provide a communication system, a parent device, and a server.

  The communication system of the present invention is under the control of a communication device attached to a measuring instrument for measuring consumption of resources at a consumer and a plurality of the communication devices provided at a plurality of the consumers. A parent device capable of communicating with a communication device; and a server that transmits data to the communication device managed by the parent device via the parent device, wherein the parent device communicates with the communication device under management. A monitoring unit that measures the communication traffic of, a determination unit that determines whether the measurement result of the monitoring unit is a predetermined threshold value or less, and a notification unit that notifies the server according to the determination result of the determination unit The server has data for the communication device under management of the parent device in accordance with a notification from the notification unit so as to suppress transmission of data during a period when the measurement result of the monitoring unit exceeds the threshold value It has a transmitter that controls the transmission of The features.

  In this communication system, the notification unit is configured to transmit a permission notification to the server at a notification timing determined in advance at a constant time interval while the measurement result of the monitoring unit is equal to or less than the threshold value. The transmission unit transmits data to the communication device until the next notification timing when the permission notification is received at the notification timing, and if the permission notification cannot be received at the notification timing, the next notification It is desirable that the transmission of data to the communication device is stopped until the timing.

  In this communication system, the notification unit transmits an excess notification to the server when the measurement result of the monitoring unit exceeds the threshold value, and transmits a mitigation notification to the server when the measurement result of the monitoring unit falls below the threshold value. The transmission unit transmits data to the communication device until the excess notification is received, and the communication device receives the excess notification and then receives the mitigation notification. It is desirable that the transmission of data to be stopped.

  The parent device of the present invention is used in the communication system described above.

  The server of the present invention is used in the communication system described above.

  The present invention controls the transmission of data to a communication device managed by the parent device according to the notification from the notification unit so that the server suppresses the transmission of data during the period when the measurement result of the monitoring unit exceeds the threshold. It has a transmission part. Therefore, there is an advantage that the probability of occurrence of communication congestion between the parent device and the communication device can be reduced when data is transmitted from the server to the communication device managed by the parent device.

1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating a communication system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of the communication system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a system configuration diagram illustrating a communication system according to a second embodiment. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of a communication system according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of a communication system according to Embodiment 3. FIG.

  In the following embodiment, measurement data obtained by measuring the consumption of resources at each consumer is provided for remote consumers such as power, gas, water, heat, and other resources supplied from an external supplier. A meter-reading system for acquisition by a server is described as an example of a communication system. Below, although the case where a consumer is each dwelling unit of an apartment house is illustrated, it is not restricted to this example, For example, a consumer may be a detached house, an office, a factory, etc. In the following, a case where the resource is electric power will be described as an example. However, not only electric power but also consumption of resources other than electric power can be acquired by the server.

(Embodiment 1)
As shown in FIG. 1, a communication system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of communication devices 201, 202,... 20n (hereinafter simply referred to as “communication device 2” when not distinguished from each other) and a concentrator 3 serving as a parent device. And a server 4.

  The communication device 2 is provided at each consumer in the apartment house 10. Each of the communication devices 201, 202,... 20n is attached to a measuring instrument 5 that measures the consumption of resources at each consumer. The concentrator 3 is provided for each collective housing 10, and can communicate with the plurality of communication devices 2 under the control of a plurality of communication devices 2 provided to a plurality of consumers in the same collective housing 10. It is configured. The server 4 is configured to transmit data to the communication device 2 managed by the concentrator 3 via the concentrator 3. The server 4 also has a function of acquiring measurement data including the measurement result of the measuring instrument 5 from the communication device 2 via the concentrator 3.

  The communication system 1 as a meter-reading system is actually provided with a plurality of concentrators 3, and measurement data from the communication devices 2 under the management of each of the plurality of concentrators 3 can be acquired by one server 4. It is configured as follows. The concentrator 3 is not limited to the configuration provided for each apartment house 10, and may be provided, for example, for each region including a plurality of consumers or for each floor of the apartment house 10. However, in the present embodiment, the configuration and function of the communication system 1 will be described by focusing on only one apartment house 10 and using a single concentrator 3 as a model.

  Hereinafter, specific configurations of the measuring instrument 5, the communication apparatus 2, the concentrator 3, and the server 4 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The measuring instrument 5 is connected to the distribution line L1 to which power (resources) from a power supplier is supplied, and is a power meter that measures the amount of power used (resource consumption) at each consumer. . The measuring instrument 5 constitutes a smart meter 6 together with the communication device 2 and enables remote meter reading or the like by the communication between the concentrator 3 connected to the distribution line L1 and the communication device 2. In the smart meter 6, it is preferable that the communication device 2 and the measuring instrument 5 share a casing (not shown), but the communication apparatus 2 and the measuring instrument 5 may have separate casings.

  Communication between the communication device 2 and the concentrator 3 is realized by using power line communication (PLC) technology that performs communication using the distribution line L1 as a transmission medium. That is, a communication path using the distribution line L1 as a transmission medium is formed between the communication device 2 and the concentrator 3. The communication device 2 transmits measurement data to the concentrator 3 by performing power line carrier communication with the concentrator 3 through the communication path (distribution line L1). The measurement data here includes at least the power consumption measured by the measuring instrument 5 within a predetermined period. The communication device 2 is not limited to a configuration that performs power line carrier communication with the concentrator 3, but may be configured to perform other wired communication or wireless communication.

  Therefore, the communication device 2 communicates with the concentrator 3 (third) communication interface (hereinafter referred to as “I / F”) 21, and a meter reading unit 22 that acquires measurement results from the measuring instrument 5. And (first) control unit 23 for controlling the operation of each unit. 1 shows the communication I / F 21, the meter-reading unit 22, and the control unit 23 only for the communication device 201, the other communication devices 202,... 20n have the same configuration.

  As described above, the communication I / F 21 is configured to perform bidirectional power line carrier communication with the concentrator 3 using the distribution line L1 on the upstream side of the measuring instrument 5 as a transmission medium. The meter-reading part 22 enables exchange of data between the measuring instruments 5 by the structure connected to the expansion terminal (not shown) of the measuring instrument 5, for example. In addition, the meter-reading part 22 is not restricted to the structure wiredly connected with the measuring device 5, For example, the structure which performs wireless communication and optical communication with the measuring device 5 may be sufficient.

  The control unit 23 mainly includes a device such as a microcomputer having a processor that operates according to a program, and implements various functions by executing predetermined programs. Here, the control unit 23 has a function of generating measurement data based on at least the measurement result of the measuring instrument 5 acquired by the meter-reading unit 22 and transmitting the measurement data to the concentrator 3 from the communication I / F 21. . Further, the communication device 2 has a memory (not shown), and stores measurement data for a certain period (for example, 1 day) in the memory for a certain period (for example, 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc.). It is configured.

  The concentrator 3 is disposed in an administrator room or an electrical room of the apartment house 10. The concentrator 3 acquires measurement data from the communication devices 2 of a plurality of consumers in the apartment house 10 under its management, and transfers the acquired measurement data to the server 4.

  Therefore, the concentrator 3 controls the first communication I / F 31 that performs communication with the server 4, the second communication I / F 32 that performs communication with the communication device 2, and the operation of each unit (second) control unit 33. And have.

  The first communication I / F 31 is connected to a dedicated line NT1 using an optical fiber or the like, and is configured to perform bidirectional communication with the server 4 via the dedicated line NT1. As described above, the second communication I / F 32 is configured to perform power line carrier communication bidirectionally with the communication device 2 using the distribution line L1 on the upstream side of the measuring instrument 5 as a transmission medium. . The concentrator 3 is not limited to the configuration for communicating with the server 4 via the dedicated line NT1, but may be configured to communicate with the server 4 via a public network such as the Internet or by wireless communication. Good.

  The control unit 33 mainly includes a device such as a microcomputer including a processor that operates according to a program, and implements various functions by executing a predetermined program. Here, the control part 33 acquires measurement data by the 2nd communication I / F32 from the communication apparatus 2 of the some customer in the housing complex 10 at least, and acquires the acquired measurement data from the 1st communication I / F31 to the server 4. It has a function to transmit.

  In the communication system 1 of the present embodiment, each of the plurality of communication devices 2 is configured to perform multi-hop communication in which data is transmitted using the other communication device 2 as a repeater. Therefore, the communication device 2 that cannot directly communicate with the concentrator 3 can communicate with the concentrator 3 when another communication device 2 located in a communicable distance relays the packet. Therefore, when the concentrator 3 communicates with the communication device 2, it can communicate with all the communication devices 2 even if it is not in an environment where it can communicate directly with all the communication devices 2 due to the influence of the transmission distance and noise. Become. Specifically, the concentrator 3 exchanges transmission status information with the communication device 2 in order to construct a communication path (route) according to the multi-hop protocol, and determines a communication route based on the information. Yes.

  The server 4 is composed of a server computer that collects measurement data from a plurality of consumers within the management range, and is a power company that is a supplier or a power-saving company that performs management and support related to power saving on behalf of the power company (power saving). Aggregator) and other service providers. Here, the server 4 has a function of remote meter reading for periodically collecting measurement data of customers under its control. That is, the server 4 can collect measurement data from the plurality of communication devices 2 under the control of the concentrator 3 through the concentrator 3 by communicating with the concentrator 3 through the dedicated line NT1.

  Therefore, the server 4 includes a (fourth) communication I / F 41 that performs communication with the concentrator 3 and a (third) control unit 42 that controls the operation of each unit.

  The communication I / F 41 is connected to the dedicated line NT1, and is configured to perform bidirectional communication with the concentrator 3 via the dedicated line NT1. The control unit 42 mainly includes a device such as a microcomputer including a processor that operates according to a program, and implements various functions by executing a predetermined program. Here, the control part 42 has a function which acquires measurement data by communication I / F41 from the communication apparatus 2 of the some consumer in the housing complex 10 at least.

  Note that the server 4 may be an area management server provided for each region, which is subordinate to an upper server operated by a supplier or the like. In this case, the server 4 is configured to collect measurement data from the concentrator 3 for each region and transmit it to the host server. Thereby, the upper server operated by the supplier or the like can efficiently collect measurement data of consumers in a plurality of regions by collecting measurement data from the plurality of servers 4. Further, the server 4 may include both such an area management server and an upper server.

  Next, a configuration for the server 4 to acquire measurement data from the communication device 2 in the communication system 1 described above will be described.

  The concentrator 3 is configured to periodically transmit a meter reading request to the communication device 2 under management by the control unit 33. Here, when the concentrator 3 reaches a predetermined periodic meter reading time (for example, 0:00, 0:30, 10:00,...), Each of the plurality of communication devices 201, 202,. The meter reading request is sequentially transmitted to. At this time, the concentrator 3 makes a meter-reading request, for example, based on an identifier (meter number) unique to the smart meter 6 or at random so that the timing for transmitting the meter-reading request differs for each communication device 201, 202,. Is determined.

  The communication device 2 is configured to transmit measurement data to the concentrator 3 as a response to the meter reading request by the control unit 23 when receiving the meter reading request. Accordingly, the concentrator 3 can periodically collect measurement data from a plurality of communication devices 2 under its management. The concentrator 3 aggregates the measurement data collected from the plurality of communication devices 2 by the control unit 33 and generates meter reading information.

  Further, the concentrator 3 transmits meter reading information to the server 4 when the control unit 33 transmits a meter reading request to all the communication devices 2 under management at least. Thereby, in the server 4, the measurement data from the some communication apparatus 2 under management of the concentrator 3 can be acquired regularly. Processing in which the server 4 periodically acquires measurement data from the plurality of communication devices 2 in this manner is hereinafter referred to as “periodic meter reading”.

  In this embodiment, the period at which the concentrator 3 collects measurement data from the communication device 2 at the time of periodic meter reading is assumed to be 30 minutes, but is not limited to this example, and can be set as appropriate, for example, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, etc. It is. Further, the period for transmitting the measurement data (meter reading information) collected by the concentrator 3 to the server 4 at the time of periodic meter reading is assumed to be 30 minutes in the present embodiment, but is not limited to this example. For example, 12 hours, one day, etc. It can be set as appropriate.

  In addition, the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment has a meter reading (hereinafter referred to as “backup”) that supplements the missing measurement data even if the measurement data acquired by the server 4 in the periodic meter reading is lost due to the communication status or the like. The meter reading is called “meter reading”.

  That is, the server 4 determines whether or not the measurement data acquired at the time of the regular meter reading can be acquired from all the communication devices 2 under its control by the control unit 42, and the measurement data that has been leaked out. If there is, the measurement data is individually acquired. Specifically, the server 4 individually transmits a meter reading request to the communication device 2 from which the measurement data is leaked via the higher-order concentrator 3, and responds to the meter reading request from the communication device 2. The transmitted measurement data is acquired via the concentrator 3.

  In this way, even if there is omission of measurement data in the periodic meter reading, the server 4 individually acquires the measurement data by the backup meter reading from the communication device 2 in which the measurement data is omission. Can be complemented.

  The server 4 transmits a meter reading request individually to the communication device 2 via the concentrator 3 in regular meter reading, not limited to the backup meter reading, and the measurement data transmitted as a response to the meter reading request from the communication device 2 The configuration may be such that it is acquired via the concentrator 3. In this case, the concentrator 3 does not collect and collect measurement data from the communication device 2 during regular meter reading, relays a meter reading request from the server 4 to the communication device 2, and transmits measurement data from the communication device 2 to the server 4. Relay will be performed.

  Furthermore, in recent years, demand side management (DSM: demand side management) that realizes the coordination of power supply and demand by controlling the power consumption on the consumer side to some extent by the supply side has attracted attention. DSM is realized by transmitting request information, which is a request for suppressing power consumption, to the communication device 2 of each consumer from the server 4 operated by the power company that is the supply company or the power saving company. Is done. Specifically, in the communication system 1 of the present embodiment, the server 4 has a function of individually transmitting request information to the communication device 2 of each consumer via the upper concentrator 3. Yes.

  In this case, the communication device 2 has a communication function with, for example, each customer's equipment (not shown), displays the request information on the equipment, and suppresses the peak of power consumption based on the request information. It is possible to control the equipment so as to (peak cut).

  By the way, the communication system 1 of this embodiment has a narrower bandwidth between the concentrator 3 and the communication device 2 than a bandwidth between the server 4 and the concentrator 3. Therefore, when the server 4 transmits data such as a meter reading request or request information to each communication device 2 via the concentrator 3, if the data transmission interval is relatively short, communication traffic increases between the concentrator 3 and the communication device 2. Communication congestion may occur. Therefore, the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment generates congestion of communication between the concentrator 3 and the communication device 2 when transmitting data such as a meter reading request or request information from the server 4 to the communication device 2 via the concentrator 3. In order to avoid this, the following configuration is adopted.

  That is, the concentrator 3 includes a monitoring unit 34, a determination unit 35, and a first notification unit (notification unit) 36 in addition to the above configuration. The server 4 includes a transmission unit 43 and a first acquisition unit 44 in addition to the above configuration.

  The monitoring unit 34 of the concentrator 3 is configured to measure communication traffic with the managed communication device 2. The communication traffic here includes a communication load and a communication amount. Here, the monitoring unit 34 periodically measures communication traffic between the concentrator 3 and the communication device 2 and stores the measurement results for a certain period in a memory (not shown) of the concentrator 3 in time series. doing.

  The determination unit 35 is configured to determine whether the measurement result of the monitoring unit 34 is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value. The threshold is communication traffic that does not cause communication congestion between the concentrator 3 and the communication device 2, and is determined in advance and stored in a memory (not shown) of the concentrator 3. Specifically, the determination unit 35 compares the representative value (for example, average value, median value, etc.) of the communication traffic measured by the monitoring unit 34 with a threshold value in the memory every fixed time (for example, 1 minute).

  The first notification unit 36 as a notification unit is configured to notify the server 4 according to the determination result of the determination unit 35. Specifically, the first notification unit 36 transmits a signal corresponding to the determination result of the determination unit 35 from the first communication I / F 31 to the server 4 via the dedicated line NT1.

  In the present embodiment, the first notification unit 36 is configured to transmit a permission notification to the server 4 at a notification timing determined in advance at a predetermined time interval while the measurement result of the monitoring unit 34 is equal to or less than the threshold value. Yes. That is, the first notification unit 36 periodically transmits a permission notification to the server 4 as long as the measurement result of the monitoring unit 34 does not exceed the threshold value. In addition, the first notification unit 36 stops transmitting the permission notification to the server 4 when the measurement result of the monitoring unit 34 exceeds the threshold value, and then permits the server 4 when the measurement result of the monitoring unit 34 falls below the threshold value. Resume sending notifications. In this embodiment, the time interval of the notification timing is the same as the time interval (for example, 1 minute interval) at which the determination unit 35 performs the determination.

  On the other hand, the first acquisition unit 44 of the server 4 is configured to acquire the permission notification from the first notification unit 36. Specifically, the first acquisition unit 44 sends the permission notification transmitted from the concentrator 3 via the dedicated line NT1 in the communication I / F 41 in synchronization with the notification timing defined by the concentrator 3. Receive.

  The transmission unit 43 communicates under the control of the concentrator 3 in accordance with a notification (here, a permission notification) from the first notification unit 36 so as to suppress transmission of data during a period when the measurement result of the monitoring unit 34 exceeds the threshold value. It is configured to control the transmission of data to the device 2. Specifically, the transmission unit 43 has a function of transmitting data such as meter reading request and request information from the communication I / F 41 to the managed communication device 2 via the concentrator 3. Transmission is controlled according to the notification from the first notification unit 36.

  In the present embodiment, the transmission unit 43 is configured to transmit data to the communication device 2 until the next notification timing when the first acquisition unit 44 receives the permission notification at the above notification timing. Moreover, the transmission part 43 is comprised so that transmission of the data to the communication apparatus 2 may be stopped until the next notification timing, if the permission notification cannot be received at the notification timing.

  Next, the operation of the communication system 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, the server 4 transmits meter reading request data in the order of the communication device 201, the communication device 202,..., The communication device 20 n to the communication devices 201, 202,. The case where it does is illustrated.

  The concentrator 3 transmits a permission notification from the first notification unit 36 to the server 4 at the notification timing (S1). When receiving the permission notification in synchronization with the notification timing, the server 4 starts transmitting data to the communication device 2, first transmits data to the communication device 201 (S2), and sequentially transmits data to the communication device 20n. (S3).

  Thereafter, the concentrator 3 determines whether or not the communication traffic with the communication device 2 measured by the monitoring unit 34 during the period from the previous determination time to the current time is equal to or less than a threshold value (S4). . In the example of FIG. 2, since the communication traffic between the concentrator 3 and the communication device 2 during the period indicated by “A1” is equal to or less than the threshold value, the concentrator 3 permits the first notification unit 36 to the server 4 at the next notification timing. A notification is transmitted (S5).

  When receiving the permission notification in synchronization with the notification timing, the server 4 starts transmitting data to the communication device 2 again, first transmits data to the communication device 201 (S6), and sequentially transmits data to the communication device 20n. (S7).

  Thereafter, the concentrator 3 determines whether or not the communication traffic with the communication device 2 measured by the monitoring unit 34 during the period from the previous determination time to the current time is equal to or less than a threshold value (S8). . In the example of FIG. 2, since the communication traffic between the concentrator 3 and the communication device 2 during the period indicated by “A2” exceeds the threshold, the concentrator 3 sends the first notification unit 36 to the server 4 at the next notification timing. No permission notification is sent to (indicated by a dashed arrow in the figure).

  Since the server 4 does not receive the permission notification at the notification timing, the server 4 stops transmitting data to the communication device 2 in the period T1 until the next notification timing.

  Thereafter, the concentrator 3 determines whether or not the communication traffic with the communication device 2 measured by the monitoring unit 34 during the period from the previous determination time to the current time is equal to or less than a threshold value (S9). . In the example of FIG. 2, since the communication traffic between the concentrator 3 and the communication device 2 during the period indicated by “A3” is equal to or less than the threshold, the concentrator 3 sends the first notification unit 36 to the server 4 at the next notification timing. A permission notice is transmitted (S10).

  When receiving the permission notification in synchronization with the notification timing, the server 4 resumes data transmission to the communication device 2, first transmits data to the communication device 201 (S11), and sequentially transmits data to the communication device 20n. (S12).

  According to the configuration described above, the concentrator 3 includes the monitoring unit 34 that measures communication traffic with the managed communication device 2 and the determination unit 35 that determines whether the measurement result of the monitoring unit 34 is equal to or less than a threshold value. And a first notification unit 36 that notifies the server 4 according to the determination result. Further, the server 4 transmits data to the communication device 2 under the control of the concentrator in accordance with the notification from the first notification unit 36 so as to suppress the transmission of data during the period when the measurement result of the monitoring unit 34 exceeds the threshold value. It has the transmission part 43 which controls.

  That is, the server 4 can transmit data to the communication device 2 managed by the concentrator 3 so as to avoid the occurrence of communication congestion according to the communication traffic between the concentrator 3 and the communication device 2. That is, for example, when the number of communication devices 2 increases and the communication traffic between the concentrator 3 and the communication device 2 increases, the probability of occurrence of communication congestion increases. In such a case, the server 4 temporarily transmits data. By canceling, the occurrence of communication congestion can be avoided. Therefore, according to the communication system 1 of the present embodiment, there is an advantage that a plurality of occurrence probabilities of communication between the concentrator 3 and the communication device 2 can be reduced when data is transmitted from the server 4 to the communication device 2. is there.

  The server 4 may also be configured to send data to the next communication device 2 after waiting for a response (for example, measurement data) from the communication device 2 that is the transmission destination of data (for example, meter reading request). It is possible to suppress the occurrence of communication congestion. However, in this configuration, when there is a response from the communication device 2, the server 4 needs to perform processing for identifying at least which communication device 2 is the response, so that data transmission to the plurality of communication devices 2 is performed. Takes longer to complete. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the server 4 controls the transmission of data based on the communication traffic measured by the concentrator 3, so that while suppressing the occurrence of communication congestion between the concentrator 3 and the communication device 2, The time required to complete data transmission can be shortened.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the first notification unit 36 transmits a permission notification to the server 4 at a notification timing determined in advance at a predetermined time interval while the measurement result of the monitoring unit 34 is equal to or less than the threshold. When receiving the permission notification at the notification timing, the transmission unit 43 transmits data to the communication device 2 until the next notification timing. If the permission notification cannot be received at the notification timing, the transmission unit 43 transmits the data to the communication device 2 until the next notification timing. Stop sending data. Therefore, there is an advantage that one type of permission notification is sufficient for the signal notified from the first notification unit 36 of the concentrator 3 to the server 4.

  As a modified example of the present embodiment, the concentrator 3 determines that the communication traffic exceeds the threshold value in the determination unit 35 (S8 in the example of FIG. 2), and the communication traffic is equal to or less than the threshold value. The configuration may be such that the permission notification is transmitted without waiting for the notification timing.

  In this case, after determining that the communication traffic has exceeded the threshold value, the determination unit 35 performs determination at a time interval (for example, 1 second interval) shorter than the notification timing time interval until the communication traffic becomes equal to or less than the threshold value. The determination result is output to the first notification unit 36 as needed. The first notification unit 36 determines that the communication traffic from the determination unit 35 is the threshold value until the determination unit 35 determines that the communication traffic is equal to or less than the threshold value after the transmission of the permission notification to the server 4 at the notification timing. As soon as the following determination result is received, a permission notice is transmitted to the server 4. That is, the first notification unit 36 immediately transmits a permission notification to the server 4 regardless of whether or not the notification timing is reached, when the communication traffic once falls below the threshold after exceeding the threshold. Thereafter, the first notification unit 36 transmits a permission notification to the server 4 at a notification timing determined at regular time intervals during a period in which the measurement result of the monitoring unit 34 is equal to or less than the threshold value.

  In this modification, the transmission unit 43 of the server 4 is configured to stop data transmission to the communication device 2 until the next permission notification is received if the permission notification cannot be received at the notification timing. That is, if the server 4 cannot receive the permission notification at the notification timing, the server 4 stops transmitting the data to the communication device 2. However, if the server 4 receives the permission notification before the next notification timing, the server 4 does not wait for the next notification timing. The transmission of data to the communication device 2 is resumed from the time when the permission notification is received.

  As a result, the concentrator 3 can immediately issue a permission notice to the server 4 and cause the transmission unit 43 to resume data transmission when the communication traffic measured by the monitoring unit 34 falls below the threshold. Therefore, the server 4 shortens the time from when the communication traffic fluctuates until the transmission of data to the communication apparatus 2 is resumed, compared to when the transmission of data to the communication apparatus 2 is resumed after waiting for the notification timing. There is an advantage that you can.

  The transmission unit 43 transmits data to the communication device 2 under the control of the concentrator according to the notification from the first notification unit 36 so as to suppress the transmission of data during the period when the measurement result of the monitoring unit 34 exceeds the threshold. Any configuration that controls transmission may be used, and the configuration is not limited to the configuration that cancels transmission. In other words, the transmission unit 43 may be configured to reduce the amount of data transmitted to the communication device 2 until the next notification timing or increase the data transmission interval if the permission notification cannot be received at the notification timing.

(Embodiment 2)
In the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the concentrator 3 includes a second notification unit 37 instead of the first notification unit 36, and the server 4 replaces the first acquisition unit 44 with a second acquisition unit. It differs from the communication system 1 of Embodiment 1 in that it has 45. Hereinafter, the same configurations as those of the first embodiment are denoted by common reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

  In the present embodiment, the second notification unit 37 as a notification unit transmits an excess notification to the server 4 when the measurement result of the monitoring unit 34 exceeds the threshold value, and issues a relaxation notification when the measurement result of the monitoring unit 34 is equal to or less than the threshold value. It is configured to transmit to the server 4. That is, the excess notification is a notification indicating that the communication traffic between the concentrator 3 and the communication device 2 exceeds the threshold, and the relaxation notification is less than the threshold from the state where the communication traffic between the concentrator 3 and the communication device 2 exceeds the threshold. This is a notification indicating that

  The transmission unit 43 of the server 4 transmits data to the communication device 2 until the excess notification is received, and when receiving the excess notification, transmits the data to the communication device 2 until the next relaxation notification is received. Configured to abort. That is, if there is a notification indicating that the communication traffic between the concentrator 3 and the communication device 2 has exceeded the threshold, the server 4 stops data transmission to the communication device 2 managed by the concentrator 3. On the other hand, if there is a notification indicating that the communication traffic between the concentrator 3 and the communication device 2 has fallen below the threshold, the server 4 resumes data transmission to the communication device 2 managed by the concentrator 3.

  Next, the operation of the communication system 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, the server 4 transmits meter reading request data to the communication devices 201, 202,... 20n under the control of a specific concentrator 3 in the order of the communication device 201, the communication device 202,. The case where it does is illustrated.

  Immediately after activation of the communication system 1, the communication traffic between the concentrator 3 and the communication device 2 is equal to or less than the threshold value, so the concentrator 3 does not transmit any excess notification or mitigation notification to the server 4. The server 4 transmits data to the communication device 2 until it receives the excess notification. The server 4 first transmits data to the communication device 201 (S21), and sequentially transmits data to the communication device 20n (S22). .

  Thereafter, the concentrator 3 determines whether or not the communication traffic with the communication device 2 measured by the monitoring unit 34 during the period from the previous determination time to the current time is equal to or less than a threshold value (S23). . In the example of FIG. 4, since the communication traffic between the concentrator 3 and the communication device 2 during the period indicated by “A11” remains below the threshold value, the concentrator 3 does not transmit any excess notification or mitigation notification to the server 4. .

  The server 4 is transmitting data to the communication device 2 until the excess notification is received. First, the server 4 transmits data to the communication device 201 (S24), and sequentially transmits data to the communication device 20n (S25). .

  Thereafter, the concentrator 3 determines whether or not the communication traffic with the communication device 2 measured by the monitoring unit 34 during the period from the previous determination time to the current time is equal to or less than a threshold value (S26). . In the example of FIG. 4, since the communication traffic between the concentrator 3 and the communication device 2 during the period indicated by “A12” exceeds the threshold value, the concentrator 3 transmits an excess notification from the second notification unit 37 to the server 4. (S27).

  When the server 4 receives the excess notification, the server 4 stops transmitting data to the communication device 2 in a period T2 until the next relaxation notification is received.

  The concentrator 3 determines whether or not the communication traffic with the communication device 2 measured by the monitoring unit 34 during the period from the previous determination time to the current time is equal to or less than a threshold value (S28). In the example of FIG. 4, since the communication traffic between the concentrator 3 and the communication device 2 during the period indicated by “A13” is equal to or less than the threshold value, the concentrator 3 sends the second notification unit 37 to the server 4 at the next notification timing. A relaxation notice is transmitted (S29).

  Upon receiving the mitigation notification, the server 4 resumes data transmission to the communication device 2, first transmits data to the communication device 201 (S30), and sequentially transmits data to the communication device 20n (S31).

  According to the communication system 1 of the present embodiment described above, the second notification unit 37 transmits an excess notification to the server 4 when the measurement result of the monitoring unit 34 exceeds the threshold value, and the measurement result of the monitoring unit 34 is equal to or less than the threshold value. Then, a relaxation notice is transmitted to the server 4. The transmission unit 43 transmits data to the communication device 2 until the excess notification is received, and when receiving the excess notification, the transmission unit 43 stops transmitting data to the communication device 2 until the next relaxation notification is received.

  Therefore, when the communication traffic measured by the monitoring unit 34 exceeds the threshold, the concentrator 3 can immediately send an excess notification to the server 4 and cause the transmission unit 43 to stop transmitting data. In addition, when the communication traffic measured by the monitoring unit 34 is equal to or less than the threshold value, the concentrator 3 can immediately send a relaxation notice to the server 4 and cause the transmission unit 43 to resume data transmission. Therefore, the server 4 determines whether or not to transmit data to the communication apparatus 2 after the communication traffic fluctuates, as compared with the case where the server 4 determines whether to transmit data to the communication apparatus 2 after waiting for the notification timing. There is an advantage that the time to decide can be shortened.

  The transmission unit 43 transmits the data to the communication device 2 under the management of the concentrator 3 according to the notification from the second notification unit 37 so as to suppress the transmission of data during the period when the measurement result of the monitoring unit 34 exceeds the threshold value. Any configuration that controls the transmission of data may be used, and the configuration is not limited to the configuration in which the transmission is stopped. That is, the transmission unit 43 may be configured to reduce the amount of data transmitted to the communication device 2 or increase the data transmission interval until the next relaxation notification is received when the excess notification is received.

  Other configurations and functions are the same as those of the first embodiment.

(Embodiment 3)
The communication system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of concentrators 3, and the measurement data of the communication device 2 under the management of each of the plurality of concentrators 3 is collected by the single server 4. It differs from the communication system 1 of the form 2. Hereinafter, the same configurations as those in the first embodiment or the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

  In the present embodiment, the server 4 is configured so that data such as a meter reading request is not continuously transmitted to the communication device 2 managed by the same concentrator 3. That is, the server 4 is configured to distribute data transmission timing among a plurality of concentrators 3 by sequentially transmitting data such as meter reading requests to the communication devices 2 managed by the separate concentrators 3. Yes.

  The operation of the communication system 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 illustrates a case where the server 4 transmits meter reading request data to the communication devices 2 managed by each of the first concentrator 300 and the second concentrator 301. Further, the server 4 transmits the meter reading request data in the order of the communication device 201, the communication device 202,..., The communication device 20n to the communication devices 201, 202,. Similarly, the server 4 transmits the meter reading request data to the communication devices 211, 212,... 21n managed by the second concentrator 310 in the order of the communication device 211, the communication device 212,. .

  The server 4 first transmits data to the communication apparatus 201 managed by the first concentrator 300 via the concentrator 300 (S41). After transmitting data to the communication device 201, the server 4 transmits data to the communication device 211 managed by the second concentrator 310 via the concentrator 310 (S42).

  Thereafter, the server 4 transmits data to the communication device 202 managed by the first concentrator 300 via the concentrator 300 (S43). Here, the server 4 secures a transmission interval corresponding to a predetermined waiting time after data transmission to the communication device 201 managed by the same concentrator 300 until data is transmitted to the communication device 202.

  Thereafter, the server 4 transmits data to the communication device 212 managed by the second concentrator 310 via the concentrator 310 (S44). Here, the server 4 secures a transmission interval corresponding to a predetermined waiting time until data is transmitted to the communication device 212 after data is transmitted to the communication device 211 managed by the same concentrator 310.

  Thereafter, the server 4 alternately transmits data to the communication device 2 managed by the first concentrator 300 and the communication device 2 managed by the second concentrator 310. Then, the server 4 transmits data to the communication device 20n managed by the first concentrator 300 (S45), and then transmits data to the communication device 21n managed by the second concentrator 310 (S46). The data transmission to the communication device 2 is completed.

  According to the communication system of the present embodiment described above, the server 4 communicates between a plurality of concentrators 3 by sequentially transmitting data such as meter reading requests to the communication devices 2 managed by the separate concentrators 3. Traffic (load) can be distributed. As a result, the server 4 can avoid concentrating communication traffic on the specific concentrator 3.

  Other configurations and functions are the same as those in the first or second embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Communication system 2,201,202, ... 20n, 211,212, ... 21n Communication apparatus 3,300,310 Concentrator (master unit)
34 monitoring unit 35 determination unit 36 first notification unit (notification unit)
37 Second Notification Unit (Notification Unit)
4 Server 43 Transmitter 5 Measuring instrument

Claims (5)

A communication device attached to a measuring instrument for measuring the consumption of resources at a consumer and a parent capable of communicating with the plurality of communication devices under the control of the plurality of communication devices provided at the plurality of consumers And a server that transmits data to the communication device managed by the parent device via the parent device,
The parent device includes a monitoring unit that measures communication traffic with the managed communication device, a determination unit that determines whether a measurement result of the monitoring unit is a predetermined threshold value or less, and a determination by the determination unit A notification unit for notifying the server according to a result,
The server transmits data to the communication device managed by the base unit according to the notification from the notification unit so as to suppress transmission of data during a period when the measurement result of the monitoring unit exceeds the threshold. A communication system comprising a transmission unit for control. The notification unit is configured to transmit a permission notification to the server at a notification timing determined in advance at a constant time interval while the measurement result of the monitoring unit is equal to or less than the threshold.
When the transmission unit receives the permission notification at the notification timing, the transmission unit transmits data to the communication apparatus until the next notification timing, and when the permission notification cannot be received at the notification timing, the next notification timing The communication system according to claim 1, wherein transmission of data to the communication device is stopped. The notification unit is configured to transmit an excess notification to the server when the measurement result of the monitoring unit exceeds the threshold value, and to transmit a mitigation notification to the server when the measurement result of the monitoring unit falls below the threshold value. And
The transmission unit transmits data to the communication device until the excess notification is received, and stops receiving data to the communication device until the next mitigation notification is received when the excess notification is received. It is comprised as follows. The communication system of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned.   A base unit used in the communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The server used for the communication system of any one of Claims 1-3.

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