JP6898014B1 - Wireless communication system, wireless communication method, relay station and wireless communication program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wireless communication system, a wireless communication method, a relay station, and a wireless communication program capable of updating firmware while suppressing the occurrence of radio wave interference. A wireless communication system 1 according to the present invention has a server 60, a master station 30 that communicates with a server 60 via a network 50, a relay station 20 that communicates with the master station 30, and wireless communication with the relay station 20. It is provided with a plurality of slave stations 10a to 10c which are connectable and transmit the measured data to the server 60 via the relay station 20 and the master station 30, and the relay station 20 transmits from the plurality of slave stations 10a to 10c. Upon receiving the received data, the FW distribution time, which is the distribution time of the updated firmware, is notified to the slave stations 10a to 10c, and the slave stations 10a to 10c set their own startup time based on the FW distribution time. At the startup time, the relay station 20 is in the startup state, and at the FW distribution time, the relay station 20 distributes the updated firmware to the slave stations 10a to 10c. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

The present invention relates to wireless communication systems, wireless communication methods, relay stations and wireless communication programs.

A multi-hop wireless communication method is known as a wireless communication technology. In the multi-hop wireless communication system, adjacent wireless terminals transfer data in a bucket-relay manner to deliver the data to the base station. Since the multi-hop wireless communication method can wirelessly transfer data to the base station even from a place far away from the coverage area of the base station alone, it is also used in rivers and mountainous areas where there is no public line.
For example, in Patent Document 1, when multi-hop communication is performed between a base station and a plurality of wireless terminals, each wireless terminal transfers data by an intermittent operation method, thereby reducing the power consumption of each wireless terminal and reducing the battery. The invention of a multi-hop wireless communication system, a base station thereof, and a wireless terminal for extending the life is disclosed.

JP-A-2007-116408

In addition, in LPWA (Low Power, Wide Area) wireless communication systems such as the LoRa (Long Range) standard, which enable communication over a wide area with low power consumption, it is difficult for wireless terminals to obtain power at all times or to replace batteries. It may be installed in the environment, so it is desirable to operate on battery power for several years. As a measure for prolonging the life of the battery, means such as stopping the power supply to unnecessary parts of the wireless terminal and shifting to the sleep mode are used.
Further, in the LPWA wireless communication system, the radio wave of the wireless terminal reaches a wide range, and the wireless terminal outputs the radio wave for a long time, so that radio wave interference with other terminals is likely to occur. In order to prevent this, a data transmission schedule is set for each wireless terminal so that radio waves are not output at the same time when data is transmitted to a relay station or the like.

In such an LPWA wireless communication system, when updating the firmware (hereinafter, abbreviated as FW), the update FW must be distributed when each wireless terminal is in the activated state. Therefore, it is necessary to distribute the updated FW according to the data transmission schedule of each wireless terminal.
Further, since the amount of data that can be transmitted by each wireless terminal at one time is smaller than the data size of a general FW, the updated FW needs to be divided into a plurality of data blocks and distributed. Therefore, if the radio wave is output for a longer time than the normal data transmission and the transmission schedule of the other wireless terminal is matched, the measurement data transmission of the other wireless terminal and the distribution of the updated FW interfere with each other. There is also the problem of doing it.

As described above, Patent Document 1 discloses a multi-hop wireless communication system and the like that can reduce the power consumption of each wireless terminal and extend the battery life. However, Patent Document 1 does not assume that they update the FW, and does not disclose the means thereof.
The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a wireless communication system, a wireless communication method, a relay station, and a wireless communication program capable of updating firmware while suppressing the occurrence of radio wave interference. The purpose is to do.

The wireless communication system according to the present invention is connected to a server, a master station that communicates with the server via a network, a relay station that communicates with the master station, and the relay station so as to be capable of wireless communication, and measures data. The relay station includes a relay station and a plurality of slave stations that transmit the data to the server via the master station, and the relay station updates when it receives the data transmitted from the plurality of slave stations. The FW distribution time, which is the distribution time of the firmware, is notified to the slave station, the slave station sets its own startup time based on the FW distribution time, and the relay station is activated at the startup time. At the FW distribution time, the updated firmware is distributed to the slave station.

In the wireless communication method according to the present invention, when the communication station on the update firmware provider side receives the data measured by each of the plurality of slave stations, it notifies the slave station of the FW delivery time, which is the delivery time of the update firmware. Steps to be performed, a step in which the slave station sets its own start time based on the FW delivery time, and the start time is set to the start state, and when the communication station reaches the FW delivery time, the child It includes a step of distributing the updated firmware to the station.

The relay station according to the present invention is a relay station that receives the data measured by each of the plurality of slave stations and transmits the data to the server, and when the relay station receives the data transmitted from the plurality of slave stations, It is provided with a notification means for notifying the slave station of the FW distribution time, which is the distribution time of the updated firmware, and a distribution means for distributing the updated firmware to the slave station at the FW distribution time.

The wireless communication program according to the present invention is a wireless communication program that operates a computer as a relay station that receives data measured by each of a plurality of slave stations and transmits the data to a server, and is transmitted from the plurality of slave stations. Upon receiving the transmitted data, the step of notifying the slave station of the FW delivery time, which is the delivery time of the updated firmware, and the step of delivering the updated firmware to the slave station at the FW delivery time. It is prepared.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a wireless communication system, a wireless communication method, a relay station, and a wireless communication program capable of updating firmware while suppressing the occurrence of radio wave interference.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the wireless communication system which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the wireless communication system which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the slave station which concerns on Embodiment 2. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the relay station which concerns on Embodiment 2. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the master station which concerns on Embodiment 2. It is a sequence chart explaining an example of the operation of the wireless communication system which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a sequence chart explaining an example of the operation of the wireless communication system which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a sequence chart explaining an example of the operation of the wireless communication system which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a sequence chart explaining an example of the operation of the wireless communication system which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a sequence chart explaining an example of the operation of the wireless communication system which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a sequence chart explaining an example of the operation of the wireless communication system which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a sequence chart explaining an example of the operation of the wireless communication system which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a figure which shows the hardware configuration example of the wireless communication system which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG.

<Embodiment 1>
Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a wireless communication system according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication system 1 includes a server 60, a network 50, a master station 30, a relay station 20, and a plurality of slave stations 10a to 10c.

The server 60 receives the data measured by the plurality of slave stations 10a to 10c via the relay station 20 and the master station 30. The master station 30 communicates with the server 60 via the network 50. The relay station 20 communicates with the master station 30. The plurality of slave stations 10a to 10c are connected to the relay station 20 so as to be able to wirelessly communicate with each other. The plurality of slave stations 10a to 10c measure the data and transmit the data to the server 60 via the relay station 20 and the master station 30.

When the relay station 20 receives the data transmitted from the plurality of slave stations 10a to 10c, the relay station 20 notifies the slave station of the FW delivery time, which is the delivery time of the updated firmware. The slave station sets its own start time based on the FW distribution time, and is in the start state at the start time. The relay station 20 distributes the updated firmware to the slave station at the FW distribution time.
According to the wireless communication system according to the present embodiment, the firmware can be updated while suppressing the occurrence of radio wave interference.

<Embodiment 2>
The wireless communication system according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the wireless communication system 2 according to the second embodiment. In the present embodiment, a wireless communication system 2 that communicates by LoRa and operates in a power-saving multi-hop communication environment (example: Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-160883) will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, the wireless communication system 2 includes a server 60, a network 50, a master station 30, a relay station 20a having a plurality of slave stations 10a to 10c under the control, and a plurality of slave stations 10d to subordinates. A relay station 20b having 10f and a control PC 70 are provided. The relay stations 20a and 20b form networks 40a and 40b, respectively.

The plurality of slave stations 10a to 10f, the relay stations 20a and 20b, and the master station 30 form a multi-hop network as shown in FIG. The relay station 20a and the master station 30 can directly communicate with each other, but since the relay station 20b cannot directly communicate with the master station 30, communication with the master station 30 via the relay station 20a. I do.

The plurality of slave stations 10a to 10f can measure data. Each of the plurality of slave stations 10a to 10f has a battery, and the plurality of slave stations 10a to 10f are operated by the battery. The plurality of slave stations 10a to 10c and 10d to 10f can wirelessly communicate with the relay stations 20a and 20b, respectively, and transmit the measured data to the relay stations 20a and 20b, respectively. The plurality of slave stations 10a to 10f are normally in the sleep mode, and are controlled so as to return from the sleep mode and enter the activated state while performing operations requiring activation such as data measurement, data transmission, and update FW distribution. ing.

When the FW distribution time is notified from the relay stations 20a and 20b, the plurality of slave stations 10a to 10f set their own start time based on the distribution time. The plurality of slave stations 10a to 10f are controlled so as to be in the activated state at the set own activation time. Specifically, when the plurality of slave stations 10a to 10f are in the sleep mode at the set startup time, they return from the sleep mode and enter the activation state, and if they are already in the activation state, the activation state is maintained as it is.

The relay station 20a is installed in a place where power can be supplied, and operates by the power supply. The relay station 20a is always in the operation mode and does not shift to the sleep mode. The relay station 20a transfers the data received from each of the plurality of slave stations 10a to 10c to the master station 30. Further, the relay station 20a can communicate with the relay station 20b, and transfers the data received from the relay station 20b to the master station 30.
When the relay station 20a receives data from the plurality of slave stations 10a to 10c, the relay station 20a notifies the slave station of the FW distribution time. The relay station 20a distributes the updated FW to the slave station at the FW distribution time.

The relay station 20b can communicate with the relay station 20a, but cannot directly communicate with the master station 30. Therefore, the relay station 20b transmits the data measured by the plurality of slave stations 10d to 10f to the server 60 via the relay station 20a and the master station 30.
Since the other configurations of the relay station 20b are the same as those of the relay station 20a, the description thereof will be omitted.

The master station 30 is installed in a place where power can be supplied, and operates by the power supply. The master station 30 is always in the operation mode and does not shift to the sleep mode. The master station 30 can communicate with the server 60 via the network 50. The master station 30 transfers the data received from the relay station 20a to the server 60.

The server 60 is installed in a place where power can be supplied, and operates by the power supply. The server 60 is always in the operating mode and does not enter the sleep mode. The server 60 receives the data measured by the plurality of slave stations 10a to 10f via the relay stations 20a and 20b and the master station 30.

The control PC 70 is a computer that can be operated by the user. The control PC 70 can communicate with the server 60 and the master station 30 via the network 50. By operating the control PC 70, the user can instruct the master station 30 to change the settings or the like.

The configuration of the slave station 10 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. The plurality of slave stations 10a to 10f have the same configuration. The slave station 10 includes a control unit 101, a LoRa radio unit 102, a memory 103, a measurement unit 104, and an RTC (Real Time Clock) 105.
The control unit 101 controls the operations of the LoRa radio unit 102, the memory 103, the measurement unit 104, and the RTC 105. The LoRa radio unit 102 wirelessly communicates with the relay station 20 by LPWA such as a specific low power radio. Specifically, the LoRa wireless unit 102 performs wireless communication by, for example, LoRa, but is not limited to this. The measuring unit 104 measures data such as water level and vibration. The memory 103 stores the data measured by the measuring unit 104 and the information received from the relay station 20. The RTC 105 is a clock that operates even when the slave station 10 is in the sleep mode.

The configuration of the relay station 20 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. The relay stations 20a and 20b have the same configuration, respectively. The relay station 20 includes a control unit 201, a LoRa radio unit 202, a memory 203, and an RTC 204.
The control unit 201 controls the operations of the LoRa radio unit 202, the memory 203, and the RTC 204. The LoRa radio unit 202 performs wireless communication with the subordinate slave station 10 and the master station 30. However, in the present embodiment, the relay station 20b does not directly communicate with the master station 30. The LoRa radio unit 202 performs wireless communication by LPWA such as a specific low power radio. Specifically, the LoRa wireless unit 202 performs wireless communication by, for example, LoRa, but is not limited to this. The memory 203 stores data received from the subordinate slave station 10 and information received from the master station 30. The RTC204 is a clock that keeps track of the current time in the relay station 20.

The configuration of the master station 30 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. The master station 30 includes a control unit 301, a LoRa radio unit 302, a memory 303, a WLAN unit 304, and an RTC 305.
The control unit 301 controls the operations of the LoRa radio unit 302, the memory 303, the WLAN unit 304, and the RTC 305. The LoRa radio unit 302 performs wireless communication with the relay station 20a by LPWA such as a specific low power radio. Specifically, the LoRa wireless unit 302 performs wireless communication by, for example, LoRa, but is not limited to this. The data received from the relay station 20a is stored in the memory 303. The WLAN unit 304 transfers the data received from the relay station 20a via the network 50 to the server 60. The communication method between the WLAN unit 304 and the server 60 is not particularly limited, and may be wired communication or wireless communication. The communication method between the WLAN unit 304 and the server 60 may be, for example, a wireless LAN or LTE (Long Term Evolution). The RTC305 is a clock that keeps track of the current time in the master station 30.

Subsequently, in the wireless communication system 2 according to the present embodiment, a method of remotely updating the FW from the control PC 70 on the network to the master station 30, the relay stations 20a and 20b, and the plurality of slave stations 10a to 10f. Will be explained. Here, it is assumed that the same FW is used for the master station 30, the relay stations 20a and 20b, and the plurality of slave stations 10a to 10f, and each terminal is operated according to the parameters set on the FW.

First, an outline of how to set the FW delivery time will be described. The user transmits the update FW from the control PC 70 to the server 60 by a binary transfer protocol such as XMODEM, and the server 60 transmits the update FW to the master station 30. The master station 30 that succeeds in receiving the update FW updates its own FW. The update FW may be transmitted from the PC 70 to the master station 30.

Next, the server 60 sets the FW distribution time to the FW distribution terminal. The FW distribution terminal is a terminal on the side of distributing the FW, and is a master station 30, a relay station 20a or 20b. In an area where a plurality of relay station groups exist as shown in FIG. 2, the FW distribution time is set to be different in order to prevent the measurement data transmission of the slave station from interfering with the FW distribution of other master stations or relay station groups. It is necessary to set so that the subordinate slave station does not transmit data during the FW distribution of the group. The FW distribution terminal for which the FW distribution time is set notifies the FW reception terminal of the FW distribution time. The FW receiving terminal is a terminal on the side of receiving the FW, and is a relay station 20a, 20b or a plurality of slave stations 10a to 10f.

Next, a method of setting the FW delivery time will be described in detail with reference to the sequence charts shown in FIGS. 6 to 8.

After the FW update of the master station 30 is completed (step S101), the server 60 transfers the time for distributing the FW to the FW distribution terminal. The FW distribution terminal for the relay station 20a is the master station 30, and the FW distribution terminal for the relay station 20b is the relay station 20a.

Upon receiving the notification of the time setting for distributing the FW from the server 60 to the relay station 20a (step S102), the master station 30 notifies the relay station 20a of the FW distribution time by the LoRa radio unit 302 (step S103). Further, the relay station 20a that has received the time setting for distributing the FW from the server 60 via the master station 30 (step S104) (step S105) is the relay station 20b (step S106) that is subordinate to the notification of the FW distribution time. ), For slave stations 10a to 10c (steps S111, S114, S117).

Since the slave stations 10a to 10c are in the sleep mode except when the measurement data is transferred (steps S110, S113, S116), the notification of the FW distribution time to the slave stations 10a to 10c is the measurement transmitted by the slave stations 10a to 10c. The data is transmitted by the LoRa radio unit 202 in addition to the ACK (acknowledgement) for notifying the success of reception. As a result, the upper side can update the FW without being aware of the activation time of the slave station.

After that, when the slave stations 10a to 10c succeed in receiving the FW distribution time, the slave stations 10a to 10c stop supplying power to the LoRa radio unit 102 and the measurement unit 104. When the slave stations 10a to 10c read the current time from the RTC 105, they set a value obtained by adding the interval time to the FW distribution time to the alarm of the RTC 105, set the control unit 101 to the power saving mode, and shift to the sleep mode. (Steps S112, S115, S118).

Similarly, the relay station 20b (step S109), which has received the time setting for distributing the FW from the server 60 via the master station 30 (step S107) and the relay station 20a (step S108), notifies the FW distribution time. Is performed for the subordinate stations 10d to 10f. Similarly, the notification of the FW distribution time from the relay station 20b to the slave stations 10d to 10f is added to the ACK of the successful reception of the measurement data (steps S119, S122, S125) transmitted by the slave stations 10d to 10f, and the LoRa radio unit. It is transmitted in 202 (steps S120, S123, S126).

After that, when the slave stations 10d to 10f succeed in receiving the FW distribution time, the slave stations 10d to 10f stop supplying power to the LoRa radio unit 102 and the measurement unit 104. When the slave stations 10d to 10f read the current time from the RTC 105, they set a value obtained by adding the interval time to the FW distribution time to the alarm of the RTC 105, set the control unit 101 to the power saving mode, and shift to the sleep mode. (Steps S121, S124, S127).

Next, the outline of the distribution of the updated FW will be described. After the notification of the FW distribution time is completed to the relay stations 20a and 20b and the slave stations 10a to 10f under the control of the master station 30, the FW is distributed. When the set FW distribution time is reached, the FW distribution terminal broadcasts the FW to the FW receiving terminal directly underneath. By simultaneously performing FW distribution to a plurality of FW receiving terminals, FW distribution can be performed in a shorter time than when FW distribution is performed one by one.

Since the amount of data that can be transmitted by the LoRa communication system is smaller than the data size of a general FW, the FW distribution terminal divides the FW into a plurality of data blocks and transmits the FW. Since the FW distribution terminal assigns the start address on the memory of the data block to the FW data block, the FW receiving terminal stores this address for each reception, so that data loss due to a communication failure has occurred. You can check if it is not. After the FW broadcast distribution is completed, the FW distribution terminal confirms the success of the FW distribution one by one to the FW receiving terminal. By confirming the success of FW distribution for each FW receiving terminal, it is possible to confirm the success of FW distribution of each FW receiving terminal on the server 60. Further, it is possible to prevent the FW receiving terminal from simultaneously returning ACK and NAK (negative-acknowledgement) to interfere with the reception of ACK by the FW distribution terminal.

When the FW receiving terminal receives the confirmation of successful FW distribution, if there is a missing data block, the FW receiving terminal requests the FW distribution terminal to resend the data block whose reception has failed. Upon receiving this, the FW distribution terminal transmits the requested data block to the FW receiving terminal having the specified device ID.

When the reception of all the data blocks is completed, the FW receiving terminal notifies the upper FW distribution terminal of the FW distribution processing completion notification, and the FW distribution terminal receiving the notification completes the FW distribution of the FW receiving terminal. Notify the server 60 of the fact. The FW distribution terminal transmits the FW distribution processing completion notification from the FW reception terminal by adding a distribution FW application message to the ACK of successful reception. The FW receiving terminal that succeeds in receiving all the FW data that received this message updates with the received FW. The FW receiving terminal that has performed the FW update reboots after the FW update is completed, and performs the master station search described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-160883. After the master station search is completed, the slave station sets the value obtained by adding the interval time to the current time as the first activation time in the alarm of RTC105, and shifts to the sleep mode.

Next, the FW distribution method will be described in detail with reference to the sequence charts of FIGS. 9 to 12. In order to first update the FW of the relay station 20a, the master station 30 distributes the data block of the divided FW to the data block of the divided FW by adding the start address on the memory of the data block to the relay station 20a by the LoRa radio unit 302. (Step S201). The relay station 20a that has received the FW data in the LoRa radio unit 202 stores the received data in the memory 203.

After the distribution of all the data blocks is completed, the master station 30 confirms the success of distribution of the FW data to the relay station 20a (step S208). The relay station 20a refers to the start address in the memory of the received data block and confirms whether or not there is a missing data block. The relay station 20a, which has succeeded in receiving all the data, notifies the server 60 of the completion of the FW distribution process via the master station 30 (step S209) (step S210).

When the reception of the FW data fails, the relay station 20a requests the retransmission of the data block that failed to be received. Upon receiving this, the master station 30 transmits the requested data block to the designated relay station 20a. When the reception of all the missing data blocks is completed, the relay station 20a notifies the server 60 of the completion of the FW distribution process via the master station 30. Upon receiving the FW distribution processing completion notification from the relay station 20a, the master station 30 adds a FW distribution application message to the ACK of successful reception and notifies the relay station 20a (step S211). Upon receiving this notification, the relay station 20a starts updating the FW. The relay station 20a that succeeds in updating reboots and searches for a master station after the startup is completed (step S212).

Subsequently, the relay station 20a broadcasts the FW to the subordinate relay stations 20b and slave stations 10a to 10c by the LoRa radio unit 202. First, the slave stations 10a to 10c in the sleep state (steps S202 to S204) cancel the sleep mode by the alarm interrupt of the RTC105 set at the FW distribution time of the relay station 20a when the FW distribution time of the relay station 20a is reached. , It starts and enters the standby state of FW (steps S213 to S215).

Next, the relay station 20a adds the start address on the memory of the data block to the data block of the FW divided by the relay station 20a and broadcasts the data block in the same manner as when the master station 30 distributes the FW to the relay station 20a. (Steps S216 to S219). The relay station 20b that has received the FW data in the LoRa radio unit 202 stores the received data in the memory 203. Further, the slave stations 10a to 10c that have received the FW data by the LoRa radio unit 102 store the received data in the memory 103.

After the broadcast distribution of all the FW blocks is completed, the relay station 20a unicasts the relay station 20b (step S241) and the slave stations 10a to 10c (steps S220, S227, S234) to confirm the success of the FW distribution. The relay station 20b and the slave stations 10a to 10c refer to the start address in the memory of the received data block and confirm whether or not there is a missing data block.
The relay stations 20b and slave stations 10a to 10c that have succeeded in receiving all the FW data notify the server 60 of the completion of the FW distribution process via the relay stations 20a and the master station 30 (steps S242 to S244, S221 to S223, S228 to S230, S235 to S237).

When the reception of the FW data fails, the relay station 20b and the slave stations 10a to 10c make a request to retransmit the data block whose reception has failed. Upon receiving this, the relay station 20a transmits the requested data block to the designated device ID (among the relay station 20b and the slave stations 10a to 10c). When the reception of all the missing data blocks is completed, the relay station 20b and the slave stations 10a to 10c notify the server 60 of the completion of the FW distribution process via the relay station 20a and the master station 30.

In response to the FW distribution processing completion notification, the relay station 20a adds a FW distribution application message to the ACK of the successful reception, and unicasts the relay station 20b (step S245) and the slave stations 10a to 10c (steps S224, S231, S238). ). The relay station 20b that has received the FW distribution application message updates with the received FW. The relay station 20b that succeeds in updating reboots and searches for a master station after the startup is completed (step S246).

Subsequently, the slave stations 10a to 10c that received the FW distribution application message also update with the received FW. The slave stations 10a to 10c that have been successfully updated reboot and search for a master station (steps S225, S232, and S239). After the master station search is completed, the slave stations 10a to 10c set the next activation time received from the relay station 20a as the alarm of the RTC105, and shift to the sleep mode (steps S226, S233, S240).

Subsequently, the relay station 20b broadcasts the FW from the LoRa radio unit 202 to the subordinate slave stations 10d to 10f. First, the slave stations 10d to 10f in the sleep state (steps S205 to S207) cancel the sleep mode by the alarm interrupt of the RTC105 set at the FW distribution time of the relay station 20b when the FW distribution time of the relay station 20b is reached. , It starts and enters the standby state of FW (steps S247 to S249).

Next, the relay station 20b adds the start address on the memory of the data block to the data block of the FW divided by itself, and performs broadcast distribution (steps S250 to S252). The slave stations 10d to 10f that have received the FW data by the LoRa radio unit 102 store the received data in the memory 103.

After the broadcast distribution of all the FW blocks is completed, the relay station 20b unicasts the slave stations 10d to 10f to confirm the success of the FW distribution (steps S253, S261, and step S269). The slave stations 10d to 10f refer to the start address in the memory of the received data block and confirm whether or not there is a missing data block.
The slave stations 10d to 10f that have succeeded in receiving all the FW data notify the server 60 of the completion of the FW distribution process via the relay station 20b, the relay station 20a, and the master station 30 (steps S254 to S257, S262 to S265, S270). ~ S273).

When the reception of the FW data fails, the slave stations 10d to 10f make a request to retransmit the data block whose reception has failed. Upon receiving this, the relay station 20b transmits the requested data block to the designated device ID (among the slave stations 10d to 10f). When all the missing data blocks have been received, the slave stations 10d to 10f notify the server 60 of the completion of the FW distribution process via the relay station 20b, the relay station 20a, and the master station 30.

In response to the FW distribution processing completion notification, the relay station 20b adds a FW distribution application message to the ACK of the successful reception and notifies the slave stations 10d to 10f by unicast (steps S258, S266, S274). The slave stations 10d to 10f that received the FW distribution application message update by the received FW. The slave stations 10d to 10f that have been successfully updated are rebooted and the master station search is performed (steps S259, S267, S275).

After the master station search is completed, the slave stations 10d to 10f set the next activation time received from the relay station 20b as the alarm of the RTC105, and shift to the sleep mode (steps S260, S268, S276).

As described above, according to the wireless communication system according to the present embodiment, the firmware can be simultaneously distributed and updated while suppressing the occurrence of radio wave interference.

Further, according to the wireless communication method according to the present embodiment, when the communication station on the update firmware provider side receives the data measured by each of the plurality of slave stations, the FW distribution time which is the distribution time of the update firmware. The step of notifying the slave station of the above, the step of the slave station setting its own startup time based on the FW distribution time, and the step of setting the activation state at the startup time, and the communication station performing the FW distribution. When the time comes, the step of distributing the updated firmware to the slave station is provided, so that the firmware can be updated while suppressing the occurrence of radio interference.

Further, according to the relay station according to the present embodiment, when the data measured by each of the plurality of slave stations is received, transmitted to the server, and the data transmitted from the plurality of slave stations is received. , A notification means for notifying the slave station of the FW distribution time, which is the distribution time of the updated firmware, and a distribution means for distributing the updated firmware to the slave station at the FW distribution time. The firmware can be updated while suppressing the occurrence.

<Hardware configuration example>
FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration for realizing wireless communication processing. The hardware configuration includes a processor 401 and a memory 402.

The processor 401 reads a computer program (wireless communication program) from the memory 402 and executes it to perform the processing of the wireless communication system 2 described using the sequence chart in the above-described embodiment. Here, the wireless communication program notifies the slave station of the FW delivery time, which is the delivery time of the update firmware, when the communication station on the update firmware provider side receives the data measured by each of the plurality of slave stations. A step, a step in which the slave station sets its own start time based on the FW delivery time, and the start time is set to the start state, and a step in which the communication station reaches the FW delivery time, the slave station Is to have the computer constituting the relay station execute the step of distributing the updated firmware.

The processor 401 may be, for example, a microprocessor, an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Processor 401 may include a plurality of processors.

The memory 402 is composed of a combination of a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory. The memory 402 may include storage located away from the processor 401. In this case, the processor 401 may access the memory 402 via an I / O interface (not shown).

In the example of FIG. 13, the memory 402 is used to store the software module group. By reading these software modules from the memory 402 and executing the processor 401, the processor 401 can perform the processing of the wireless communication system 2 described in the above-described embodiment.

Each of the processors executes one or more programs containing instructions for causing the computer to perform the algorithms described using the drawings. This program can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer readable medium. Non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-temporary computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (eg flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (eg magneto-optical disks), Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), CD- Includes R, CD-R / W, semiconductor memory (eg, mask ROM, Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable PROM (EPROM), flash ROM, Random Access Memory (RAM)). The program may also be supplied to the computer by various types of transient computer readable medium. Examples of temporary computer-readable media include electrical, optical, and electromagnetic waves. The temporary computer-readable medium can supply the program to the computer via a wired communication path such as an electric wire and an optical fiber, or a wireless communication path.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit. For example, in the above example, the present invention has been described using the communication system of Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-160883, but the present invention is not limited to this form, and can be applied to a wireless communication system such as LPWA.
Further, in the above example, the FW is delivered by broadcasting, but the present invention is not limited to this form, and may be performed by unicast or multicast. In addition, different distribution methods may be mixed, such as unicast to some slave stations and multicast to other slave stations.

1, 2 Wireless communication system 10, 10a-10f Slave station 20, 20a, 20b Relay station 30 Master station 40a, 40b, 50 Network 60 Server 70 Control PC
101, 201, 301 Control unit 102, 202, 302 LoRa wireless unit 103, 203, 303 Memory 104 Measuring unit 105, 204, 305 RTC
304 WLAN section 401 processor 402 memory

Claims (9)

With the server
With the master station that communicates with the server via the network,
A relay station that communicates with the master station and
A plurality of slave stations that are wirelessly connected to the relay station, measure data, and transmit the data to the server via the relay station and the master station.
With
When the relay station receives the data transmitted from the plurality of slave stations, the relay station notifies the slave station of the FW delivery time, which is the delivery time of the updated firmware.
The slave station sets its own start time based on the FW distribution time, and is in the start state at the start time.
The relay station distributes the updated firmware to the slave station at the FW distribution time.
Wireless communication system. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the relay station notifies the slave station of the FW distribution time in addition to the data reception completion notification. The wireless communication system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the update firmware is distributed to the plurality of slave stations by broadcast transmission. After the distribution of the updated firmware, the relay station transmits a FW distribution confirmation notification confirming whether or not the distribution is successful to one of the plurality of slave stations.
When a request to resend the missing data block is received from the slave station, the missing data block is transmitted to the slave station.
The wireless communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which notifies the master station of the completion of distribution of the updated firmware when the FW distribution completion notification indicating the completion of distribution of the updated firmware is received from the slave station. .. The wireless communication system according to claim 4, wherein the slave station restarts after transmitting the FW distribution completion notification and operates with the updated firmware. When the communication station on the update firmware provider side receives the data measured by each of the plurality of slave stations, the step of notifying the slave station of the FW delivery time, which is the delivery time of the update firmware, and
A step in which the slave station sets its own start time based on the FW distribution time and sets it in the start state at the start time.
When the communication station reaches the FW distribution time, the step of distributing the updated firmware to the slave station and
Wireless communication method with. A relay station that receives the data measured by each of the multiple slave stations and sends it to the server.
Upon receiving the data transmitted from the plurality of slave stations, a notification means for notifying the slave station of the FW delivery time, which is the delivery time of the updated firmware, and
When the FW distribution time comes, the distribution means for distributing the updated firmware to the slave station and
Relay station with. The relay station according to claim 7, wherein the notification means adds the FW delivery time to the data reception completion notification and notifies the slave station. A wireless communication program that operates a computer as a relay station that receives data measured by each of a plurality of slave stations and transmits it to a server.
Upon receiving the data transmitted from the plurality of slave stations, a step of notifying the slave station of the FW delivery time, which is the delivery time of the updated firmware, and
At the FW distribution time, the step of distributing the updated firmware to the slave station and
Wireless communication program with.

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