WO2017199399A1

WO2017199399A1 - Management device, automatic meter reading system, and state monitoring method

Info

Publication number: WO2017199399A1
Application number: PCT/JP2016/064905
Authority: WO
Inventors: 智彦秋山; 勇林
Original assignee: 三菱電機株式会社
Priority date: 2016-05-19
Filing date: 2016-05-19
Publication date: 2017-11-23
Also published as: PL428137A1; JP6529668B2; JPWO2017199399A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a management device (5) which monitors the status of power lines in an automatic meter reading system which comprises smart meters which are installed in each consumer household and which measure electricity information which relates to power, and an upper terminal which carries out communication using power lines with each of the smart meters and collects measurement information which includes results of the measurements of the electricity information, said management device (5) comprising: a data acquisition unit (53) which acquires, from the upper terminal, communication quality information which indicates the quality of communication between adjacent smart meters, communication quality information which indicates the quality of communication between the upper terminal and the smart meters which are adjacent thereto, and the measurement information; and a data analysis unit (51) which, on the basis of the communication quality information and the measurement information acquired by the data acquisition unit, identifies the consumer household which is a noise generating source and estimates a time at which the noise is generated.

Description

Management device, automatic meter reading system, and state monitoring method

The present invention relates to an automatic meter reading system management device, an automatic meter reading system, and a state monitoring method for collecting information such as the amount of electric power used by each consumer using power line communication (hereinafter referred to as PLC).

In recent years, an automatic meter reading system in which a smart meter is installed at each consumer and an aggregation device called a concentrator collects information such as the amount of power used by each consumer through a communication function has become widespread. There are several communication methods used in the automatic meter reading system, and one of them is a PLC. The PLC has different attenuation characteristics and noise characteristics for each slave station apparatus between a single master station apparatus and a plurality of slave station apparatuses that perform communication. Therefore, when installing the slave station device, it is necessary to estimate the communication performance between the master station device and each slave station device in advance. For example, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, a database is constructed by collecting data on physical conditions and noise sources surrounding the master station device and the slave station device, and when installing the slave station device, The communication performance of each slave terminal is estimated based on the information stored in the database using a database constructed in advance.

JP 2004-64384 A

Various electrical devices such as home appliances and network terminals are connected as loads to the outlets in the customer's homes, and the connection status and operating state of these loads change daily. In addition, a new electric device may be installed. When the connection state of the load changes, there is a possibility that noise on the power line used as the communication line increases and the communication quality deteriorates. In the case of an apartment house such as a condominium, a common power line is provided, and power is branched and supplied from the common power line to the power line for each consumer. Therefore, when an automatic meter-reading system is formed by smart meters and aggregation devices installed in apartment buildings, the influence of noise generated by one consumer is caused by the difference between smart meters and aggregation devices installed in other consumers. There is also a possibility that inconveniences such as the inability to collect meter-reading data, which is information such as the amount of power used, over a wide range may also occur. Therefore, when there is a consumer installed with electrical equipment that generates noise, it is necessary to identify the consumer having the noise generation source and to take measures to improve the communication quality. Some electrical devices are always in operation, while others only operate when needed. It is desirable to be able to identify a consumer in which an electrical device that generates noise is installed even when an electrical device other than a constantly operating electrical device generates noise, and it is desirable to be able to estimate a time zone in which the noise is generated. If the location and time at which noise is generated are known in advance, measures for improving communication quality can be implemented accordingly.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to obtain a management device capable of specifying a factor that degrades communication quality in an automatic meter reading system using a PLC.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a management device according to the present invention is installed in each consumer to measure electrical information regarding power, and communication using each of the smart meters and a power line The power line state is monitored in an automatic meter reading system including a host terminal that collects measurement information including measurement results of electrical information. The management device displays the communication quality information indicating the communication quality between the adjacent smart meters, the communication quality information indicating the communication quality between the upper terminal and the adjacent smart meter, and the measurement information. Obtained from a terminal, specifies a consumer of a noise generation source based on the acquired communication quality information and measurement information, and estimates the noise generation time.

The management device according to the present invention has an effect that it is possible to identify a factor that degrades communication quality in an automatic meter reading system using a PLC.

The figure which shows the structural example of the automatic meter-reading system concerning Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which shows the structural example of the smart meter concerning Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which shows the structural example of the high-order terminal concerning Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a management device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an operation example of the automatic meter reading system according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows the specific example of the operation | movement in which the high-order terminal of the automatic meter-reading system concerning Embodiment 1 acquires measurement information. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of a management apparatus according to a first embodiment; The figure which shows an example of the internal operation | movement of the management apparatus of the automatic meter-reading system concerning Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the example of the timing which the high-order terminal concerning Embodiment 1 collects measurement data The figure which shows the structural example of the automatic meter-reading system concerning Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which shows an example of the analysis table which the management apparatus concerning Embodiment 1 produces. The figure which shows the 1st other example of the analysis table which the management apparatus concerning Embodiment 1 produces. The figure which shows the 2nd other example of the analysis table which the management apparatus concerning Embodiment 1 produces. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a management device according to a first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating another example of the hardware configuration of the management apparatus according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows the structural example of the automatic meter-reading system concerning Embodiment 2. FIG.

Hereinafter, a management device and an automatic meter reading system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an automatic meter reading system according to the first embodiment. The automatic meter reading system 100 according to the first embodiment includes a host terminal 1 that collects data such as the amount of power used by consumers, smart meters 2-11, 12-12, 2-13,. , 2-21, 22-22, 2-23,..., And a management device 5 that monitors the state of the automatic meter reading system 100. In the following description, when it is not necessary to distinguish each of the plurality of smart meters constituting the automatic meter reading system 100, the smart meters 2-11, 12-12, 2-13,. , 2-22, 2-23,...

In the automatic meter reading system 100 shown in FIG. 1, the upper terminal 1 collects data from each smart meter 2 by PLC performed via the power line 10. The host terminal 1 has a function of operating as a base unit of the PLC. Each smart meter 2 has a function of measuring electrical information related to electric power supplied to a consumer in which the own smart meter 2 is installed, and a function of operating as a slave unit of the PLC. The function of measuring electrical information includes a function of measuring harmonics. The host terminal 1 and each smart meter 2 form a PLC network and transmit and receive data by multi-hop communication. That is, when each smart meter 2 receives data addressed to the upper terminal 1 from another smart meter 2, it transfers the received data to the upper terminal 1. In addition, when the upper terminal 1 receives data addressed to the other smart meter 2 of the transmission source, each smart meter 2 transfers the received data to the other smart meter 2 of the destination.

The management device 5 is connected to the upper terminal 1 via a network 50 that is a computer network such as Ethernet (registered trademark), and acquires measurement information and the like held in the upper terminal 1. The management device 5 manages the communication state in the PLC formed by the upper terminal 1 and the smart meter 2 based on the measurement information acquired from the upper terminal 1.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the smart meter according to the first embodiment. The smart meter 2 includes a measurement terminal 3 that measures electrical information related to power supplied to a connected load, a PLC slave unit module 4 that transmits measurement values measured by the measurement terminal 3 to the upper terminal 1 as measurement information, Is provided.

The measurement terminal 3 measures information related to the power supplied to the load connected to the smart meter 2, specifically, a measurement unit 33 that measures voltage, current, electric energy, harmonics, and the like, and the measurement unit 33 measures the information. A storage unit 32 for storing measurement information, which is information including information on the measurement value and the time at which the measurement was performed, and upon receipt of a request from the PLC slave module 4, the measurement information stored in the storage unit 32 is read out and the PLC is read out. And a control unit 31 for outputting to the handset module 4.

The PLC slave module 4 includes a control unit 41 that acquires measurement information from the measurement terminal 3, a storage unit 42 that stores measurement information acquired by the control unit 41 from the measurement terminal 3, and another adjacent smart meter 2 or And a communication unit 43 that transmits and receives signals to and from the host terminal 1. That is, the communication unit 43 is connected to the power line 10, receives a signal addressed to the upper terminal 1 including the measurement information acquired from the measurement terminal 3 from the control unit 41, and receives the received signal addressed to the upper terminal 1 via the power line 10. To send. Further, the communication unit 43 receives commands and data from the upper terminal 1 via the power line 10. Furthermore, the communication part 43 will transfer this, if the communication message | telegram transmitted from the other smart meter 2 is received. The control unit 41 determines whether or not a communication message transmitted from another smart meter 2 has been received. The PLC slave module 4 calculates an S / N ratio (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) when receiving a communication message from another smart meter 2, and stores this. The communication unit 43 calculates the S / N ratio. The S / N ratio calculated by the communication unit 43 is stored in the storage unit 42 together with the time when the S / N is calculated.

When the communication unit 43 calculates the S / N ratio, the control unit 41 calculates the calculated S / N ratio and the terminal of the smart meter 2 that is the transmission source of the communication message received when the S / N ratio is calculated. The number is acquired, and the acquired S / N ratio and the terminal number of the transmission source smart meter 2 are associated with each other and stored in the storage unit 42. In addition to the S / N ratio calculated by the communication unit 43 and the corresponding terminal number of the smart meter 2, the storage unit 42 also stores route information when relaying a communication message.

Each smart meter 2 configured in this manner has a measurement resolution variable function in addition to the function of measuring the electrical information and the function of operating as a slave unit of the PLC. The measurement resolution changing function is a function for changing a time resolution for measuring electrical information, that is, a cycle for performing measurement. With this function, when the S / N ratio in the power line 10 is low, it is possible to measure current, voltage, and harmonics with a resolution smaller than usual in a certain time zone as requested by the management device 5.

The management device 5 issues a measurement information acquisition request at an arbitrary timing, specifically, a maintenance timing of the PLC network formed by the host terminal 1 and each smart meter 2, and the measurement information is received from each smart meter 2. To get.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a configuration example of a host terminal according to the first embodiment. The main functions of the host terminal 1 are periodic collection of measurement data by a smart meter, communication state management of the PLC network, and connection form management of the PLC network.

The host terminal 1 transmits / receives signals to / from the management device 5 and communicates with the control unit 11 that controls each unit of the host terminal 1, the storage unit 12 that stores measurement information, and the adjacent smart meter 2. The communication part 13 and the management part 14 which manages a PLC network are provided. The communication unit 13 is connected to each of the smart meters 2 via the power line 10 and is connected to the management device 5 via the network 50.

The control unit 11 periodically issues a command to acquire measurement information from all the smart meters 2 to the communication unit 13. For example, the control unit 11 issues an information acquisition command, which is a command for acquiring measurement information, every 30 minutes.

The communication unit 13 acquires measurement information from each smart meter 2 according to the information acquisition command issued from the control unit 11. The measurement information acquired by the communication unit 13 is transferred to the storage unit 12 and stored in the storage unit 12. The communication unit 11 calculates the S / N ratio when receiving measurement information or the like from the smart meter 2. When the communication unit 11 receives the S / N ratio together with the measurement information from the smart meter 2, the communication unit 11 stores the received measurement information and S / N ratio in the storage unit 12. Further, when only the measurement information is received from the smart meter 2, the communication unit 11 stores the S / N ratio calculated when the measurement information is received together with the received measurement information in the storage unit 12.

Further, the communication unit 13 performs communication for grasping the state of the PLC network using a time zone other than the time zone for periodically collecting measurement information, and checks the communication state of the PLC network. The communication unit 13 determines the number of hops from the own device, that is, the upper terminal 1 to each smart meter 2, and the terminal number of the smart meter 2 to hop, that is, from the own device to the communication partner based on the check result of the communication state of the PLC network. The terminal number of each smart meter 2 that relays communication up to the smart meter 2 is controlled.

The management unit 14 manages connection information and registration information of the smart meter 2. The information on the connection form is information such as power line branch information and the number of units connected to each branch. The registration information is information indicating whether a terminal with a regular ID is connected.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a configuration example of the management apparatus according to the first embodiment. The management device 5 monitors the communication quality when the host terminal 1 collects measurement information from each smart meter 2 and the data analyzer 51 that analyzes various data transmitted from the host terminal 1 regularly or irregularly. A communication quality monitoring unit 52, a data acquisition unit 53 that acquires various data from the host terminal 1, and a storage unit 54 that stores data acquired by the data acquisition unit 53 from the host terminal 1, an analysis result by the data analysis unit 51, and the like. And a communication unit 55 that communicates with the upper terminal 1 via the network 50.

The data acquisition unit 53 is calculated when the host terminal 1 relays the measurement information collected from each smart meter 2 and the measurement information received from each other smart meter 2 via the communication unit 55. The S / N ratio is acquired from the upper terminal 1. Although the details will be described separately, the S / N ratio acquired by the data acquisition unit 53 from the upper terminal 1 is the smart meter 2 that relays the measurement information first, that is, the smart meter 2 that transmits the measurement information and the PLC. The S / N ratio calculated when the smart meter 2 adjacent on the network receives the measurement information to be relayed. The measurement information and S / N ratio acquired by the data acquisition unit 53 are transferred to the storage unit 54 and stored in the storage unit 54.

When the communication quality monitoring unit 52 monitors the S / N ratio acquired by the data acquisition unit 53 and detects that the S / N ratio has decreased below a preset threshold value, the communication quality monitoring unit 52 indicates that the S / N ratio has decreased. 51 is notified.

When the data analysis unit 51 receives a notification from the communication quality monitoring unit 52 that the S / N ratio acquired by the data acquisition unit 53 has dropped below a preset threshold, the measurement information stored in the storage unit 54 and The S / N ratio is analyzed, and the cause of the deterioration of the S / N ratio is specified. Note that the data analysis unit 51 acquires harmonic data from the host terminal 1 when the harmonic data is stored in the storage unit 54, that is, the data acquisition unit 53 acquires harmonic data in addition to the measurement information and the S / N ratio. In this case, the factor of the S / N ratio deterioration may be specified by analyzing the harmonic data. The data analysis unit 51 generates the analysis table 511 when specifying the factor that the S / N ratio has deteriorated, and specifies the factor of the S / N ratio deterioration by using the analysis table 511. Details of the analysis table 511 will be described later.

Next, in the automatic meter reading system 100 according to the first embodiment, an operation in which the upper terminal 1 collects measurement information from the smart meter 2 and transmits it to the management device 5 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a UML (Unified Modeling Language) sequence diagram illustrating an operation example of the automatic meter reading system 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 shows an example of an operation in which the upper terminal 1 collects measurement information from each of the smart meters 2-11, 12-12, 2-13,... Shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, the S / N ratio is described as “S / N”. The same applies to the other drawings.

In the automatic meter reading system 100, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper terminal 1 individually issues a measurement information acquisition request to the smart meters 2-11, 12-12, 2-13,. To collect the measurement information and S / N ratio periodically, specifically, every 30 minutes. Note that m is an integer of 14 or more.

Specifically, the upper terminal 1 first generates and transmits a measurement information acquisition request addressed to the smart meter 2-11 (step S11). The smart meter 2-11 at the first hop from the upper terminal 1 directly receives a measurement information acquisition request addressed to itself from the upper terminal 1. When the smart meter 2-11 receives the measurement information acquisition request addressed to itself, it transmits the measurement information to the upper terminal 1 (step S12). The measurement information transmitted to the upper terminal 1 by the smart meter 2-11 includes electrical information such as power consumption, demand, current and harmonic information every 30 minutes, and measurement time information indicating the time when the measurement was performed. It is information to include. The same applies to the measurement information transmitted by the smart meters 2-12, 2-13, ..., 2-m.

Upon receiving the measurement information from the smart meter 2-11, the upper terminal 1 stores the measurement information in association with the terminal number indicating the smart meter 2-11 that is the transmission source of the measurement information. Further, the upper terminal 1 confirms whether or not the S / N ratio is transmitted together with the measurement information. If the S / N ratio is not transmitted, the S / N ratio calculated when the measurement information is received is also included. And stored in association with the measurement information. The S / N ratio calculated when the upper terminal 1 receives the measurement information corresponds to information indicating the communication quality between the upper terminal 1 and the smart meter 2-11. In the example shown in FIG. 5, when the upper terminal 1 collects measurement information from the first hop smart meter 2-11, the S / N ratio is not transmitted to the upper terminal 1. Therefore, the upper terminal 1 does not check whether or not the S / N ratio has been transmitted together with the measurement information, but checks whether or not the smart meter that is the transmission source of the measurement information is the first hop. In the case of the first hop smart meter, the S / N ratio calculated when the measurement information is received may be stored in association with the measurement information.

Next, the upper terminal 1 generates and transmits a measurement information acquisition request addressed to the smart meter 2-12 (step S13). The smart meter 2-12 at the second hop from the host terminal 1 receives the measurement information acquisition request addressed to itself through the smart meter 2-11. When the smart meter 2-12 receives the measurement information acquisition request addressed to itself, it transmits the measurement information to the upper terminal 1 (step S14). The measurement information transmitted by the smart meter 2-12 is relayed by the smart meter 2-11 and then arrives at the upper terminal 1. The smart meter 2-11 that relays the measurement information transmitted by the smart meter 2-12 first, that is, the smart meter 2-11 that is one hop higher than the smart meter 2-12, The S / N ratio calculated at the time of reception is added to the measurement information to be relayed. As a result, the upper terminal 1 receives the S / N ratio calculated by the smart meter 2-11 in addition to the measurement information transmitted from the smart meter 2-12. The S / N ratio calculated when the smart meter 2-11 receives the measurement information corresponds to information indicating the communication quality between the smart meter 2-11 and the smart meter 2-12.

Upon receiving the measurement information from the smart meter 2-12, the upper terminal 1 stores the measurement information in association with the terminal number indicating the smart meter 2-12 that is the transmission source of the measurement information. In this case, the upper terminal 1 receives the S / N ratio together with the measurement information, and stores the received S / N ratio in association with the terminal number of the smart meter 2-12 and the measurement information.

Next, the host terminal 1 executes the same operation as that performed on the smart meter 2-12 on the smart meter 2-13. This operation will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of an operation in which the host terminal of the automatic meter reading system 100 according to the first embodiment acquires measurement information.

When acquiring the measurement information from the smart meter 2-13, the upper terminal 1 generates and transmits a measurement information acquisition request addressed to the smart meter 2-13 (step S15). The smart meter 2-13 at the third hop from the host terminal 1 receives the measurement information acquisition request addressed to itself through the smart meters 2-11 and 2-12 (FIG. 6 (1)). Upon receiving the measurement information acquisition request addressed to the own device, the smart meter 2-13 transmits the measurement information to the upper terminal 1 (step S16). As shown in (2) to (4) of FIG. 6, the measurement information transmitted by the smart meter 2-13 is relayed by the smart meters 2-11 and 2-12, and then arrives at the upper terminal 1. The smart meter 2-12 that relays the measurement information transmitted by the smart meter 2-13 first, that is, the smart meter 2-12 that is one hop higher than the smart meter 2-13, The S / N ratio calculated at the time of reception is added to the measurement information to be relayed ((3) in FIG. 6). The S / N ratio added to the measurement information corresponds to information indicating the communication quality between the smart meter 2-12 and the smart meter 2-13. Since the smart meter 2-11 receives the measurement information and the S / N ratio from the smart meter 2-12, the received measurement without adding the S / N ratio calculated when the measurement information and the S / N ratio are received. Information and S / N ratio are relayed as they are (FIG. 6 (4)). As a result, the upper terminal 1 receives the S / N ratio calculated by the smart meter 2-12 in addition to the measurement information transmitted from the smart meter 2-13. The smart meter that relays measurement information first adds an S / N ratio, and the smart meter that relays measurement information after the second does not add an S / N ratio. The increase can be prevented. In addition, an increase in information to be analyzed is suppressed, and an increase in processing load can be prevented. Furthermore, an increase in the size of the memory for holding information can be prevented.

When receiving the measurement information from the smart meter 2-13, the upper terminal 1 stores the measurement information in association with the terminal number indicating the smart meter 2-13 that is the transmission source of the measurement information. In this case, the upper terminal 1 receives the S / N ratio together with the measurement information, and stores the received S / N ratio in association with the terminal number and the measurement information.

The host terminal 1 repeats the same processing to generate and transmit a measurement information acquisition request addressed to the smart meter 2-m (step S17). The upper terminal 1 receives the measurement information transmitted from the smart meter 2-m and the S / N ratio calculated by the smart meter that relays the measurement information first (step S18), and receives the received measurement information. The S / N ratio and the terminal number of the smart meter 2-m are stored in association with each other.

When the host terminal 1 acquires measurement information from all of the smart meters 2-11 to 2-m, it transmits all the measurement information and S / N ratio acquired from each smart meter to the management device 5 (step S19).

Subsequently, the operation of the management apparatus 5 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an operation example of the management apparatus 5 according to the first embodiment.

The management device 5 monitors whether or not measurement data has been transmitted from the host terminal 1, that is, whether or not measurement data has been received. When the management device 5 does not receive the measurement data (step S51: No), the management device 5 continues to wait for the measurement data to be transmitted. When the management device 5 receives the measurement data (step S51: Yes), the management device 5 stores the received measurement data (step S52). Here, the measurement data is the above-described measurement information and S / N ratio. In the management device 5, the data acquisition unit 53 monitors whether or not the measurement data is received, and the storage unit 54 stores the received measurement data. After storing the measurement data in step S52, the management device 5 next checks whether or not the received measurement data is measurement data acquired with high resolution (step S53). The measurement data acquired with high resolution is measurement data including measurement information acquired from the smart meter 2 by the host terminal 1 in a cycle shorter than usual.

When the received measurement data does not correspond to the measurement data acquired with high resolution (step S53: No), the management device 5 checks all the S / N ratios included in the received measurement data and determines in advance. It is confirmed whether or not there is an S / N ratio less than the first threshold (step S54). When the S / N ratio less than the first threshold does not exist (step S54: No), the management device 5 returns to step S51. Further, when the S / N ratio less than the first threshold exists (step S54: Yes), the management device 5 changes the measurement data collection resolution to a high resolution for the upper terminal 1, that is, An instruction is given to shorten the measurement data collection cycle (step S55). In the management device 5, the communication quality monitoring unit 52 executes the processes of steps S53 to S55.

The management apparatus 5 analyzes the measurement data after executing Step S55, stores the analysis result (Steps S56 and S57), and returns to Step S51. In the management device 5, the data analysis unit 51 analyzes the measurement data to identify the cause of the S / N ratio decrease, and the storage unit 54 stores the analysis result. Details of the operation of the data analysis unit 51 analyzing the measurement data in step S56 will be described later.

On the other hand, when the received measurement data corresponds to the measurement data acquired with high resolution (step S53: Yes), the management device 5 checks all the S / N ratios included in the received measurement data, It is confirmed whether or not there is an S / N ratio less than a predetermined second threshold (step S58). Note that the second threshold value is smaller than the first threshold value described above (second threshold value <first threshold value). When the S / N ratio less than the second threshold exists (step S58: Yes), the management device 5 analyzes the measurement data and stores the analysis result (steps S59 and S60). In the management device 5, the communication quality monitoring unit 52 executes the process of step S58. In addition, the data analysis unit 51 analyzes the measurement data to identify the cause of the S / N ratio decrease, and the storage unit 54 stores the analysis result. Details of the operation of the data analysis unit 51 analyzing the measurement data in step S59 will be described later.

After executing step S60, the management device 5 confirms whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the host terminal 1 was instructed to change the resolution of measurement data collection in step S55 (step S61). The fixed time is, for example, 12 hours, 24 hours, or the like, which is longer than the normal cycle in which the upper terminal 1 collects measurement information from the smart meter 2. The management device 5 may be configured to include means for changing a certain time by an administrator of the automatic meter reading system 100 or the like. The management apparatus 5 returns to step S51, when fixed time has not passed since it instruct | indicated the change of the resolution of measurement data collection to the high-order terminal 1 (step S61: No). When a certain period of time has elapsed since the management device 5 instructed the host terminal 1 to change the resolution of the measurement data collection (step S61: Yes), the management device 5 sets the resolution of the measurement data collection to the normal resolution. To change to (step S62). In the management device 5, the communication quality monitoring unit 52 executes the processes of steps S61 and S62. The management apparatus 5 returns to step S51 after performing step S62.

If the S / N ratio less than the second threshold does not exist (step S58: No), the management device 5 proceeds to step S61.

The operation of each part constituting the management device 5 will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of an internal operation of the management device of the automatic meter reading system according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, in the management device 5, the data acquisition unit 53 receives measurement data transmitted from the upper terminal 1 every 30 minutes (step S <b> 31), and the received measurement data is transmitted to the communication quality monitoring unit 52. And it outputs to the memory | storage part 54 (step S32, S33). The storage unit 54 stores measurement data received from the data acquisition unit 53.

When the communication quality monitoring unit 52 receives the measurement data from the data acquisition unit 53, the communication quality monitoring unit 52 checks whether the measurement data collection cycle has a low resolution, that is, a normal cycle or a high resolution, and the measurement data collection cycle is low. If the resolution is satisfied, it is confirmed whether or not the S / N ratio included in the measurement data is less than the first threshold (the case of time (T) and time (T + 30) in FIG. 8). ). On the other hand, if the measurement data collection cycle is high resolution, the communication quality monitoring unit 52 determines whether or not the S / N ratio included in the measurement data includes a value less than the second threshold. Confirm (case at time (T + 60) in FIG. 8). The first threshold and the second threshold are the same as the first threshold and the second threshold shown in FIG.

The communication quality monitoring unit 52 instructs the upper terminal 1 to change the measurement time resolution when the measurement data collection cycle has a low resolution and an S / N ratio less than the first threshold exists (step S34). The process of step S34 is the same as the process of step S55 shown in FIG. 7, and 52 instructs the communication quality management to change the resolution of measurement data collection to the high resolution to the upper terminal 1. The communication quality monitoring unit 52 requests the data analysis unit 51 to analyze the measurement data (step S35). Receiving the measurement data analysis request in step S35, the data analysis unit 51 analyzes the measurement data stored in the storage unit 12 (step S36). The process in step S36 is the same as the process in step S56 shown in FIG. When the analysis of the measurement data ends, the data analysis unit 51 outputs the analysis result to the storage unit 54 (step S37). The storage unit 54 stores the analysis result received from the data analysis unit 51.

When the measurement data collection cycle has a high resolution and an S / N ratio less than the second threshold, the communication quality monitoring unit 52 requests the data analysis unit 51 to analyze the measurement data (step S38). ). Upon receiving the measurement data analysis request in step S38, the data analysis unit 51 analyzes the measurement data stored in the storage unit 12 (step S39). The process in step S39 is the same as the process in step S59 shown in FIG. When the analysis of the measurement data ends, the data analysis unit 51 outputs the analysis result to the storage unit 54 (Step S40). The storage unit 54 stores the analysis result received from the data analysis unit 51.

Fig. 9 shows an example when the measurement data collection period is low resolution and high resolution. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of timing at which the host terminal according to the first embodiment collects measurement data. A dotted line indicates the collection timing of measurement data. FIG. 9A shows the measurement data collection timing at the normal resolution, and FIG. 9B shows the measurement data collection timing at the high resolution.

As shown in FIG. 9, when measurement data is collected at a low resolution, that is, when measurement data is collected at a normal period, a case where a large current is generated in a short time, for example, activation of an electric device as a load device Sometimes, a case where a large current flows temporarily cannot be detected. That is, when collecting measurement data in a normal cycle, it can be detected that the amount of power used per cycle has increased, but whether the amount of power used has increased throughout the cycle, or the amount of power used in a short period of time. It is not possible to determine whether or not the value has greatly increased. When the amount of power used greatly increases in a short period of time, noise generated from the additional device also increases, which may adversely affect communication. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to detect a case where the amount of power used greatly increases in a short time. If it is possible to detect a case in which the amount of power used greatly increases in a short period of time, there is an increased possibility that the upper terminal 1 and each smart meter 2 can communicate and collect measurement data while avoiding that period, leading to improved communication quality. As shown in FIG. 9B, if the measurement data collection period is set to a high resolution, there is a high possibility that a case in which the amount of power used greatly increases in a short period of time can be detected.

Here, the cases where noise is generated due to a large increase in power consumption in a short period of time in ordinary households include when using an electromagnetic cooker, when using a microwave oven, or when starting an air conditioner. These are dependent on life patterns. Therefore, for example, the upper terminal 1 collects measurement data in a short cycle, and the management device 5 analyzes the data for 12 hours, 24 hours, or a longer time, so that the amount of electric power used in each consumer. It is possible to estimate a time zone during which the time increases greatly in a short time. After the estimation of the time zone in which the power consumption increases greatly in a short time, the upper terminal avoids the time zone indicated by the estimation result, that is, the time zone in which the power usage amount greatly increases in each customer. By adjusting so that 1 collects measurement data, the quality of communication for collecting measurement data can be improved. On the other hand, when the amount of power used does not increase significantly in a short period of time, but on average, relatively large noise always flows through the power line. In such a case, it is necessary to take measures such as installing a filter for preventing the noise from flowing from the consumer that is the source of the noise to the common power line.

Since the management device 5 according to the present embodiment collects measurement data at different periods and performs analysis, the management device 5 estimates the time zone in which the power consumption increases greatly in a short time, and the power consumption is large on average. It is possible to identify the consumers who are. Hereinafter, the data analysis unit 51 of the management device 5 analyzes the measurement data, estimates the time zone in which the power consumption increases greatly in a short time, and identifies the consumers whose power consumption is large on average. The operation to be performed will be described with reference to FIGS. This operation is the operation in step S56 and the operation in step S59 shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an automatic meter reading system. In FIG. 10, smart meters 2-11 to 2-1-2 installed in each of the rooms 101, 102, 201,..., Room 101 (described as 101 in FIG. 14 and 2-21 to 2-24, the host terminal 1, and the management device 5 form an automatic meter reading system. In the example shown in FIG. 10, it is assumed that measurement data is relayed between smart meters 2-11 to 2-14 and measurement data is relayed between smart meters 2-21 to 2-24. The host terminal 1, each smart meter 2, and the management device 5 execute the same operations as those described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9, and the management device 5 receives measurement data from the host terminal 1.

The data analysis unit 51 of the management device 5 analyzes the measurement data collected from each smart meter 2 by the upper terminal 1 with normal resolution, that is, performs the analysis operation corresponding to step S56 shown in FIG. First, the corresponding data stored in the storage unit 54 is read, and the analysis table shown in FIG. 11 is created. When the creation of the analysis table is completed, the data analysis unit 51 confirms the details of the analysis table and identifies the consumer that is the noise generation source.

The analysis table shown in FIG. 11 includes values of S / N ratio, electric energy, and current for each of the smart meters 2-11 to 2-14 at times 0:00, 0:30, and 1:00. It is. Further, in FIG. 11, the columns sandwiched between the respective times indicate the amount of change between the respective times on both sides. Note that a portion with a large amount of change is surrounded by a dotted line. For example, the electric energy of the smart meter 2-11 increases by 1 (+1) between 0:00 and 0:30, and then decreases by 2 (-2) between 0:30 and 10:00. Yes. As shown in FIG. 10, the smart meter 2-11 is located at the first hop from the upper terminal 1, and the smart meter 2-14 is located at the fourth hop from the upper terminal 1. Therefore, when there is no factor that causes a significant decrease in communication quality, the signal level decreases as the signal attenuation measurement point moves away as in the example at time 0:00. Specifically, the S / N ratio decreases at a constant rate and becomes 50, 45, 40, and 35.

In the analysis table shown in FIG. 11, since the largest change point of the S / N ratio coincides with the largest change point of the electric energy, it is easy to identify the cause of the communication quality deterioration. That is, there is a high possibility that a consumer corresponding to a smart meter in which both the S / N ratio and the amount of electric power are greatly changed is a noise generation source. Therefore, in the case of the example shown in FIG. 11, the data analysis unit 51 specifies that the room 301 in which the smart meter 2-13 is installed is a noise generation location and the generation time is around 0:30. . In this way, the data analysis unit 51 identifies the noise occurrence location based on the S / N ratio that is the communication index and the measurement information such as the electric energy, so compared with the case where the identification is performed by the communication index alone. Thus, it is possible to specify the noise occurrence location more accurately. In the case of PLC, since the power line for communication is shared, it is expected that the communication quality on the side farther from the noise generation source will similarly deteriorate. For example, when room 301 is a noise generation source, the S / N of the power line at the entrance point of room 302, room 401, and room 402 deteriorates. Therefore, it is difficult to distinguish these three rooms by analyzing only the communication index. In the case of the example shown in FIG. 11, the amount of change in the S / N ratio in the smart meter 2-13 is the same as the amount of change in the S / N ratio in the smart meter 2-14. Although it is difficult to specify the generation source, the noise generation source can be narrowed down to one by analyzing the change in the electric energy.

In addition, when the upper terminal 1 analyzes the measurement data collected from each smart meter 2 with high resolution, that is, when performing the analysis operation corresponding to step S59 shown in FIG. The corresponding data stored in the storage unit 54 is read out, and the analysis table shown in FIG. 12 is created. When the creation of the analysis table is completed, the data analysis unit 51 confirms the details of the analysis table and identifies the consumer that is the noise generation source.

The analysis table shown in FIG. 12 includes the S / N ratio, electric energy, and current values for each of the smart meters 2-11 to 2-14 at times 0:00, 0:01, and 0:02. It is. As in FIG. 11, the column between each time indicates the amount of change between each time on both sides. Note that a portion with a large amount of change is surrounded by a dotted line. The analysis table shown in FIG. 12 includes the S / N ratio, the electric energy, and the current measurement value per minute and the amount of change. Therefore, the analysis table is the same as when the analysis table shown in FIG. 11 is used. The noise generation source can be specified by this method, and the noise generation time can be narrowed down. By using the analysis table shown in FIG. 12, it can be detected that there is a large change in current between time 0:00 and 0:01 of the smart meter 2-13.

The data analysis unit 51 may generate the analysis table shown in FIG. 13 when performing the analysis operation corresponding to step S59 shown in FIG. The analysis table shown in FIG. 13 includes the S / N ratio, electric energy, and harmonic component values for each of the smart meters 2-11 to 2-14 at times 0:00, 0:10, and 0:20. It is included. Similar to FIGS. 11 and 12, the column between each time indicates the amount of change between each time on both sides. A portion with a large change amount is surrounded by a dotted line.

In PLC, the use of 10 kHz to 450 kHz as a carrier frequency band is defined in the “PLC standard ARIB STD / T84”. For this reason, there is a possibility that the communication quality deteriorates due to the influence of the load device that constantly operates in the vicinity of 10 kHz to 450 kHz. In such a case, the harmonic component is used as measurement information, which is effective for identifying the cause location of communication quality degradation. In the analysis table shown in FIG. 13, the harmonic component changes greatly between the time 0:00 and 0:10 of the smart meter 2-13. Therefore, the data analysis unit 51 can identify the noise generation source and the noise generation time by confirming the change amount of the S / N ratio and the change amount of the harmonic component.

An example in which the noise source and noise generation time are specified using the S / N ratio and the electric energy, and an example in which the noise generation source and noise generation time are specified using the S / N ratio and harmonic components are described. However, the noise generation source and the noise generation time may be specified using the S / N ratio, the electric energy, and the harmonic component. In addition, an example of specifying the noise source and noise generation time based on the amount of change in each value has been shown. You may make it do.

Further, instead of the S / N ratio, other communication indexes such as a bit error rate, a frame error rate, and the number of times of measurement information retransmission may be used.

As described above, by combining the measurement information from each smart meter 2 and the communication quality information such as the S / N ratio, it becomes possible to identify the location that causes the communication quality degradation.

According to the management device 5 according to the present embodiment, even in the case of a system configuration in which power lines are shared halfway in each floor as in the example illustrated in FIG. Can be done with precision. For example, the power line used by the smart meter 2-13 for communication with the host terminal 1 and the power line used by the smart meter 2-23 for communication with the host terminal 1 are common until the branching occurs. When the smart meter 2-23 is close, even if the power consumption in either room causes the communication quality to deteriorate, it is expected that there will be no difference in the S / N ratio on the power line. . However, when a difference appears in various measurement information in each smart meter, the cause can be specified.

As described above, the management device of the automatic meter reading system according to the present embodiment receives the measurement information collected from each smart meter by the upper terminal and the smart meter or the upper terminal that relays the measurement information for the first time. The noise generation source and the noise generation time are specified based on the communication quality information such as the S / N ratio. Thereby, while being able to identify the consumer who is a noise generation source, the noise generation time can be estimated. In addition, when a decrease in communication quality is detected while measuring information is collected in a normal cycle, measurement information and communication quality information are collected over a certain period of time in a shorter cycle than normal. Even when noise occurs, it is possible to specify the period during which noise occurs. Since the management device can identify the location and time that cause the communication quality degradation, insert an impedance upper or filter into the customer's power line that is the cause of the communication quality degradation to reduce noise. Measures can be taken. Further, if the cause time zone can be estimated, the measurement information can be efficiently acquired by adjusting the communication so as to avoid the estimated time zone, that is, the time zone in which the communication quality may be reduced.

Here, the hardware configuration of the management apparatus 5 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the management apparatus 5 according to the first embodiment. The management device 5 can be realized by the hardware 200 illustrated in FIG. 14, that is, the processor 201, the memory 202, and the communication device 203. The processor 201 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit, central processing unit, processing unit, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, processor, DSP), system LSI (Large Scale Integration), or the like. The memory 202 is a nonvolatile or volatile semiconductor such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), etc. Memory, magnetic disk, flexible disk, optical disk, compact disk, mini disk, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), etc.

The data analysis unit 51, the communication quality monitoring unit 52, and the data acquisition unit 53 of the management apparatus 5 operate as the data analysis unit 51, the communication quality monitoring unit 52, and the data acquisition unit 53 stored in the memory 202 by the processor 201. This is realized by reading out and executing a program for executing the program. The memory 202 is also used as a temporary memory when the processor 201 executes various processes. In addition, the storage unit 54 of the management device 5 is realized by the memory 202, and the communication unit 54 is realized by the communication device 203.

The data analysis unit 51, the communication quality monitoring unit 52, the data acquisition unit 53, and the storage unit 54 may be realized by dedicated hardware. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example when the communication quality monitoring unit 52, the data acquisition unit 53, and the storage unit 54 are realized by dedicated hardware. The processing circuit 204 of the hardware 200a illustrated in FIG. 15 is dedicated hardware that implements the same functions as the processor 201 and the memory 202 illustrated in FIG. The processing circuit 204 is, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a processor programmed in parallel, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof. . A part of the data analysis unit 51, the communication quality monitoring unit 52, the data acquisition unit 53, and the storage unit 54 is realized by dedicated hardware, that is, the processing circuit 204 shown in FIG. 15, and the rest are the processor 201 shown in FIG. It may be realized by the memory 202.

Thus, the management apparatus 5 can be realized using the hardware shown in FIG. 14 or FIG.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an automatic meter reading system according to the second embodiment. An automatic meter reading system 100a shown in FIG. 16 is obtained by replacing the upper terminal 1 and the management device 5 of the automatic meter reading system 100 according to the first embodiment with an upper terminal 1a.

The host terminal 1a of the automatic meter reading system 100a according to the second embodiment is one in which the host terminal 1 and the management device 5 described in the first embodiment are integrated into one device. The management device 5a is provided inside. Since the communication unit 55 included in the management device 5 described in the first embodiment is unnecessary, a management device 5a in which the communication unit 55 is deleted from the management device 5 is provided inside the upper terminal 1a. It is configured. The operation of the upper terminal 1a is the same as that of the upper terminal 1 and the management apparatus 5 described in the first embodiment.

As described above, it is possible to realize the function of the host terminal 1 and the function of the management apparatus 5 described in the first embodiment with one apparatus.

The configuration described in the above embodiment shows an example of the contents of the present invention, and can be combined with another known technique, and can be combined with other configurations without departing from the gist of the present invention. It is also possible to omit or change the part.

1, 1a Host terminal, 2, 2-11 to 2-14, 2-21 to 2-24, 2-m Smart meter, 3 Measuring terminal, 4 PLC slave module, 5 Management device, 10 Power line, 11, 31 , 41 control unit, 12, 32, 42, 54 storage unit, 13, 43, 55 communication unit, 14 management unit, 33 measurement unit, 50 network, 51 data analysis unit, 52 communication quality monitoring unit, 53 data acquisition unit, 511 Analysis table.

Claims

A smart meter that is installed in each consumer and measures electrical information related to power, a host terminal that performs communication using a power line with each of the smart meters, and collects measurement information including measurement results of the electrical information; In an automatic meter reading system comprising: a management device for monitoring the state of the power line,
Communication quality information indicating communication quality between adjacent smart meters, communication quality information indicating communication quality between the upper terminal and a smart meter adjacent thereto, and the measurement information A data acquisition unit acquired from
A data analysis unit for identifying a noise source consumer based on the communication quality information and the measurement information acquired by the data acquisition unit and estimating a noise generation time;
A management apparatus comprising:
Based on the communication quality information, a communication quality monitoring unit that instructs the upper terminal to collect the communication quality information and the measurement information;
The management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
The said data analysis part performs the specification of the consumer of the said noise generation source, and the estimation of the generation | occurrence | production time of the said noise based on the variation | change_quantity of the said communication quality information and the said measurement information. The management apparatus as described in.
The communication quality between the adjacent smart meters is the communication quality measured by the smart meter that relays the measurement information first,
The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
The measurement information is used electric energy or harmonic components,
The management device according to claim 1, wherein the management device is a management device.
The management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the management apparatus is provided inside the host terminal.
A smart meter installed at each consumer to measure electrical information about power,
A host terminal that communicates with each of the smart meters via a power line and collects measurement information including measurement results of the electrical information;
A management device for monitoring the state of communication via the power line;
Prepared,
In the case of the smart meter that relays the measurement information first, the smart meter relays the communication quality information indicating the communication quality at the time of receiving the measurement information in addition to the received measurement information,
When the upper terminal receives the measurement information to which the communication quality information is added, transmits the received measurement information and communication quality information to the management apparatus, and receives the measurement information to which the communication quality information is not added. Transmitting the communication quality information indicating the communication quality at the time of reception of the received measurement information and the measurement information to which the communication quality information is not added, to the management device;
The management device specifies a noise source consumer based on the measurement information and the communication quality information received from the host terminal, and estimates the noise generation time.
An automatic meter reading system characterized by that.
A smart meter that is installed in each consumer and measures electrical information related to power, a host terminal that performs communication using a power line with each of the smart meters, and collects measurement information including measurement results of the electrical information; In the automatic meter-reading system comprising: a state monitoring method in which the management device monitors the state of communication via the power line,
The management device includes communication quality information indicating communication quality between adjacent smart meters, communication quality information indicating communication quality between a host terminal and a smart meter adjacent thereto, and the measurement information. An information acquisition step for acquiring
Based on the communication quality information and measurement information acquired in the information acquisition step, an information analysis step for identifying a noise source consumer and estimating the noise generation time;
A state monitoring method comprising: