JP3232303B2 - Terminal device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a terminal device, and more particularly to a terminal device suitable for use in, for example, an automatic meter reading system for automatically metering the amount of electricity used remotely.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a conventional terminal device used in, for example, an automatic meter reading system. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a center interface unit for communicating with an upper system, for example, a center device (not shown), 2 denotes an address setting unit for setting an address of a terminal device, and 3 denotes an address set by the address setting unit 2. An address comparison unit for comparing an address for designating a terminal device with which the center device communicates when communicating with the center device;
Is a power meter interface unit for communicating with a plurality of power meters with communication functions (not shown), 5 is a control unit for controlling communication with the center device and the power meter, and 6 is connected to the terminal device. A watt hour meter address setting unit for setting an address of the watt hour meter to be set.

Next, the operation will be described. When a message for instructing meter reading is received by the center interface unit 1 from the center device, the address comparison unit 3 compares the address in the message with the address designating the terminal device to communicate with the address set by the address setting unit 2. If they match, the control unit 5 notifies that communication is possible by transmitting a response message to the center device via the center interface unit 1. After that, if meter reading is to be performed, a message including an address for designating the watt hour meter to be metered is transmitted from the center device, received by the center interface unit 1, and supplied to the control unit 5. Then the control unit 5
Compares the address of the specified watt-hour meter with the set value of the watt-hour address setting unit 6 and, if the specified watt-hour meter exists, sets the connection terminal of the specified watt-hour meter; Communication with the meter is executed via the watt hour meter interface unit 4, and after reading the meter readings, the collected meter readings are transmitted to the center device via the center interface unit 1.

[0004]

Since the conventional terminal device is configured as described above, it is necessary to set the address of the terminal device and the address of the watt-hour meter on the terminal device side.
When a large number of watt-hour meters are connected, there are problems that the watt-hour meter address setting section becomes complicated and that communication efficiency is poor.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and it is possible for a center device to directly designate a watt hour meter connected directly to a terminal device and collect meter reading values. It is another object of the present invention to provide a terminal device which has a simple configuration that does not require setting of an address of a watt hour meter and has excellent communication efficiency.

[0006]

A terminal device according to the present invention has a function of executing communication with a higher-level system for collecting data, and a function of communicating with a plurality of measuring instruments with a communication function which are distributed and installed. In a terminal device having: a means for setting the address of the terminal device and the number of connections of the measuring device; and a means for generating an address for the measuring device from the set address of the terminal device and the number of connections of the measuring device. It is provided.

[0007]

In the present invention, regardless of the type of terminal device, for example, a terminal device to which only one watt-hour meter can be connected, 10, 20, or 100 terminal devices to which a higher-level system can be connected, Only the measuring device is targeted for communication, the measurement can be executed efficiently without being conscious of the terminal device, and there is no need to set the address of the measuring device in the terminal device.

[0008]

【Example】

Embodiment 1 FIG. Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, taking as an example a case where the embodiment is applied to a terminal device in an automatic meter reading system for electric energy. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, parts corresponding to those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 2A denotes an address setting unit that sets the address of the terminal device and the number of connected watt hour meters, and 7 denotes an address determination unit that generates and determines a watt hour meter address.

Next, the operation will be described. When the interface unit 1 receives a message for instructing meter reading from the center device, the address determination unit 7 sets the address setting unit 2A.
Generates an address of a communicable watt-hour meter from the terminal device address and the number of watt-hour meters set according to, and the amount of power specified to perform communication within the received message with the address of the watt-hour meter The address of the meter is compared and determined. If the addresses match, the meter communicates with the watt hour meter specified by the watt hour meter interface 4 and transmits the collected meter reading values to the interface unit 1 via the control unit 5. Send to device. The address control unit 7 generates an address of the watt hour meter as an example as follows. That is,
The terminal device address is 1230 and the number of watt hour meters connected is 8
Then, for each of the eight watt-hour meters, 1231 to 1
238 addresses.

Embodiment 2 FIG. In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a terminal device used when measuring the amount of power has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
It may be applied to a terminal device used in other cases, for example, a terminal device used when measuring a water amount or a gas amount, and is also limited to a terminal device used in a system for measuring such a demand amount. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to terminal devices in other communication systems, and has the same effect.

[0011]

As described above, according to the present invention, a function of executing communication with a higher-level system for collecting data and a function of communicating with a plurality of measuring instruments with a communication function which are distributed and installed are provided. A terminal device having a means for setting an address of the terminal device and the number of connections of the measuring device; and a means for generating an address for the measuring device from the set address of the terminal device and the number of connections of the measuring device. Therefore, it is not necessary to set the address setting in units of measuring instruments, the address setting is easy, and the management of the address in the center device can be set at the terminal device and the measuring device co-level, and can be unified. However, it is possible to obtain a terminal device which is simple and has excellent communication efficiency.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of a terminal device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a conventional terminal device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 center interface unit, 2A address setting unit, 3 address comparison unit, 4 watt hour meter interface unit, 5 control unit, 7 address determination unit.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Takehiro Hayashi 2-182 Watanabe-dori, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture Inside Kyushu Electric Power Company (72) Inventor Shigeto Toita 1-8 Midoricho, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture Inside Fukuyama Works, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (72) Inventor Kenichi Sasaki 4--19-18 Shimizu, Minami-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture Inside Kyushu Electric Manufacturing Co., Ltd. No. 1-1 Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-5-242389 (JP, A) JP-A-59-111443 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB G01R 11/00-11/66 G01R 21/00-22/00 130 G08C 19/00 301

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A terminal device having a function of executing communication with a higher-level system for collecting data and a function of communicating with a plurality of measuring instruments with a communication function which are installed in a distributed manner. A terminal device, comprising: means for setting the number of connected measuring devices; and means for generating an address for the measuring device from the set address of the terminal device and the number of connected measuring devices.