JPH05236142A - Automatic metering method and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce installation investment by calling an automatic metering meter installed in a customer's place and sending directly the meter information through a public telephone line. CONSTITUTION:An automatic metering radio signal is sent for a metering object customer via an automatic metering radio signal transmission circuit 2 and a radio signal transmission antenna 3 from a metering center 1. The automatic metering radio signal is received at a radio signal antenna 5 at each customer 4, the signal enters an identifier ID discrimination circuit 8, in which an ID is discriminated. When the ID discrimination circuit 8 discriminates the ID to be its own identification number, after the metering center 1 makes a required checking and a transmission command signal is sent to a meter information transmission circuit 9 via a public telephone line 13. Upon the receipt of the transmission command signal, the meter information transmission circuit 9 sends meter information to a meter information processing circuit 15 in the metering center 1 via the public telephone line 13 and a telephone station 14 immediately.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a two-way type automatic meter reading method and apparatus for automatically transmitting terminal information of a meter for measuring gas, water, electricity or the like by calling a center.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an automatic meter reading system such as a gas meter using a public telephone line, the one described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 60-46758, which has been already proposed by the present inventor, is known. These automatic meter reading systems are bidirectional systems in which a terminal (meter) is called from the center side by a public telephone line and data is transmitted by connecting the terminal and the computer of the center by the public telephone line. Therefore, when calling the terminal, there is a problem that the home telephone in which the terminal is installed rings (rings) each time.

Therefore, a method of making no ringing, that is, no ringing has been proposed. In this system, a no-ringing trunk is installed at the telephone exchange, and a function to complete a connection protocol with the telephone network including this no-ringing facility is added to the terminal network control unit (T-NCU) of the center and each home. There is a need to.

[0004]

However, the above-mentioned no ringing method has the following problems.

A. This cost is enormous because it is necessary to install a no-ringing trunk at every central office to which the terminal belongs. In particular, in a depopulated area with few terminals, the cost per terminal is relatively high.

B. It is necessary to add a function to complete the connection protocol to the telephone network, the center, and the T-NCU. If this happens, the T-NCU may be disconnected and the telephone line may be disconnected if the T-NCU should fail. .

An object of the present invention is to provide a meter-reading method and apparatus for calling an automatic meter-reading meter installed in a customer without directly using the above-mentioned no ringing system and directly transmitting the meter information through a public telephone line. Is.

[0008]

The structure of an automatic meter-reading method and its apparatus according to the present invention is as follows.

1. Automatic meter reading wireless signal is transmitted from the meter reading center side, and when this automatic meter reading wireless signal is received, the meter reading center side is called via the public telephone line and the information of the automatic meter reading meter side is sent. An automatic meter-reading method that sends a message to the meter-reading center via a public telephone line.

2. The meter reading center side uses the satellite broadcasting system to transmit the wireless signal for automatic meter reading, and the customer side uses the satellite broadcasting receiving system to receive the wireless signal for automatic meter reading and receives the wireless signal for automatic meter reading. An automatic meter-reading method that calls the meter-reading center side via the public telephone line and sends the meter-side information for automatic meter-reading to the meter-reading center side via the public telephone line.

3. An automatic meter reading wireless signal transmission circuit for transmitting an automatic meter reading wireless signal, and an automatic meter reading wireless signal receiving circuit for receiving the automatic meter reading wireless signal transmitted from the automatic meter reading wireless signal transmission circuit; When the meter reading wireless signal receiving circuit receives the automatic meter reading wireless signal,
Activate the public telephone line to call the meter reading center side, and based on the transmission command from the meter reading center side, take in the meter information recorded in the recording circuit in the meter for automatic meter reading, and read the meter via the public telephone line. An automatic meter-reading device comprising a meter information transmission circuit for transmitting meter information to the center side and a meter information processing circuit for processing the meter information transmitted from the meter information transmission circuit.

The automatic meter-reading radio signal may be transmitted directly from the meter-reading center side by the customer-side antenna, or may be transmitted via broadcasting or a communication satellite. You may make it receive a thing.

[0013]

From the meter reading center side, an identifier (hereinafter referred to as "I
"D") is called by a wireless signal, and when this call is made, the meter information transmission circuit on the consumer side having the corresponding ID is activated and the meter reading center side is called via the public telephone line. Based on the transmission command, the meter information, for example, the integrated value of use of gas, electricity, water, etc. is transmitted via the public telephone line. At the meter-reading center side, for example, fee calculation processing is performed based on the meter information transmitted via this public telephone line.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows an embodiment corresponding to claims 1 and 4. 1 is a meter reading center, 2 is a wireless signal transmitting circuit for automatic meter reading, 3 is a wireless signal transmitting antenna, 4 is a customer, 5
Is a radio signal receiving antenna, 6 is a meter for automatic meter reading, 7 is a radio signal receiving circuit for automatic meter reading, 8 is an ID discrimination circuit, 9 is a fetch circuit 10 for fetching information from the meter 6 for automatic meter reading, and A meter information transmission circuit including an automatic reporting circuit 11 for calling the meter reading center 1 side via the public telephone line 13 when the ID discrimination circuit 8 discriminates itself,
Reference numeral 12 is a telephone, 14 is a telephone station, and 15 is an information processing circuit on the side of the meter reading center 1.

In the above embodiment, the automatic meter reading radio signal is transmitted from the meter reading center 1 side to the meter reading target consumer 4 via the automatic meter reading radio signal transmitting circuit 2 and the radio signal transmitting antenna 3. The radio signal for automatic meter reading is received by the radio signal receiving antenna 5 in each consumer 4, and this signal enters the ID discrimination circuit 8 where the ID is discriminated. When the ID discrimination circuit 8 determines that it is self, the meter information transmission circuit 9 fetches the meter information stored in the meter 6 for automatic meter reading into the fetch circuit 10 and activates the automatic reporting circuit 11 to activate the public telephone. Call the meter reading center 1 side via the line 13. When the call is made, the meter-reading center 1 performs a necessary check and then transmits a transmission command signal to the meter information transmission circuit 9 side via the public telephone line 13. Upon receiving this transmission command signal, the meter information transmission circuit 9 immediately receives the public telephone line 13 and the telephone station 1.
Meter information processing circuit 1 in the meter-reading center 1 via 4
The meter information is transmitted to the terminal 5. The meter information processing circuit 15 on the side of the meter-reading center 1 calculates, for example, a charge for each customer 4 based on the transmitted meter information.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment corresponding to claim 3.
In this embodiment, a radio signal for automatic meter reading is transmitted using a satellite broadcasting system (broadcasting station) and is received using a satellite broadcasting receiving system (satellite broadcasting receiving TV). Automatic meter reading from the meter reading center 1 Radio signals for satellite broadcasting station 16
In, for example, it is transmitted in addition to the signal for descrambling. The consumer 4 receives the broadcasting-related signal and the wireless signal for automatic meter reading by the satellite broadcast receiving antenna 18, and automatically transmits the signal related to the broadcast / meter reading signal identifying circuit 19 → the automatic wireless signal receiving circuit for meter reading 7 → the ID discrimination circuit 8. The meter will be read. In addition,
The configuration and operation after the ID discrimination circuit 8 are the same as those of the embodiment shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, 20 is a satellite broadcast receiving TV.
Is. In this embodiment, the automatic meter reading radio signal is transmitted via the satellite broadcasting station 16 based on the instruction from the meter reading center 1. However, the satellite broadcasting station 16 independently transmits the automatic meter reading wireless signal transmission circuit 2. It may be possible to own and transmit the radio signal for automatic meter reading on the satellite broadcasting information signal at the request of the automatic meter reading person, or on the contrary, for the automatic meter reading person to use the satellite broadcasting system independently. It is possible to own the transmission equipment of No. 1 and directly transmit the radio signal for automatic meter reading to the customer 4 via the broadcasting satellite 17.

[0017]

The effects of the present invention are as follows.

A. Since the call of the meter for the automatic meter reading installed in the customer uses the wireless, the automatic meter reading system can be constructed without the no ringing facility. As a result, the capital investment for constructing the automatic meter reading system can be greatly reduced.

B. By using the satellite broadcasting system that has already transmitted the descramble command signal,
Furthermore, the capital investment for automatic meter reading can be reduced.

C. By wirelessly calling the meter for automatic meter reading, there is no need to invest excessive no-ringing equipment, especially in depopulated areas.

D. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY In addition to automatic meter reading, the present invention can be used for calling terminal information over a wide area such as weather and seismic data, and for transmitting the information.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram when the present invention is implemented using a satellite broadcasting system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Meter-reading center 2 Wireless signal transmission circuit for meter-reading 3 Transmission antenna 4 Consumer 5 Reception antenna 6 Meter for automatic meter-reading 7 Wireless signal reception circuit for meter-reading 8 ID discrimination circuit 9 Meter information transmission circuit 10 Capture circuit 11 Automatic reporting circuit 12 Telephone 13 Public telephone line 14 Telephone station 15 Meter information processing circuit 16 Satellite broadcasting station 17 Broadcasting satellite 18 Satellite broadcasting receiving antenna 19 Broadcasting / meter reading identifying circuit 20 Satellite broadcasting receiving TV

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A meter reading center transmits a wireless signal for automatic meter reading, and when the meter side for automatic meter reading receives the wireless signal for automatic meter reading, the meter reading side is called via a public telephone line to perform automatic meter reading. An automatic meter-reading method that sends the meter-side information to the meter-reading center side via the public telephone line. 2. The automatic meter-reading method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless signal for automatic meter-reading is transmitted via a broadcasting satellite or a communication satellite. 3. The meter reading center transmits a wireless signal for automatic meter reading using a satellite broadcasting system, and the customer side receives a wireless signal for automatic meter reading using a satellite broadcasting receiving system. A meter reading method that calls the meter-reading center side via the public telephone line when receiving a wireless signal and sends the information from the meter side for automatic meter reading to the meter-reading center side via the public telephone line. 4. An automatic meter reading wireless signal transmission circuit for transmitting an automatic meter reading wireless signal, and an automatic meter reading wireless signal reception for receiving the automatic meter reading wireless signal transmitted from the automatic meter reading wireless signal transmission circuit. Circuit and the automatic meter reading wireless signal receiving circuit, when the automatic meter reading wireless signal is received, activates the public telephone line to call the meter reading center side, and the meter for automatic meter reading based on the transmission command from the meter reading center side. Take in the meter information recorded in the recording circuit inside,
An automatic meter reading device comprising a meter information transmitting circuit for transmitting meter information to a meter reading center side via a public telephone line, and a meter information processing circuit for processing meter information transmitted from the meter information transmitting circuit.