JP2017045227A - Centralized monitoring system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a centralized monitoring system that can monitor both of a meter for performing communication via a U bus and a meter for performing communication via an N line by using a monitoring device for performing communication via the U bus.SOLUTION: If U bus radio devices 13a-13c determine that they are connected with U bus meters 12a-12c respectively, they transmit a U-bus message received from a U bus monitoring device 2 to the U bus meters 12a-12c without converting the U-bus message, and transmit a message received from the U bus meters 12a-12c to the U bus monitoring device 2 without converting the message. If they determine that they are connected with an N line meter 12d, they convert a U-bus message received from the U bus monitoring device 2 into an N line message, and transmit the N line message to the N line meter 12d, and convert an N-line message received from the N line meter 12d into a U-bus message, and transmit the U-bus message to the U bus monitoring device 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a centralized monitoring system, and more particularly, to a centralized monitoring system including a plurality of meters and a monitoring device that monitors the plurality of meters by communication with the plurality of meters.

  Conventionally, as the above-described centralized monitoring system, a system that uses a telephone line to communicate between a meter and a monitoring device provided in a centralized monitoring center has been widely used. In such a centralized monitoring system, an NCU for connecting to a telephone line is connected to a meter, and the meter and the monitoring device communicate with each other via an N line.

  Further, in recent years, a meter reading device is composed of a GW wireless device and a meter wireless device connected to the meter, and the meter wireless device transmits a meter reading value directly or to a GW wireless device relaying another meter wireless device. A network is known (Patent Document 1). Then, it is considered that the GW radio is connected to a mobile phone communication network or a telephone line, and a plurality of meters are centrally monitored by a monitoring device. The communication used for this centralized monitoring system is considered to use a communication protocol different from the N line such as U bus and U bus air described in Patent Document 2.

  In the future, it is expected that U-bus gas meters that can communicate by U-bus and U-bus air will spread. However, it is expected that U-bus gas meters and N-line gas meters that can communicate by N-line will be mixed in the middle of spreading. Is done.

  For this reason, the management company has a problem that it is necessary to separately provide a monitoring device that can perform communication by U bus and U bus air and a monitoring device that can perform communication by N line, and separately monitor them. .

JP 2012-28966 A JP 2014-102783 A

  Therefore, the present invention uses a monitoring device that communicates with the first communication protocol (U bus), and a meter that can communicate with the first communication protocol and a meter that can communicate with the second communication protocol (N line) It is an object to provide a centralized monitoring system capable of monitoring both.

  The invention according to claim 1, which has been made to solve the above-described problem, includes a plurality of meters and a monitoring device that monitors the plurality of meters by communication with the plurality of meters. A centralized monitoring system in which a first meter that communicates with the same first communication protocol as the monitoring device and a second meter that communicates with a second communication protocol different from the monitoring device are mixed, A converter connected to a second meter, the converter converts a message of the first communication protocol received from the monitoring device into a message of the second communication protocol, and transmits the message to the second meter. A centralized monitoring system that converts a message of the second communication protocol received from the second meter into a message of the first communication protocol and transmits the message to the monitoring device. .

  The invention according to claim 2 converts the message received from the monitoring device when the converter is connected to each of the first meter and the second meter and determines that the converter is connected to the first meter. If the message transmitted from the first meter is transmitted to the monitoring device without conversion and determined to be connected to the second meter, the monitoring device transmits the message received from the first meter without conversion. The received message of the first communication protocol is converted into the message of the second communication protocol and transmitted to the second meter, and the message of the second communication protocol received from the second meter is converted to the first communication protocol. The centralized monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the centralized monitoring system converts the message into a message and transmits to the monitoring device.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the monitoring device collectively transmits a plurality of requests into one request message, and the converter connected to the second meter receives the one request message from the monitoring device. Upon receipt, the single message is converted into a plurality of request messages, one of the plurality of request messages is transmitted to the second meter, and each time a response message is received from the second meter, the remaining request messages are received. One message is transmitted one by one, all request messages are transmitted, and when all response messages are received, all the response messages are collected into one response message and transmitted to the monitoring device. The centralized monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2.

  The invention according to claim 4 is a GW radio that can communicate with the monitoring device, and a meter radio that is connected to the second meter, and relays the GW radio directly or another meter radio. 4. The centralized monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the converter is provided in the meter radio. 5.

  As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, the converter converts the message of the first communication protocol received from the monitoring device into the message of the second communication protocol, transmits the message to the second meter, and The telegram of the second communication protocol received from 2 meters is converted into the telegram of the first communication protocol and transmitted to the monitoring device. Therefore, it is possible to monitor both the first meter that performs communication using the first communication protocol and the second meter that performs communication using the second communication protocol, using the monitoring device that performs communication using the first communication protocol.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the converter built in the communication unit determines that the converter is connected to the first meter, the message received from the monitoring device is transmitted to the first meter without conversion. At the same time, when the message received from the first meter is transmitted to the monitoring device without conversion and is determined to be connected to the second meter, the message of the first communication protocol received from the monitoring device is changed to the second communication protocol. The electronic message is converted into a message and transmitted to the second meter, and the message of the second communication protocol received from the second meter is converted into a message of the first communication protocol and transmitted to the monitoring device. Thereby, it is not necessary to provide a converter separately from the communication unit. Moreover, since it is not necessary to provide two types of communication units for the first meter and for the second meter, the cost can be reduced.

  According to invention of Claim 3, the message | telegram by the 1st communication protocol with large communication capacity can be easily converted into the message | telegram by the 2nd communication protocol with small communication capacity.

  According to the invention of claim 4, it is not necessary to provide a converter separately from the meter radio.

It is explanatory drawing which shows one Embodiment of the centralized monitoring system of this invention. It is a figure which shows the electric constitution of the U bus radio shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing about the communication performed with the centralized monitoring system shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating communication with the monitoring apparatus via the U bus radio | wireless machine shown in FIG. 1, and an N line meter.

  The centralized monitoring system of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. A centralized monitoring system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a system for centrally monitoring meters 12a to 12d by a U bus monitoring device 2 provided in a centralized monitoring center by communication. As shown in FIG. 1, the centralized monitoring system 1 includes a U bus monitoring device 2 (monitoring device) provided in a centralized monitoring center, and a meter reading network 3.

  The U bus monitoring device 2 is composed of, for example, a personal computer in which a centralized monitoring application is installed. The U bus monitoring device 2 is a device that can perform communication using the U bus air (first communication protocol) but cannot perform communication using the N line (second communication protocol).

  The meter-reading network 3 includes a wide-area wireless terminal 11 (GW wireless device) and a plurality of U-bus wireless devices 13a to 13d (meter wireless devices, communication units, converters) connected to U-bus meters 12a to 12c and an N-line meter 12d. The U bus radio devices 13a to 13d transmit various information such as meter reading values of the respective meters 12a to 12d directly or relay to other wide area radio terminals 11 via the other U bus radio devices 13a to 13d. It is a network.

  The wide area wireless terminal 11 transmits various information received from the U bus radio devices 13a to 13d to the U bus monitoring device 2 via a telephone line or the like.

  The meters 12a to 12d are meters that are installed in customer's homes and measure water, gas, electricity, and the like. The U bus meters 12 a to 12 c (first meters) are meters that can perform communication using the same U bus air as the U bus monitoring device 2. The N line meter 12d (second meter) is a meter that can perform communication using N lines different from the U bus monitoring device 2. In the example shown in FIG. 1, a meter is not connected to the wide area wireless terminal 11, but a meter may be connected. As described above, the U bus meters 12a to 12c and the N line meter 12d are mixed.

  Each of the U bus radio devices 13a to 13d includes a control unit 4 configured by a microcomputer or the like, a U bus connection unit 5, an N line connection unit 6, and a U bus radio unit 7. The U bus connection unit 5 is a connection unit for connecting to the U bus meters 12a to 12c in a wired manner. The N line connection unit 6 is a connection unit for connecting to the N line meter 12d by wire. The U bus radio unit 7 is composed of a modem and an antenna for performing radio communication on the U bus.

  Next, operations of the U bus radio devices 13a to 13d constituting the centralized monitoring system 1 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIG. First, the control unit 4 of the U bus radio devices 13a to 13d is connected to which of the U bus meters 12a to 12c and the N line meter 12d based on the connection state of the U bus connection unit 5 and the N line connection unit 6. judge.

  More specifically, the control unit 4 of the U bus radio devices 13a to 13d transmits a U bus telegram from the U bus connection unit 5 and determines that it is connected to the U bus meters 12a to 12c when a response telegram can be received. If the response message cannot be received, it is determined that the U bus meters 12a to 12c are not connected. Moreover, the control part 4 of U bus radio | wireless machines 13a-13d transmits N line message | telegram from the N line connection part 6, when it can receive a response message | telegram, it will determine with being connected to N line meter 12d, and a response message | telegram will be received. If not received, it is determined that it is not connected to the N line meter 12d.

  The control unit 4 of the U bus radio devices 13a to 13c determined to be connected to the U bus meters 12a to 12c receives from the U bus monitoring device 2 via the wide area radio terminal 11, as shown in FIG. The U bus telegram is output from the U bus connection unit 5 without being converted and transmitted to the U bus meters 12a to 12c. Further, the control unit 4 outputs the U bus telegram received from the U bus meters 12 a to 12 c from the U bus radio unit 7 without conversion, and transmits the U bus telegram to the U bus monitoring device 2 via the wide area radio terminal 11.

  The control unit 4 of the U bus radio device 13d determined to be connected to the N line meter 12d converts the U bus message transmitted from the U bus monitoring device 2 into an N line message as shown in FIG. It converts, outputs from the N line connection part 6, and transmits to the N line meter 12d. Further, the control unit 4 converts the N line telegram received from the N line meter 12 d into a U bus telegram, outputs it from the U bus radio unit 7, and transmits it to the U bus monitoring device 2 via the wide area radio terminal 11.

  According to the above-described embodiment, the U bus radio device 13d converts the U bus telegram received from the U bus monitoring device 2 into an N line telegram and transmits it to the N line meter 12d and also receives it from the N line meter 12d. The N line message is converted into a U bus message and transmitted to the U bus monitoring device 2. Therefore, it is possible to monitor both the U bus meters 12a to 12c that communicate with the U bus air and the N line meter 12d that communicates with the N line by using the U bus monitoring device 2 that communicates with the U bus air.

  Moreover, according to embodiment mentioned above, the control part 4 is connected to any of U bus meter 12a-12c and N line meter 12d based on the connection state of the U bus connection part 5 and the N line connection part 6. Determine. Thus, the U bus radios 13a to 13d can be set without setting the U bus radios 13a to 13d as to whether the U bus meters 12a to 12c or the N line meter 12d are connected in advance. Is automatically connected to any of the U bus meters 12a to 12c and the N line meter 12d.

  Moreover, according to embodiment mentioned above, when it determines with U bus radio | wireless machine 13a-13d being connected to U bus meter 12a-12c, it does not convert the U bus message received from the U bus monitoring apparatus 2. When transmitting to the U bus meter 12a to 12c and transmitting the U bus telegram received from the U bus meter 12a to 12c to the U bus monitoring device 2 without conversion, and determining that it is connected to the N line meter 12d, The U bus telegram received from the bus monitoring device 2 is converted into an N line telegram and transmitted to the N line meter 12d, and the N line telegram received from the N line meter 12d is converted into a U bus telegram and the U bus monitoring device 2 Send to. Thereby, it is not necessary to provide a converter separately from the U bus radio devices 13a to 13d. Moreover, since it is not necessary to provide two types of U bus radio devices 13a to 13d for the U bus meters 12a to 12c and the N line meter 12d, the cost can be reduced.

  Next, details of communication between the N line meter 12d and the U bus monitoring device 2 will be described with reference to FIG. Communication using the U bus has a higher communication speed (communication capacity) than communication using the N line. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 4, the U bus monitoring device can transmit requests for a plurality of data A, data B, and data C in one U bus message.

  When the control unit 4 of the U bus radio device 13d determined to be connected to the N line meter 12d receives the U bus telegram (request telegram) collected from the U bus monitoring device 2, the N line communicates. Since it is slow, it cannot be simply converted to an N-line message. Therefore, the control unit 4 sends one U bus message indicating a request for data A, data B, and data C, an N line message indicating a request for data A, an N line message indicating a request for data B, and a request for data C. Is converted into a plurality of N line messages. Then, the control part 4 transmits the N line message which shows the request | requirement of the data A which is one of these several N line messages to the N line meter 12d.

  Thereafter, when receiving an N line message (response message) indicating a response of data A from the N line meter 12d, the control unit 4 transmits an N line message indicating a request for data B to the N line meter 12d. Further, when receiving an N line message indicating a response of data B from the N line meter 12d, the control unit 4 transmits an N line message indicating a request for data C to the N line meter 12d. Thereafter, the control unit 4 receives an N line telegram indicating a response of data C from the N line meter 12d.

  As described above, the control unit 4 transmits one of the N line messages indicating a plurality of requests to the N line meter 12d, and then receives the N line message indicating the response from the N line meter 12d. N-line telegrams indicating the requests are sent one by one.

  As a result, the control unit 4 transmits an N line message indicating all requests and receives an N line message indicating all responses to the request, and then transmits the N line message indicating all the responses to one U bus. The messages are collected and sent to the U-bus monitoring device 2.

  According to the above-described embodiment, a U-bus message having a large communication capacity can be easily converted into an N-line message having a small communication capacity.

  In addition, according to embodiment mentioned above, U bus radio | wireless machine 13a-13d determines whether it is connected to U bus meter 12a-12c or N line meter 12d, and is connected to U bus meter 12a-12c. If it is determined that the message is converted, the message is not converted, and if it is determined that the N line meter 12d is connected, the message is converted. However, the present invention is not limited to this. U bus radios 13a to 13c for U bus meters 12a to 12c having no connection determination function and message conversion function, and U bus for N line meter 12d having no connection determination function and having a message conversion function The wireless device 13d may be provided separately.

  Moreover, according to embodiment mentioned above, U bus radio | wireless machines 13a-13d are based on the connection state of the U bus connection part 5 and the N line connection part 6, and are any of U bus meter 12a-12c and N line meter 12c. Although it was determined whether it is connected, it is not limited to this. For example, a selector switch or the like is provided on the U bus radio devices 13a to 13d, and the administrator operates the change switch depending on whether the meter connected when installing the U bus radio devices 13a to 13d is the U bus meter 12a to 12c or the N line meter 12d. However, the U bus radio devices 13a to 13d may make a determination according to the state of the changeover switch.

  Further, according to the above-described embodiment, the function of converting the U bus telegram and the N line telegram is built in the U bus radio devices 13a to 13d. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A converter may be provided between the U bus radio devices 13a to 13d and the meters 12a to 12d.

  Further, according to the above-described embodiment, the wide area wireless terminal 11 is connected to the U bus monitoring device 2 via a telephone line, but is not limited thereto. For example, the U bus monitoring device 2 may be connected not only via a telephone line but also via a cellular phone communication network.

  Further, the above-described embodiments are merely representative forms of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. That is, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1 Centralized monitoring system 2 U bus monitoring device (monitoring device)
3 Meter-reading network 11 Wide area wireless terminal (GW radio)
12a-12c U bus meter (first meter)
12d N line meter (second meter)
13a-13d U bus radio (converter, communication unit, meter radio)

Claims (4)

A first meter that includes a plurality of meters and a monitoring device that monitors the plurality of meters by communication with the plurality of meters, the plurality of meters communicating with the same first communication protocol as the monitoring device; , A centralized monitoring system in which a second meter that communicates with a second communication protocol different from the monitoring device is mixed,
A transducer connected to the second meter;
The converter converts a message of the first communication protocol received from the monitoring device into a message of the second communication protocol, transmits the message to the second meter, and receives the second communication received from the second meter. A centralized monitoring system, wherein a protocol message is converted into a message of the first communication protocol and transmitted to the monitoring device. In order to communicate with the monitoring device, each communication unit is connected to the first meter and the second meter,
The converter is built in the communication unit,
If it is determined that it is connected to the first meter, the message received from the monitoring device is transmitted to the first meter without conversion, and the message received from the first meter is not converted. When it is determined that it is connected to the second meter, the message of the first communication protocol received from the monitoring device is converted into the message of the second communication protocol and transmitted to the second meter. The centralized monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising: converting a message of the second communication protocol received from the second meter into a message of the first communication protocol and transmitting the message to the monitoring device. The monitoring device collectively transmits a plurality of requests into one request message,
When the converter connected to the second meter receives the one request message from the monitoring device, the converter converts the one message into a plurality of request messages, and converts one of the plurality of request messages into the second request message. When the response message from the second meter is received, the remaining request messages are transmitted one by one, all the request messages are transmitted, and all the response messages are received. The centralized monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein all of the response messages are combined into one response message and transmitted to the monitoring device. A GW radio capable of communicating with the monitoring device;
A meter radio connected to the second meter, the meter radio capable of communicating with the GW radio directly or via another meter radio, and
The centralized monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the converter is provided in the meter radio.

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