TWI722421B - Information Processing System - Google Patents

Abstract

An alarm device that is arranged in a house and outputs an alarm when the target gas is detected. It has: a first communication mechanism to communicate with a gas meter that measures the amount of gas used in the house Wireless communication; the second communication mechanism is used to communicate with the central server; the detection information acquisition mechanism is the first communication mechanism to obtain the detection information of the designated detection date from the gas meter; the memory mechanism is the memory The detection information obtained by the detection information acquisition mechanism; and the communication control mechanism, through the second communication mechanism, transmits the detection information of the designated detection date memorized by the memory mechanism to the central server.

Description

Information Processing System

This disclosure relates to an alarm device and an information processing system.

In the past, automatic detection systems for gas meters, etc., are known as a two-way type using public telephone lines. For example, a public telephone line with a terminal network control device is used to connect the central device and the gas meter for automatic detection installed in each home, and the detection information of the gas meter is read from the central device through the telephone line . In addition, a technology is also proposed to notify the safety information of the gas meter to the central device together with the detection information of the gas meter.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-35423 (Patent Document 1) discloses an alarm notification device that wirelessly receives alarm communications from the alarm device, and based on the wireless received alarm communications, it uses the terminal network control mechanism and public telephones. Line to report the alarm status to the central device. In order to correspond to the wireless reception of the alarm telecommunication, this alarm notification device transmits the safety monitoring information related to the gas meter and the detection information of the gas meter with detection function to the central device, and then it will be in the safety monitoring data flag list In the unused flags, the settings will be pre-corresponding to the received alarm telecommunication flag, and after the activation request signal to the terminal network control agency is transmitted, it corresponds to the request telecommunication received from the terminal network control agency. To send a response message containing the set logo.

[Prior Technical Literature] [Patent Literature]

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-35423

Typically, the detection information of the gas meter will be periodically transmitted to the central device on a pre-designated detection day according to the customer's request. However, if the designated inspection date is too concentrated due to customer requirements, communication problems may occur due to the high load of the processing on the central device side or the congestion of lines, so the actual inspection date will be staggered. The established day after the day. As a result, the inspection period will change to the period from the previous inspection date to the established date, and the quality of customer service is relatively poor. Patent Document 1 does not teach or suggest any technology for solving the above-mentioned problems.

The objective of this disclosure is to provide an alarm device and an information processing system that can improve the quality of customer service by properly obtaining the detection information of the gas meter.

According to one embodiment, an alarm device is provided, which is arranged in a house and outputs an alarm when the target gas is detected. The alarm device is equipped with: the first communication mechanism is used for wireless communication with the gas meter that measures the amount of gas used in the house; the second communication mechanism is used for communication with the central server; detection The information acquisition mechanism is through the first communication mechanism to obtain the test information on the designated test day from the gas meter; the memory mechanism is to memorize the test information acquired by the test information acquisition mechanism; and the communication control mechanism is through the first communication mechanism. 2 The communication mechanism sends the inspection information of the designated inspection date memorized by the memory mechanism to the central server.

Preferably, the detection information acquisition mechanism is based on the situation that the current time point arrives at the predetermined time of the designated detection day, and the detection information of the current time point is transmitted through the first communication mechanism, and by the instruction to the gas meter, To obtain the detection information of the current time point, the acquired detection information of the current time point is stored in the memory mechanism as the detection information of the designated detection day.

Preferably, the alarm device is further provided with: an interruption information obtaining mechanism, through the first communication mechanism, to obtain interruption information indicating that the gas is interrupted from the gas meter. The interruption information acquisition mechanism detects the target gas in the house. Through the first communication mechanism, the detection information indicating that the target gas has been detected is sent to the gas meter, and the interruption information is obtained from the gas meter as the detection Information response. The communication control mechanism transmits the interruption information to the central server through the second communication mechanism.

Preferably, when the communication control mechanism fails to transmit the detection information on the designated detection day to the central server, it transmits the detection information on the designated detection day to the central server again after a predetermined period of time has passed since the transmission failure.

Preferably, if the communication control agency successfully transmits the detection information on the designated detection day to the central server, the detection information on the designated detection day memorized by the memory mechanism will be deleted.

Preferably, the alarm device is further provided with a power storage mechanism, which is usually charged by electric power from a commercial power source, and functions as an alternative power source for the alarm device when the commercial power source fails.

Preferably, the alarm device is further provided with: a photographic information obtaining mechanism, which obtains photographic information taken by a camera disposed in the house. The communication control mechanism detects the target gas in the house, and transmits the photography information obtained by the photography information acquisition mechanism to the central server through the second communication mechanism.

Preferably, the alarm device is further provided with an operating mechanism that receives operating input from the user. The communication control mechanism transmits emergency information to the central server through the second communication mechanism when the operating mechanism receives an emergency instruction from the user.

The information processing system of other embodiments has: a central server; and a main alarm device, which is arranged in the house, and has an alarm function that outputs an alarm when the target gas is detected. The main alarm device uses the first communication mechanism to wirelessly communicate with the gas meter that measures the amount of gas used in the house to obtain the detection information on the designated detection day from the gas meter; The detection information is stored in the first memory of the main alarm device; the detection information of the designated detection day stored in the first memory is sent to the central server through the second communication mechanism used to communicate with the central server.

Preferably, the information processing system is further provided with a plurality of alarm devices, including a plurality of main alarm devices and a plurality of auxiliary alarm devices with a gas alarm function. Each of the plurality of auxiliary alarm devices obtains the detection information of the designated detection day from the gas meter through the first communication mechanism; stores the obtained detection information in the second memory of the auxiliary alarm device; explores the alarm devices existing around, and Send the detection information of the designated detection day stored in the second memory to the first alarm device searched by the search; in the case that the first alarm device is the main alarm device, the first alarm device will come through the second communication mechanism Send the inspection information of the designated inspection day stored in the second memory to the central server.

According to this disclosure, the quality of customer service can be improved by properly obtaining the detection information of the gas meter.

10、11‧‧‧Alarm device

20A、20B‧‧‧Gas Meter

30‧‧‧Home Appliances

31‧‧‧Camera

40‧‧‧Network

50‧‧‧Central Server

100‧‧‧Main Control Department

102‧‧‧Processor

104‧‧‧Main memory

106‧‧‧Non-volatile memory

110‧‧‧Ministry of Communications

111‧‧‧Bluetooth Module

112‧‧‧LTE Module

113‧‧‧Wi-SUN Module

114‧‧‧Wi-Fi Module

121, 122, 123, 124‧‧‧antenna

131‧‧‧Gas Sensor

132‧‧‧Amplifier

133‧‧‧Operation interface

134‧‧‧GPS Module

136‧‧‧Battery

150‧‧‧Commercial power supply

201, 202‧‧‧House

301‧‧‧Detection Information Acquisition Department

303‧‧‧Memory Department

305‧‧‧Gas Testing Department

307‧‧‧Interrupt Information Acquisition Department

309‧‧‧Photographic Information Acquisition Department

311‧‧‧Operation Department

313‧‧‧Communication Control Department

315‧‧‧Inter-device communication department

401, 402, 403‧‧‧Communication range

1000‧‧‧Information Processing System

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the information processing system of the first embodiment.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the alarm device of the first embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the detection information transmission method of the first embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a flow chart for explaining the transmission method of interrupt information in the first embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram for explaining an example of the functional configuration of the alarm device of the first embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the multi-hop communication method of the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the scenario of the failure of the main device in FIG. 6.

Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same symbols are attached to the same members. The names and functions will also be the same. Therefore, detailed descriptions about these will not be repeated.

[Embodiment 1]

<System Configuration>

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the information processing system 1000 of the first embodiment. 1, the information processing system 1000 includes: alarm devices 10 and 11; gas meters 20A and 20B; household electrical appliances 30; a camera 31; a network 40; and a central server 50.

In the following, for ease of description, the configuration in which the alarm devices 10 and 11 are arranged in a house will be described. However, for example, the alarm devices 10 and 11 may be configured to be arranged in each room of a building, or may be configured to be arranged in various shops and the like. That is, the alarm devices 10 and 11 can be arranged in any place as long as they are indoors.

The alarm device 10, the household electrical appliance 30, and the camera 31 provided with a gas alarm function that outputs an alarm when the target gas is detected are arranged in the house of the house 201. Typically, the gas meter 20A will be arranged outside the house 201.

An alarm device 11 is arranged in the house 202. In addition, the same household electrical appliances and cameras as those of the house 201 may be arranged in the house 202. The gas meter 20B will be arranged outside the house 202.

The alarm device 10 is configured to be able to communicate with the gas meter 20A, the household electrical appliance 30, the camera 31, and the alarm device 11. In addition, the alarm device 10 is configured to communicate with the central server 50 through the network 40. The alarm device 10 has a communication gateway function that provides data exchange between multiple communication standards, and is controlled in a way that can smoothly process data between networks with different communication protocols. Similarly, the alarm device 11 may also have a communication gateway function.

The alarm device 10 can use a communication method such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark) which is a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), etc., to wirelessly communicate with the gas meter 20A, the household appliance 30, and the camera 31 . In addition, the alarm device 11 will wirelessly communicate with the gas meter 20B through these communication methods.

In addition, the alarm device 10 is configured to be able to use mobile phone communication methods such as 3G (3rd Generation) or LTE (Long Term Evolution), or is included in LPWA (Low Power) which is a wireless communication method that is expected to be popularized in the future. Wide Area) LTE-M (Long Term Evolution for Machines) or NB-IoT (Narrow Band IoT), etc., communicate with the central server 50 through the network 40. The network 40 includes the telecommunication network and the Internet in the mobile phone.

Further, the alarm device 10 uses, for example, Wi-SUN (registered trademark) (Wireless Smart Utility Network) to communicate with the alarm device 11 wirelessly. Wi-SUN is a specific low-power wireless method that uses the 920MHz frequency band. It has features such as lower power consumption than Wi-Fi (registered trademark), longer reach, and less interference with other radio waves. The 920MHz band method has the advantage that the communication speed is faster than other specific low-power wireless methods (400MHz band). In addition, the alarm device 10 can use Wi-SUN to wirelessly communicate with the gas meter 20A, the household electrical appliance 30, and the camera 31.

The gas meter 20A measures the amount of gas used in the house 201. The gas meter 20A has the gas flow measurement function, the interrupt function of the interrupt valve, the communication function and the clock function.

Specifically, the gas meter 20A is configured to be able to communicate with the alarm device 10 by a communication method such as the aforementioned Bluetooth (registered trademark). The gas meter 20A measures the gas flowing from the gas container (not shown) to the gas equipment (not shown) installed in the house 201, and transmits the detection information to the alarm device 10. The detection information may be the total value of the flow of gas flowing from the gas container to the gas machine, or may be data indicating the amount of gas used, or a combination of two or more of these.

The gas meter 20B is configured to communicate with the alarm device 11, measure the gas circulating in the gas equipment (not shown) installed in the house 202, and transmit detection information to the alarm device 11.

The household electrical appliance 30 is configured to be able to communicate with the alarm device 10, such as a lighting device, an electric fan, a vacuum cleaner, a refrigerator, an air conditioner, a television, a personal computer, a microwave oven, an air cleaner, and the like. The household electrical appliance 30 implements predetermined control according to various instructions from the alarm device 10 or transmits various information to the alarm device 10.

The camera 31 is configured to be able to communicate with the alarm device 10, and will photograph the situation in the house 201 according to the instruction information from the alarm device 10. In addition, the camera 31 transmits the captured image to the alarm device 10. The camera 31 can be realized by, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) method, a CMOS (Complementary Mental Oxide Semiconductor) method or other methods. In addition, the camera 31 has a magnification function for changing the magnification and a focusing function for adjusting the focal distance.

The central server 50 is connected to the network 40 and is a server device for monitoring and controlling the alarm device 10 and the gas meter 20A from a remote location. The central server 50 may, for example, use the alarm device 10 to perform a detection request on the gas meter 20A to obtain the information possessed by the gas meter 20A, or to issue an interrupt request to allow the gas meter 20A to perform the gas interruption. In addition, the central server 50 can also perform detection requests and interrupt requests to the gas meter 20B through the alarm device 10 and the alarm device 11.

In addition to the above, a fire alarm, a nursing robot, a health device that can obtain vital information such as heartbeat, etc. may be arranged in the house 201. In this case, the alarm device 10 is configured to be able to communicate with these devices using a communication method such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), and perform various information processing.

<Hardware Configuration>

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the alarm device 10 of the first embodiment. 2, the alarm device 10 includes: a main control unit 100; a communication unit 110; a gas sensor 131; a loudspeaker 132; an operation interface (I/F) 133; a GPS module 134; an LED (light emitting diode) 135 ; And battery 136.

The main control unit 100 is a main body that controls the entire processing in the alarm device 10. The main components of the main control unit 100 include a processor 102, a main memory 104, and a non-volatile memory 106.

The processor 102 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc., and programs stored in the non-volatile memory 106 are opened in the main memory 104 for execution. The processor 102 executes the program to realize the processing of the alarm device 10 described below.

The main memory 104 is composed of DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), etc., and retains data volatilely. The non-volatile memory 106 is composed of flash memory and EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), etc., and retains data non-volatilely. Hereinafter, the main memory 104 and the non-volatile memory 106 are collectively referred to as "memory".

The main control unit 100 can be installed as a system LSI (Large Scale Integration) including the above-mentioned components. In this case, it can be installed in the form of SoC (System-on-a-Chip) after the components are integrated.

The communication unit 110 includes: a Bluetooth module 111; an LTE module 112; a Wi-SUN module 113; and a Wi-Fi module 114.

The Bluetooth module 111 is connected to the antenna 121 and provides a short-range wireless communication function in accordance with the Bluetooth specification. The Bluetooth module 111 can perform, for example, wireless communication according to BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) and wireless communication according to the Classic Bluetooth specification. Typically, the processor 102 communicates with the gas meter 20A, the home appliance 30 and the camera 31 through the Bluetooth module 111.

The LTE module 112 is connected to the antenna 122, and provides wireless communication functions in accordance with wireless connection methods such as LTE, 3G, LTE-M, and NB-IoT. Typically, the LTE module 112 and the antenna 122 are used for communication between the central server 50 and the alarm device 10.

The Wi-SUN module 113 will be connected to the antenna 123, and will provide a specific low-power wireless communication function in the 920MHz frequency band. Typically, the Wi-SUN module 113 and the antenna 123 are used for communication between the alarm device 10 and the alarm device 11. The Wi-Fi module 114 is connected to the antenna 124, and provides wireless communication functions in accordance with wireless connection methods such as wireless LAN.

The gas sensor 131 detects the presence or absence of target gas. The target gas may be, for example, a combustible gas, a barreled gas mainly composed of propane and butane, or a natural gas mainly composed of methane.

The loudspeaker 132 will output sound according to the instructions of the processor 102. For example, when the target gas is detected by the gas sensor 131, the processor 102 will output an alarm sound through the loudspeaker 132.

The operation interface 133 receives various instructions from the user. Typically, the operation interface 133 includes an emergency contact button, an alarm stop switch, a check switch, and the like.

The GPS module 134 receives GPS signals or position signals (positioning signals) from the base station to obtain the position information of the alarm device 10. The GPS module 134 inputs the acquired position information to the main control unit 100.

The LED 135 will turn off or turn on the light according to the instructions of the processor 102. For example, when the target gas is detected by the gas sensor 131, the processor 102 will issue a warning by turning off or turning on the light.

The battery 136 is a chargeable and dischargeable power storage element, and is typically constituted by a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery or a nickel-hydrogen battery. The alarm device 10 is connected to a commercial power source 150 through an AC (Alternative Current) power cord, and the battery 136 is charged by the commercial power source 150. Specifically, the battery 136 is charged by the electric power from the commercial power source 150 in normal times (when the power is not interrupted), and functions as an alternative power source for the alarm device 10 when the commercial power source 150 is out of power.

In addition, the hardware configuration of the alarm device 11 is different from the hardware configuration of the alarm device 10 in that it does not have the LTE module 112 (and antenna 122) in FIG. 2, and the other configurations are the same. .

<Processing order>

The various processing procedures of the alarm device 10 will be described.

(The transmission method of detection information)

Fig. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the detection information transmission method of the first embodiment. Here, the manner in which the alarm device 10 transmits the detection information of the designated detection day to the central server 50 will be described.

3, the processor 102 of the alarm device 10 will determine whether the detection time point is reached based on the predetermined detection date (designated detection day) (step S10).

Specifically, the processor 102 uses the LTE module 112 and the network 40 to determine whether the detection timing has come when a detection instruction specifying a detection day is received from the central server 50. Alternatively, the processor 102 can also determine whether the detection time point has come by comparing the designated detection date stored in advance in the non-volatile memory 106 with the current time.

The processor 102 instructs the gas meter 20A to transmit the detection information of the current time point to the alarm device 10 (step S12). Specifically, the processor 102 transmits the instruction information indicating the instruction to the gas meter 20A through the Bluetooth module 111.

The processor 102 receives the detection information of the current time point from the gas meter 20A through the Bluetooth module 111 (step S14). The processor 102 stores the received detection information in the memory (for example, the non-volatile memory 106) as the detection information of the designated detection day (step S16).

The processor 102 transmits the detection information of the designated detection date stored in the memory to the central server 50 through the LTE module 112 (step S18). Then, the processor 102 will determine whether the transmission of the detection information to the central server 50 is successful (step S20).

For example, when the processor 102 finishes sending the detection information, and does not receive a response from the central server 50 after a fixed period of time (that is, a time-out situation occurs), it will determine that the detection information is not Transfer to the central server 50 (that is, the transfer fails). If this is not the case, the processor 102 will determine that the transmission of the detection information has been successful.

In the case that the transmission of the detection information has been successful (YES in step S20), the processor 102 will end the processing. In the case that the transmission of the detection information has failed (NO in step S20), the processor 102 determines whether a predetermined period (for example, one day) has passed since the transmission of the detection information failed (step S22). If the predetermined time has not elapsed (NO in step S22), the processor 102 will execute step S22.

When the predetermined time has elapsed (YES in step S22), the processor 102 will execute the processing of step S18. That is, the processor 102 will again send the detection information of the designated detection date stored in the memory to the central server 50.

From the above, the alarm device 10 first stores the detection information of the designated detection day obtained from the gas meter 20A in the memory. Then, even if communication failures occur due to high processing load or line congestion on the central server 50 side, and assuming that the detection information cannot be transmitted on the designated detection day, the alarm device 10 can still communicate with the central server 50. At the time of communication, the detection information of the designated detection day stored in the memory is sent to the central server 50. Thereby, since the detection period will not be staggered, the quality of customer service can be improved.

(Interrupted information transmission method)

Fig. 4 is a flow chart for explaining the transmission method of interrupt information in the first embodiment. Here, when the alarm device 10 detects the target gas, the method of transmitting the gas interruption information to the central server 50 will be described.

Referring to FIG. 4, the processor 102 of the alarm device 10 uses the gas sensor 131 to determine whether the target gas is detected in the house 201 (step S30). If the target gas is not detected (NO in step S30), the processor 102 will execute the process of step S30.

When the target gas is detected (YES in step S30), the processor 102 transmits the gas detection information indicating that the target gas is detected to the gas meter 20A through the Bluetooth module 111 (step S32). When the gas meter 20A receives the gas detection information, it will interrupt the interrupt valve and stop the gas supply from the gas container. Then, the gas meter 20A transmits the interruption information indicating that the interruption is executed to the alarm device 10 through the Bluetooth module 111.

The processor 102 receives the interruption information from the gas meter 20A through the Bluetooth module 111 (step S34), and associates the interruption information with the current time and stores it in the memory (step S36). Specifically, the processor 102 stores the interrupt related information including the interrupt information and the interrupt time after the interrupt is executed in the memory.

The processor 102 transmits the interrupt related information stored in the memory to the central server 50 through the LTE module 112 (step S38). Then, the processor 102 determines whether the transmission of the interrupt related information to the central server 50 is successful (step S40).

In the case that the transmission of the interrupt related information has been successful (YES in step S40), the processor 102 will end the processing. In the case that the transmission of the interrupt-related information has failed (NO in step S40), the processor 102 will determine whether a predetermined period has elapsed since the transmission of the interrupt-related information failed (step S42). If the predetermined time has not elapsed (NO in step S42), the processor 102 will execute the processing of step S42.

When the predetermined period has elapsed (YES in step S42), the processor 102 will execute the processing of step S38. That is, the processor 102 will send the interrupt-related information stored in the memory to the central server 50 again.

As described above, the alarm device 10 first stores the interrupt related information indicating when the interrupt valve will be interrupted by the gas meter 20A in the memory. Then, even if communication with the central server 50 is not possible due to disasters, etc., and the interruption-related information cannot be transmitted, the alarm device 10 can still transmit the interruption-related information to the central server at the point in time when it can communicate with the central server. 50. In this way, the central server 50 can accurately grasp when the gas is interrupted.

<Functional composition>

Fig. 5 is a block diagram for explaining an example of the functional configuration of the alarm device of the first embodiment. 5, the main functional structure of the alarm device 10 includes: a detection information acquisition unit 301; a storage unit 303; a gas detection unit 305; an interrupt information acquisition unit 307; a photographic information acquisition unit 309; an operation unit 311; and a communication control unit 313; And the inter-device communication unit 315. The memory unit 303 is realized by the main memory 104 and the non-volatile memory 106.

The detection information acquisition unit 301 obtains the detection information of the designated detection day from the gas meter 20A through the first communication module (for example, the Bluetooth module 111) for wireless communication with the gas meter 20A.

In one aspect, when the detection information acquisition unit 301 reaches the predetermined time of the designated detection day at the current time, the detection information at the current time is transmitted through the first communication mechanism, and the gas meter 20A Instruction (that is, to perform a detection instruction) to obtain the detection information at the current point in time. The detection information acquisition unit 301 stores the acquired detection information at the current time point in the storage unit 303 as the detection information of the designated detection day. The detection information acquisition unit 301 is mainly realized by the processor 102 and the communication unit 110.

The gas detection unit 305 detects whether there is target gas in the house 201. The gas detection unit 305 is mainly realized by the processor 102 and the gas sensor 131.

The interruption information obtaining unit 307 obtains the interruption information indicating that the gas is interrupted from the gas meter 20A through the first communication module. In one aspect, when the interrupt information acquisition unit 307 detects the target gas by the gas detection unit 305, it transmits the detection information indicating that the target gas is detected to the gas meter 20A through the first communication module. And obtain the interrupt information from the gas meter 20A as a response to the detection information. In addition, the interruption information acquisition unit 307 can store interruption-related information associated with the interruption information and the current time (ie, the interruption time) in the storage unit 303.

The photographic information obtaining unit 309 obtains the photographic information captured by the camera 31 through the first communication module. The photographic information acquisition unit 309 stores the photographic information in the memory unit 303. The photographic information acquisition unit 309 is mainly realized by the processor 102 and the communication unit 110.

In one aspect, the photographic information acquisition unit 309 can detect the gas condition by the gas detection unit 305, and then transmits the activation instruction to the camera 31, and obtains the photographic information captured by the activated camera 31 . In this way, the situation of the house in an emergency situation when a gas leak occurs can be memorized to the memory unit 303, and since no photographic information is usually memorized, the capacity of the memory unit 303 can be used efficiently.

The operation part 311 receives operation input from the user. In one aspect, the operating unit 311 will accept an emergency instruction from the user. The operating unit 311 is mainly implemented by the processor 102 and the operating interface 133.

The communication control unit 313 communicates various information with the central server 50 through the second communication module (for example, the LTE module 112). The communication control unit 313 is mainly realized by the processor 102 and the communication unit 110.

In one aspect, the communication control unit 313 transmits the detection information of the designated detection date stored in the storage unit 303 to the central server 50 through the second communication module. If the communication control unit 313 fails to transmit the detection information on the designated detection day to the central server 50, it will send the detection information on the designated detection day to the central server again after a predetermined period (for example, one day later) from the transmission failure. 50. In addition, if the communication control unit 313 successfully transmits the detection information on the designated detection day to the central server 50, it can be passed shortly after the transmission of the detection information on the designated detection day memorized by the memory unit 303 or after the transmission is successful. Delete after a fixed period (for example, a few months later). In this way, the capacity of the memory portion 303 can be used efficiently.

On the other hand, the communication control unit 313 transmits the interrupt information obtained by the interrupt information obtaining unit 307 to the central server 50 through the second communication module. Specifically, the communication control unit 313 transmits the interrupt related information stored in the storage unit 303 to the central server 50.

In another aspect, when the target gas is detected in the house 201, the communication control unit 313 transmits the photography information acquired by the photography information acquisition unit 309 to the central server 50 through the second communication module.

In another aspect, when the operation unit 311 receives an emergency instruction from the user, the communication control unit 313 transmits emergency information indicating what kind of emergency has occurred to the central server 50 through the second communication module. . In this way, the user can directly communicate the emergency situation to the central server 50.

The inter-device communication unit 315 communicates wirelessly with the alarm device 11. Typically, the inter-device communication unit 315 wirelessly communicates with the alarm device 11 through a third communication module (for example, the Wi-SUN module 113). For example, the inter-device communication unit 315 receives various information (for example, detection information, interruption-related information, photography information, emergency information, etc.) from the alarm device 11. The communication control unit 313 transmits various information obtained by the inter-device communication unit 315 to the central server 50 through the second communication module.

Here, the alarm device 11 is in the functional configuration of the above-mentioned alarm device 10, and also has various functional configurations other than the communication control unit 313 (that is, the detection information acquisition unit 301, the storage unit 303, the gas detection unit 305, and the interrupt information acquisition unit. Section 307, photographic information acquisition section 309, operation section 311, inter-device communication section 315). Specifically, the alarm device 11 obtains detection information, interruption-related information, photography information, emergency instruction information, etc. on the designated detection day. Then, the inter-device communication part of the alarm device 11 transmits the information to the alarm device 10 through the Wi-SUN module.

<Advantages>

According to the first embodiment, even if the detection information cannot be transmitted on the designated detection day, the detection information on the designated detection day stored in the memory can still be transmitted to the time when the alarm device 10 and the central server 50 can communicate with each other. The central server 50 does not need to stagger the detection period to improve the quality of customer service.

Even if the interruption information cannot be sent when the gas is interrupted, the interruption-related information stored in the memory can still be sent to the central server 50 at the point in time when the alarm device 50 and the central server can communicate. As a result, the central server 50 can accurately grasp when the gas interruption has been performed.

It can solve the problem of not being able to communicate during the call that occurs in the way of reading the detection information of the gas meter through the public telephone line. In addition, since the battery 136 is normally charged from a commercial power source, and the battery 136 is used as an alternative power source in the event of a power failure, there is no need to care about the power consumption of the alarm device 10 due to communication.

[Embodiment 2]

In the second embodiment, the multi-hop communication method of the alarm device 10 and the plurality of alarm devices 11 will be described. As described above, the alarm device 10 and the alarm device 11 are configured to be capable of two-way communication using a communication method such as Wi-SUN. In Wi-SUN, multiple devices use Bucket brigade type to relay data, which corresponds to multi-hop communication that connects separate areas. Therefore, the alarm device 10 and the multiple alarm devices 11 can transmit data in a multi-hop communication mode.

In the following description, the alarm device 10 equipped with the LTE module 112 and capable of wireless communication with the central server 50 is referred to as the "main device 10", and the alarm device 11 without the LTE module 112 is referred to as the "auxiliary device 11." ".

Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the multi-hop communication method of the second embodiment. Referring to FIG. 6, main devices 10A, 10B, and 10C are the main devices of groups A, B, and C, respectively. The communication ranges 401, 402, and 403 respectively indicate the communication ranges when the main devices 10A, 10B, and 10C use Wi-SUN for communication.

Since the accessory devices 11A, 11B, and 11C are in the circle of the communication range 401, they belong to the group A. Since the accessory devices 11C, 11D, and 11E are in the circle of the communication range 402, they belong to the group B. From this point of view, the accessory device 11C belongs to both groups A and B. Since the accessory devices 11G and 11F are in the circle of the communication range 403, they belong to the group C.

For example, in order to establish a communication path between the auxiliary device 11 newly added to the network and the main device 10, it needs to obtain information including the communication path, communication quality, etc. from the main device 10 or other auxiliary devices 11 that have been added to the network. Routing information. Here, the newly added accessory device 11 will broadcast and transmit the beacon request signal used to explore the surrounding main device 10 or other accessory devices 11.

If the main device 10 or other auxiliary devices 11 can receive the beacon request signal, the main device 10 or other auxiliary devices 11 that have received the beacon request signal will broadcast and transmit the beacon response signal for the beacon request signal. When the newly added accessory device 11 receives the beacon response signal, it will transmit and receive routing information with the transmission source of the beacon response signal to construct a communication path.

Typically, the main device 10 receives various information from each of the auxiliary devices 11 belonging to each group, and transmits the various information to the central server 50. Here, each accessory device 11 receives the detection information of the designated detection day from the corresponding gas meter, and stores the received detection information in the internal memory of the accessory device. In addition, each accessory device stores the above-mentioned interrupt-related information and photography information in its internal memory.

For example, the main device 10A receives the detection information and interruption information stored in the internal memory of each of the auxiliary devices 11A, 11B, and 11C from the auxiliary device 11. The main device 10A transmits the detection information and interruption information of each auxiliary device 11A, 11B, 11C to the central server 50.

In addition, since the auxiliary device 11C also belongs to the group B, the information stored in the internal memory of the auxiliary device 11C can also be transmitted to the central server 50 through the main device 10B.

Here, it is assumed that a certain main device 10 is unable to communicate with the central server 50 and other auxiliary devices 11 due to factors such as failure.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a scenario where the main device 10 in FIG. 6 fails. Referring to FIG. 7, the main device 10B is unable to communicate with the central server 50 and other auxiliary devices 11 due to factors such as failure. In this case, the auxiliary devices 11D and 11E belonging to the group B cannot send information to the central server 50 through the main device 10B.

Therefore, the accessory device 11E will, for example, send a beacon request signal to explore other devices existing around it, and establish communication with the accessory device 11D that has a response (searched by the exploration). Similarly, the accessory device 11D will establish communication with the accessory device 11C. The accessory device 11C can communicate with the main device 10A through the accessory device 11B. That is, the auxiliary device 11E can communicate with the main device 10A through the auxiliary devices 11D, 11C, and 11B.

Therefore, the auxiliary device 11E transmits the detection information (or interrupt information, etc.) stored in the internal memory to the main device 10A. The main device 10A will then send the received detection information (or interruption information) to the central server 50 from the auxiliary device 11E.

In this way, the accessory device 11 will transmit various information P stored in the internal memory to the device K1 found by the exploration. Then, when the discovered device K1 is the master device 10, the device K1 will transmit various information P stored in the internal memory of the accessory device 11 to the central server 50. On the other hand, when the discovered device K1 is the accessory device 11, the device K1 will further transmit various information P to other devices K2 discovered by itself.

In addition, the communication path in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 is an example, and it can also be configured to use other communication paths. For example, if the accessory device 11E finds the accessory device 11C by searching, the accessory device 11E will not establish communication with the accessory device 11C through the accessory device 11D. Furthermore, if the auxiliary device 11C finds the main device 10A through exploration, the communication with the main device 10A will not be established through the auxiliary device 11B. In this case, the accessory device 11E can communicate with the main device 10A through the accessory device 11C.

[Other embodiments]

(1) In the above-mentioned embodiment, although the alarm devices 10 and 11 acquire the detection information of the gas meter, they may be configured to communicate with various meters other than the gas meter to further acquire various meters. Detection information of the device. The alarm devices 10 and 11 can be configured to obtain detection information (such as data indicating the amount of water used) from a waterway meter that measures the amount of water used by a Bluetooth module, or to measure the use of electricity (electricity) The amount of electricity meter to obtain detection information (for example, data indicating the amount of electricity used). The alarm device 10 transmits the detection information to the central server 50. In this way, it is possible to further improve the quality of customer service by integrating and managing the detection information of gas, electricity, and water systems as the lifeline.

(2) In the above embodiment, the computer can also be used to provide a program that can perform the control as described in the above flowchart. Such programs can be recorded on non-temporary and computer-readable recording media such as floppy disks, CD (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), secondary storage devices, primary storage devices, and memory cards attached to the computer, and Provide it as a program product. Or it can also be recorded on a recording medium such as a built-in hard disk in the computer to provide a program. In addition, the program can also be provided by downloading from the Internet.

The program can be a program module provided as a part of the computer's operating system (OS), with a predetermined configuration to call the required module at a predetermined time to execute the processor. In this case, the program itself will not include the above modules but will be linked to the OS for processing. Programs that do not contain such modules can also be included in the programs related to this embodiment.

In addition, the program related to this embodiment can also be integrated into a part of other programs and provided. In this case, the program itself will not include the modules contained in the other programs mentioned above, but will be linked to other programs for processing. Programs that are grouped into such other programs can also be included in the programs related to this embodiment.

(3) The configuration exemplified in the above embodiment is an example of the configuration of the present invention, and can also be combined with other conventional technologies, or part of the configuration can be omitted or changed without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, it is also possible to appropriately adopt the processing and configuration described in the other embodiment to implement it.

All points of the embodiment disclosed this time should be exemplification rather than limitation. The scope of the present invention is not the above description, but is intended to include all the changes expressed in the scope of the patent application and will be equivalent to the scope of the patent application and within the scope.

10, 11: Alarm device

20A, 20B: Gas meter

30: Home appliances

31: Camera

40: Network

50: Central server

201, 202: Residential

1000: Information Processing System

Claims (9)

An information processing system is provided with: a central server; and a main alarm device, which is arranged in the house and has a gas alarm function that outputs an alarm when the target gas is detected; the main alarm device is used to participate in the meeting The first communication mechanism of the gas meter that measures the amount of gas used in the house performs wireless communication to obtain the detection information of the designated detection day from the gas meter; and memorize the acquired detection information in the host The first memory of the alarm device; the detection information of the designated detection day stored in the first memory is sent to the central server through the second communication mechanism used to communicate with the central server; further Equipped with: multiple alarm devices, including multiple main alarm devices and multiple auxiliary alarm devices with the gas alarm function; each multiple auxiliary alarm device obtains the detection of the designated detection date from the gas meter through the first communication mechanism Information; the acquired detection information is stored in the second memory of the auxiliary alarm device; the alarm devices existing around are searched, and the detection information of the designated detection day stored in the second memory is sent to the The first alarm device found by the exploration; if the first alarm device is the main alarm device, the first alarm device will use the second communication mechanism to store the designation in the second memory The inspection information of the inspection day is sent to the central server. For example, the information processing system of item 1 of the scope of patent application, in which the main alarm device is the situation that the current time point reaches the predetermined time of the designated detection day, and the detection information of the current time point is transmitted through the first communication mechanism In the method, by instructing the gas meter to obtain the detection information of the current time point; the obtained detection information of the current time point is used as the detection information of the designated detection day and stored in the first memory body. For example, the information processing system of item 1 or 2 of the scope of patent application, in which the main alarm device detects the target gas in the house, through the first communication mechanism, it will indicate the detection of the target gas after the detection The information is sent to the gas meter, and interruption information indicating that the gas is interrupted is obtained from the gas meter as a response to the detection information; the interruption information is sent to the central server through the second communication mechanism. For example, the information processing system of item 1 or 2 of the scope of patent application, in which the detection information of the main alarm device fails to transmit to the central server on the designated detection day, it will be transmitted again after a predetermined period from the failure of the transmission The inspection information of the designated inspection day is sent to the central server. If the information processing system of item 1 or 2 of the scope of patent application, in which the detection information of the main alarm device on the designated detection day is successfully transmitted to the central server, the designated detection stored in the first memory will be deleted Daily inspection information. For example, the information processing system of item 1 or 2 of the scope of patent application, in which the main alarm device is further equipped with: a power storage mechanism, which is charged by electric power from a commercial power source at ordinary times, and when the commercial power source fails, It functions as an alternative power source for the main alarm device. Such as the information processing system of item 1 or 2 of the scope of patent application, wherein the main alarm device further obtains the photographic information taken by the camera disposed in the house; If the target gas is detected in the house, the acquired photographic information will be sent to the central server through the second communication mechanism. For example, the information processing system of item 1 or 2 of the scope of patent application, in which the main alarm device receives an emergency instruction from the user, and transmits the emergency information to the central server through the second communication mechanism. For example, the information processing system of item 1 or 2 of the scope of patent application, wherein the main alarm device further obtains the designated inspection date from the meter of at least one of the waterway meter and the electrical meter through the first communication mechanism The detection information; through the second communication mechanism, the detection information obtained from the at least one meter of the designated detection day is sent to the central server.

Images