JP2015106879A - Life-and-death management system of aggregation device for automated meter reading - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent congestion when it is required to perform life-and-death management for a large number of aggregation devices substantially simultaneously.SOLUTION: A life-and-death management system includes an aggregation database 41 for storing the aggregation device information containing the identification information and positional information of each aggregation device 2, a determination task 45 for determining whether or not a predetermined number or more of the aggregation devices are activated at once, on the basis of the information becoming the factor of activation of the aggregation device 2 and the aggregation device information, and a time specification task 46 transmitting a transmission specification time, where the time is shifted so that a predetermined number or more of activation requests are not transmitted at once for each aggregation device 2, when a determination is made that activation is started at once. Each aggregation device 2 transmits the activation request to a data collection server 4 at the transmission specification time thus received.

Description

  The present invention relates to a life-and-death management system for an automatic meter-collecting device that manages the life-and-death and activation of the concentrator in an automatic meter-reading system (automatic meter-reading network).

  In recent years, smart meters are becoming popular as watt-hour meters, and data and information are transmitted and received between the smart meter and the data collection server on the center side via an aggregation device. That is, an aggregation device is provided for each of the plurality of smart meters, meter reading data from each smart meter is received and aggregated by the aggregation device, and meter reading data is transmitted from the aggregation device to the data collection server.

  Prior to transmitting meter-reading data from the aggregation device to the data collection server, it is necessary to perform life and death management (life and death confirmation) of the aggregation device in advance. That is, confirmation and registration of whether or not the aggregation device has been activated properly is performed. Specifically, when the aggregation device starts activation, the aggregation device transmits "life registration confirmation request" information (activation request) to the data collection server, performs life / death registration processing in the data collection server, and receives data from the data collection server. Life management is performed through a communication procedure of transmitting “processing completion” information (startup processing completion) to the aggregation device. Such life and death management is performed when a new aggregation device is installed, when a power failure is restored, or when a failure of the aggregation device or the data collection server is restored.

  On the other hand, a technology is known in which communication life management can be performed while preventing congestion by sequentially increasing the time interval of life management of communication terminals so as not to exceed a threshold value and performing life management (for example, , See Patent Document 1).

JP 2012-186699 A

  By the way, when many aggregation devices are installed with the spread of smart meters, many life-and-death managements are performed. In particular, when the power failure is restored, the “life and death registration confirmation request” information is transmitted from many aggregation devices to the data collection server almost simultaneously (simultaneously). If the processing capacity of the data collection server is exceeded, the “processing completion” information is not transmitted to the aggregation device and life and death management is not completed. Therefore, the “life and death registration confirmation request” information is again sent from the aggregation device to the data collection server. The process of transmitting is repeated. As a result, there is a possibility that the data collection server and communication become congested and the automatic meter reading system stops for a long time.

  On the other hand, the technology of Patent Document 1 is to prevent congestion by preventing multiple life-and-death management from overlapping by sequentially increasing the time interval of life-and-death management in a normal communication state. When life and death management needs to be performed almost simultaneously (when there are multiple life and death managements), congestion cannot be prevented. That is, for example, when the power failure is restored, the time interval returns to the initial value, and the “life and death registration confirmation request” information is transmitted almost simultaneously from many aggregation devices, resulting in congestion.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a life / death management system for an automatic meter-collecting device that can prevent occurrence of congestion or recover early when congestion occurs when it is necessary to perform life-and-death management on a large number of aggregation devices at the same time. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention of claim 1 is directed to start-up of the aggregation device in an automatic metering network provided with a plurality of aggregation devices that transmit meter-reading data received from a plurality of smart meters to the center device. A life-and-death management system for an automatic meter-reading aggregation device that performs life-and-death management by transmitting a startup request from the aggregation device to the center device and then transmitting completion of activation processing from the center device to the aggregation device. And aggregating device information storage means for storing aggregating device information including identification information and position information of each aggregating device, information that causes a start of the aggregating device and the aggregating device information, and When it is determined by the simultaneous activation determination unit that determines whether or not the aggregation devices equal to or more than the number of devices start activation all at once, and the simultaneous activation determination unit determines to start activation all at once Each of the aggregation devices includes a time designation means for transmitting a designated transmission time that is shifted so that a predetermined number or more of the activation requests are not transmitted all at once. The activation request is transmitted to the center device at the designated transmission time. Here, the transmission designated time includes an elapsed time from the current time (for example, how many minutes later) and an absolute time (what hour and how many minutes).

  According to this invention, when it is determined by the simultaneous activation determination unit that the aggregation devices of a predetermined number or more start to be activated all at once, a predetermined number or more of activation is performed for each corresponding aggregation device by the time designation unit. The specified transmission time is transmitted so that the requests are not transmitted all at once. In response, an activation request is transmitted from each aggregation device to the center device at each transmission designated time. In this way, when a predetermined number or more of the aggregation devices start activation all at once, that is, when it is necessary to perform life and death management for a large number of aggregation devices at the same time, a predetermined number or more of activation requests are not transmitted all at once. As described above, at each transmission designation time with the time shifted, an activation request is transmitted from each aggregation device.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the life and death management system according to the first aspect, the simultaneous activation determination unit includes power outage information including a power outage area in the information that causes the start of activation.

  The life-and-death management system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the simultaneous activation determination unit includes the operation status of the center device in the information that causes the activation start. To do.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the life and death management system according to any one of the first to third aspects, the simultaneous activation determination unit includes information related to the operation of the automatic meter reading network in information that causes the activation to start. Features.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the life / death management system according to the first to fourth aspects, the time designating unit sets the transmission designated time for each of the aggregation devices according to a predetermined priority condition.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, even when it is necessary to perform life and death management for a large number of aggregation devices at the same time, the transmissions are shifted in time so that a predetermined number or more of activation requests are not transmitted all at once. Since the activation request is transmitted from each aggregation device at the specified time, congestion can be prevented. Also, even if congestion occurs in the automatic meter reading network, it is determined that a predetermined number or more of activation requests are transmitted all at once, and the time is shifted so that a predetermined number or more of activation requests are not transmitted all at once. Since an activation request is transmitted at each transmission designated time, early recovery from congestion is possible. As a result, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the automatic meter reading system is stopped for a long time due to congestion of the center device and communication.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is determined whether or not an aggregation device having a predetermined number of devices or more starts to be activated all at once based on the power failure information including the power failure area. For this reason, for example, even if a certain area recovers from a power failure and all the aggregation devices in the area start activation all at once, the activation request is transmitted from each aggregation device at each transmission designated time. It becomes possible to prevent congestion.

  According to the invention of claim 3, it is determined whether or not aggregating devices of a predetermined number or more start to be activated simultaneously based on the operation status of the center device. For this reason, for example, even when the center device recovers from a stopped state or a failure state, and a predetermined number or more of the aggregation devices start activation all at once, an activation request is transmitted from each aggregation device at each transmission designated time. Therefore, congestion can be prevented.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is determined whether or not aggregating devices equal to or more than the predetermined number of devices start to be activated simultaneously based on the information related to the operation of the automatic meter reading network. For this reason, for example, even if the work in the target district is completed and all the aggregation devices in the area start activation at the same time, activation requests are transmitted from each aggregation device at each transmission designated time. Therefore, congestion can be prevented.

  According to the invention of claim 5, since the designated transmission time for each aggregation device is set according to a predetermined priority condition, it is possible to manage the life and death for each aggregation device in an appropriate order. For example, it is possible to perform life and death management at an early stage by setting the designated transmission time to an early time for an aggregation device to which a specific smart meter (customer) is connected. In addition, by changing the priority condition, it is possible to flexibly adjust the transmission designation time for each aggregation device, that is, to flexibly adjust the execution order of life and death management.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the life-and-death management system of the aggregation apparatus for automatic meter-reading which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the data collection server of the system of FIG. It is a data block diagram of the aggregation database of the data collection server of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the system of FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a second operation of the system of FIG. 1.

  The present invention will be described below based on the illustrated embodiments.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a life / death management system (hereinafter referred to as “life / life management system” as appropriate) 1 of an automatic meter-collecting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this life and death management system 1, the aggregation device 2 starts to start in an automatic metering network provided with a plurality of aggregation devices 2 that transmit the meter reading data received from the plurality of smart meters 3 to the data collection server (center device) 4. In this case, the aggregation device 2 transmits a startup request to the data collection server 4 and then transmits a completion of activation processing from the data collection server 4 to the aggregation device 2, thereby managing the life and death of the aggregation device 2.

  Specifically, the smart meter 3 is an automatic meter / electric power meter installed in each customer's house, has a communication function with the aggregation device 2, and includes a plurality of smart meters 3 and one aggregation device 2. They are connected as a group so that they can communicate freely.

  The aggregation device 2 is a device installed on a utility pole or the like, which collects meter reading data received from each smart meter 3 in the group and transmits it to the data collection server 4. In this embodiment, the aggregation device 2 is as follows. The data collection server 4 is communicably connected. That is, the aggregation device 2 includes a broadband router and an ONU (Optical Network Unit), and is connected to an FT-TH (Fiber To The Home) network GE-PON (Gigabit Ethernet (registered trademark) Passive Optical Network) network FTH. (Broadband Access Server) is connected to the data collection server 4. A plurality of such aggregating devices 2 are provided to constitute an automatic meter reading network.

  In addition, the aggregation device 2 performs life and death management processing in advance before transmitting meter-reading data. That is, when the power supply is turned on or the start switch is turned on to start the start, the “life and death registration confirmation request” information (start request) is transmitted to the data collection server 4, and then the process is completed from the data collection server 4. The life and death management is performed through a communication procedure of receiving information (startup process completion). Here, the “life and death registration confirmation request” information is normally transmitted immediately after the start of activation. However, when a transmission designation time described later is received from the data collection server 4, the transmission designation time is set. Send. In addition, when the “processing completion” information is not received from the data collection server 4, a retransmission process is repeated in which “life and death registration confirmation request” information is transmitted again after a predetermined time. When it is received, the retransmission process is not performed, and the “life and death registration confirmation request” information is transmitted only at the designated transmission time.

  The data collection server 4 is a server that is installed in a center that manages meter reading data, and calculates, aggregates, etc. the power consumption of each consumer (each smart meter 3) based on the meter reading data received from each aggregation device 2. is there. The data collection server 4 is communicably connected to the power failure management server 5 and the work management server 6. The power failure management server 5 and the work management server 6 will be described first.

  The power failure management server 5 is a server that manages power failure information of the power transmission and distribution network, and is connected to the power distribution automation system so as to be freely communicable. This power distribution automation system is a system that automatically identifies the accident section and opens and closes the switch when a power failure occurs due to a short-circuit accident, etc. The time when the power failure occurred, the power failure area (power failure area), Power outage information including the recovery of the power outage and its time is generated and transmitted to the power outage management server 5. The power failure management server 5 stores and manages the received power failure information in time series for each power failure, and transmits the power failure information to the data collection server 4. As described above, the power outage information is transmitted to the data collection server 4 via the power outage management server 5, but the power outage information may be directly transmitted from the power distribution automation system to the data collection server 4.

  The work management server 6 is a server that manages information related to work and construction of an automatic meter reading network including the aggregation device 2 and the smart meter 3. In other words, it is connected to a work formulation computer that formulates a work plan in a communicable manner, and a work plan created by this work formulation computer is transmitted to the work management server 6. Here, the work plan includes the identification information of the work target area and work aggregation device 2, the scheduled work start date and time, the scheduled work completion date and time (the scheduled start date and time of the aggregation device 2), and the like. Further, the work management server 6 is connected to a portable terminal carried by the worker so as to be able to communicate with each other. The work management server 6 is configured to identify the work target area and the work aggregation device 2, the work start time and the work completion time (or the aggregation device 2). The work communication including the fact that the activation is started is sequentially transmitted from the portable terminal.

  The work management server 6 stores the received work plan and work communication for each work and transmits predetermined work information to the data collection server 4. Specifically, the identification information of the work target district and work target aggregation device 2 in the work plan and the work completion scheduled date and time are transmitted, and the work target district and work target aggregation device 2 in the work communication are identified. Information and the work completion time (to start activation of the aggregation device 2) are transmitted. Here, the information related to the work / construction includes information related to the planned power outage, and includes the planned power outage area, the scheduled start date / time, and the planned recovery date / time.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the data collection server 4 mainly includes an aggregation database (aggregation device information storage means) 41, a life / death management task 42, a data collection task 43, a monitoring task 44, and a determination task (simultaneous activation determination). Means) 45, a time designation task (time designation means) 46, and a central processing unit 47 for controlling these.

  The aggregation database 41 is a database that stores aggregation device information including identification information and position information of each aggregation device 2. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, an arrangement position 412, meter information 413, and others 414 are stored for each device ID 411. In the device ID 411, identification information of the aggregation device 2 is stored, and in the arrangement position 412, the position information of the aggregation device 2, specifically, the latitude and longitude, and the utility pole number (identification information) of the installed utility pole. Etc. are stored. In the meter information 413, information related to the smart meter 3 in the same group connected to the aggregation device 2 is stored.

  That is, for each meter ID 413a, an installation position 413b, customer information 413c, and other 413d are stored. The meter ID 413a stores identification information of the smart meter 3, and the installation position 413b stores position information of the smart meter 3, specifically, latitude and longitude. The customer information 413c stores information related to the customer where the smart meter 3 is installed. That is, the customer's name (identification information), contract number, contract type, location, contact information, and information related to priority conditions in the time designation task 46 described later are stored.

  The life / death management task 42 is a program for performing life / death management processing on the aggregation device 2. That is, when the “life and death registration confirmation request” information is received from the aggregation device 2, the life and death registration processing (registration processing performed for the start of activation of the aggregation device 2) is performed according to a predetermined procedure, and when the registration processing is completed, the aggregation device 2. "Processing complete" information is sent to. Further, when registration is not possible, an error notification is transmitted to the aggregation device 2.

  The data collection task 43 is a program that calculates, aggregates, etc. the power usage of each consumer based on the meter reading data received from each aggregation device 2. That is, based on meter-reading data (meter-reading value) of each smart meter 3 received from each aggregation device 2 every predetermined time, the power usage amount of each consumer for each hour is calculated and totaled, and further, the power for one day The usage amount and the electric power usage amount in January are calculated and aggregated, and the calculation results are stored.

  The monitoring task 44 is a program that detects and monitors the operating status of the data collection server 4. That is, whether the data collection server 4 is in a normal operation state, in an operation stop state (a state in which processing for all the aggregation devices 2 is stopped), or in a partial failure state (for example, some aggregation devices 2 or specific areas) Is detected and monitored, whether it is in an operation stop state or a state recovered from a partial failure state, and further, the CPU operation status / operation rate (congestion state) Presence / absence) is detected and monitored. Such operation status is sequentially stored in the memory and is referred to by a determination task 45 described later. Here, in the case of a partial failure state, the identification information of the aggregation device 2 that is the target of the process stop is grasped and stored.

  The determination task 45 is a program for determining whether or not the aggregation devices 2 of a predetermined number or more of the aggregation devices 2 start activation at the same time based on information that causes activation of the aggregation devices 2 and the aggregation device information. That is, it is determined and predicted whether or not the aggregation devices 2 of a predetermined number of devices or more start to be activated at the same time due to a predetermined factor / event and transmit “life registration confirmation request” information. Specifically, in this embodiment, the following three pieces of information are included as information that causes the start of activation of the aggregation device 2, and determination is performed based on these information and the aggregation device information.

"Judgment Case 1"
In this case, the power failure information including the power failure area is set as information that causes the start of activation, and determination is performed based on the power failure information received from the power failure management server 5. For example, when power failure information including recovery from a power failure and a power failure area is received, it is determined whether or not the aggregation devices 2 of a predetermined number of devices or more start to be started almost simultaneously. Specifically, the number of the aggregation devices 2 arranged in the power outage area is calculated based on the aggregation device information in the aggregation database 41, and whether or not the calculated number is equal to or more than a predetermined number of devices. judge. In other words, it is assumed that all the aggregation devices 2 in the power failure area are expected to start almost simultaneously by recovering from the power failure. In this case, the number of the aggregation devices 2 is equal to or greater than the predetermined number. It is determined whether or not there is.

  Here, the same applies to the following determination cases 2 and 3, but almost simultaneously (simultaneous) means that they are simultaneously within a predetermined time or within a time when there is a possibility that congestion may occur. This applies to the case where it is assumed that start-up is started at the same time even if not simultaneously. The predetermined number of devices is the minimum number of devices (for example, 100) that may cause congestion of the data collection server 4 and communication when the “life and death registration confirmation request” information is transmitted at the same time. The number of devices is less than that (for example, 100 or less) considering the performance, and is set based on the processing capacity, communication capacity, and the like of the data collection server 4.

  As described above, the case where judgment is performed when power failure information including recovery from a power failure is received, that is, the case where judgment is performed when power failure is restored, has been explained. The determination may be made when the power failure information including the predicted time is received from the power failure management server 5. That is, when a power failure occurs or when a power failure recovery is predicted, it is assumed that all the aggregation devices 2 in the power failure area start to start almost simultaneously thereafter, so the determination may be made in advance. Moreover, when the recovery date and time of a some power failure overlap, it determines whether the sum total of the aggregation apparatus 2 in each power failure area becomes more than a predetermined number of apparatuses.

"Judgment Case 2"
In this case, the operation status of the data collection server 4 is set as information that causes the start of the start, and determination is performed based on the operation status of the data collection server 4 detected and monitored by the monitoring task 44. For example, it is determined whether or not the aggregation devices 2 that are equal to or more than a predetermined number of devices start to be activated at the same time in the case of an operation status recovered from an operation stop state or a partial failure state. Specifically, when recovering from an operation stop state, the data collection server 4 calculates the number of all aggregation devices 2 targeted, and when recovering from a partial failure state, it is a target of processing stop. The number of devices of the aggregation device 2 is determined, and it is determined whether or not the determined number of devices is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of devices. That is, when the data collection server 4 is recovered from a stopped or failed state, it is assumed that all target aggregation devices 2 start to start almost simultaneously. In this case, the number of aggregation devices 2 It is determined whether or not is greater than or equal to a predetermined number of devices.

  As described above, the case where the determination is performed when the operation is recovered from the operation stop state or the partial failure state has been described, but the determination may be performed based on other operation states. For example, the determination may be performed when the operating rate of the CPU reaches a predetermined high operating rate. In other words, when “life and death registration confirmation request” information is received from a plurality of aggregation devices 2 in an operation state where the CPU operation rate is high, the life and death registration process by the life and death management task 42 cannot be performed and an error notification is transmitted to the aggregation device 2. As a factor that increases the operating rate of the CPU, it is assumed that the “life and death registration confirmation request” information is received almost simultaneously from a large number of aggregation devices 2, so the CPU operating rate and the “life and death per unit time” are assumed. Based on the number of received “registration confirmation request” information, it is determined whether or not the number of aggregation devices 2 is equal to or greater than a predetermined number.

"Judgment Case 3"
In this case, the information related to the work / construction of the automatic meter reading network is used as information that causes the start of activation, and the determination is made based on the work plan and work communication (work information) received from the work management server 6. For example, when the identification information of the work target district / area or work aggregation device 2 and the scheduled work completion date and time are received in the work plan, whether or not the aggregation devices 2 of a predetermined number or more start to be started almost simultaneously. Determine whether or not. Specifically, for example, the number of all the aggregation devices 2 in the work target area is determined based on the aggregation device information in the aggregation database 41, and it is determined whether or not the determined number of devices is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of devices. To do. In other words, when the work is completed, it is assumed that all the aggregation devices 2 in the district start to start almost simultaneously. In this case, whether or not the number of the aggregation devices 2 is equal to or greater than the predetermined number. Determine whether.

  Similarly, when the identification information and the work completion time of the work target district or work target aggregation device 2 in the work communication are received, since the work is actually completed, all of the aggregation devices 2 in the district are almost complete. Since it is assumed that the activation starts at the same time, in this case as well, it is determined whether or not the number of the aggregation devices 2 is equal to or greater than the predetermined number. Further, even when the information related to the work / construction is information related to the planned power outage, it is assumed that all the aggregation devices 2 in the power outage area start to be started almost simultaneously at the scheduled restoration date and time. Further, when the completion dates and times of a plurality of work overlap, it is determined whether or not the total sum of the aggregation devices 2 in each work area is greater than or equal to a predetermined number of devices.

  In the above cases 1 to 3, when it is determined that the aggregation devices 2 equal to or more than the predetermined number of devices start to be activated at the same time, the fact and identification information (device ID 411) of the aggregation devices 2 to be activated simultaneously are output. For example, input to a memory buffer.

  The time designation task 46 is transmitted by shifting the time so that a predetermined number or more of activation requests are not transmitted all at once to the corresponding aggregation devices 2 when it is determined by the determination task 45 to start activation all at once. It is a program that transmits a specified time. Here, the transmission designated time includes an elapsed time from the current time (for example, how many minutes later) and an absolute time (what hour and how many minutes).

  First, when the determination task 45 outputs simultaneous activation and identification information of the aggregation devices 2 that are activated simultaneously, first, the number of aggregation devices 2 that are activated simultaneously is calculated. Next, based on the calculated number of devices, a transmission designation time is calculated by shifting the time so that not more than a predetermined number of “life and death registration confirmation request” information (activation requests) are transmitted all at once. Here, the predetermined number means a number that may cause congestion of the data collection server 4 and communication, and is set based on the processing capacity, communication capacity, and the like of the data collection server 4.

  Specifically, the number of groups (groups) into which the aggregation devices 2 to be activated simultaneously are determined based on the processing capacity of the data collection server 4 and the CPU operating status / operation rate and the number of aggregation devices 2 to be activated simultaneously. calculate. For example, in response to an activation request from the aggregation device 2, the maximum number (predetermined number) of the life management process that can be simultaneously executed by the life management task 42 is 100, and the number of the aggregation devices 2 that are activated simultaneously is 200 or less In this case, the number of groups into which the aggregation devices 2 that are activated simultaneously are divided into two groups. Here, when a group is set to a number of devices smaller than 100 (for example, 80) with respect to the processing capacity 100 of the data collection server 4 and an activation request is received from another aggregation device 2 other than simultaneous activation. It may be possible to cope.

  Next, the transmission designation time for each group is set based on the processing time required for the life management process of the life management task 42. Specifically, when the time required for performing life and death management processing for the number of devices in one group is set as the group processing time T, the transmission designation time for each group is set by shifting the time by the group processing time T or more. To do. That is, when the transmission designation time of the first group is T1, the transmission designation time of the second group is “T1 + T + α”, the transmission designation time of the third group is “T1 + 2 × T + α”, and the fourth Is set to “T1 + 3 × T + α” or the like.

  Here, the transmission designation time T1 of the first group is set based on the factor determined by the determination task 45. That is, basically, the current time (or current time + α time), that is, the activation time of the time designation task 46 is set as the transmission designation time T1 of the first group. If the determination is made based on the above, the occurrence time of the event is set as the transmission designated time T1 of the first group. For example, when the power failure information including the predicted time of power failure recovery is determined as the information that causes the start of activation, this predicted time (or predicted time + α time) is set as the transmission designation time T1 of the first group. When the information on the work / construction including the scheduled work completion date / time (time) is determined as the information that causes the start of the start, this scheduled work completion date / time (or scheduled time + α time) is determined as the first group. If the information related to the planned power outage including the scheduled restoration date and time (time) is determined as the information that causes the start of activation, this scheduled restoration date and time (or scheduled time + α time) is set to the first time. The transmission designated time T1 of the th group is assumed.

  Next, the aggregation devices 2 that are activated simultaneously are distributed to each group according to a predetermined priority condition. That is, in order from the aggregation device 2 having the highest priority, the transmission designation time is assigned to the group with the earlier transmission time. Here, the predetermined priority condition is a condition / requirement that can be arbitrarily set. For example, the aggregation device 2 with a distant location or a near aggregation device 2 is given a high priority, or the aggregation device 2 in a predetermined area High priority is given, the aggregation device 2 including a specific consumer is given high priority based on the information in the customer information 413c, or the aggregation device 2 having a large number of connected smart meters 3 is high. Prioritize. By assigning the aggregation device 2 to each group in this way, a transmission designated time for each aggregation device 2 is set according to a predetermined priority condition. When there is no priority condition, according to a predetermined rule (for example, in the storage order of the aggregation database 41) or randomly, the aggregation devices 2 are assigned to each group, and a transmission designated time for each aggregation device 2 is set. Then, the designated transmission time set in this way is transmitted to each aggregation device 2.

  Next, the operation and operation of the life / death management system 1 of the automatic meter-collecting apparatus having the above-described configuration will be described.

  First, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, in case 1 described above, the power distribution network is recovered from the power failure, and the power failure information including the power failure recovery and the power failure area is transmitted from the power failure management server 5 to the data collection server 4. Then (step S1), the determination task 45 of the data collection server 4 is activated (step S2), and it is determined whether or not the aggregation devices 2 of a predetermined number or more start to be activated at the same time when the power failure is restored. . Similarly, when the operation status of the data collection server 4 changes and is detected by the monitoring task 44 (the above case 2), or when information related to the work / construction of the automatic meter reading network is received from the work management server 6 (the above case) Also in 3), the determination task 45 is activated as described above, and the determination is performed.

  Then, if it is determined that the activation is simultaneous, the time designation task 46 is activated (step S3), and as described above, the calculation of the number of groups, the setting of the designated transmission time for each group, the aggregation device 2 to each group is performed. A transmission designation time is transmitted to each of the aggregation devices 2 that are activated simultaneously through distribution (step S4). Thereafter, when each designated transmission time is reached, “life registration registration confirmation request” information (activation request) is transmitted from the corresponding aggregation device 2 to the data collection server 4 (step S5). Here, there may be a case where the “life and death registration confirmation request” information is transmitted from the aggregation device 2 before receiving the transmission designated time, but after receiving the transmission designated time, the “life and death registration confirmation is performed until the transmission designated time is reached. Since the “request” information is not retransmitted, many “life and death registration confirmation request” information is not repeatedly transmitted.

  Subsequently, when the data collection server 4 receives the “life and death registration confirmation request” information, the life and death management task 42 is activated (step S6), the life and death registration process is performed, and the “processing completion” information (activation process) is transmitted to the aggregation device 2. Complete) is transmitted (step S7). Thereafter, when meter reading data is periodically transmitted from the aggregation device 2 to the data collection server 4 (step S8), the data collection task 43 is activated (step S9), and the power usage of each consumer is calculated and aggregated. Etc.

  As described above, according to the life-and-death management system 1 of the automatic meter-reading aggregation device, even when it is necessary to perform life-and-death management on a large number of aggregation devices 2 almost simultaneously, a predetermined number or more of “life and death registration” Since the “life and death registration confirmation request” information is transmitted from each aggregation device 2 at each transmission designation time shifted so that the “confirmation request” information is not transmitted all at once, congestion can be prevented. In particular, since the “life and death registration confirmation request” information is not repeatedly retransmitted, congestion can be effectively prevented. As a result, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the automatic meter reading system is stopped for a long time due to congestion of the data collection server 4 and communication. Further, even if congestion of the automatic meter reading network occurs, it is determined that a predetermined number or more of “life and death registration confirmation request” information is transmitted all at once, and a predetermined number or more of “life and death registration confirmation request” information is received. Since the “life and death registration confirmation request” information is transmitted from each aggregation device 2 at each transmission designation time shifted so that they are not transmitted all at once, early recovery from congestion is possible. As a result, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the automatic meter reading system is stopped for a long time due to congestion of the data collection server 4 and communication.

  Specifically, based on the power failure information, it is determined whether or not the aggregation devices 2 that are equal to or more than a predetermined number of devices start to be activated all at once. For this reason, for example, even if a certain area recovers from a power failure and all the aggregation devices 2 in the area start to start all at once, each aggregation device 2 receives a “life and death registration confirmation request” at each transmission designated time. ”Information is transmitted, so that congestion can be prevented.

  Further, based on the operating status of the data collection server 4, it is determined whether or not the aggregation devices 2 that are equal to or greater than the predetermined number of devices start to be activated all at once. Therefore, for example, even when the data collection server 4 recovers from an operation stop state or a partial failure state, and a predetermined number or more of the aggregation devices 2 start to be activated all at once, Since the “life and death registration confirmation request” information is transmitted from 2, the congestion can be prevented.

  Further, based on the information related to the work / construction of the automatic meter reading network, it is determined whether or not the aggregation devices 2 of a predetermined number or more start to be activated all at once. For this reason, for example, even when the work of the target district is completed and all the aggregation devices 2 in the district start to start at the same time, the “life registration” is performed from each aggregation device 2 at each designated transmission time. Since the “confirmation request” information is transmitted, congestion can be prevented.

  On the other hand, since the designated transmission time for each aggregation device 2 is set in accordance with a predetermined priority condition, life / death management for each aggregation device 2 can be performed in an appropriate order. For example, for the aggregation device 2 to which a specific smart meter 3 (customer) is connected, it is possible to set the transmission designation time to an early time and perform life and death management at an early stage. In addition, by changing the priority condition, it is possible to flexibly adjust the transmission designation time for each aggregation device 2, that is, to flexibly adjust the execution order of life and death management.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the specific configuration is not limited to the above embodiment, and even if there is a design change or the like without departing from the gist of the present invention, Included in the invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the aggregation devices 2 are grouped and the transmission designation time is set for each group, but different transmission designation times may be set for each aggregation device 2. Moreover, although the three information of cases 1 to 3 has been described as information that causes the aggregation device 2 to start up, other information may be included. Furthermore, by combining the requirements and information of cases 1 to 3, it may be determined whether or not the aggregation devices 2 of a predetermined number or more start to be activated all at once. For example, when the date and time of power failure recovery overlap with the date and time of work completion, it is determined whether or not the sum of the aggregation device 2 in the power failure area and the aggregation device 2 in the work area is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of devices. .

  Further, when the power failure date and time and the recovery date and time are known in advance, such as a work power failure, the processing and operation as shown in FIG. 5 may be performed. That is, the determination task 45 and the time designation task 46 are activated in advance (Steps S11 and S12), the transmission designation time is transmitted to each aggregation device 2 (Step S13), and then the power failure information for power failure recovery is received (Step S13). S14) The “life and death registration confirmation request” information (activation request) may be transmitted from each aggregation device 2 at each designated transmission time (step S15). This makes it possible to transmit and instruct the specified transmission time to each aggregation device 2 more reliably. Here, steps S16 to S19 are the same as steps S6 to S9 described above.

1 Alive management system for automatic meter reading aggregation device 2 Aggregation device 3 Smart meter 4 Data collection server (center device)
41 Aggregation database (aggregation device information storage means)
42 Life and death management task 43 Data collection task 44 Monitoring task 45 Judgment task (simultaneous activation judgment means)
46 Time designation task (time designation means)
47 Central processing unit 5 Power outage management server 6 Work management server

Claims (5)

An aggregation device that transmits meter reading data received from a plurality of smart meters to the center device transmits an activation request from the aggregation device to the center device when the aggregation device starts activation in a plurality of automatic meter reading networks. Then, the life and death management system of the automatic meter-reading aggregation device, which performs life-and-death management by transmitting activation processing completion from the center device to the aggregation device,
Aggregating device information storage means for storing aggregating device information including identification information and position information of each aggregating device;
Based on information that causes activation of the aggregation device and the aggregation device information, a simultaneous activation determination unit that determines whether or not the aggregation devices of a predetermined number of devices or more start activation simultaneously,
When it is determined by the simultaneous activation determination means that the activation is started all at once, a specified transmission time is transmitted to each corresponding aggregation device so that a predetermined number or more of the activation requests are not transmitted all at once. And a time designation means to
Each of the aggregation devices transmits the activation request to the center device at the received transmission designated time.
A life-and-death management system for an automatic meter-collecting device. The simultaneous start determination means includes power outage information including a power outage area in information that causes the start of the start,
The life-and-death management system of the automatic meter-collecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The simultaneous activation determination means includes the operation status of the center device in the information that causes the activation start,
The life-and-death management system of the automatic meter-collecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 and 2. The simultaneous activation determination means includes information related to the operation of the automatic meter reading network in information that causes the activation start,
The life-and-death management system of the automatic meter-reading aggregation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The time designation means sets the transmission designation time for each aggregation device according to a predetermined priority condition.
The life-and-death management system of the automatic meter-collecting apparatus of any one of Claims 1 to 4 characterized by the above-mentioned.

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