JPH0821991B2 - Communication method of non-telephone terminals by public telephone network - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a communication method between a non-telephone system terminal connected to a public telephone network and a management center that manages a plurality of non-telephone system terminals. is there.

(Prior Art) As a method for automating the meter reading of LP gas, a meter reading terminal that uses a common line with a telephone is provided, and the meter reading is performed by communicating with a management center that manages the meter reading terminal through a public telephone network. Some devices are designed to collect terminal data and transmit alarm information. In order to realize the above communication relatively easily, a terminal transmission method is generally adopted as the communication method.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a communication system using a conventional terminal transmission method. In the figure, 1 is a public telephone network, 2 is a telephone, 3 is an LP gas meter reading terminal, 4 is a telephone 2 and a meter reading terminal 3.
Terminal adapters for selectively connecting and to the public telephone network 1,
Is a management center that is connected to the public telephone network 1 and manages the meter-reading terminal 3.

When operating the LP gas supply business, each data such as the meter reading data is regularly transferred from the meter reading terminal 3 to the management center 5, and the management center 5 can also transfer each data to the meter reading terminal 3. Required. Management center 5
The items that are managed by data transfer are, for example,
Checking the meter reading terminal 3 when an abnormal value is found in the collected data, on / off control of the gas valve when the user is absent for a long time, checking the usage status of LP gas at any time, zero of the meter reading counter There is a reset, a notification of a change in the telephone number of the management center 5, a time correction of a clock incorporated in the terminal adapter 4, and the like. In these, the meter-reading terminal 3 is the management center 5
There is a method in which it is sufficiently time to transfer data and instruct using the communication channel set when a call is made to a terminal, and a method in which an instruction from the management center 5 is required at any time. . However, in this terminal transmission method, since the management center 5 cannot make a call, it was necessary to rely on some alternative means, such as telephone contact or dispatch of staff, for the above-mentioned items that require instructions at any time. .

On the other hand, there is a center transmission method proposed by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation as an "interface (proposed) of a no-ringing communication service" so that a management center can make a call at any time. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a communication system based on the above-mentioned center transmission system. Reference numeral 2 is a telephone, 5 is a management center, 6 is a local exchange on the originating side, and 7 is a local exchange.
Is a local exchange on the receiving side, 8 is a terminal adapter, 9 is a meter reading terminal, and 10 is a no-ringing trunk provided on the local exchange 7 on the receiving side.

The no-ringing trunk 10 is specially provided in the local exchange 6 on the receiving side for calling the meter-reading terminal 9. When the management center 5 calls and specifies the meter-reading terminal 9,
The ringing trunk 10 sends a calling signal of a specific frequency to the terminal adapter 8, and the terminal adapter 8 receives the signal and identifies that the calling is to the meter-reading terminal 9, and connects the telephone line to the meter-reading terminal 9.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the center transmission system according to FIG. 3, it is necessary to provide a special non-ringing trunk on the receiving side exchange, which makes the exchange expensive. Especially when the number of non-telephone terminals is small, the cost burden of installing the no-ringing trunk of the exchange becomes large.
This has hindered the widespread management of non-telephone terminals by the management center.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a conventional switching system in which a called party is called by a telephone number according to a method promised in advance, the called party identifies the called party, and a telephone line is automatically connected to a non-telephone terminal. It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication method for a non-telephone terminal that enables communication without changing the.

(Means for Solving Problems) In order to solve the above problems, the present invention selectively controls together with a telephone by a management center connected to a public telephone network and a terminal adapter connected to a line of the public telephone network. In the communication method of communicating with a non-telephone terminal connected to the line, the management center makes a first call to the terminal adapter by the telephone number of the telephone and sends a call signal for the call. Upon confirmation, the first call is stopped and the second call is continuously made using the telephone number, and the terminal adapter has the first and second calls within a predetermined time. A communication method is used in which the non-telephone terminal is connected to the line for the second call.

(Operation) According to the present invention, the management center makes a call from the public telephone network when making a first call using the telephone number of the telephone paired with the non-telephone terminal when calling the non-telephone terminal. When the signal is returned, the management center confirms the call signal, stops the first call, and then continues the second call by the telephone number. When the terminal adapter is called by the first call and the line is restored once and the second call is made within a predetermined time, the terminal adapter connects the non-telephone terminal to the line. .

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communication system showing an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, 1 is a public telephone network similar to that in FIG. 2, hereinafter 2 is a telephone and 3 is a non-telephone terminal.
It is a meter reading terminal for LP gas. Reference numeral 11 is a management center for managing the meter-reading terminal 3, which calls and communicates with the meter-reading terminal 3. At the time of calling, as will be described later, the first calling and the confirmation of the calling signal are performed. , Make the second call that follows.

12 is a terminal adapter, which is an office line interface circuit 13,
It comprises a control circuit 14, a selection signal transmission circuit 15, a telephone interface circuit 16, a non-telephone system terminal interface circuit 17 and the like. The office line interface circuit 13 is used for the telephone 2
Is connected to a common line (station line) 18 for the meter-reading terminal 3 to monitor the line and detect incoming calls. Control circuit
Reference numeral 14 controls outgoing / incoming calls, monitors for collisions, switches lines, etc. When switching lines, a timer (not shown) is started when the first call is made by the line 18. Then, the stop of the call and the presence / absence of the second call are monitored, and if the second call is made within a predetermined time period, the line 18 is connected to the examination terminal 3 or the first call is made. When the call continues, the telephone 2 is connected. The timer sets a time for monitoring the time from the first call to the second call. Selection signal transmission circuit 15
Sends the selection signal to the control circuit 14 based on the line switching designation by the control circuit 14. The telephone interface circuit 16 monitors the selection signal of the line 18 from the control circuit 14 and connects the line 18 to the telephone 2 or the telephone 2
Is monitored and connected to the line 18 via the control circuit 14. The non-telephone system terminal interface circuit 17 monitors the selection signal of the line 18 from the control circuit 14 to connect the line 18 to the meter-reading terminal 3, or monitors the transmission by the meter-reading terminal 3 and sends the signal via the control circuit 14. Connect with line 18. Then, the procedure of data transmission from the meter-reading terminal 3 is controlled again.

Next, the operation of the communication system shown in FIG. 1 will be described.
FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the operation of the communication system of FIG. The flowchart of FIG. 4 shows the operation of the terminal adapter 12 when the call is sent from the management center 11 or the outside, and the operation of the management center 11 is shown in parentheses in the figure.

First, when the first call is made from the management center 11 using the telephone number of the telephone 2, the control circuit 14 receives the ringing tone (step S1) and activates a timer (not shown) (S2). The management center 11 monitors the call signal sent from the public telephone network (local exchange) 1 during the call, immediately restores the line 18 when the call signal is confirmed, and continues to perform the second call in the same manner. Make a call. The control circuit 14 confirms that the ringing tone by the first ringing has stopped (S3), waits for the second ringing tone, and then waits for the second ringing before the timer times out. Check the sound (S4, S
5) Respond by regarding it as a call to the meter-reading terminal 3 (S
6) Then, the timer is reset (S7) and the line 18 is connected to the meter-reading terminal 3 (S8). Then, thereafter, information is transmitted between the management center 11 and the meter-reading terminal 3 in accordance with the set procedure. Since the second call is made without waiting for a response to the first call, no charge is incurred for the first call.

When the time is over in step S5, the timer is reset (S9) and a new ringing tone is waited for (S1).

When the first ringing tone is not stopped and the time is over in step S3 (S10), the control circuit 14 regards it as an external telephone call, and resets the timer (S11). The line 18 is connected to the telephone 2 (S12).

In this embodiment, the meter-reading terminal 3 is used as the non-telephone terminal.
However, the non-telephone terminal may be a terminal in a home security system, a facsimile, a personal computer, or the like.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, when a non-telephone terminal is called from the management center, the first and second calls are successively made, and the terminal adapter on the receiving side calls this. The confirmation was regarded as a call to a non-telephone terminal and the line was connected to the non-telephone terminal. Therefore, the management center without changing the system of the public telephone network (local exchange) or adding a function And non-telephone terminals are connected to enable mutual communication, and the connection control is to monitor and switch the time, so the configuration is simple. The system can be easily realized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communication system showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a communication system of a conventional terminal transmission system, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a communication system of a conventional center transmission system. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the operation of the communication system of FIG. 1 ... Public telephone network 2 ... Telephone 3 ... Meter reading terminal (non-telephone terminal) 11 ... Management center 12 ... Terminal adapter 18 ... Line

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Yasuro Fukawa 2-31-6 Hiratsuka, Hiratsuka-shi, Kanagawa Any Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-1-130656 (JP, A) JP-A-1 -130658 (JP, A) JP-A-61-295750 (JP, A)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A communication is performed between a management center connected to a public telephone network and a non-telephone terminal connected to the line and selectively controlled together with a telephone by a terminal adapter connected to the line of the public telephone network. In the communication method, the management center makes a first call with the telephone number of the telephone to the terminal adapter, and when the call signal for the call is confirmed, the first call is stopped and the telephone number continues. The second call is made by the terminal adapter, and the terminal adapter determines that the non-telephone terminal is connected to the line for the second call because the first and second calls are made within a predetermined time. A communication method for non-telephone terminals using the public telephone network, which is characterized by connecting to the Internet.