JPH0677861A - Information collection system through power - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the information collection system through power line carrier in which information collected through power line carrier is accessed from any remote locations. CONSTITUTION:A power line carrier network 11 having a power line 14 being a data transmission line, each information detection section 12 connecting to the power line 14 via a detection side power line carrier MODEM 13, and a data collection unit 16 connecting to the power line 14 via a collection side power line carrier MODEM 15 and collecting data sent from each information detection section 12 is connected to a public communication network via a MODEM 17.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a power line carrier information collecting system which enables power meter carrier information to be collected from any remote location.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a power line carrier device has been known as a carrier system device using a commercial power transmission line or distribution line as a transmission line. This power line carrier is used, for example, for communication in the same building, etc., and it is possible to use an existing transmission line or distribution line without laying a dedicated line, so when installing a new data communication terminal It is easy to install.

[0003]

However, in the conventional power line carrier device, communication with a remote place is not possible because it is limited to a specific narrow area such as in the same building. In addition, for example, it has been proposed to wirelessly communicate with a remote place by using a power line carrier, but even if a general wireless communication device is used, the range in which radio waves reach is limited. It will be limited to a certain area.

[0004] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an information collecting system by electric power line transportation, in which information collected by electric power line transportation can be accessed from anywhere in a remote place.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, an information collecting system by power line carrier according to the present invention includes a power line serving as a data transmission line and each of the power line carrier modems connected to the power line via a detection side power line carrier modem. A power line carrier network including an information detection unit and a data collection unit that is connected to the power line via a power line carrier modem on the collecting side and collects data transmitted from each information detection unit is a public communication network via a modem. It is connected to.

Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, each of the information detecting units is a meter for meter reading, and performs communication between the data collecting unit and a terminal at an arbitrary place connected to the public line network. It is a thing.

Further, in another aspect of the present invention, the communication is no ringing communication by a remote meter reading system using a telephone network.

[0008]

According to the present invention, in the power line carrier network, the information detected by each information detecting unit is transmitted from the power line carrier modem on the detecting side, and passes through the power line to the data collecting unit from the power line carrier modem on the collecting side. To be collected. Since this data collection unit is connected to the public communication network via the power line carrier network via a modem, it is possible to access the data collected by the data collection unit from a terminal at any place connected to this public communication network. it can.

If the information detector is a meter for meter reading, for example, the meter in the same building is automatically metered and collected in the data collection unit, and this data can be accessed from any terminal of the public communication network. it can.

[0010] Further, the no-ringing communication by the remote meter reading system enables the meter reading from the meter reading center or the like by the telephone.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a power line carrier network according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a data collection unit of the power line carrier network according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, the information collecting system by electric power line carrier according to the present embodiment is a meter 12 for meter reading of water, gas, electricity, etc., which is arranged at each place in the same building or the like.
A power line carrier network 11 for collecting the data detected from the power line carrier is connected to a predetermined public communication network, and the collected data can be accessed from any terminal connected to this public communication network. .

Each meter 12 for meter reading is connected to a power line 14 via a power line carrier modem 13 on the detection side. The data collection unit 16 is connected to the power line 14 via a collection-side power line carrier modem 15. The data collection unit 16 is also connected to a telephone line 18 of a public communication network via a telephone modem 17. A telephone 19 is connected to the telephone modem 17.

The data collection unit 16 is, for example,
As shown in FIG. 2, it has a terminal connected to the power line carrier modem 17 on the collecting side and a terminal connected to the telephone modem 18, and is controlled by a central processing unit (CPU) 21 to transmit and receive data respectively. A data input / output interface 22, a ROM 23 that stores a program that determines a predetermined transmission / reception procedure, and a RAM 2 that stores transmission / reception data.
4 and.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the connection between the power line carrier network and the public communication network according to the embodiment of the present invention. A public communication network 31
Is connected to the above-mentioned power line carrier network 11, and is also connected to a telephone 32 as a terminal arranged at each place.
Further, this A public communication network 31 corresponds to another B public communication network 33.
It is connected to the. A telephone 34 is connected to the B public network 33 as a terminal arranged at each place.

In the power line carrier information collecting system having the above-mentioned configuration, in the power line carrier network 11, the meter value data detected by each meter 12 for meter reading and the ID data such as the identification number of each meter are detected. The data is transmitted from the power line carrier modem 13 through the power line 14, and these data are received by the collecting side power line carrier modem 15 and sent to the data collecting unit 16. The data collection unit 16 takes in the received data from the data input / output interface 22 and stores it in the RAM 24 under the control of the central processing unit 21. Next, from the telephone 32 or 34 at an arbitrary place on the public communication network 31 or 33 connected to the power line carrier network 11 to the telephone modem 18 from the telephone line 18.
When the call arrives at 7, the information is transmitted from the telephone modem 17 to the data collection unit 16, and then the data collection unit 16 determines the predetermined order based on the series of programs recorded in the ROM 23. RAM2
The data such as the identification number for each meter and the meter value recorded in 4 are transmitted to the telephone modem 18. Therefore, the telephone 32 at any place connected to the public communication network 31 or 33
Alternatively, from 34, it is possible to access the data collected in the data collection unit 16 by power line carrier. Therefore, the meter data of water, gas, electricity, etc. installed in the same building, etc. is collected using the existing power line 14 without setting a new dedicated line, and this data is used by the telephone line 18. Since it can be easily transmitted, information can be collected from any terminal that can be accessed from a remote place and can be connected to a public communication network, and meter reading cost can be reduced by automatic meter reading.

In another embodiment of the present invention, so-called no ringing communication by a remote meter reading system can be used as communication by the telephone network of the above embodiment. This no-ringing communication uses the existing telephone network to receive data from a meter reading center or the like at each telephone user's home without ringing the telephone and performs data communication. By utilizing this no-ringing communication, it is possible to perform meter reading from a meter reading center or the like with a telephone.

In the above embodiment, water, gas,
Although the meter 12 for meter reading of electricity or the like has been described as an example, it is not limited to this and may be any information detection unit that needs to detect certain data. For example, vending machine management and remote monitoring for performing remote pointers. It applies to detectors that need to be regularly monitored for control.

Further, the series of data transmission / reception operations of the above embodiment is an example, and it is sufficient that the data collection by the power line carrier and the transfer to the telephone etc. can be performed.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention, in the power line carrier network, the information detected by each information detecting section is transmitted from the power line carrier modem on the detecting side, and the power line carrier on the collecting side is transmitted through the power line. Collected from the modem to the data collection unit. Since this data collection unit is connected to the public communication network via the modem on the power line carrier network, there is an effect that the collected data can be accessed from a terminal at any place connected to the public communication network.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a power line carrier network according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a data collection unit of the power line carrier network according to the embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a connection between a power line carrier network and a public communication network according to the embodiment of this invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Power Line Carrier Network 12 Meter Reading Meter 13 Detection Side Power Line Carrier Modem 14 Power Line 15 Collection Side Power Line Carrier Modem 16 Data Collection Unit 17 Telephone Modem 18 Telephone Line 19, 32, 33 Telephone 31 A Public Communication Network 33 B Public Communication Network

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A power line serving as a data transmission line, information detecting units connected to the power line via a detection-side power line carrier modem, and each information detecting unit connected to the power line via a collecting-side power line carrier modem. An information collection system by power line carrier in which a power line carrier network having a data collection unit for collecting data transmitted from a power line carrier is connected to a public communication network via a modem. 2. The power line carrier according to claim 1, wherein each of the information detection units is a meter for meter reading, and performs communication between the data collection unit and a terminal at an arbitrary location connected to the public line network. Information collection system. 3. The information communication system by power line carrier according to claim 2, wherein the communication is no ringing communication by a remote meter reading system using a telephone network.