WO2018190568A1

WO2018190568A1 - Lorawan-based remote inspection system

Info

Publication number: WO2018190568A1
Application number: PCT/KR2018/004037
Authority: WO
Inventors: 최석준; 심병섭; 남승완; 김계영
Original assignee: 주식회사 레오테크
Priority date: 2017-04-12
Filing date: 2018-04-05
Publication date: 2018-10-18
Also published as: KR101779202B1

Abstract

A LoRaWAN-based remote inspection system according to the present invention comprises: remote collectors, arranged inside each meter box, for obtaining and transmitting inspection data, which is the value on a meter, every cycle or upon request; a LoRaWAN repeater for receiving the inspection data using a LoRaWAN-based non-standard protocol from remote collectors unable to directly connect to a LoRaWAN network from among the remote collectors, and transmitting the inspection data through a LoRaWAN gateway by encapsulating the inspection data using a LoRaWAN-based standard protocol; and a LoRaWAN application server for receiving the inspection data transmitted to the LoRaWAN network server and saving and managing same.

Description

Laura based remote meter reading system

The present invention relates to a remote meter reading system, and in particular configured to transmit and receive meter reading data corresponding to a meter value based on LoRaWAN (Low Range), which is disposed inside the meter box. Performs data communication using remote collectors and LoRaWAN based non-standard protocols that cannot connect directly to LoRaWAN network, and data using LoRaWAN based standard protocol with Lora network server through Lora gateway By additionally configuring a Laura repeater that performs communication, remote collectors that cannot directly connect to the LoRaWAN network can be indirectly connected to the LoRaWAN network through the LoraWAN network, and thus, the LoRaWAN network The remote collector and the Laura gateway disposed within the meter compartment to maximize utilization. To address a single hop (one hop), and communication difficulties between, to a low-based automatic meter reading system that allows the communication distance between the remote collector and the low-gateway can be substantially expanded.

LoRaWAN is an IoT network that aims for Low Power Wide Area Network using the 900MHz band, and not only competes directly with SigFox, Weightless-N (N-Wave), but also low-cost LTE, It is also competing with WiFi. Laura's data communication speed is 0.3 kbps to 50 kbp, which enables low power and can be used for communication between objects that do not require high speed.

LoRaWAN is part of the Low Power Long Range Network (LPWAN) specification and is intended for wireless battery operated objects in local, national or global networks. LoRaWAN targets secure two-way communications or the Internet of Things, such as vehicles or local services, to date. The standard is expected to provide continuous interoperability among smart devices, free users, and expand the business Internet of Things without complex installation processes.

A typical LoRaWAN network architecture is typically a message between the end device 10, where the Laura gateway 50 can be configured as a sensor or actuator, and the back end Laura network server 70, as shown in FIG. Arranged in the form of a transparent star relaying data, the Laura data transmitted to the Laura network server 70 is transmitted to the application server 90, the storage management and analysis. The Laura gateway 50 is connected to the Laura network server 70 through a standard IP connection and the end device 10 communicates using one hop wireless communication to one or more Laura gateways 50.

Recently, an attempt has been made to apply LoRaWAN to various services. Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1721853 (hereinafter referred to as "prior art document") has proposed a 24-hour monitoring system and method for the safety of elderly living alone using LoRa communication. This prior art document makes it possible to efficiently monitor the elderly living alone using LoRaWAN communication, which enables long-distance communication.

However, when the communication state between the terminal device 10 and the Laura gateway 50, which may be configured as a sensor or an actuator, is poor, remote monitoring of the monitoring target may not be smooth. In particular, when the terminal device 10 is disposed in a place where the radio wave transmission and reception is hindered, Laura communication may not be smooth.

This problem may occur even more seriously when placed inside the termination box. Specifically, when applying Laura to a remote metering system, some remote collectors can be directly connected to the Laura network because the remote collector as an end device that acquires meter data corresponding to the meter value is placed inside the meter box. The remote collector may not be able to communicate with the Laura network, that is, the Laura gateway, or may not be smooth due to distance and obstacle constraints, thereby causing a limitation in communication distance.

In particular, since data transmission and reception between an end device and a Lora gateway in LoRaWAN is performed through one hop communication, when a remote collector as the end device is disposed inside a box, some remote collectors may perform single hop communication. This may be difficult in practice, resulting in the disadvantage of not guaranteeing the performance of a remote meter reading system based on LoRaWAN.

The present invention was devised to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, but configured to transmit and receive meter reading data corresponding to a meter value based on LoRaWAN, which is disposed inside a meter box and placed in a LoRaWAN network. Lora Repeater performs data communication using LoRaWAN-based non-standard protocol with remote collectors that cannot be directly connected, and LoraWAN-based standard protocol with LoRaWAN-based standard protocol through Lora Gateway By additional configuration, remote collectors that cannot connect directly to the LoRaWAN network can also be indirectly connected to the LoRaWAN network through the Laura repeater, thereby maximizing the utilization of the LoRaWAN network. A single between the remote collector and the Laura gateway disposed within the meter compartment (One hop) and to address a communication difficulties, to provide a low-based automatic meter reading system that allows the communication distance between the remote collector and the low-gateway can be substantially extended to as its object.

In order to solve the technical problem as described above, the constituent means of the present invention, a Laura-based remote meter reading system, are disposed inside each meter box, and remote collectors for acquiring and transmitting meter reading data corresponding to the meter value every cycle or on request. Receiving the meter reading data using a LoRaWAN based non-standard protocol from remote collectors that cannot directly connect to a LoRaWAN network among the remote collectors, and convert the meter data into a LoRaWAN based standard protocol. Encapsulation (encapsulation) is characterized in that it comprises a Laura repeater for transmitting to the Laura network server through the Laura gateway, a Laura application server for receiving, storing and managing the meter reading data transmitted to the Laura network server.

In addition, the remote collector includes a LoRaWAN-based standard protocol stack and a non-standard protocol stack together, and primarily activates the LoRaWAN-based standard protocol stack to connect to the LoRaWAN network through the LoRa gateway. If a connection attempt result is connected to the LoRaWAN network, and performs data communication with the LoRaWAN network directly through the LoRa gateway, if not connected to the LoRaWAN network, the secondary By activating a LoRaWAN-based non-standard protocol stack, it performs data communication with the LoRaWAN network indirectly through the Lora Repeater.

In addition, the Laura repeater for the downlink Laura wireless communication module and the downlink for performing data communication using the LoRaWAN-based non-standard protocol and the remote collectors that can not directly connect to the LoRaWAN network In addition to the Laura wireless communication module, characterized in that it comprises a Laura wireless communication module for uplink for performing data communication using the Laura gateway and the LoRaWAN-based standard protocol.

Here, the Laura repeater allocates and schedules a time slot to each of the remote collectors performing data communication using the LoRaWAN based non-standard protocol, and each remote collector wakes up only in its assigned time slot. The Laura repeater performs data communication with the Laura repeater, and the Laura repeater wakes up for each time slot assigned to each remote collector to perform data communication and maintains a sleep state in an empty time slot.

According to the Lora-based remote meter reading system of the present invention having the above-described problems and solutions, it is configured to transmit and receive the meter data corresponding to the meter value based on LoRaWAN, it is disposed inside the meter box LoRaWAN network It performs data communication using LoRaWAN-based non-standard protocol with remote collectors that cannot connect directly to it, and data communication using LoRaWAN-based standard protocol with Lora network server through Lora gateway. The additional repeater allows remote collectors that cannot connect directly to the LoRaWAN network to be indirectly connected to the LoRaWAN network via the Laura repeater, thereby maximizing the utilization of the LoRaWAN network. And the remote collector and the Laura gate disposed inside the meter compartment To address a single hop (one hop) between the communication difficulty, and there is an advantage to make the communication distance between the remote collector and the low-gateway can be substantially expanded.

1 is a configuration diagram of a conventional LoRaWAN network structure.

2 is a block diagram of a Laura-based remote meter reading system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a Laura-based remote meter reading system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail a preferred embodiment of a LoRaWAN based remote metering system of the present invention having the above problems, solutions and effects.

The terms or words used below should not be construed as being limited to ordinary or dictionary meanings, and the inventors can properly define the concept of terms in order to explain their invention in the best way. It should be interpreted as meanings and concepts corresponding to the technical spirit of the present invention.

2 is a block diagram of a Laura-based remote meter reading system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the Laura-based remote meter reading system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a remote collector 10 corresponding to an end device in a LoRaWAN network structure, and a Laura repeater further adopted in the present invention. 30, a Laura gateway 50 (a base station can be substituted in place of the Laura gateway), a Laura network server 70, and a Laura application server 90. That is, the Laura-based remote meter reading system 100 according to the present invention performs a downlink data communication with the remote collector 10, and a Laura repeater 30 for performing uplink data communication with the Laura gateway 50 is added. Being adopted is a key feature.

The remote collector 10 is an end device corresponding to a terminal device, that is, a sensor or an actuator, in a Laura network structure. In the present invention, the remote collector 10 corresponds to a device that acquires information of various meters 3, that is, meter reading data corresponding to a meter value. do. In particular, the remote collector 10 in the present invention is characterized in that it is arranged inside the meter box (1) in which the meter (3) is built. For this reason, in the present invention, the remote collector 10 may be directly connected to the Laura network, that is, the Laura gateway 50 by using a standard protocol. However, when the direct connection is not possible, the remote collector 10 may intervene with the Laura repeater 30. It may be indirectly connected to a network, that is, the Laura gateway 50. That is, the present invention has the advantage that the elasticity of the Laura network interlock according to the installation environment of the remote collector 10 is guaranteed.

In detail, each of the remote collectors 10 is disposed inside each meter box 1 to acquire and transmit metering data corresponding to a meter value at every cycle or request. At this time, the remote collectors 10 are directly connected to the Laura network to transmit the meter reading data, or indirectly connected to the Laura network through the Laura repeater 30 to transmit the meter reading data. In principle, in a Laura network, an end device performs data communication with a Laura gateway through a single hop. However, in the present invention, when data communication is not possible through a single hop, a Laura gate is substantially transmitted through two hops through the Laura repeater 30. It can perform data communication with.

Specifically, when the remote collector 10 corresponding to the terminal device is disposed inside the meter box 1 as in the present invention, due to a poor communication environment due to space constraints, a remote collector 10 may be connected to the Laura Gateway. At 50, a situation arises in which data cannot be transmitted via single hop communication. In particular, single hop communication becomes more difficult when the distance between the remote collector 10 and the Laura gateway 50 is long or there is a communication failure. Accordingly, in the present invention, in order to solve such a problem, the Laura repeater 30 is adopted to extend the actual communication distance of the remote collectors 10 that cannot be directly connected to the Laura network.

On the other hand, the remote collector 10 is connected to the meter 3 and the wire (UART) inside the meter box 1, every pre-set cycle or the Laura gateway 50 (or Laura repeater 30) At each request, the meter value, that is, meter reading data, is obtained and transmitted directly to the Laura network through a standard protocol, or transmitted to the Laura repeater 30 using a Laura-based non-standard protocol. That is, the remote collector 10 obtains (reads) the meter value by using wired communication (UART) every preset period or whenever there is a metering request command, so that the Laura gateway 50 or the Laura repeater ( 30).

Each of the remote collectors 10 directly transmits the acquired reading data to the Laura network or to the Laura repeater 30, but continuously stores and manages reading reading data in the internal memory.

The remote collectors 10 may be directly connected to the Laura network using a standard protocol, but may not be directly connected to the LoRaWAN network. At this time, the remote collectors that cannot be directly connected to the LoRaWAN network using a standard protocol may be indirectly connected to the LoRaWAN network through the Laura repeater 30. Accordingly, among the remote collectors, remote collectors that cannot directly connect to the LoRaWAN network through a standard protocol are connected to the Laura repeater 30 using LoRaWAN based own protocol, that is, a non-standard protocol. The Laura repeater 30 is connected to the LoRaWAN network, that is, the LoRa gateway 50 using a LoRaWAN based standard protocol.

That is, among the remote collectors, the remote collectors 10, which cannot be directly connected to the LoRaWAN network, are different from the existing LoRaWAN network structure as an end device, and are different from the Lora gateway 50 and LoRaWAN. Data communication is performed using the Lora repeater 30 and the LoRaWAN based non-standard protocol, rather than the data communication using the standard protocol. Accordingly, each of the remote collector 10 is equipped with a LoRaWAN wireless communication module, but in order to perform the Lora communication with the Lora Repeater 30, a self-protocol, that is, a non-standard protocol stack that is adopted or developed by itself. It is equipped. This will be described later.

The Laura repeater 30 is connected to each of the remote collector 10 that can not be directly connected to the Lora network, so as to read the meter data using the remote collector 10 and LoRaWAN based non-standard protocol as described above. Receive The Laura repeater 30 transmits the meter reading data to the Laura gateway 50 using a LoRaWAN based standard protocol.

Specifically, the Laura repeater 30 uses the LoRaWAN based non-standard protocol from the remote collectors 10 that are not directly connected to the LoRaWAN network among the remote collectors 10. When received, the meter data is encapsulated in a LoRaWAN-based standard protocol and transmitted to the Laura network server 70 through the Laura gateway 50.

That is, the Lora repeater 30 is a LoRaWAN corresponding to a different protocol value of the meter value, that is, meter data received from LoRaWAN based non-standard (self) protocol from each remote collector that is not directly connected to the Lora network. It should be transmitted to the Laura network server 70 via the Laura gateway 50 through a standard protocol.

Accordingly, the Laura repeater 30 encapsulates and transmits meter reading data received through the Laura-based non-standard protocol to the Laura-based standard protocol. Specifically, the Laura repeater 30 encapsulates meter reading data received through the LoRaWAN-based non-standard protocol into the LoRaWAN-based standard protocol to perform the encapsulation of the reading data through the Lora gateway 50. Transfer to the Laura network server 70.

Accordingly, the Laura application server 90 may store and manage the Lora data transmitted or pushed by the Lora network server 70, thereby managing and storing each node, that is, each meter 3. You can view, analyze and database the meter values for. The meter reading data received by the Laura network server 70 includes meter reading data indirectly received through the Laura repeater 30 and meter reading data directly received through a standard protocol directly from the remote collector 10. Accordingly, the Laura application server 90 can identify, analyze, and database the meter values for each of the remote collectors 10 that are registered and managed.

Meanwhile, in the process of encapsulating and transmitting the metering data, the Laura repeater 30 includes information regarding a communication state between the remote collectors 10, that is, communication state information together, and through the Laura gateway 50. It is desirable to be able to be transmitted to the Laura network server 70.

Then, the Laura application server 90 can check the communication status information between the remote collector 10 and the Laura repeater 30 included in the meter reading data, through which the remote collector 10 and the Laura It is possible to determine whether the communication status between the repeater 30 is diagnosed or normal, thereby generating an advantage that a quick response to the situation is possible.

Specifically, the Laura repeater 30 includes the communication status information with the corresponding remote collector 10 that has transmitted the metering data in the metering data, and transmits it. The Laura application server 90 uses the transmitted data. The communication state between the Laura repeater 30 and the remote collector 10 can be confirmed, and through this, a quick response can be performed according to communication failure or failure.

The communication state information included in addition to the meter reading data by the Laura repeater 30 includes a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and a communication time. Accordingly, the Laura repeater 30 obtains the communication time and the received electric field strength information at the time point when the meter data is received from the corresponding remote collector 10, and transmits it in addition to the meter data. Then, the Laura application server 90 can check the communication state between the remote collector 10 and the Laura repeater 30 by extracting the received electric field strength and the communication time from the transmitted data.

The Laura application server 90 receives, stores, and manages data including meter reading data transmitted to the Laura network server 70. Specifically, the Laura network server 70 pushes and transmits the data including the meter reading data to the Laura application server 90. The Laura application server 90 then stores and manages, analyzes, and databases the transmission data. Through this, the Laura application server 90 may check the metering data, that is, the meter value for each node, and further, may check the communication state between the Laura repeater 30 and the remote collector 10.

The Laura-based remote meter reading system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention having the above configuration further includes a Laura repeater 30 to allow meter reading data to be transmitted and received through an existing Laura common or private network. That is, some of the remote collectors 10 may directly connect to the Laura network to transmit and receive meter reading data, and some other remote collectors that cannot directly connect to the Laura network may be connected to the Laura network through the Laura repeater 30. Indirect connection to the meter can send and receive meter data.

Thus, each of the remote collectors 10 is equipped with a Laura-based standard protocol stack for directly connecting to the Laura network, and at the same time connecting to the Laura repeater 30 when it cannot connect directly to the Laura network. It is equipped with a Laura based non-standard protocol stack. When each remote collector 10 is installed in the meter box 1, the remote collector 10 first attempts to connect directly to the Laura network using a Laura-based standard protocol, and only if the direct connection to the Laura network is impossible. In order to indirectly connect to the Lora network through the repeater 30, the Lora repeater 30 is secondarily connected using a Lora-based non-standard protocol.

In detail, each of the remote collectors 10 embeds a LoRaWAN-based standard protocol stack and a non-standard protocol stack together, and primarily activates the LoRaWAN-based standard protocol stack to enable the Laura gateway 50. Attempts to connect to the LoRaWAN network through, and when connected to the LoRaWAN network as a result of the connection attempt to perform data communication with the LoRaWAN network directly through the LoRa gateway 50, and the LoraWAN network If not connected to the (LoRaWAN) network, the LoRaWAN-based non-standard protocol stack is secondarily activated to indirectly communicate data with the LoRaWAN network through the Laura repeater 30.

As such, each of the remote collectors 10 according to the present invention includes a Laura-based standard protocol stack and a non-standard (own) protocol stack together. Each of the remote collectors 10 first attempts to connect to the Laura gateway 50 (or BS (Base Station)) of the Laura network (Rora public network or private network) by a related person such as an installer at the corresponding installation location.

Through this process, the Laura application server 90 collects and stores information on remote collectors that are not directly connected to the remote collectors directly connected to the Laura network. The Laura Application Server 90 is a server for a remote meter reading manager, and since it stores and manages information of a remote collector to be installed in each node in advance, it is checked which node data is received from the network server 70. By doing so, it is possible to classify nodes that can be directly connected to the Laura network, that is, remote collectors 10 that cannot be directly connected to the remote collectors 10.

The Laura application server 90 cannot receive data from the remote collector 10 that cannot connect directly to the Laura network due to a communication distance or an obstacle, and if the data is not smoothly received even if the data is received, the corresponding node. Remote collectors are classified as nodes that cannot connect directly to the Laura network. That is, although the Laura application server 90 is a remote collector which is registered and managed in advance, when the data reception is not performed or the data reception is poor or not smooth, the remote collectors cannot directly connect to the Laura network. Classify as

As such, the remote collectors 10, which cannot be directly connected to the Lora network, activate communication with the Lora-based non-standard protocol stack through commands according to an operator's operation, such as an installer, thereby connecting communication with the Lora repeater 30. To perform. That is, the related party can know the remote collector 10 that can not connect directly to the Laura network through the information classified in the Laura Application Server 90, so that the remote collector 10 can be operated to operate the Laura-based non-standard protocol. The stack may be activated to connect to the Laura repeater 30 through a non-standard protocol so that data communication may be performed.

The activation command of the Laura-based non-standard protocol stack may be executed by the person concerned through an additional wired connection such as a UART to each remote collector 10 or by using an additional wireless setting device. That is, the activation command of the Lora-based non-standard protocol stack can be executed by the person connected to the corresponding remote collector by wire or wirelessly.

On the other hand, each of the remote collector 10 is a first attempt to directly connect to the Laura network with a Laura-based standard protocol stack, if a direct connection is not made to the Laura network, as described above through the command according to the operation of the relevant person Instead of activating the Laura based nonstandard protocol stack, it may be automatically connected to the Laura repeater 30 by automatically activating the Laura based nonstandard protocol stack. That is, when each remote collector 10 cannot directly connect to the Laura network, the remote collector 10 may be connected to the Laura repeater 30 by manually activating the Laura based non-standard protocol stack according to an external command according to a preset mode setting. It can also be automatically connected to the Laura repeater 30 by activating the Laura based non-standard protocol stack.

In this manner, each of the remote collectors, that is, remote collectors that cannot be directly connected to the Laura network, transmits meter reading data to the Laura Repeater 30. Then, the Laura repeater 30 transmits the metering data coming through the downlink to the network server 70 through the Laura gateway 50 on the uplink.

The Laura repeater 30 is a dual band repeater, and includes a Laura wireless communication module independent of each other so that downlink communication and uplink communication can be independently performed. To this end, the Laura repeater 30 according to the present invention uses the remote collectors 10 that are not directly connected to the LoRaWAN network and down to perform data communication using the LoRaWAN based non-standard protocol. In addition to the Laura wireless communication module for link and the Laura wireless communication module for downlink, there is provided a Laura wireless communication module for uplink for performing data communication using the Laura gateway 50 and the LoRaWAN based standard protocol. It is configured by.

The uplink Laura wireless communication module allows data communication, specifically, reading / receiving meter reading data, between the Laura repeater 30 and the Laura Gateway 50 through a Laura-based standard protocol, and performing the downlink Laura wireless communication. The module allows data communication, specifically, reading and receiving of data, between the Laura repeater 30 and the collector 10 through a Laura-based non-standard (self) protocol.

The Laura repeater 30 manages the remote collectors 10 connected through the downlink, and encapsulates the non-standard protocol reading data received from each of the remote collectors 10 into the Laura-based standard protocol. It transmits to the Laura network server 70 through the Laura gateway 50.

The Laura repeater 30 manages a plurality of remote collectors 10 and allocates time slots according to the number of downlink nodes, that is, the number of connected remote collectors, so as to efficiently transmit and receive meter data with each of them. It is desirable to perform elastic scheduling.

In addition, each of the remote collector 10 is assigned its own time slot corresponding to the time to perform data transmission and reception, that is, the meter data transmission and reception with the Laura repeater 30, and wakes up only in the assigned time slot Data communication with the repeater, i.e., transmitting / receiving meter reading data and remaining in a sleep state for the rest of the time, the Laura repeater 30 also has a time slot other than the allocated time slot, that is, in an unassigned empty time slot It can be managed to maintain the sleep state.

Specifically, the Laura repeater 30 allocates and schedules a time slot to each of the remote collectors 10 performing data communication using the LoRaWAN based non-standard protocol, and each of the remote collectors 10 ) Wakes up only in its assigned time slot to perform data communication with the Laura repeater 30, and the Laura repeater 30 wakes up and performs data communication for each time slot assigned to each remote collector 10. In an empty time slot, it sleeps. As a result, each of the remote collector 10 and the Laura repeater 30 wakes up and performs data communication only when performing data communication, that is, reading / receiving meter data, and maintains a sleep state at other times, thereby minimizing power consumption. can do.

To this end, when the respective remote collectors 10 are connected, the Laura repeater 30 receives a time slot for each of the remote collectors 10 to perform data communication with each of the remote collectors 10. Allocate and store. In addition, the Laura repeater 30 transmits the current time information and the assigned time slot information of its own (for the Laura repeater) for time synchronization with an ack message corresponding to the connection confirmation to each of the connected remote collectors 10. send.

Then, each of the remote collector 10 sets the current time of the received Laura repeater to the current time of its own (remote collector) to maintain time synchronization continuously and to store and manage the information of the allocated time slot. . Thereafter, each of the remote collectors 10 wakes up only in the time slots assigned to the remote collector 10 to perform data communication, that is, reading / receiving meter reading data with the Laura repeater 30, and when the data sending / receiving is completed, the next time slot of its own may arrive. It stays in sleep until

Since the Laura repeater 30 stores and manages and schedules the time slots assigned to the respective remote collectors 10, when each of the remote collectors 10 wakes up from their time slot, they wake up at the same time. It is possible to perform data communication with the corresponding remote collector, that is, sending and receiving meter data, and when the Laura repeater 30 also completes data transmission and reception with each of the remote collectors 10, the time slot assigned to the next remote collector is reached. Sleep until That is, the Laura repeater 30 wakes up in all assigned time slots and performs data communication with the corresponding remote collector, and maintains a sleep state in the remaining time slots, that is, unassigned and empty time slots. As a result, the remote collectors and the Laura repeater can minimize power consumption. However, since the Laura repeater 30 needs to interlock each of the remote collectors in the initial setup period, the sleep relay 30 sleeps until the low power schedule command sent from the Laura application server 90 is received through the Laura network server 70. It can process and register data from new remote collectors that are continuously transmitted without going into mode.

The metering data transmitted by each remote collector waking up in each allocated time slot is encapsulated by the Laura repeater 30 using a Laura-based standard protocol and transmitted to a higher node, that is, the Laura gateway 50. The meter data transmission from the Laura repeater 30 to the Laura gateway 50 may be performed in one of two modes, a bypass mode and a store-and-forward mode.

The bypass mode is a method in which the relay repeater 30 transmits the reading data from each of the remote collectors 10 to the Laura gateway 50 which is a higher node. In this case, the time slot allocated to each of the remote collectors includes the time when the meter reading data transmitted by the Laura repeater 30 is completed by the Laura Gateway 50.

In the bypass mode, the roller repeater 30 receiving the meter data transmitted from the remote collector does not send an ack message, and immediately transmits the meter data to the roller gateway 50, and the roller gateway 50. Transmits an ack message, the data is transmitted / received by the method that is received by the corresponding remote collector 10 via the Laura repeater 30, and in the remote collector 10, the Laura repeater 30 is connected to the Laura gateway. You must wait for an ack message to receive from 50. Thus, the time slot allocated to each remote collector 10 includes the time until the remote collector completes receiving an ack message sent by the Laura gateway 50,

On the other hand, the store-and-forward mode is that the Laura repeater 30 continuously receives and stores metering data from each of the remote collectors 10, and then stores the data in a specific empty time slot. The stored metering data is transmitted to the Laura gateway 50 at a time.

That is, the STORE-AND-FORWARD scheme continuously stores the meter reading data received from each of the remote collectors in the queue using a queue provided in the Laura repeater 30, and in advance. When the set empty time slot appears, it is a method of transmitting the meter data of the remote collectors stored in the queue all at once. In this manner, when the Laura repeater 30 receives the metering data from each of the remote collectors 10, the Laura repeater 30 transmits an ack message to the corresponding remote collectors.

On the other hand, it is preferable that the Laura repeater 30 performs data communication by avoiding a communication collision with another adjacent Laura repeater. Each device in the standard Lora network transmits data through frequency hopping using a number of uplink channels allocated to the local frequency, and uses the LBT (Listen Before Talk) function to avoid collision due to simultaneous transmission between devices. Evade. However, since the frequency hopping cannot be used in the case of non-standard Laura networks, communication collision can be avoided by allocating dedicated channels having different frequencies from each other.

Specifically, since the present invention is based on the Laura repeater 30 in accordance with the Laura standard in the case of uplink communication, it is possible to communicate by frequency hopping as many channels as possible, and in the case of downlink communication frequency hopping Since it can be configured to communicate through a dedicated channel having a different frequency from each other, there is an advantage in that communication collision in each of the uplink and the downlink can be avoided.

The operation of the Laura-based remote meter reading system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention described above will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 3.

Once, the remote collector 10 attempts to connect directly to the Laura network using the Laura-based standard protocol (S10). That is, the remote collectors 10 first attempt to connect to the standard Laura network. Then, it is determined whether the direct connection is completed (S20). As a result of the determination, when the direct connection to the standard Laura network is completed, data transmission and reception are performed through the Laura network and the Laura-based standard protocol (S21).

On the other hand, if the direct connection to the Laura network is not possible, the secondary connection is made to the Laura repeater using a non-standard protocol. That is, the remote collectors that are not directly connected to the Laura network are connected to the Laura repeater 30 using the Laura-based non-standard protocol, are managed and stored, and maintain a sleep state (S30). The method of connecting the remote collectors and the method of the Laura repeater 30 managing the connected remote collectors and allocating time slots are as described above.

Each remote collector 10 is assigned a time slot, which is the time for which it can perform data communication. Therefore, each remote collector continuously checks whether it is its time slot (S40). As a result of the check, when the time slot is reached, each remote collector wakes up from its time slot to perform data communication with the Laura repeater, and the Laura repeater uplinks the data received from each remote collector (S50). The method of transmitting and receiving data between each remote collector and the Laura repeater and between the Laura repeater and the Laura gateway is as described above. That is, data communication on the downlink and uplink based on the Laura repeater is based on the method described above.

When the data transmission and reception is completed as described above, each of the associated remote collector and the Laura repeater switch to the sleep state (S60). Each remote collector sleeps until its next time slot arrives, and the Laura repeater sleeps until another time slot assigned to another remote collector arrives. That is, the Laura repeater sleeps in an empty time slot other than the time slot assigned to each remote collector. As a result, remote collectors and Laura repeaters can minimize power consumption.

As described above, the present invention has been illustrated and described with reference to specific preferred embodiments, but is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and simple design changes and substitution of conventional means within the scope not changing the technical gist of the present invention. It is also clear that the case belongs to the protection scope of the present invention.

Lora-based remote metering system according to the present invention is configured to transmit and receive the meter data corresponding to the meter value based on LoRaWAN, and disposed in the meter box and can not be connected directly to the LoRaWAN network and remote collectors Since it performs data communication using LoRaWAN based non-standard protocol, and additionally configures a Laura repeater that performs data communication using LoRaWAN based standard protocol through a Laura gateway, LoRaWAN) remote collectors that can not be directly connected to the network can also be indirectly connected to the LoRaWAN network through the Laura repeater, thereby maximizing the utilization of the LoRaWAN network, and placed inside the meter box. Addressing one hop communication difficulty between the remote collector and the Laura gateway And industrial applicability such that the communication distance between the remote collector and the Laura gateway can be substantially extended.

Claims

Remote collectors disposed inside each meter box to acquire and transmit metering data corresponding to a meter value every cycle or on request;

Among the remote collectors, the meter receives the meter data using a LoRaWAN-based non-standard protocol from remote collectors that cannot directly connect to a LoRaWAN network, and reads the meter data into a LoRaWAN-based standard protocol. A Laura repeater that encapsulates and transmits the encapsulation to the Laura network server through the Laura gateway;

A Laura-based remote meter reading system comprising a Laura application server for receiving, storing and managing the meter reading data transmitted to the Laura network server.
The method according to claim 1,

The remote collector includes a LoRaWAN-based standard protocol stack and a non-standard protocol stack together, and primarily activates the LoRaWAN-based standard protocol stack to attempt to connect to the LoRaWAN network through the LoRa gateway. If the connection attempt result is connected to the LoRaWAN network, data communication is directly performed with the LoRaWAN network through the LoAW gateway. LoRaWAN) Lora-based remote meter reading system to activate the non-standard protocol stack to perform indirect data communication with the LoRaWAN (LoRaWAN) network through the Lora repeater.
The method according to claim 1,

The Laura repeater is a downlink Laura wireless communication module and downlink Laura wireless for performing data communication using the LoRaWAN based non-standard protocol with remote collectors that cannot connect directly to the LoRaWAN network. And a Laura wireless communication module for uplink for performing data communication using the Laura gateway and the LoRaWAN based standard protocol separately from the communication module.
The method according to claim 3,

The Laura repeater allocates and schedules a time slot to each of the remote collectors performing data communication using the LoRaWAN based non-standard protocol, and each remote collector wakes up only in its own assigned time slot. A repeater performs data communication with the repeater, wherein the Laura repeater wakes up for each time slot assigned to each remote collector to perform data communication and maintains a sleep state in an empty time slot. system.