JP7129611B2 - gas meter system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a communication method in a gas meter system composed of a gas meter and a center device.

In this type of gas meter system, communication specifications for acquiring various data such as meter readings obtained by the gas meter and for setting the time etc. for the gas meter have been standardized. Communication methods using communication standards called A-line communication for LP gas and N-line communication for LP gas are widespread. In recent years, U-bus communication, which is a faster communication standard (9600 bps) than the communication speeds (200 to 300 bps) of A-line and N-line communication, has been standardized. is also becoming popular.

A centralized monitoring system using a converter that mutually converts different communication protocols between N-line communication and U-bus communication has been proposed (see Patent Document 1, for example). According to this, when a monitoring device that performs monitoring via U-bus communication communicates with a gas meter having only N-line communication functions, the monitoring device, when requesting a plurality of data from the gas meter, conforms to the communication standard of U-bus communication. A plurality of request data are collectively transmitted as one request message based on the data, and the converter converts the request data according to the specifications of N-line communication with a slow communication speed, and after each individual data is communicated with the gas meter, It is configured to create a response telegram summarizing a plurality of data obtained from the gas meter and transmit it to the monitoring device via U bus communication.

JP 2017-45227 A

In the communication standard of N-line communication, the communication speed is low and it is difficult to send and receive multiple data at once. Data is defined as one command code, and the number of command codes corresponding to the types of request data and response data are systematized and standardized.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of a telegram according to the U-bus communication standard. Reference numeral 102 denotes communication contents with the gas meter 10, which are defined here as code data U1 requesting a guideline value, security data, and leakage days. The code data U1 is composed of an instruction code 102a and additional data 102b added as necessary corresponding to the instruction code 102a, as shown in FIG. 6(b).

The messages include a request message from the center device requesting data from the gas meter, a setting message from the center device to make various settings for the gas meter, a control message from the center device to command the gas meter to shut off gas, etc. There is a response telegram in which the gas meter transmits data in response to the telegram from the center device, and various command codes are defined according to the type of data, the type of setting, the command, and the like.

The additional data to be added is a setting value in the case of a setting message, a requested data type value in the case of a request message, and requested data in the case of a response message.

Since the code data used in U-bus communication has a higher communication speed than N-line communication, the amount of information can be increased. , or a combination of a plurality of them, and has specifications that allow more information to be communicated at once.

FIG. 6(c) shows an example of additional data for U-bus communication. It is configured by concatenating data N3. Note that the instruction code 102a in this case is a code defined as a code for requesting three pieces of data: the guideline value, the security data, and the number of leaked days.

Therefore, when requesting three pieces of data, the guideline value, the security data, and the number of leaked days, N-line communication required three communications using three telegrams. It can be realized in one communication.

In this way, U-bus communication enables high-speed communication compared to N-line communication. In order to correspond to the types of request data and response data standardized in N-line communication, a plurality of command data standardized in N-line communication are combined into one code data. or the type of setting data, or a combination of an instruction code such as a code for specifying a meter, and additional data that is corresponding request data or setting data.

Therefore, as described above, when a plurality of necessary data (three data of guideline value, security data, and leakage date) are defined as one code data U1, communication can be performed with one request message. However, if the necessary multiple data are not defined as one code data, for example, three data of guideline value, security data, and blocking data detailed value are required, and code data requesting these three data is defined If not, after acquiring the guideline value, security data, and data on the number of days of leakage in a telegram using code data U1, another code data (assumed to be U2) including a data request for detailed cutoff data values is used. There was a problem that it was necessary to further communicate by electronic message.

Alternatively, in order to acquire the necessary data (guideline value, security data, and block data detailed value) in one communication, new code data (referred to as code data U3) defining the combination of these data is added. There is a need.

FIG. 7 shows a message containing this code data U3. The message 200 consists of a header portion 201 and a data portion 202 (code data U3), and the code data U3 consists of an instruction code 202a and additional data 202b. there is The additional data 202b is composed of command data N1 requesting guideline values defined in N-line communication, command data N2 requesting security data, and command data N4 requesting block data detailed values. to be defined.

However, in this case, the necessary data could not be acquired in one communication unless the gas meter was compatible with this new code data U3. In other words, in the case of gas meters manufactured before the code data U3 was defined, it was not possible to acquire the necessary data (indicator value, security data, and cutoff data detailed value) in one communication.

Once installed, the gas meter is not replaced for the period (for example, 10 years) when the certification period expires. Since it is difficult to update the program corresponding to U3, it will take ten years until all gas meters can correspond to the newly defined code data U3.

As described above, even in U-bus communication, which is a high-speed communication standard, when it becomes necessary to perform multiple communications in order to obtain the necessary data, the communication traffic increases. becomes. In addition, since the gas meter uses a battery as a power source, performing multiple communications leads to an increase in current consumption, requiring the installation of a high-capacity battery, resulting in an increase in the size of the gas meter itself.

The present invention solves the above-described problems of the prior art, and obtains necessary data or An object of the present invention is to provide a gas meter system that enables setting by one communication.

In order to solve the above conventional problems, the gas meter system of the present invention comprises a gas meter and a center device that communicates with the gas meter using a predetermined telegram conforming to a first communication standard, wherein the predetermined telegram is It is characterized by including additional data obtained by concatenating a plurality of code data whose communication contents are defined in compliance with the first communication standard.

As a result, by effectively using the amount of data that can be transmitted at one time according to the communication standard and transmitting a plurality of code data at once, it is possible to shorten the communication time and reduce the traffic of wireless communication.

In addition, by enabling the combination of existing message codes, there is no need to standardize new message codes, so multiple code data can be transmitted at once without replacing the gas meter. .

According to the gas meter system of the present invention, the communication time can be shortened and the traffic of wireless communication can be reduced, and there is no need to standardize a new message code.

Configuration diagram of a gas meter system according to Embodiments 1 to 3 of the present invention (a) to (c) Diagrams for explaining message structures in Embodiment 1 of the present invention (a) to (c) Diagrams for explaining message structures in Embodiment 2 of the present invention (a) to (c) Diagrams for explaining message structures in Embodiment 3 of the present invention (a) to (c) Diagrams for explaining message structures of other examples in Embodiment 3 of the present invention Diagram for explaining an example of message structure of U-bus communication standard Diagram for explaining another example of message structure of the U-bus communication standard

A first invention comprises a gas meter, and a center device that communicates with the gas meter using a predetermined telegram conforming to a first communication standard, wherein the predetermined telegram has a communication content conforming to the first communication standard. is a gas meter system characterized by including additional data obtained by concatenating a plurality of code data defined by . By doing so, the number of transmissions can be reduced.

A second invention comprises a gas meter, and a center device for communicating with the gas meter using a predetermined electronic message conforming to a first communication standard, wherein the predetermined electronic message has a communication speed lower than that of the first communication standard. The gas meter system is characterized by including additional data obtained by concatenating a plurality of command data whose communication contents are defined in compliance with the second communication standard.

A third invention comprises a gas meter, and a center device that communicates with the gas meter using a predetermined telegram conforming to a first communication standard, wherein the predetermined telegram has a communication content conforming to the first communication standard. and/or additional data obtained by concatenating a plurality of command data whose communication contents are defined in accordance with a second communication standard whose communication speed is lower than that of the first communication standard. System.

In a fourth aspect, particularly in the third aspect, the additional data is concatenated while designating the types of the first communication standard and the second communication standard, and the data lengths of the code data and the command data. It is characterized by being configured with

A fifth invention is characterized in that in any one of the first to third inventions, the additional data is formed by concatenating the code data or the command data while separating them with a predetermined code. is.

In a sixth invention, particularly in any one of the first to fifth inventions, the additional data comprises a request code for requesting predetermined data from the gas meter, a setting code for setting the gas meter, and a It is characterized by including any two or more control codes for commanding shutoff of gas or the like.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited by this embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a gas meter system according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the gas meter system includes a gas meter 10, a wireless slave unit 20 connected to the gas meter 10, and a wireless slave unit 20 for communication. and a center device 40 that communicates with the wireless master device 30 and monitors the gas meter 10 .

The gas meter 10 has a function of measuring and integrating the amount of gas used by a flow meter side portion (not shown) or a function of shutting off the gas, and has an interface 11 for U bus communication. Based on the telegram, the integrated value can be transmitted, and the gas can be cut off according to the instruction from the center device 40 .

The wireless slave device 20 has a U-bus communication interface 21 for communicating with the gas meter 10 and a wireless communication unit 22 for communicating with the wireless master device 30 . The wireless master device 30 has a wireless communication unit 31 for communicating with the wireless slave device 20 and a communication unit 32 for communicating with the center device 40. Although only one wireless slave device is shown in the figure, Communication with multiple wireless slave units is possible.

Communication between the center device 40 and the radio base station 30 can use various network A such as a telephone line, a mobile phone line, a network line, or wireless communication, and is not particularly limited.

With the above configuration, the center device 40 can communicate with the gas meter 10 via the wireless master device 30 and the wireless slave device 20 by communicating with the wireless master device 30. A compliant telegram is used.

The configuration of the gas meter system of the present embodiment is an example, and a configuration in which the wireless slave unit is built in the gas meter, a configuration in which the wireless master unit has the function of a wireless slave unit in another gas meter, or a wireless slave unit By having a relay function, various configurations are conceivable, such as performing multi-stage relay.

Also, a configuration is conceivable in which the gas meter and the center device directly communicate with each other via a mobile phone line, thereby eliminating the need for a relay by a wireless base unit.

A specific electronic message configuration according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 shows the structure of a message in this embodiment. A message 50 is composed of a header portion 51 and a data portion 52, which are the basic components of U bus communication. 52b.

In this embodiment, the additional data 52b is composed of a composite code in which two pieces of code data U1 and code data U2 conforming to the U bus communication standard are concatenated with a delimiter code 53 interposed therebetween. At this time, the instruction code 52a is a code defined to indicate that the additional data 52b is a plurality of existing code data defined by the U bus communication standard divided by the delimiter code 53 and concatenated. .

According to this electronic message structure, the gas meter 10 that receives this electronic message 50 can identify that the subsequent additional data 52b is a code obtained by synthesizing a plurality of existing code data by recognizing the instruction code 52a. The code data can be divided and discriminated for each, and the instruction from the center device 40 can be decoded.

Therefore, the gas meter 10 that has decoded the telegram 50 responds with the guideline value, the security data, and the number of leaked days based on the code data U1, and other data including detailed cutoff data values based on the code data U2 as a response telegram. can be transmitted to the center device 40 via the device 20 and the wireless master device 30, the center device 40 can acquire the necessary data such as the guideline value, the security data, and the detailed cutoff data value in one communication. can.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, the configuration of a telegram according to Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to FIG. The configuration of the gas meter system is the same as in FIG.

In this embodiment, the U-bus communication standard is used as the first communication standard, and the N-line communication standard is used as the second communication standard, which is slower than the first communication standard.

FIG. 3 shows the configuration of a message in this embodiment. A message 60 is composed of a header portion 61 and a data portion 62, which are the basic components of U bus communication. 62b.

In this embodiment, the additional data 62b is formed by concatenating a plurality of command data conforming to the N-line communication standard. Specifically, the additional data 62b is a composite code in which the command data N1 requesting the guideline value, the command data N2 requesting the security data, and the command data N4 requesting the detailed cutoff data value are connected while inserting the delimiter code 63. configured as At this time, the instruction code 62a is a code defined as the additional data 62b that indicates that the command data according to the N-line communication standard are divided by the delimiter code 63 and are linked together.

According to this configuration of the electronic message, the gas meter 10 that receives the electronic message 60 can recognize the following additional data 62b by recognizing the instruction code 62a, and can identify that the following additional data 62b is data composed of multiple command data according to the N-line communication standard. , the delimiter code 63 can be divided and determined, and the instruction from the center device 40 can be decoded.

Therefore, the gas meter 10 that has decoded the telegram 60 uses the command data N1, N2, and N4 of the N-line communication standard to transmit the guideline value, the security data, and the detailed cutoff data as a response telegram to the wireless slave unit 20 and the wireless master unit 30. can be transmitted to the center device 40 via the , the center device 40 can acquire the necessary data such as the guideline value, the security data, and the blocking data detailed value in one communication, and can be acquired in a short time. .

(Embodiment 3)
Next, the structure of a telegram according to Embodiment 3 will be described with reference to FIG. The configuration of the gas meter system is the same as in FIG.

In this embodiment, the U-bus communication standard is used as the first communication standard, and the N-line communication standard is used as the second communication standard, which is slower than the first communication standard.

FIG. 4 shows the structure of a message in this embodiment. A message 70 is composed of a header portion 71 and a data portion 72, which are the basic components of U bus communication. 72b.

In the present embodiment, the additional data 72b is code data U1 requesting a guideline value, security data, and the number of leaked days conforming to the standards of U-bus communication, and a request command for detailed cut-off data values conforming to N-line communication. The command data N4 is configured as a composite code in which a type 73 of communication standard (U bus communication and N line communication in this embodiment) and a data length 74 are specified and linked. At this time, the instruction code 72a includes additional data 72b, code data according to the U-bus communication standard and command data according to the N-line communication standard, and a plurality of the code data and the command data according to the N-line communication standard are concatenated by designating the type 73 and data length 74 of the communication standard. It is a code defined to indicate that

According to this electronic message structure, the gas meter 10 that receives this electronic message 70 recognizes the instruction code 72a, and the following additional data 72b is a combination of code data of the U-bus communication standard and command data of the N-line communication standard. The additional data 72b can be divided and discriminated based on the type 73 and the data length 74, and the instruction from the center device 40 can be decoded.

FIG. 5 shows the composition of a message in another example of this embodiment. A message 80 is composed of a header portion 81 and a data portion 82, which are the basic components of U-bus communication. , an instruction code 82a and additional data 82b.

Then, the additional data 82b is code data U1 requesting a guideline value conforming to the U bus communication standard, security data and the number of days of leakage, and command data N4 which is a command requesting a detailed cutoff data value conforming to N line communication, Delimiter codes 83 and 84 indicating the type of communication standard are added and connected to form a composite code. At this time, the instruction code 82a is composed of a plurality of additional data 82b by adding a delimiter code to the end of the data, in which the code data according to the communication standard of the U-bus communication and the command data according to the N-line communication standard are classified according to the type of the communication standard. A code defined to indicate concatenation.

According to this electronic message structure, the gas meter 10 that receives this electronic message 80 recognizes the command code 82a, and the following additional data 82b is a combination of code data of the U-bus communication standard and command data of the N-line communication standard. The additional data 82b can be divided and discriminated based on the delimiter codes 83 and 84, and the instruction from the center device 40 can be decoded.

Therefore, the gas meter 10 having decoded the telegrams 70 and 80 uses the code data U1 and the command data N4 as response telegrams containing the guideline value, the security data, the number of leaked days, and the detailed cut-off data values. Therefore, the center device 40 can acquire the guideline value, the security data, and the block data detailed value, which are necessary data, in one communication.

In this way, if the type of communication standard and the data length or the delimiter code are specified and connected, the code data that can handle a plurality of data standardized by U-bus communication and the data that is standardized by N-line communication can be handled. Since a telegram can be created by mixing command data, it is possible to obtain a plurality of necessary data in one communication.

In the above-described embodiment, the additional data 72b and 82b are described as a composite code of two codes, the code data U1 for U-bus communication and the command data N4 for N-line communication. Needless to say, the composite code can be composed of only N-line communication command data, and the composite code can be composed of not only two codes but also three or more codes.

As described above, according to the first to third embodiments, by effectively using the amount of data that can be transmitted at one time according to the communication standard and transmitting a plurality of code data at once, the communication time can be shortened and wireless communication can be performed. Communication traffic can be reduced.

Moreover, by enabling the combination of existing message codes, there is no need to standardize new message codes.

Further, the message decoding processing in the gas meter can be realized by a microcomputer program. If the gas meter incorporates a program capable of decoding the data 52b, 62b, 72b, and 82b, it is possible to perform necessary communication with one message even if it does not support the new code data U3.

In the U-bus communication standard, there is a limit to the communication capacity that can be used for one communication, but the center device must consider this limit when setting combinations of code data and command data. Needless to say.

Further, in the present embodiment, a request message for obtaining various data held by the gas meter 10 by the center device 40 has been specifically described. a setting message for the central device 40 to make various settings for the gas meter 10; a control message for the central device 40 to command the gas meter 10 to cut off gas, etc.; In response, there is a response message for transmitting data, etc. Among them, any two or more of codes corresponding to the request message, the setting message, and the control message sent by the center device 40 to the gas meter 10 are regarded as additional data. By doing so, it may be configured to be included in the same electronic message and sent.

As described above, the gas meter system according to the present invention can be applied as a communication standard for various gas meters.

10 gas meter 40 central device 50, 60, 70, 80 message U1, U2, U3 code data N1, N2, N3, N4 command data 52b, 62b, 72b, 82b additional data 53, 63, 83, 84 delimiter code

Claims (5)

Consists of a gas meter and a center device that communicates with the gas meter using a predetermined message conforming to the first communication standard,
The gas meter system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined message includes additional data obtained by concatenating a plurality of command data whose communication contents are defined in compliance with a second communication standard having a communication speed lower than that of the first communication standard. Consists of a gas meter and a center device that communicates with the gas meter using a predetermined message conforming to the first communication standard,
The predetermined electronic message includes code data whose communication content is defined in compliance with the first communication standard and a command whose communication content is defined in compliance with a second communication standard whose communication speed is lower than that of the first communication standard. A gas meter system comprising additional data obtained by connecting a plurality of data. 3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein said additional data is configured by concatenating while specifying the types of said first communication standard and said second communication standard, and the data lengths of said code data and said command data. Gas meter system as described. 3. The gas meter system according to claim 1, wherein said additional data is formed by concatenating said code data or said command data while separating them with a predetermined code. The additional data includes at least two of a request code for requesting predetermined data from the gas meter, a setting code for setting the gas meter, and a control code for commanding the gas meter to shut off gas. The gas meter system according to any one of claims 1-4 .

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