JP5740556B2 - Remote meter reading system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a power remote meter reading system using multi-hop communication.

  Conventionally, when communicating between communication terminals existing on a communication network, when communication cannot be performed directly between communication terminals that are trying to transmit information, other communication terminals are used for relaying communication. Multi-hop communication that enables communication is known.

  Such multi-hop communication is used for transmission of meter reading data by a meter meter provided at each consumer in a remote meter reading system for commercial power (see, for example, Patent Document 1). If each metering meter with communication function can communicate with each other and cannot communicate directly with the management server of the power company that collects metering data, the communication route using other metering meters for relaying communications Is built with the management server.

JP 2010-4263 A

  In order to balance power demand and power supply, the power company that supplies commercial power divides the distribution area of commercial power into multiple areas, and uses different power supply information for each area. Supply may be performed. The power supply information defines the energizing time zone and the power outage time zone for each area, and each area is set as an energized area or a power outage area depending on the time zone, and the power distribution area is energized even in the same time zone. Area and power outage area are mixed.

  However, since the meter-reading meter is operated by commercial power, the meter-reading meter existing in the power outage area stops its communication function. Therefore, in the remote meter reading system using multi-hop communication by meter-reading meter, when the time zone is changed and the arrangement of the energized area and the power outage area is changed, there is a possibility that the already established multi-hop communication route may be cut off. is there.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above reasons, and an object thereof is to provide a remote meter reading system that enables multi-hop communication using a meter meter even when the arrangement of the energization area and the power outage area changes. There is.

  The remote meter-reading system of the present invention operates using commercial power, and each demand that exists in each of a plurality of areas set for each time zone in an energized area to which commercial power is supplied or a power outage area to which commercial power is not supplied A plurality of meter-reading meters for transmitting meter-reading data of commercial power used by a home by multi-hop communication, a main terminal for receiving the meter-reading data transmitted by each of the plurality of meter-reading meters by multi-hop communication, and the main terminal A management server configured to be communicable and generating power supply information indicating a power supply state for each time zone of the area, and based on the power supply information, the meter reading meter is connected to the main terminal in each of the time zones Communication route deriving means for deriving a communication route established between the meter reading meter and the main meter. Building the door, in a time zone in which the area itself belongs is set to the energizing area, and performs multi-hop communication with the main terminal using the communication routes the derived.

  In the present invention, the communication route deriving means is configured so that the meter-reading meter communicates with the main terminal in each of the time zones based on the power supply information acquired from the management server via the main terminal. It is preferable to be configured by deriving a communication route constructed in (1).

  In this invention, the communication route deriving means is a communication established by the meter reading meter with the main terminal in each of the time zones based on the power supply information acquired by the main terminal from the management server. It is preferable to be configured by deriving a route.

  As described above, the present invention has an effect that multi-hop communication using a meter-reading meter is possible even when the arrangement of the energization area and the power outage area changes.

It is a block diagram which shows the outline of the system of embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of the communication route before a switch same as the above. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of the communication route after a switch same as the above.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a remote meter reading system according to the present embodiment, in which a distribution area A of an electric power company is divided into a plurality of areas B (B1 to B3), and each customer existing in each of the areas B1 to B3. In C, a meter-reading meter 2 serving as a child terminal is provided. In the power distribution area A, the main terminal 1 serving as a parent terminal is installed for each predetermined range (for example, every radius of 500 m).

  The meter-reading meter 2 in the area B1 uses the sign of the meter-reading meter 21. When the meter-reading meter 21 is individually identified, the meter-reading meters 21a, 21b, 21c,. . . Is used. The meter-reading meter 2 in the area B2 uses the sign of the meter-reading meter 22, and when the meter-reading meter 22 is individually identified, the meter-reading meters 22a, 22b, 22c,. . . Is used. The meter reading meter 2 in the area B3 uses the sign of the meter reading meter 23,. . . . . . , When individually identifying the meter-reading meter 23, the meter-reading meters 23a, 23b, 23c,. . . Is used.

  When the main terminals 1 are individually identified, the main terminals 11, 12, 13,. . . Is used.

  The meter-reading meter 2 has a function of metering commercial power used in each customer C and wirelessly transmitting the meter-reading data to one main terminal 1. The main terminal 1 has a function of acquiring meter-reading data wirelessly from a plurality of meter-reading meters 2 and transmitting the acquired meter-reading data to an upper management server CS using an optical fiber line or the like.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a wireless network configured by the remote meter reading system of the present embodiment.

  In this wireless network, the main terminal 1 and the meter-reading meter 2 transmit and receive wireless signals to each other by multi-hop communication. That is, in this wireless network, communication is performed directly or indirectly between the main terminal 1 and each meter-reading meter 2, and the meter-reading meter 2 that cannot communicate directly with the main terminal 1 is connected to another meter-reading meter at a communicable distance. 2 communicates with the main terminal 1 by sequentially relaying communication packets.

  The meter-reading meter 2 stores information (communication route information) related to a communication route established with the main terminal 1 with which the terminal itself communicates, and broadcasts meter-reading data with the communication route information added thereto. The communication route information is represented by sequentially arranging the terminal IDs of the meter-reading meter 2 through the communication route from the own terminal to the main terminal 1. The other meter-reading meter 2 that has received this meter-reading data refers to the communication route information added to the received meter-reading data, and determines whether or not its own terminal is included in the communication route. When the own terminal is included in the communication route, the own terminal determines that it is a relay terminal that relays the received meter reading data, and broadcasts the received meter reading data. In this way, the meter reading data is sequentially relayed by the meter meter 2 constituting the communication route, and reaches the main terminal 1 which is the final transmission destination. Moreover, the meter-reading meter 2 which can communicate directly with the main terminal 1 transmits the meter-reading data directly to the main terminal 1 without relaying by other meter-reading meters 2.

  First, the three communication routes shown in FIG. 2 have already been established. The first communication route is “main terminal 11—meter reading meter 21a—meter reading meter 22a—meter reading meter 23a—meter reading meter 21b”. The second communication route is “main terminal 12—meter reading meter 21c—meter reading meter 23b—meter reading meter 22b—meter reading meter 23c”. The third communication route is “main terminal 13—meter reading meter 22c—meter reading meter 21d—meter reading meter 23d—meter reading meter 23e”.

  Here, the power company that is the power supply source may supply power based on the power supply information in order to balance power demand and power supply. For example, the power supply information is divided into time zones of “0 to 8:00”, “8 to 16:00”, and “16:00 to 24:00”, and each time zone is divided into an energizing time zone or a power failure. Set to the time zone. The energization time zone is a time zone during which commercial power is supplied to the customer C, and the power failure time zone is a time zone during which commercial power is not supplied to the customer C. Since this power supply information is set to different contents for each of the areas B1 to B3, even within the power distribution area A, the energized area to which commercial power is supplied and the commercial power supply are stopped even in the same time zone. The power outage area is mixed.

  However, the meter reading meter 2 is operated by commercial power, and the meter reading meter 2 existing in the power outage area stops its communication function. Therefore, in a remote meter reading system using multi-hop communication, there is a possibility that a multi-hop communication route that has already been constructed is disrupted.

  Therefore, in this system, the following reroute processing is performed.

  First, the management server CS transmits each power supply information of the areas B1 to B3 to each of the main terminals 1. The main terminal 1 transmits each power supply information of the areas B1 to B3 to the subordinate meter reading meter 2 that establishes a communication route with the own terminal, and the meter reading meter 2 supplies each power supply of the areas B1 to B3. Get information.

  In the meter-reading meter 2, the information of the area B to which the meter-reading meter 2 as the relay terminal belongs is associated with the terminal ID of the meter-reading meter 2 (relaying terminal) through the communication route from the own terminal to the main terminal 1. .

  Then, the meter-reading meter 2 set in the energized area in the next time zone is set in the power outage area in the next time zone in the communication route established with the main terminal 1 in the current time zone. It is determined whether or not the meter-reading meter 2 belonging to the area is included as a relay terminal. When the meter reading meter 2 belonging to the area B set as the power outage area in the next time zone is included as a relay terminal, the meter reading meter 2 reads the meter reading belonging to the area B set as the energization area in the next time zone. Using only the meter 2 as a relay terminal, a new communication route is derived from any one of the main terminals 1 (reroute).

  For example, in the wireless network in the current time zone shown in FIG. 2, in the next time zone, areas B1 and B3 are set as energized areas and area B2 is set as a power outage area, and the meter meter 22 belonging to area B2 is The communication function stops in the next time zone. Therefore, in a wireless network in the current time zone, a multi-hop communication route that has already been established is severed.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, a communication route for the next time zone is derived using only the meter meters 21 and 23 belonging to the areas B1 and B3 except for the meter meter 22 (22a to 22c) belonging to the area B2. . In FIG. 3, three communication routes are derived. The first communication route is “main terminal 11-metering meter 21a”. The second communication route is “main terminal 12-metering meter 21c-metering meter 23b-metering meter 23a-metering meter 21b-metering meter 23c”. The third communication route is “main terminal 12-metering meter 23c”. Meter 21c-metering meter 21d-metering meter 23d-metering meter 23e ".

  And when it shifts from the current time zone to the next time zone and the arrangement of the energized area and the power outage area changes, the meter-reading meter 2 moves to the communication route of the next time zone derived in advance as described above. Switch. That is, the wireless network in FIG. 2 is switched to the wireless network in FIG.

  Therefore, even when the arrangement of the energization area and the power outage area changes, multi-hop communication using the meter-reading meter 2 becomes possible. Furthermore, since the communication route for the next time zone is derived in advance based on the power supply information, the communication route based on the arrangement of the energized area and the power outage area after the change can be quickly constructed, and the occurrence of a communication impossible state is generated. Can be suppressed.

  Then, the child terminal 2 performs the above-described reroute processing for each time zone included in the received power supply information, and derives a communication route for each time zone. In the reroute processing, when the child terminal 2 acquires the power supply information, each communication route in all energization time zones may be derived in a lump, or the next energization time is changed every time the time zone is switched. Only the communication route in the band may be derived sequentially.

  Further, the main terminal 1 derives a communication route in the next time zone of the subordinate meter meter 2 based on the power supply information acquired from the management server CS, and the next time zone is transmitted to the subordinate meter meter 2. The communication route information may be transmitted. In this case, the meter-reading meter 2 acquires information on a communication route in the next time zone from the main terminal 1 with which the terminal itself has established a communication route, and switches the communication route based on this information.

  In addition, before the meter-reading meter 2 belonging to the power failure area shifts to the power failure area, a communication route established in the next energization area is derived in advance and stored in the nonvolatile memory. And the meter-reading meter 2 which belongs to a power failure area reads the communication route derived beforehand from the non-volatile memory after the area where the terminal belongs belongs from the power failure area to the energization area, and constructs a new communication route.

  Note that a method for constructing a communication route between the main terminal 1 and the meter-reading meter 2 is a known technique, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

1 (11, 12, ...) Main terminal 2 (21, 22, ...) Meter-reading meter CV management server B (B1, B2, ...) Area C Consumer

Claims (3)

Metering of commercial power used by each customer in each of a plurality of areas set for each time zone in an energized area where commercial power is supplied or a power outage area where commercial power is not supplied A plurality of meter meters that transmit data by multi-hop communication;
A main terminal that receives the meter-reading data transmitted by the multi-hop communication from each of the plurality of meter-reading meters;
A management server configured to be communicable with the main terminal and generating power supply information indicating a power supply state for each time zone of the area;
Communication route deriving means for deriving a communication route that the meter-reading meter establishes with the main terminal in each of the time zones based on the power supply information;
The meter-reading meter establishes a communication route with one main terminal, and uses the derived communication route to communicate with the main terminal in a time zone when the area to which the meter belongs is set as the energization area. A remote meter reading system characterized by multi-hop communication between each other.   The communication route deriving unit is a communication that the meter-reading meter establishes with the main terminal in each of the time zones based on the power supply information acquired from the management server via the main terminal. The remote meter reading system according to claim 1, wherein the remote meter reading system is configured by deriving a route.   The communication route deriving unit derives a communication route which the meter reading meter establishes with the main terminal in each of the time zones based on the power supply information acquired by the main terminal from the management server. The remote meter reading system according to claim 1, comprising:

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