JP2014192655A - Communication system and communication device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication system that can avoid collision of data periodically transmitted by communication devices of users to a terminal device between the different users, and a communication device used in the system.SOLUTION: A communication device 3 is configured to periodically transmit regular data to a terminal device 4 of its user 10. The communication device 3 includes an adjusting unit that adjusts transmission timing of the regular data within a prescribed period including prescribed regular clock time so that collision with regular data of another user 10 will be avoided. The adjusting unit defines a constant period before and after the regular clock time as a prescribed period, divides the prescribed time into unit periods, i.e., a plurality of time slots, allocates each unit time to each user 10, and thereby staggers transmission timing of the regular data per user 10 within the prescribed period.

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication system provided for each consumer with a communication device attached to a measuring instrument for measuring consumption of resources such as power, gas, water, and heat, and a terminal device having a communication function with the communication device. And a communication apparatus used therefor.

  Conventionally, in a housing complex, a remote meter reading system has been proposed in which the consumption of resources (supply medium) in each dwelling unit is managed by a management device outside the housing complex (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The system described in Patent Document 1 measures the amount of power with a power meter of each dwelling unit, and reads the meter reading information of the power meter from the communication device (meter reading terminal) attached to the power meter. Is configured to transmit to. The terminal device transfers the meter reading information acquired from the communication device to an aggregation device arranged in an administrator room or the like using an existing local area communication network. The aggregation device collects meter reading information from each dwelling unit of the apartment house and transfers it to an external management device through a public network.

  Furthermore, the terminal device includes a display device, and can read meter reading information on the display device by receiving meter reading information from the communication device. The communication device transmits a communication signal to the terminal device by power line carrier communication or wireless communication using the distribution line as a communication path.

JP 2012-39314 A

  However, in the above-described system, a communication signal between a communication device and a terminal device may leak to a nearby consumer in an area where a large number of consumers such as an apartment house are densely packed. In particular, when data such as meter-reading information is periodically transmitted from the communication device to the terminal device at a predetermined time such as 0 minutes or 30 minutes per hour, a plurality of communication devices transmit data to the terminal device of the consumer. May transmit data at the same time to cause data collision between different consumers. As a result, the terminal device may not be able to acquire data from the communication device that is periodically transmitted.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above reasons, and a communication system capable of avoiding a collision of data periodically transmitted from a communication device of each consumer to a terminal device between different consumers, and a communication device used therefor The purpose is to provide.

  The communication system of the present invention includes a communication device attached to a measuring instrument for measuring the consumption of resources at a consumer, and a terminal device having a communication function with the communication device for each consumer, and periodically. A communication system in which regular data is transmitted from the communication device to the terminal device of the customer, wherein one of the communication device and the terminal device avoids a collision with the regular data of another consumer As described above, it has an adjustment unit that adjusts the transmission timing of the regular data within a specified period including a predetermined regular time.

  In this communication system, it is preferable that the adjustment unit is configured to divide the specified period into a plurality of unit periods and assign each of the unit periods to each consumer.

  In this communication system, when the communication device detects the regular data from another communication device in the unit period allocated to the consumer, the communication device avoids transmitting the regular data after a back-off time has elapsed. More preferably, the adjustment unit is configured to make the unit period longer than the back-off time.

  Alternatively, in this communication system, the communication device has a predetermined retransmission period as an upper limit after receiving the acknowledgment from the terminal device after transmitting the regular data in the unit period allocated to the consumer. It is desirable that an avoidance function for repeatedly transmitting the regular data is provided, and the adjustment unit is configured to make the unit period longer than the retransmission period.

  In this communication system, the communication device includes a clock unit and a regular transmission unit that periodically transmits the regular data to the terminal device according to a current time measured by the clock unit, and the adjustment unit includes: More preferably, the communication device is configured to adjust the transmission timing of the regular data by controlling the regular transmission unit.

  Alternatively, in this communication system, the terminal device periodically transmits a regular request to the communication device according to a clock unit and a current time measured by the clock unit, and from the communication device as a response to the regular request. It has a regular acquisition unit that acquires the regular data to be transmitted, and the adjustment unit is provided in the terminal device, and controls the regular acquisition unit to adjust the transmission timing of the regular request. It is desirable to be configured to adjust the transmission timing of regular data.

  In this communication system, the adjustment unit transmits a timing notification indicating the transmission timing of the regular data, and receives the timing notification from another consumer, the transmission timing of the regular data at the own consumer More preferably, the transmission timing is adjusted to a timing different from the transmission timing represented by the timing notification.

  In this communication system, it is more desirable that the adjustment unit is configured to transmit the timing notification at the time of initial setting.

  Alternatively, in this communication system, it is desirable that the adjustment unit is configured to periodically transmit the timing notification.

  In this communication system, the communication device has a communication function with the communication device of a plurality of consumers, further comprising a host device for transmitting an instruction notification to instruct the transmission timing of the regular data to the communication device of each consumer, It is desirable that the adjustment unit is configured to determine the transmission timing of the regular data at the consumer in accordance with the instruction notification from the host device.

  In this communication system, it is desirable that the adjustment unit is configured to randomly determine the transmission timing of the regular data at the consumer.

  In this communication system, each consumer further includes a device having a communication function with the terminal device and periodically communicating with the terminal device, and the adjustment unit automatically sets the transmission timing of the regular data. It is more desirable to be configured to be different from the timing of the regular communication of the device of the consumer.

  In this communication system, it is more desirable that the communication device and the terminal device are configured to communicate by wireless communication using radio waves as a transmission medium.

  Alternatively, in this communication system, the communication device and the terminal device are preferably configured to communicate by power line carrier communication that transmits a communication signal through a communication path using a distribution line as a transmission medium.

  The communication device of the present invention is a communication device provided for each consumer and attached to a measuring instrument for measuring the consumption of resources at the consumer, and regularly transmits regular data to the terminal device of the consumer. By controlling the regular transmission unit and the regular transmission unit, the transmission timing of the regular data is set within a specified period including a predetermined regular time so as to avoid a collision with the regular data of other customers. And an adjusting unit for adjusting.

  The present invention includes an adjustment unit that adjusts the transmission timing of regular data within a specified period including a predetermined regular time so as to avoid collision with regular data of other customers. Therefore, there is an advantage that it is possible to avoid collision of data periodically transmitted from the communication device of each consumer to the terminal device between different consumers.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the communication system of embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the smart meter and terminal device of Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of the communication system according to the first embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the smart meter and terminal device of Embodiment 2.

  In the following embodiments, a communication system provided for each consumer with a communication device attached to a measuring instrument for measuring the consumption of resources at the consumer and a terminal device having a communication function with the communication device will be described. . The resource here is a resource supplied from an external supplier such as electric power, gas, water and heat. Hereinafter, a case where the resource is electric power will be described as an example, but the resource is not limited to electric power. Moreover, although illustrated about the case where a consumer is a detached house below, not only this example but a consumer may be each dwelling unit of a housing complex, an office, a factory, etc., for example.

(Embodiment 1)
As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a communication device 3 attached to the measuring instrument 2 and a terminal device 4 having a communication function with the communication device 3 as consumers 11 to 16 (hereinafter, When each is not distinguished, it is provided for each "customer 10"). The communication system 1 further includes a device 5 having a communication function with the terminal device 4 for each customer 10. Moreover, the communication system 1 of FIG. 1 is further provided with the concentrator 6 as a high-order apparatus (parent | mobile_unit) which manages the communication apparatus 3 of these some consumers 11-16.

  The communication system 1 is configured such that regular data is periodically transmitted from the communication device 3 to the terminal device 4 of the customer 10. As will be described in detail later, one of the communication device 3 and the terminal device 4 transmits the regular data within a specified period including a predetermined regular time so as to avoid a collision with the regular data of the other customer 10. It has the adjustment part which adjusts.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration and function of the communication system 1 will be described using a model in which the customers 11 to 16 under the control of one concentrator 6 are densely present. It is not intended to limit the number of consumers 10 to be. In addition, this type of communication system 1 is actually provided with a plurality of concentrators 6 and is under the control of each concentrator 6 by a management device (not shown) located above the plurality of concentrators 6. It is comprised so that the consumer 10 may be managed.

  Each communication device 3 is attached to a measuring device 2 that measures the consumption of resources (here, electric power) at each customer 10. The measuring instrument 2 is connected to a distribution line 8 to which power (resources) from a power supplier is supplied, and is an electric power meter that measures the amount of power used (consumption of resources) at each customer 10. is there.

  The measuring instrument 2 constitutes a smart meter 7 together with the communication device 3. The communication device 3 enables remote meter reading by acquiring meter reading information including the measurement result of the measuring device 2 from the measuring device 2 and transmitting it to the concentrator 6. Furthermore, the communication device 3 also transmits meter reading information to the terminal device 4 of the customer 10. In the smart meter 7, it is preferable that the communication device 3 and the measuring instrument 2 share a housing (not shown), but the communication device 3 and the measuring device 2 may have a separate housing.

  The smart meter (communication device 3) 7 constructs a network such as a PAN (Personal Area Network) together with the terminal device 4 and the device 5 of the consumer 10. In the present embodiment, communication between the terminal device 4 and the device 5 belonging to the same network is realized by wireless communication using radio waves as a transmission medium. The wireless communication mentioned here includes 900 MHz band specific low power radio, 400 MHz band specific low power radio, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and other systems. In FIG. 1, only one device 5 of each customer 10 is illustrated, but two or more devices 5 may be provided in each customer 10.

  The equipment 5 is various household appliances and equipment used by each customer 10, and includes, for example, a display, an air conditioner (air conditioner), a lighting fixture, a refrigerator, an IH cooker, and the like. The terminal device 4 functions as a HEMS (Home Energy Management System) controller, controls the device 5 belonging to the same network, or displays the meter reading information received from the smart meter 7 on the device (display) 5 to use power. Visualize (visualize) the quantity. Note that the communication system 1 only needs to have one display as the minimum device 5 in order to visualize the amount of power used and display DR information described later.

  The concentrator 6 constructs a network such as a NAN (Neighborhood Area Network) together with the communication devices 3 of the consumers 11 to 16 under management. In the present embodiment, communication between the communication device 3 and the concentrator 6 belonging to the same network is a power line carrier communication (PLC: Power Line) that transmits a communication signal using a communication path using the distribution line 8 as a transmission medium. Communications) technology.

  The plurality of communication devices 3 may each be configured to perform multi-hop communication in which data is transmitted using the other communication device 3 as a repeater. In this case, the communication device 3 that cannot directly communicate with the concentrator 6 can communicate with the concentrator 6 by relaying the packet with the other communication device 3.

  In addition, the concentrator 6 is connected to a power company that is a supplier, or a server device (not shown) that is operated by a service provider that manages power consumption and supports power saving on behalf of the power company. It also has a communication function. The server device has a remote meter reading function for acquiring meter reading information from the communication device 3 under the control of the concentrator 6 through the concentrator 6 by communicating with each concentrator 6 through a dedicated line. In this case, the server device may function as a host device, and the server device and the concentrator 6 may constitute the host device.

  Further, the server device transmits DR (demand response) information for requesting adjustment of power supply and demand to the smart meter (communication device 3) 7 of each customer 10, thereby adjusting power supply and demand to the customer 10. It has the required function. The communication device 3 transmits the DR information received from the server device to the terminal device 4 of the customer 10. The terminal device 4 that has received the DR information performs energy-saving control of the device 5 of the customer 10 based on the DR information, or displays the DR information on the device (display) 5 of the customer 10.

  Below, the specific structure of the communication apparatus 3 and the terminal device 4 is demonstrated with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, the smart meter (the measuring instrument 2 and the communication device 3) 7 and the terminal device 4 in one consumer 10 are illustrated, but the communication device 3 and the terminal device 4 of other consumers 10 have the same configuration. It is.

  The communication device 3 controls the operation of the meter reading unit 31, a first communication interface (hereinafter referred to as “I / F”) 32, a second communication I / F 33, and each unit (first) control. Unit 34 and a clock unit 35 for measuring the current time.

  The meter-reading part 31 has a function which acquires a measurement result from the measuring device 2, and acquires a measurement result for every fixed time (for example, 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes etc.). The meter-reading part 31 enables exchange of data between the measuring instruments 2 by the structure connected to the expansion terminal (not shown) of the measuring instrument 2, for example. In addition, the meter-reading part 31 is not restricted to the structure wiredly connected with the measuring device 2, For example, the structure which performs wireless communication and optical communication with the measuring device 2 may be sufficient.

  The first communication I / F 32 has a communication function with the terminal device 4 and is configured to perform bidirectional communication with the terminal device 4 by wireless communication using radio waves as a transmission medium. In the present embodiment, the communication method between the first communication I / F 32 and the terminal device 4 is the 900 MHz band specific low power radio, but is not limited thereto, the 400 MHz band specific low power radio, Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

  The second communication I / F 33 has a communication function with the concentrator 6 and is configured to perform power line carrier communication bidirectionally with the concentrator 6 using the distribution line 6 as a transmission medium as described above. ing. Note that the communication between the second communication I / F 33 and the concentrator 6 may be wired communication or wireless communication other than the power line carrier communication.

  The control unit 34 mainly includes a device such as a microcomputer (microcomputer) having a processor that operates according to a program, and implements various functions by executing predetermined programs. Here, the control unit 34 generates meter reading information based on the measurement result of the measuring instrument 2 acquired by the meter reading unit 31, transmits the meter reading information from the first communication I / F 32 to the terminal device 4, and meter reading information. Is transmitted from the second communication I / F 33 to the concentrator 6.

  The clock unit 35 adjusts the time between the communication devices 3 belonging to the same network by a synchronization signal periodically transmitted from the concentrator 6.

  Furthermore, the communication device 3 has a memory (not shown), and stores meter reading information every predetermined time (for example, 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc.) in the memory for a certain period (for example, 1 day). It is configured.

  The terminal device 4 controls a third communication I / F 41 that communicates with the communication device 3, a fourth communication I / F 42 that communicates with the device 5, and the operation of each unit (second) control unit 43. have.

  The third communication I / F 41 is configured to perform bidirectional communication with the communication device 3 by wireless communication using radio waves as a transmission medium. In the present embodiment, the communication method between the third communication I / F 41 and the communication device 3 is the 900 MHz band specific low power radio as described above, but is not limited thereto, the 400 MHz band specific low power radio, Wi- A system such as Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark) may be used.

  As described above, the fourth communication I / F 42 is configured to perform two-way wireless communication with the device 5 using radio waves as a transmission medium. Note that the communication between the fourth communication I / F 42 and the device 5 is not limited to wireless communication, but may be wired communication (including power line carrier communication).

  The control unit 43 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, according to the meter-reading information received by the 3rd communication I / F41, the control part 43 transmits a control command to the apparatus 5 from the 4th communication I / F42, controls the apparatus 5, or reads meter-reading information by an apparatus (display) ) 5 is displayed. Further, the control unit 43 transmits a control command from the fourth communication I / F 42 to the device 5 in accordance with the DR information received by the third communication I / F 41 to perform energy-saving control of the device 5, or the DR information is displayed on the device (display). ) 5 is displayed.

  By the way, the data that the communication device 3 transmits to the terminal device 4 of the customer 10 includes two types of data: regular data that is periodically transmitted and irregular data that is irregularly transmitted. The regular data is data such as meter reading information notified to the terminal device 4 at a predetermined time such as 0 minutes or 30 minutes every hour. The irregular data is data that occurs irregularly, for example, meter reading information notified to the terminal device 4 or DR information triggered by a user operation on the terminal device 4 or the device 5.

  The communication device 3 is configured to immediately transmit irregular data of these two types of data from the first communication I / F 32 to the terminal device 4 when there is a data transmission request. Here, for example, when the terminal device 4 receives from the device 5 a measurement request transmitted by the device (display device) 5 during a predetermined operation, the terminal device 4 transmits a transmission request for meter reading information to the communication device 3. As a response, the meter reading information transmitted from the communication device 3 is transmitted to the device 5. Thereby, the user can display the current meter reading information on the device 5 by operating the device (display device) 5 when the user wants to know the current power consumption.

  On the other hand, for regular data, the communication device 3 avoids collision with regular data of other consumers 10 by shifting the transmission timing of the regular data for each consumer 10 within a specified period including a predetermined regular time. To do.

  That is, in the communication system 1 as in the present embodiment, when a plurality of consumers 10 are densely packed, a communication signal between the communication device 3 and the terminal device 4 may leak to the nearby customer 10. Therefore, if a plurality of communication devices 3 transmit regular data all at once to the terminal device 4 of the customer 10 at exactly the same time, there is a possibility that data (regular data) will collide between different consumers 10. . Therefore, in the present embodiment, the communication device 3 avoids occurrence of collision of regular data by shifting the transmission timing of regular data for each customer 10.

  Hereinafter, the structure regarding transmission of regular data among the communication systems 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated. Below, among the consumers 11-16, the leak of the communication signal from the communication apparatus 3 arises among the consumers 11-13, and the leak of the communication signal from the communication apparatus 3 between the consumers 14-16 Is assumed to occur.

  In the present embodiment, the communication device 3 has a regular transmission unit 341 in the control unit 34 that periodically transmits regular data to the terminal device 4 according to the current time counted by the clock unit 35. Furthermore, the communication device 3 provides the control unit 34 with an adjustment unit 342 that adjusts the transmission timing of the regular data within a specified period including a predetermined regular time so as to avoid a collision with the regular data of another customer 10. Have.

  That is, in the present embodiment, the communication device 3 is configured to spontaneously transmit regular data, and thus the adjustment unit 342 that adjusts the transmission timing of regular data is provided in the communication device 3 instead of the terminal device 4. Yes. The adjustment unit 342 is configured to adjust the transmission timing of the regular data by controlling the regular transmission unit 341.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the adjustment unit 342 sets a predetermined period before and after the regular time as a specified period T0, and divides the specified period T0 into unit periods T1 to T4 that are a plurality of time slots. Each of the periods T1 to T4 is configured to be assigned to each customer 10. FIG. 3 shows transmission timings of regular data at the consumers 11 to 13 that cause communication signal leakage with respect to each other using the horizontal axis as a time axis. The consumer 11 is (a) and the customer 12 is (b). The customer 13 is shown in (c).

  The regular time is set at a predetermined period P0 (for example, 30 minutes) such as 0 minutes and 30 minutes every hour, and each of t1, t2, and t3 is a regular time in FIG. In the example of FIG. 3, the specified period T0 is set around each regular time t1, t2, t3, and each specified period T0 is equally divided into four in order of the unit periods T1, T2, T3, T4. .

  The adjustment unit 342 is configured to randomly determine the transmission timing of the regular data at the customer 10. Here, every time the communication device of each customer 10 transmits the regular data, the adjustment unit 342 randomly selects any one of the unit periods T1 to T4, and the regular data is transmitted to the selected unit periods T1 to T4. The regular transmission unit 341 is controlled to transmit.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, in the specified period T0 including the regular time t1, the communication device 3 of the consumer 11 is the unit period T3, the communication device 3 of the consumer 12 is the unit period T2, and the communication of the customer 13 The device 3 transmits regular data in each unit period T4. Similarly, in the specified period T0 including the regular time t2, the communication device 3 of the consumer 11 is in the unit period T2, the communication device 3 of the consumer 12 is in the unit period T1, and the communication device 3 of the consumer 13 is in the unit period T3. Each transmits regular data. As described above, since the transmission timings of the regular data are shifted from each other in the consumers 11 to 13, even if communication signals leak between the consumers 11 to 13, the communication devices of different consumers 10. Regular data from 3 will not collide with each other.

  In the specified period T0 including the regular time t3, the communication device 3 of the customer 11 is in the unit period T1, the communication device 3 of the customer 12 is in the unit period T1, and the communication device 3 of the consumer 13 is in the unit period T2. Send. At this time, one unit period T1 is allocated to the two consumers 11 and 12. The communication device 3 according to the present embodiment detects regular data from another communication device 3 in a unit period allocated to the customer 10 so that the collision of the regular data can be avoided even in such a case. Has an avoidance function for transmitting regular data after the back-off time has elapsed. Specifically, the communication device 3 employs a well-known CSMA / CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance) as a collision avoidance method.

  However, if the unit period is equal to or less than the initial backoff time of CSMA / CA, the communication device 3 cannot transmit regular data within the unit period assigned to the customer 10. Therefore, the adjustment unit 342 is configured to set the unit period longer than the CSMA / CA back-off time. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, even in the unit period T1 to which the transmission timing of the regular data of the customer 11 and the customer 12 is assigned, the communication device 3 of the consumer 12 receives the regular data after waiting for the back-off time Tb. By transmitting, the collision with the regular data of the customer 11 can be avoided.

  In addition, when one unit period is allocated to three or more consumers 10, the communication device 3 is within the unit period allocated to its own consumer 10 simply by saying that the unit period is longer than the back-off time. Regular data may not be transmitted. That is, when adopting an avoidance function such as CSMA / CA, the communication device 3 receives an acknowledgment (ACK) from the terminal device 4 after transmitting regular data in a unit period allocated to the customer 10. Until then, the regular data is repeatedly transmitted with a predetermined retransmission period as an upper limit. In other words, the communication device 3 receives the confirmation response from the terminal device 4 if the regular data is normally transmitted. Therefore, when the regular data collides, the communication device 3 repeatedly transmits the regular data and receives the confirmation response. Complete transmission of regular data for the first time. The retransmission period is a period that defines the upper limit number of times that the communication device 3 repeatedly transmits regular data.

  Therefore, if the unit period is equal to or shorter than the retransmission period, the communication device 3 may not be able to complete transmission of regular data within the unit period assigned to the customer 10. Therefore, the adjustment unit 342 is preferably configured to set the unit period to be longer than the CSMA / CA retransmission period. Thereby, even when one unit period is allocated to three or more consumers 10, the communication device 3 is allocated to the own customer 10 while avoiding a collision with regular data of other consumers 10. Regular data transmission can be completed within a certain unit period.

  In addition, the adjustment unit 342 is not limited to a configuration that randomly determines the transmission timing of the regular data at the customer 10, but may determine the transmission timing based on a predetermined value unique to each customer 10. Good. That is, when a unique value is assigned to each of the consumers 11 to 16 in advance, the adjustment unit 342 may assign each of the unit periods T1 to T4 to each customer 10 based on this unique value.

  For example, the adjustment unit 342 is based on an identifier (PAN_ID) unique to the network (PAN) constructed by the smart meter (communication device 3) 7, the terminal device 4, and the device 5 of each customer 10. Each T4 is assigned to each customer 10. The identifier of this network is, for example, “001” for customer 11, “002” for customer 12, “003” for customer 13, “004” for customer 14, “005” for customer 15, and customer 16 Then, “006” is a value set individually for each customer 10. Specifically, the communication device 3 searches for the surrounding communication device 3 at the first activation, and determines an identifier (PAN_ID) of its own network so that it does not become the same value as the surrounding communication device 3. In short, the identifier is a value that is set so as not to overlap with the surrounding customer 10 (in a range where radio waves can reach) when the network is constructed. The adjustment unit 342 assigns, for example, a unit period T1 to the consumer 11, a unit period T2 to the consumer 12, and a unit period T3 to the consumer 13 based on the identifier value set in this way. Thus, it is possible to avoid collision of regular data among the consumers 11 to 13.

  The value unique to each customer 10 is not limited to the identifier of the network, but may be an identifier unique to the smart meter 7 such as a meter number, or an identifier unique to the terminal device 4 such as a device number of the terminal device 4. There may be.

  In the configuration in which the adjustment unit 342 determines the transmission timing based on a value unique to each consumer 10 in this way, the communication device 3 can avoid an unexpected collision of regular data between different consumers 10. There is an advantage that the certainty of avoidance is improved.

  Furthermore, when the device 5 is configured to periodically communicate with the terminal device 4 of the consumer 10, the adjustment unit 342 determines the transmission timing of the regular data of the device of the consumer 10. It is desirable that the timing is different from that of regular communication. That is, the adjustment unit 342 sets the transmission timing of the regular data by shifting from the timing of the regular communication between the terminal device 4 and the device 5 of the customer 10. Specifically, the adjustment unit 342 acquires information indicating the timing of regular communication from the terminal device 4 of the customer 10 and sets a unit period that does not overlap with the timing of regular communication based on the acquired information. Assign to transmission timing.

  As a result, the communication system 1 can shift the regular data transmission from the communication device 3 to the terminal device 4 and the regular communication between the terminal device 4 and the device 5 in each customer 10 in the time axis direction. Can be prevented from interfering with each other.

  According to the communication system 1 of the present embodiment described above, it is possible to avoid collision of data (regular data) periodically transmitted from the communication device 3 of each customer 10 to the terminal device 4 between different customers 10. There is an advantage that. That is, the adjustment unit 342 adjusts the transmission timing of the regular data within a specified period including a predetermined regular time so as to avoid a collision with the regular data of the other customer 10. Data transmission timing can be shifted for each customer 10. Therefore, in the communication system 1, even if communication signals leak between the plurality of consumers 10, the communication devices 3 of the plurality of consumers 10 do not transmit regular data all at the same time, The collision of regular data among these multiple customers 10 can be avoided.

  Moreover, in the present embodiment, the adjustment unit 342 is provided in the communication device 3 and is configured to adjust the transmission timing of the regular data by controlling the regular transmission unit 341. For this reason, the communication system 1 of the present embodiment is an event-driven system in which the communication device 3 voluntarily transmits regular data instead of responding to a request from the terminal device 4. Can avoid collisions.

  In addition, the adjustment unit 342 is configured to divide the specified period into a plurality of unit periods and assign each of the unit periods to each customer 10, so that the unit period used for transmission of transmission data of regular data is selected. The transmission timing can be determined by a relatively simple calculation. Here, the adjustment unit 342 increases the number of divisions of the specified period (that is, the number of unit periods), thereby making it difficult for the same unit period to be assigned to different consumers 10 and making it easier to avoid regular data collisions.

  Furthermore, since the adjustment unit 342 is configured to randomly determine the transmission timing of the regular data at the own consumer 10, it ignores the relationship with other consumers 10 and The transmission timing of regular data can be determined only in the middle.

  By the way, as a first modification of the present embodiment, the adjustment unit 342 may be configured to transmit a timing notification representing the transmission timing of regular data. In this modified example, when the adjustment unit 342 receives a timing notification from another customer 10, the adjustment unit 342 adjusts the transmission timing of the regular data at the own customer 10 to a timing different from the transmission timing represented by the timing notification. Configured as follows.

  In short, in the first modification, the timing notification is exchanged between the communication devices 3 of different consumers 10, and the communication device 3 on the receiving side of the timing notification transmits its regular data based on the received timing notification. Determine timing. Specifically, the adjustment unit 342 transmits, from the first communication I / F 32, a timing notification indicating a unit period used for transmitting its own regular data by broadcast. The adjustment unit 342 receives and decodes the timing notification from the other customer 10 using the first communication I / F 32, and uses it to transmit its regular data so as to avoid the unit period represented by this timing notification. Determine the unit period. In addition, since the communication apparatus 3 has a relationship in which a communication signal leaks with another customer 10 that may cause regular data collision, the communication device 3 can receive a timing notification from the other customer 10.

  In the communication system 1 according to the first modified example, the communication devices 3 of different customers 10 determine the transmission timing of each regular data by negotiation, so that regular data is surely regular between the customers 10 that cause a collision of regular data. Data collision can be avoided.

  In the first modification, the adjustment unit 342 is configured to transmit a timing notification at the time of initial setting. In this configuration, the communication device 3 transmits a timing notification to the surrounding communication devices 3 when the installer turns on the power of the communication device 3 or performs a predetermined operation when the communication device 3 is installed. It will be. As described above, the communication device 3 can reduce the communication traffic by transmitting the timing notification only at the time of the initial setting as compared with the case where the timing notification is transmitted many times.

  Or the adjustment part 342 may be comprised so that a timing notification may be transmitted regularly (for example, every day). According to this configuration, the communication device 3 transmits regular data based on the changed leakage status even if the leakage status of the communication signal with the other customer 10 changes with time. Timing can be reset. For example, even if a communication signal cannot be leaked between the customer 11 and the customer 14, the building between the customer 11 and the customer 14 is demolished, so 14 may cause communication signal leakage. In such a case, the adjustment unit 342 can avoid the collision of the regular data by shifting the transmission timing of the regular data between the consumer 11 and the consumer 14 by periodically transmitting the timing notification.

  As a second modification of the present embodiment, the adjustment unit 342 may be configured to determine the transmission timing of regular data at the customer 10 in accordance with an instruction notification from the higher-level device. In this modification, a host device (for example, the concentrator 6) having a communication function with the communication devices 3 of the plurality of consumers 10 transmits an instruction notification instructing the transmission timing of the regular data to the communication devices 3 of each customer 10. Configured to do.

  In short, in the second modification, the host device that supervises the communication devices 3 of the plurality of customers 10 instructs the transmission timing of regular data to each of the plurality of communication devices 3 under management. Specifically, the concentrator 6 sets regular data of the managed customers 10 so that the transmission timing of the regular data is shifted among at least the customers 10 within the range where the communication signal leaks among the managed customers 10. Is determined centrally. That is, when a communication signal leaks between each of the consumers 11 to 13 and between the consumers 14 to 16, the concentrator 6 assigns different unit periods to the consumers 11 to 13, and the consumers 14 to 16. Assign different unit periods to each. The concentrator 6 transmits an instruction notification representing the assigned unit period to the communication device 3 of each customer 10 at the time of initial setting or periodically.

  Since the communication system 1 according to the second modification determines the transmission timing of the regular data of the plurality of customers 10 in a centralized manner, the regular data is reliably transmitted between the customers 10 in which the regular data collides. Can avoid collisions.

  By the way, in this embodiment, since the communication apparatus 3 and the terminal device 4 are comprised so that wireless communication may be performed, the wiring work between the communication apparatus 3 and the terminal device 4 is unnecessary at the time of the introduction of the communication system 1. There is an advantage of becoming.

  However, communication between the communication device 3 and the terminal device 4 is not limited to wireless communication, but may be power line carrier communication that transmits a communication signal through a communication path using a distribution line as a transmission medium. That is, in a housing complex or the like, if the communication device 3 and the terminal device 4 of each dwelling unit perform wireless communication, communication signals are likely to leak including the dwelling units on the upper and lower floors. Is desirable.

  In the case where the communication between the communication device 3 and the terminal device 4 is power line carrier communication, since the distribution lines are connected to each other through the trunk line in the apartment house, communication signals between different consumers (dwelling units) May cause leakage. Therefore, even when the communication between the communication device 3 and the terminal device 4 is power line carrier communication, the configuration related to the transmission of the regular data as described above (the regular transmission unit 341 and the adjustment unit 342) is applied. Is useful.

(Embodiment 2)
As shown in FIG. 4, the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment is different from the communication system 1 according to the first embodiment in that an adjustment unit 442 is provided in the terminal device 4 instead of the communication device 3. 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 terminal device 4 includes a control unit 44 and a clock unit 45 that measures the current time, instead of the control unit 43 (see FIG. 2) described in the first embodiment.

  The clock unit 45 receives the synchronization signal periodically transmitted from the concentrator 6 via the communication device 3, and thereby the time is adjusted between the terminal devices 4 of the consumers 10 under the control of the concentrator 6. ing.

  In addition to the function of the control unit 43, the control unit 44 periodically transmits a regular request to the communication device 3 according to the current time counted by the clock unit 45, and is transmitted from the communication device 3 as a response to the regular request. It has a function of a regular acquisition unit 441 that acquires regular data. Further, the terminal device 4 includes an adjustment unit 442 that adjusts the transmission timing of the regular data by controlling the regular acquisition unit 441 to adjust the transmission timing of the regular request, in the control unit 44.

  In other words, the adjustment unit 442 does not directly adjust the transmission timing of the regular data, but indirectly adjusts the transmission timing of the regular data, which is a response to the regular request, by adjusting the transmission timing of the regular request. The details of the function of the adjustment unit 442 are substantially the same as those of the adjustment unit 342 of the first embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  The communication device 3 includes a control unit 36 instead of the control unit 34 (see FIG. 2) and the clock unit 35 (see FIG. 2) described in the first embodiment. The control unit 36 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 36 generates meter reading information based on the measurement result of the measuring instrument 2 acquired by the meter reading unit 31, transmits the meter reading information from the first communication I / F 32 to the terminal device 4, and meter reading information. Is transmitted from the second communication I / F 33 to the concentrator 6.

  Further, in addition to the above functions, the control unit 36 receives a regular request from the terminal device 4 at the first communication I / F 32 and sends a regular request from the first communication I / F 32 to the terminal device 4 as a response to the regular request. It has a function to transmit data.

  According to the communication system 1 of the present embodiment described above, it is possible to avoid collision of data (regular data) periodically transmitted from the communication device 3 of each customer 10 to the terminal device 4 between different customers 10. There is an advantage that.

  Moreover, in the present embodiment, the adjustment unit 442 is provided in the terminal device 4 and is configured to indirectly adjust the transmission timing of the regular data by controlling the regular acquisition unit 441. Therefore, the communication system 1 of this embodiment is a polling system in which the communication device 3 transmits regular data in response to a request from the terminal device 4 (regular request). Collisions can be avoided.

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

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Communication system 2 Measuring device 3 Communication apparatus 341 Regular transmission part 342 Adjustment part 35 Clock part 4 Terminal device 441 Regular acquisition part 442 Adjustment part 45 Clock part 5 Equipment 6 Concentrator (high-order apparatus)
8 Distribution lines 10-16

Claims (15)

A communication device attached to a measuring instrument for measuring the consumption of resources at a consumer and a terminal device having a communication function with the communication device are provided for each consumer, and the communication device regularly sends out the consumer A communication system in which regular data is transmitted to the terminal device of
One of the communication device and the terminal device adjusts the transmission timing of the regular data within a specified period including a predetermined regular time so as to avoid a collision with the regular data of another customer A communication system characterized by comprising: The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment unit is configured to divide the specified period into a plurality of unit periods and assign each of the unit periods to each consumer. The communication device has an avoidance function for transmitting the regular data after a lapse of a back-off time when the regular data from another communication device is detected during the unit period allocated to the consumer. And
The communication system according to claim 2, wherein the adjustment unit is configured to make the unit period longer than the back-off time. The communication device repeatedly transmits the regular data with a predetermined retransmission period as an upper limit after receiving the acknowledgment from the terminal device after transmitting the regular data in the unit period allocated to the consumer. Has an evasion function,
The communication system according to claim 2, wherein the adjustment unit is configured to make the unit period longer than the retransmission period. The communication device includes a clock unit and a regular transmission unit that periodically transmits the regular data to the terminal device according to a current time measured by the clock unit,
The said adjustment part is provided in the said communication apparatus, It is comprised so that the transmission timing of the said regular data may be adjusted by controlling the said regular transmission part. The any one of Claims 1-4 characterized by the above-mentioned. The communication system according to item. The terminal device periodically transmits a regular request to the communication device according to a clock unit and a current time counted by the clock unit, and the regular data transmitted from the communication device as a response to the regular request. Has a regular acquisition unit to acquire,
The adjustment unit is provided in the terminal device, and is configured to adjust the transmission timing of the regular data by controlling the regular acquisition unit and adjusting the transmission timing of the regular request. The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The adjustment unit is
Sending a timing notification indicating the transmission timing of the regular data;
When receiving the timing notification from another consumer, the transmission timing of the regular data at the customer is adjusted to a timing different from the transmission timing represented by the timing notification. The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The communication system according to claim 7, wherein the adjustment unit is configured to transmit the timing notification at an initial setting time. The communication system according to claim 7, wherein the adjustment unit is configured to periodically transmit the timing notification. It has a communication function with the communication device of a plurality of consumers, further comprising a host device that transmits an instruction notification to instruct the transmission timing of the regular data to the communication device of each consumer,
The said adjustment part is comprised so that the transmission timing of the said regular data in a self-customer may be determined according to the said instruction | indication notification from the said high-order apparatus. The any one of Claims 1-6 characterized by the above-mentioned. The communication system according to 1. The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the adjustment unit is configured to randomly determine a transmission timing of the regular data at a consumer. It has a communication function with the terminal device, and further comprises a device for each customer periodically to periodically communicate with the terminal device,
The said adjustment part is comprised so that the transmission timing of the said regular data may differ from the timing of the said regular communication of the said apparatus of a self-customer. The any one of Claims 1-11 characterized by the above-mentioned. Communication system. The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the communication device and the terminal device are configured to communicate by radio communication using radio waves as a transmission medium. The communication device and the terminal device are configured to communicate by power line carrier communication that transmits a communication signal through a communication path using a distribution line as a transmission medium. The communication system according to item 1. A communication device provided for each consumer and attached to a measuring instrument for measuring the consumption of resources at the consumer,
A regular transmission unit that regularly transmits regular data to the terminal device of the customer;
An adjustment unit that adjusts the transmission timing of the regular data within a specified period including a predetermined regular time so as to avoid a collision with the regular data of another customer by controlling the regular transmission unit. A communication device comprising:

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