JPH03235567A - Network controller for terminal equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify the data communication and to make it efficient by revising the data communication processing mode of the hardware in response to a communication protocol of a terminal equipment switching signal. CONSTITUTION:A terminal equipment use network controller 10 has a data communication processing mode corresponding to each communication protocol of plural terminal equipments 6, 7 as the software. Then a single hardware 15 is provided, which has the software revising the data communication processing mode in response to the communication protocol of the terminal equipment switching signal inputted from a center equipment 3 or the like. Thus, all data communication between plural terminal equipments 6, 7 and the center equipment 3 is singly controlled and the cost of the terminal equipment is reduced and the installation location is saved. Moreover, the center equipment 3 is used singly and the data between the terminal equipments is used in common and the data communication is simplified and made efficient.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Field of Industrial Application> The present invention relates to a network control device for terminals that controls data communication between a plurality of terminal devices using different communication protocols and a center device.

<Prior Art> Conventionally, as this type of terminal network control device, there is one shown in FIG. 4, for example. This terminal network control device 21a
, 2 lb, 2 IC are each center device of system A and BC! Telephone line 23a from 22a, 22b, 22c,
A terminal telephone line 26 is provided between an exchange 24 that bundles the terminals 23b and 23c, and meters 25a, 25b, and 25c as terminal devices that detect the amount of household gas, water, electricity, etc. used. Then, the center device 2 of system A
Upon receiving the no-ringing activation signal from 2a or when making an automatic call, the terminal network control device 21a of system A connects the meter 25a to the terminal telephone line 26, and connects the meter 25a to the terminal telephone line 26.
Similarly, the control device 21b and the control device 21c for system C and 1. Connect the meters 25b and 25c to the terminal telephone line 26, and connect the two
2a to 22c are meters 25a to 2 of the corresponding system.
5c via the telephone line 26, and the meter 25
Fee calculation and aggregation processing are performed based on the detected data from a to 25c.

However, the communication protocols used for data communication in each of the above systems A, B, and C are actually determined independently by the developers of each telemeter 7 system, and the communication protocols as shown in Figure 4 are not true. Because they are methods, they must be different from each other.

In other words, the communication protocols of each system are, for example, system A (LP gas communication system by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications) is the 5th and 6th communication protocol.
The 5-bit inverted 2-sequence format shown in the figure, the system B is the JIS 7 hit format shown in Figure 7 (a), (b) i, and the system C is the JIS 8 bit format shown in Figures 7 (a) and (c). The difference is in the condition. Here, in the 5-bit inversion 2 consecutive transmission format, after the start galactor STX, 3 address characters, 1 information character,
Add 8 meter reading characters, then add data with these characters reversed for error checking,
It is constructed by adding an end character ETX to the end, and each of the above characters forms a seven-hit composition as shown in FIG. In addition, JIS 7-bit format and JI58
The overall configuration of the bit format is the same as shown in FIG. 7(a), and the former is the
The latter has a 7-pit configuration (1 to b7) as shown in FIG. 7(b), and the latter has an 8-pit configuration (bl to b8) as shown in FIG. 7(c).

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, in the conventional telemeter system having several types of meters, each terminal device, that is, each meter 25a, 25b,
25c, terminal network control devices 21a, 2lb, 2 dedicated to each communication protocol are provided.
1c respectively, there is a disadvantage that the equipment cost is high on the terminal side and a large installation space is required.At the same time, on the center side, dedicated center devices 22a, 22b and 22c are provided for each communication protocol. 1. /Stems A, B, and C cannot share data, making data management inefficient and complicated.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to reduce equipment costs and save installation space by independently controlling all data communications between a plurality of terminal devices with different communication protocols and a center device. An object of the present invention is to provide a terminal network control device that can simplify and streamline communication.

Means for Solving the Problems> In order to achieve the above object, the terminal network control device of the present invention has a no-ringing call reception and terminal automatic calling function, and can communicate with a plurality of terminal devices and a center device using different communication protocols. a single piece of hardware that performs data communication processing for no-ringing incoming calls and automatic terminal outgoing calls in a mode that corresponds to any one of the preset communication protocols; Upon receiving a terminal device switching signal having the same communication protocol as the communication protocol of the new terminal device to be switched, which is transmitted from the center device or data setting device, the communication protocol of this terminal device switching signal is changed to the above preset communication protocol. and a protocol determining/identifying means for determining whether or not the communication protocol matches, and if they do not match, identifying the communication protocol, and a data communication processing mode of the hardware to the communication protocol specified by the protocol determining/identifying means. The present invention is characterized by comprising mode switching means for switching to a corresponding mode.

<Operation> The single hardware of the terminal network control device starts data communication processing for no-ringing incoming calls and automatic terminal outgoing calls in a mode corresponding to a preset communication protocol, and no-ringing activation from the center device. After receiving the signal,
Alternatively, in order to start automatic transmission from a terminal device that supports the above-mentioned communication protocol, a communication line is connected to the terminal device and data communication between the two devices is controlled. Now, when the terminal device switching signal from the center device or the data setting device is received by the protocol discrimination/identification means of the terminal network control device, the protocol discrimination/identification means determines whether the communication protocol of the terminal device switching signal or the above preset If the communication protocol does not match, identify the communication protocol. The mode switching means of the terminal network control device switches the data communication processing mote of the hardware to the mote corresponding to the communication protocol specified by the protocol judgment/identification means that has been determined to be negative, while switching the data communication processing mote of the hardware to the mote corresponding to the communication protocol specified by the protocol discrimination/identification means If it is determined that the means is positive, the mote used up to that point is maintained without switching. When the data communication processing mode is switched, the hardware connects the communication line to the terminal device compatible with the specified communication protocol and controls data communication between the two devices.

<Example> Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to illustrated embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a data communication system including a terminal network control device of the present invention.

This data communication system connects a center-side telephone exchange 5 via a telephone line 4 to a center device 3 consisting of a host computer 1 and a center-side network control device 2, and uses gas etc. as a terminal device 9. Two meters 6.7 and a telephone 8 with different communication protocols for detecting the amount
is connected to the terminal network control device 10, and the terminal-side telephone exchange 12 which connects the no-ringing trunk 13 is connected to this device 10 side via the telephone line 11, and both telephone exchanges 5 and 12 are connected to the telephone line 14. It is connected and configured.

The terminal network control device 10 has the following known no-ringing call receiving and terminal automatic calling functions. That is,
When a no-ringing call is received, the center-side network control device 2 calls the no-ringing trunk 13 and holds it in response to a command from the host computer 1.The no-ringing trunk 13 then reverses the polarity of the telephone line 11 and then controls the network for the terminal. A no-ringing call signal is output to the device 10, and the terminal network control device 10 that receives this signal connects, for example, the meter 6 to the telephone line 11 without making the telephone 8 ring. As a result, data communication is started between the meter 6 and the center device 3. On the other hand, when the terminal automatically makes a call, the terminal network control device 10 automatically calls the center side network control device 2 at a predetermined time, connects the meter 6 to the telephone line 11, and sends the meter reading information of the meter 6 to the telephone line. 11,
144 to the host computer 1, and based on this meter reading information, the host computer 1 performs fee calculation and aggregation processing.

FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of the terminal network control device 10 of FIG. 1. The terminal network control device 10 performs data communication processing for the above-mentioned no-ringing call reception and automatic terminal call in the mode of one of the preset communication protocols of the meters 6 and 7 (see FIGS. 5 to 7). (3rd
(See S2 to 5455°S9 in the figure) A microcomputer 15 as a single piece of hardware, and an interface 16, 17 and a telephone line provided between the microcomputer 15 and each terminal device 6, 7, 8. In addition to the interface 18, the computer program, i.e., software, includes a protocol discrimination/identification means and a mode switching means, both of which will be described later. The communication protocol is set and changed using the data setter 19 connected to the meter interface 17.

The protocol determining/identifying means receives the terminal device switching signal having the same communication protocol as the communication protocol of the new meter 6 or 7 to be switched, which is transmitted from the host computer 1 or the data setting device 19, and receives the terminal device switching signal. It is determined whether the communication protocol matches the communication protocol set in advance by the data setting device 19, and if they do not match, the communication protocol is specified (S 6.S 7.S 10 in FIG. 3). ', see S l l). Further, the mode switching means switches the data communication processing mode of the microcomputer 15 to a mode corresponding to the communication protocol specified by the protocol determining/identifying means (S8 in FIG. 3).
．． (See S12).

Regarding the operation of the terminal network control device 10 having the above configuration, the third
This will be explained next with reference to the figure.

Currently, in an LP gas meter reading system (hereinafter referred to as Mote A) that uses the meter 6 or 5-hit reversal double transmission format communication protocol (see Figure 5.6), meter 7 uses the JIS 7-bit format communication protocol (see Figure 5.6). Figure 7 (a), (b)
This is a city gas meter reading system (hereinafter referred to as mode B) that uses a single microcomputer 15.
is assumed to contain processing procedures or software corresponding to both of the above communication protocols.

The microcomputer 15 first performs RA in step Sl.
After clearing M and setting the processing mode to either mode A or mode B set by the data setting device 19 for initial setting, the standby state is entered in step S2. Then, in response to a no-ringing start signal from the host computer l or a start signal from the data setting device 10, it starts in step S3 and starts data communication processing with the mote set in step St (step S4).
and step S5 or S9). Next, when a terminal device switching signal is received from the host computer 1 or the data setting device IO, the process proceeds from step S6 or SIO to step S7 or S11, respectively, and the communication protocol of the terminal device switching signal is set to the current processing mode. (mode set in step St).
Only if they do not match, the communication protocol is specified as mode B or mode A, and a response signal indicating that the switching is acknowledged is sent to the host computer l or data setter 19.
After sending the data to SI2, the process proceeds to step S8 and SI2. In step S8 or SI2, the RAM is initialized again to the state of the processing mode for switching, and then, after a recovery operation is performed, the process returns to the standby state of step S2 and waits for the next no-ringing call or the like. As a result, the next startup due to a no-ringing startup signal, etc. will be set to 1 first.
The mode is started in the opposite mote, and data communication processing is performed in the opposite mote.

Note that if the signal received in step S3 is not a no-ringing activation signal, the process of automatically calling the terminal included in step S5 or S9 is performed, and the preset meter 6 or 7 is connected to the telephone line 11 in step Sl. However, if a terminal device switching signal is input, the mote switching process is performed in the same manner as described above.

In this way, the terminal network control device IO of the present invention has data communication processing modes corresponding to the respective communication protocols of the plurality of terminal devices 6 and 7 as software, and these data communication processing modes are used in the center device 3. Since it is composed of a single piece of hardware 15 having software that changes according to the communication protocol of the terminal device switching signal input from etc., all data between the plurality of terminal devices 6 and 7 and the center device Communication can be controlled independently, reducing the cost of equipment on the terminal side and saving installation space.
It is also possible to share data between terminal devices by using a single terminal, thereby simplifying and increasing the efficiency of data communication.

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment.

<Effects of the Invention> As is clear from the above description, the network control device for terminals of the present invention is capable of data communication such as no-ringing call reception and automatic terminal outgoing calls between a plurality of terminal devices with different communication protocols and a center device. is controlled by any one mote of the communication protocol set in advance, and upon receiving a terminal device switching signal sent from a center device etc., the hardware is controlled according to the communication protocol of this switching signal. Since it is equipped with protocol discrimination/identification means and mode switching means for changing the data communication processing mode, it is possible to control data communication of all terminal devices with a single piece of hardware, unlike in the past. In addition to reducing costs and saving installation space, the center equipment can also share data from each terminal, greatly contributing to the simplification and efficiency of data communications.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a data communication system including the terminal network control device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of the terminal network control device, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the device. , Fig. 4 is a block diagram of a conventional data communication system, Figs. 5 and 6 are diagrams showing the communication protocol of the 5-hit inversion 2-success format, and Fig. 7 is the communication protocol of the JIS 7-hit format and the JIS 8-hit format. FIG. 1. Host computer, 2. Center side network control device, 3. Center device, 4.11.
14-1! Talk line, 6.7 ・Meter, 9 ・Terminal device, 10 Terminal network control device, 15. Microcomputer. Patent applicant Nyabu Co., Ltd. Agent
Patent attorney Haka Aoyama 1 person Figure 4 Figure 5 8 digits Figure 6

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) In a terminal network control device that has a no-ringing call reception and terminal automatic origination function and controls data communication between a plurality of terminal devices with different communication protocols and a center device, Communication between a single piece of hardware that performs data communication processing for no-ringing incoming calls and automatic terminal outgoing calls in a mode corresponding to any one, and a new terminal device to be switched to that is sent from the center device or data setting device. Upon receiving a terminal device switching signal having the same communication protocol as the terminal device switching signal, it is determined whether the communication protocol of this terminal device switching signal matches the preset communication protocol, and if it does not match, the communication protocol is changed. A terminal network comprising: a protocol determining/identifying means for specifying a protocol; and a mode switching means for switching the data communication processing mode of the hardware to a mode corresponding to the communication protocol specified by the protocol determining/identifying means. Control device.