WO2024042710A1

WO2024042710A1 - Aggregation device, communication system, communication method, and program

Info

Publication number: WO2024042710A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/032232
Authority: WO
Inventors: 優馬佐藤
Original assignee: 三菱電機株式会社
Priority date: 2022-08-26
Filing date: 2022-08-26
Publication date: 2024-02-29

Abstract

An aggregation device (2) according to the present disclosure communicates with a plurality of terminals (3) each comprising a measuring unit (6) and a communication unit (5), aggregates data transmitted from the plurality of terminals (3), and transmits the data to an upper-level server (1), said aggregation device comprising: a storage unit (27) which stores instrument ID correspondence information that indicates the correspondence between the identification information about the measuring unit (6) and the identification information about the communication unit (5) of a terminal (3) comprising the measuring unit (6); a message generation unit (25) which uses the instrument ID correspondence information to generate an instrument control message for controlling the measuring unit (6); and a first transceiving unit (21) which transmits the instrument control message to the terminal (3).

Description

Aggregation device, communication system, communication method and program

The present disclosure relates to an aggregation device, a communication system, a communication method, and a program that aggregate data acquired from terminals.

In recent years, interest in an energy-saving society has increased, and the introduction of automatic meter reading devices called smart meters, which enable visualization of power consumption through automatic meter reading and power supply and demand control, is being promoted. In the future, smart meters will be installed in all households, and will be constructed and operated as a wide-area large-scale network within the jurisdiction of each power company.

A large number of smart meters constitute a multi-hop network, and each smart meter transmits metering data to a concentrator, which is the root of the multi-hop network. In general, a smart meter network, which is a multi-hop network including many smart meters, is equipped with multiple aggregation devices, and the metering data aggregated by each aggregation device is sent to a higher-level server called a head end system (HES). collects.

Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which an aggregation device aggregates measurement results received from measuring device terminals, which are smart meters, and transmits the results to a server, which is a host server. In the technology described in Patent Document 1, the aggregation device aggregates and transmits the measurement results received from multiple measuring device terminals, so compared to the case where the server directly receives the measurement results from each measuring device terminal, the higher level Traffic between the server and the aggregation device can be reduced.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-34388

The technology described in Patent Document 1 can reduce the traffic between the host server and the aggregation device regarding uplink communication from the smart meter to the host server. However, Patent Document 1 does not disclose a method for reducing the traffic between the host server and the aggregation device regarding downlink communication from the host server to the smart meter.

On the other hand, shortening the cycle for collecting data from smart meters is being considered, and traffic between host servers and aggregation devices is expected to increase in the future. Furthermore, in recent years, consideration has been given to utilizing smart meter networks built for automatic meter reading of electric power as infrastructure. For example, it is desired to be used for controlling switches in power distribution systems, collecting sensor information for monitoring, and the like. Additionally, it is planned that reactive power, voltage, etc. will be added to the data collected from smart meters. As a result, it is expected that the traffic between the host server and the aggregation device, especially the upstream traffic, will increase. Currently, the host server issues various instructions to the smart meter via the aggregation device, and communication is thereby performed between the host server and the aggregation device, but in order to avoid congestion due to future traffic increases, It is desired to reduce the communication traffic between the upper level server and the aggregation device.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide an aggregation device that can reduce communication traffic between an upper-level server and the aggregation device.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the purpose, an aggregation device according to the present disclosure communicates with a plurality of terminals, each of which has a measuring section and a communication section, and aggregates data transmitted from the plurality of terminals. an aggregation device that sends data to an upper-level server using a storage unit that stores correspondence information indicating a correspondence between identification information of a measurement unit and identification information of a communication unit of a terminal equipped with the measurement unit; The measuring device includes a message generating section that generates a control message for controlling the measuring section, and a transmitting/receiving section that transmits the control message to a terminal corresponding to the measuring section.

The aggregation device according to the present disclosure has the effect of being able to reduce communication traffic between the upper level server and the aggregation device.

A diagram illustrating a configuration example of a communication system according to an embodiment. Diagram showing a configuration example of a higher-level server according to an embodiment A diagram showing a configuration example of an aggregation device according to an embodiment Diagram showing an example of the configuration of a terminal according to an embodiment Diagram showing an example of an instrument control message sent by the aggregation device Sequence diagram showing an example of processing related to instrument control messages in the communication system of the embodiment Flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure for generating an instrument control message in the aggregation device according to the embodiment A diagram showing an example of a control circuit according to an embodiment

Below, an aggregation device, a communication system, a communication method, and a program according to an embodiment will be described in detail based on the drawings.

Embodiment.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a communication system according to an embodiment. The communication system of this embodiment is used, for example, for automatic meter reading of electric energy, but may be used for other purposes as well as automatic meter reading of electric energy. Further, the communication system of the embodiment may be used for automatic meter reading other than electric power, such as automatic gas meter reading.

As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system of this embodiment includes an upper level server 1 that is a communication management device, aggregation devices 2-1 and 2-2, and terminals 3-1 to 3-12. Specifically, the communication system of this embodiment includes aggregating devices 2-1, 2-2 and terminals 3-1 to 3-12 that transmit data to any one of the aggregating devices 2-1, 2-2. The host server 1 includes a wireless multi-hop network consisting of a wireless multi-hop network, and an upper server 1 that collects upstream data from the aggregation devices 2-1 and 2-2. Although FIG. 1 shows two aggregating devices and 12 terminals, the numbers of aggregating devices and terminals are not limited to the example shown in FIG. 1. The upper level server 1 and the aggregation devices 2-1 and 2-2 are connected via a communication network 4 such as a WAN (Wide Area Network).

The terminals 3-1 to 3-12 are examples of a plurality of terminals each including a measuring section and a communication section, which will be described later. The terminals 3-1 to 3-12 are devices used for automatic meter reading, for example, and are devices called smart meters. As will be described later, the terminals 3-1 to 3-12 are equipped with meters and transmit meter data, which is measurement data of electric energy, to the corresponding aggregation devices 2-1 and 2-2. The terminals 3-1 to 3-12 are installed at electric power consumers, for example. Furthermore, if the communication system of this embodiment is used for purposes other than automatic power meter reading, the terminals 3-1 to 3-12 may communicate with other devices (not shown) depending on the purpose. and transmits the data acquired from other devices to the corresponding aggregation devices 2-1 and 2-2. Hereinafter, when the terminals 3-1 to 3-12 are shown without being distinguished individually, they will be referred to as terminal 3. The terminals 3-1 to 3-12 periodically transmit meter data. The regular transmission cycle of meter data is hereinafter referred to as a regular transmission cycle. The regular transmission cycle is, for example, one of 30 minutes, 15 minutes, and 5 minutes, but the regular transmission cycle is not limited to these. Hereinafter, periodic collection of meter data will also be referred to as regular collection.

The aggregation devices 2-1, 2-2 and the terminals 3-1 to 3-12 constitute a wireless multi-hop network with the aggregation devices 2-1, 2-2 as the roots. The aggregation devices 2-1, 2-2 and terminals 3-1 to 3-12 that constitute the wireless multi-hop network are also referred to as nodes hereinafter. Note that in FIG. 1, the lines connecting the aggregation devices 2-1, 2-2 and the terminals 3-1 to 3-12 indicate wireless links. Note that although an example in which the communication system of this embodiment is a wireless multi-hop network will be described below, it may be a multi-hop network using power line communication or the like. Furthermore, the communication between the aggregation devices 2-1, 2-2 and the terminal 3 is not limited to communication using a multi-hop network, but may also be performed using other methods such as communication using a mobile phone network. It may also be a combination of communication using a multi-hop network and other communication methods.

The aggregation devices 2-1 and 2-2 aggregate data sent from multiple terminals 3 and send it to the higher-level server 1. For example, the aggregation devices 2-1 and 2-2 collect meter data from the terminals 3-1 to 3-12, aggregate the collected meter data, and transmit the collected meter data to the host server 1 via the communication network 4. Thereby, the host server 1 can periodically collect meter data, which is the result of measuring electric energy, as upstream data from the terminals 3-1 to 3-12. The communication network 4 between the aggregation devices 2-1, 2-2 and the host server 1 is an IP (Internet Protocol) network, such as an optical line network or a mobile phone network, but is not limited to these. Hereinafter, when the aggregating devices 2-1 and 2-2 are shown without being distinguished individually, they will be referred to as aggregating device 2.

Furthermore, in the wireless multi-hop network including the aggregation devices 2-1, 2-2 and the terminals 3-1 to 3-12, route control is performed based on a predetermined route control protocol. As the route control protocol, RPL (IPv6 Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks) can be used. Although the route control protocol is not limited to this, in the present embodiment, an example in which RPL is used as the route control protocol will be described below. In RPL, regarding the uplink route which is the communication route from each terminal 3 to the aggregation device 2, each terminal 3 manages the next terminal 3 on the route toward the aggregation device 2 as the uplink route. In FIG. 1, lines connecting the terminals 3 and between the aggregation device 2 and the terminal 3 indicate that they can communicate wirelessly with each other. As shown in FIG. 1, each terminal 3 may be able to perform wireless communication with a plurality of terminals 3. By exchanging control messages for route construction with other terminals 3 or the aggregation device 2, each terminal 3 receives information from among the communicable terminals 3, or from among the communicable terminals 3 and the aggregation device 2. Select the up route. For example, each terminal 3 selects an uplink route depending on, for example, the number of hops to the aggregation device 2, communication quality, and the like. Furthermore, each terminal 3 sequentially adds its own identification information to the uplink control message. Thereby, the aggregation device 2 can grasp the terminals 3 that have passed through as the uplink route corresponding to each terminal 3. In RPL, regarding the downlink route from the aggregation device 2 to each terminal 3, the aggregation device 2 determines the reverse route of the uplink route as the downlink route.

The host server 1 and the aggregation devices 2-1 and 2-2 communicate via the communication network 4. The communication network 4 may be any type of network, for example an IP network. The upper server 1 collects meter data from the aggregation devices 2-1 and 2-2, and sends the collected meter data to a meter data management system (MDMS), not shown. MDMS is a device that manages meter data. In addition, when the communication system of this embodiment is used for purposes other than automatic meter reading of electric energy, the host server 1 can collect data from the terminals 3-1 to 3-12 for other purposes. Send the data to a management device for other purposes. Further, the upper level server 1 transmits control information for controlling the terminals 3-1 to 3-12 to the terminals 3-1 to 3-12 via the aggregation devices 2-1 and 2-2.

Generally, in order to control the instruments at the terminals 3-1 to 3-12, the host server 1 generates an instrument control message in a predetermined format indicating the control content for each terminal 3, and The control message is transmitted to the destination terminal 3 via the aggregation device 2. The meter control message is a control message for controlling the metering section of the terminal 3. As an instrument control message, for example, a message (hereinafter referred to as COSEM message) that complies with DLMS (Device Language Message Specification)/COSEM (COmpanion Specification for Energy Metering), which is an international standard of IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), is used. ) can be used, but is not limited to this. Therefore, all instrument control messages for each terminal 3 are transmitted from the host server 1 to the aggregation device 2, which puts pressure on the communication resources of the communication network 4. In particular, when smart meter networks are used for various purposes in the future, it is expected that communication traffic between host server 1 and terminal 3 will increase, and in particular, upstream communication traffic is expected to increase. In addition, if the amount of data measured by the terminal 3 increases or the periodic transmission cycle is changed, it may be necessary to update the firmware corresponding to the instrument of the terminal 3. The upper level server 1 will send firmware to each terminal 3, and the traffic between the upper level server 1 and the aggregation device 2 will increase. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the aggregation device 2 generates at least some of the instrument control messages and transmits them to the terminal 3, thereby reducing congestion in the communication network 4 and reducing the load on the host server 1. Details of the generation of the instrument control message in the aggregation device 2 will be described later.

Next, a configuration example of each device configuring the communication system of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the host server 1 according to the present embodiment. The upper level server 1 includes a transmitting/receiving section 11, a control processing section 12, and a storage section 13.

The transmitting/receiving unit 11 communicates with the aggregation device 2. The transmitter/receiver 11 passes the data received from the aggregation device 2 to the control processor 12 . Further, the transmitter/receiver 11 transmits the control information generated by the control processor 12 to the corresponding aggregation device 2 via the transmitter/receiver 11 . The control information is information including instructions for controlling the terminal 3 or the aggregation device 2. As described above, in this embodiment, in at least some of the controls, the aggregation device 2 generates an instrument control message addressed to the terminal 3, so in this case, the control processing unit 12 An instruction for transmitting an instrument control message to address No. 3 is generated as control information. For example, the control information includes the destination terminal 3 and information indicating the content of control. Further, as described above, the host server 1 may transmit control information addressed to the terminal 3 as an instrument control message, and in this case, the instrument control message is transmitted to the terminal 3 via the aggregation device 2. Note that the control processing unit 12 encrypts the instrument control message using a predetermined common key used with the terminal 3 and transmits the encrypted message. The common key with each terminal 3 is stored in the storage unit 13 as key information. The common key may be generated by a key server (not shown) or by the upper level server 1. Each terminal 3 holds a common key. Note that there are no particular restrictions on the method of exchanging the common key, and any method may be used.

When both the instrument control message is generated by the aggregation device 2 and the instrument control message is generated by the host server 1, which one generates the instrument control message may be determined in advance depending on the content of control, or the host server The determination may be made by the control processing unit 12 of 1. For example, when the same instrument control message is transmitted to many terminals 3 or when the instrument control message is periodically transmitted at short intervals, if the aggregation device 2 generates the instrument control message, the congestion of the communication network 4 It is possible to enhance the effect of reducing Note that, as described later, the instrument ID (IDentifier), which is the identification information of the measuring section in the terminal 3, is used to generate the instrument control message, instead of the identification information of the communication section of the terminal 3. The host server 1 stores the correspondence between the meter ID and identification information as a communication device in the storage unit 13 as meter ID correspondence information. The control processing unit 12 refers to the instrument ID correspondence information stored in the storage unit 13 and generates an instrument control message.

If the data received from the aggregation device 2 via the transmission/reception unit 11 is meter data, the control processing unit 12 stores the received meter data in the storage unit 13. Further, when the data received from the aggregation device 2 via the transmitting/receiving unit 11 is an entry list, the control processing unit 12 stores the entry list in the storage unit 13 . The entry list is information indicating the terminals 3 under each aggregation device 2. Further, the control processing unit 12 generates control information indicating instructions for controlling the aggregation device 2 or the terminal 3, and transmits the generated control information to the destination via the transmitting/receiving unit 11. Furthermore, if the data received from the aggregation device 2 via the transmitter/receiver 11 is a result (response data) corresponding to an instruction transmitted from the host server 1, the control processor 12 performs processing based on the response data. Implement. Further, the control processing unit 12 transmits the meter data stored in the storage unit 13 to the MDMS (not shown) via the transmitting/receiving unit 11 at a predetermined timing or at a timing specified by the MDMS (not shown).

The storage unit 13 stores meter data, entry list, meter ID correspondence information, and key information. Furthermore, when the host server 1 collects information other than meter data from the terminal 3, the storage unit 13 may also store the information.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the aggregation device 2 of this embodiment. The aggregation device 2 includes a first transmission/reception section 21 , a communication control section 22 , a control processing section 23 , a second transmission/reception section 24 , a message generation section 25 , a result aggregation section 26 , and a storage section 27 .

The first transmitter/receiver 21 is a transmitter/receiver that performs wireless communication with the terminal 3. When the first transmitting/receiving unit 21 receives data from the terminal 3, it outputs the data to the communication control unit 22. Further, the first transmitting/receiving section 21 transmits to the terminal 3 the data addressed to the terminal 3 received from the communication control section 22 . For example, the first transmitting/receiving section 21 transmits the meter control message to the terminal 3 corresponding to the measuring section controlled by the meter control message.

The second transmitting/receiving unit 24 communicates with the upper level server 1. When the second transmitting/receiving unit 24 receives data such as control information and instrument control messages addressed to the terminal 3 from the host server 1 , it outputs the data to the control processing unit 23 . Further, the second transmitting/receiving unit 24 transmits data addressed to the upper level server 1 that is input from the control processing unit 23 to the upper level server 1 .

The communication control unit 22 performs communication control according to a route control protocol in a wireless multi-hop network. As mentioned above, the route control protocol is assumed to be RPL here. For example, when the communication control unit 22 receives data transmitted from the terminal 3 from the first transmitting/receiving unit 21, if the data is an uplink control message used for route construction, the communication control unit 22 receives the data stored in the data. A down route is determined using the up route, and the determined down route is stored in the storage unit 27 as route information. Furthermore, upon receiving the data transmitted from the terminal 3, the communication control unit 22 causes the transmission source terminal 3 to participate if the data transmission source terminal 3 is not included in the entry list of the storage unit 27. Add to list. The entry list held by the aggregation device 2 is a list indicating, for each aggregation device 2, the terminals 3 under the aggregation device 2, that is, the terminals 3 that transmit meter data to the upper server 1 via the aggregation device 2.

If the data received from the first transmitting/receiving unit 21 is meter data, the communication control unit 22 stores the meter data in the storage unit 27. Further, upon receiving the instrument control message addressed to the terminal 3 from the control processing section 23, the communication control section 22 transmits the instrument control message to the terminal 3 using the route information stored in the storage section 27. Specifically, the communication control unit 22 refers to the route information and adds information indicating the terminals 3 to be passed through on the downstream route to the destination terminal 3, that is, the communication route to the destination terminal 3, into the instrument control message. The meter control message to which the downlink route has been added is transmitted to the destination terminal 3 via the first transmitter/receiver 21 .

If the data received from the second transmitting/receiving unit 24 is control information, the control processing unit 23 performs processing according to the control information. Furthermore, when encryption is performed with the higher-level server 1, the control processing unit 23 also performs encryption and decryption using a common key between the higher-level server 1 and the aggregation device 2. This common key is stored in the storage unit 27 as key information. When the received control information is an instruction to transmit an instruction addressed to the terminal 3 as an instrument control message, the control processing section 23 stores the control information in the storage section 27 and processes the instrument control message based on the control information. The generation is instructed to the message generation unit 25. For example, if the control information is an instruction to collect voltage from a specific terminal 3 at regular intervals, the message generation unit 25 generates an instrument control message for collecting voltage from the terminal 3 at regular intervals. instruct. Upon receiving the instrument control message generated from the message generation section 25 , the control processing section 23 outputs the received instrument control message to the communication control section 22 . Further, when the data received from the second transmitting/receiving section 24 is an instrument control message addressed to the terminal 3, the control processing section 23 passes the instrument control message to the communication control section 22 without decoding it.

When the control processing unit 23 receives the result (response data) to the instrument control message transmitted from the terminal 3 from the communication control unit 22, the control processing unit 23 stores the result in the storage unit 27 as a control result. Further, upon receiving the aggregated results from the result aggregating unit 26, the control processing unit 23 outputs the aggregated results to the second transmitting/receiving unit 24. Note that the aggregated results may be output from the result aggregation unit 26 to the second transmitting/receiving unit 24 without going through the control processing unit 23.

The control processing unit 23 aggregates the meter data received from each subordinate terminal 3 stored in the storage unit 27 and transmits the aggregated meter data to the upper server 1 via the second transmitting/receiving unit 24. Further, the control processing unit 23 transmits the entry list to the higher-level server 1 at regular intervals, such as once a day, or when instructed by the higher-level server 1, for example. The upper level server 1 stores this entry list in the storage unit 13 as the entry list of each aggregation device 2.

The message generation unit 25 generates an instrument control message using the instrument ID correspondence information. Specifically, upon receiving the control information from the control processing unit 23, the message generation unit 25 generates an instrument control message based on the control information, and stores the generated instrument control message in the storage unit 27 as key information. The encrypted instrument control message is encrypted using a common key between the terminal 3 and the aggregation device 2 , and the encrypted instrument control message is output to the control processing section 23 . Therefore, in this embodiment, the common key used between the terminal 3 and the aggregation device 2 may be different from or the same as the common key used between the terminal 3 and the upper server 1. There may be. The common key used between the terminal 3 and the aggregation device 2 may be generated by the above-mentioned key server (not shown), or may be generated by the upper level server 1, for example. If the common key used between the terminal 3 and the aggregation device 2 is different from the common key used between the terminal 3 and the upper server 1, even if one of the common keys is specified, the other's Since the common key remains hidden, security can be strengthened.

In general, the identification information of the communication unit of the terminal 3 is used to specify the terminal 3 from the host server 1, but the instrument ID is stored in the instrument control message as described later. Conventionally, the aggregation device 2 manages the identification information of the communication section of the terminal 3 under its control, but does not manage the instrument ID. For this reason, conventionally, it has been difficult for the aggregation device 2 to generate an instrument control message. In this embodiment, the aggregation device 2 holds instrument ID correspondence information indicating the correspondence between the instrument ID of the terminal 3 under its control and the identification information of the communication section of the terminal 3. This allows the aggregation device 2 to generate an instrument control message addressed to the terminal 3. The meter ID correspondence information is transmitted from the upper level server 1 to the aggregation device 2, for example. For example, when the aggregation device 2 transmits the entry list to the higher-level server 1, the upper-level server 1 retrieves information corresponding to the terminal 3 included in the entry list from the instrument ID correspondence information in the storage unit 13 according to the received entry list. and transmits the extracted information to the aggregation device 2. The aggregation device 2 stores this information in the storage unit 27 as instrument ID correspondence information.

For example, the result aggregation unit 26 decrypts the control results received within a certain period every certain period using a common key with the terminal 3 stored as key information in the storage unit 27, and decrypts the control results. The results are aggregated and the aggregated results are output to the control processing section 23. Note that the timing at which the result aggregation unit 26 aggregates the results is not limited to every fixed period, and may be, for example, when there is a request from the higher-level server 1.

The storage unit 27 stores meter data, route information, entry list, meter ID correspondence information, key information, control information, and control results. Further, when the host server 1 collects information other than meter data from the terminal 3, the storage unit 27 may also store the information.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the terminal 3 according to the present embodiment. The terminal 3 includes a communication section 5 and a measuring section 6. The communication section 5 includes a first transceiver section 51, a communication control section 52, a control processing section 53, a storage section 54, and a second transceiver section 55.

The first transmitting/receiving unit 51 performs wireless communication with the aggregation device 2 or the terminal 3, which is another node in the wireless multi-hop network. When the first transmitter/receiver 51 receives data from another node, it outputs the data to the communication controller 52 . Further, the first transmitting/receiving unit 51 transmits data received from the communication control unit 52 to other nodes based on instructions from the communication control unit 52.

The communication control unit 52 performs communication control according to a route control protocol in a wireless multi-hop network. For example, when the terminal 3 newly enters the wireless multi-hop network, the communication control unit 52 maintains the route information of the upstream route to the aggregation device 2 by exchanging control messages via the first transmitting/receiving unit 51. The number of hops from the node in question to the aggregation device 2 and the identification information of the aggregation device 2 are acquired, and based on the acquired number of hops, the strength of the signal received from the node, etc. Determine the node. The communication control unit 52 stores the identification information of the aggregation device 2, the identification information of the determined next node, and the number of hops obtained by adding 1 to the number of hops obtained from the node in the storage unit 54 as route information. Further, when the communication control unit 52 receives a message requesting acquisition of route information from another node via the first transceiver unit 51, the communication control unit 52 transmits the message to the storage unit via the first transceiver unit 51 to the node that is the source of the message. A message containing the number of hops stored as route information is sent to 54. Furthermore, the communication control unit 52 monitors the communication status of the next node stored in the route information, and if communication with the next node fails, the communication control unit 52 monitors the communication status of the next node stored in the route information. Then, by exchanging control messages, it selects another node and updates the route information with the selected node's identification information and hop count.

Further, if the data received from the first transmitting/receiving unit 51 is addressed to the own terminal, the communication control unit 52 outputs the received data to the control processing unit 53. If the data received from the first transmitter/receiver 51 is addressed to another node, the communication controller 52 transmits the data to the first transmitter/receiver 51 to the next node in the downstream direction based on the downlink route stored in the data. By causing the data to be transmitted, the data is transferred toward the destination node. Further, when the communication control unit 52 receives data such as meter data to be transmitted to the aggregation device 2 from the control processing unit 53, the communication control unit 52 uses the route information stored in the storage unit 54 to transmit the data to the aggregation device 2. 1 transmitter/receiver 51 to the next node in the upstream direction. Upstream data arrives at the destination aggregation device 2 as each node sequentially transfers the data using route information.

The second transmitting/receiving unit 55 receives meter data from the measuring unit 6 and stores the received meter data in the storage unit 54. Further, the second transmitting/receiving section 55 transmits the meter control message received from the control processing section 53 to the measuring section 6.

When the control processing unit 53 receives data from the communication control unit 52, it performs a predetermined process based on the received data. For example, upon receiving the instrument control message from the communication control section 52, the control processing section 53 decrypts the instrument control message using the common key in the key information stored in the storage section 54, and transfers the decrypted instrument control message to the second instrument control message. It is output to the transmitting/receiving section 55. Note that the key information in the storage unit 54 includes a common key between the terminal 3 and the higher-level server 1 and a common key between the aggregation device 2 and the higher-level server 1. Information indicating the source device is added to the instrument control message, and the control processing unit 53 uses different common keys depending on whether the source device is the host server 1 or the aggregation device 2. Furthermore, the control processing unit 53 reads meter data stored in the storage unit 54 at every regular transmission cycle, and outputs the read meter data to the communication control unit 52. Note that the meter data may also be encrypted and transmitted. The storage unit 54 stores meter data, route information, and key information.

The measuring section 6 includes a meter 61, a control processing section 62, a transmitting/receiving section 63, and a storage section 64. The meter 61 is a meter that can measure electric energy, voltage, and the like. The meter 61 outputs the measurement result to the control processing section 62 as meter data.

The control processing unit 62 outputs the meter data received from the meter 61 to the transmitting/receiving unit 63. Further, the control processing section 62 performs processing according to the instrument control message received from the transmitting/receiving section 63. For example, if the meter control message is an instruction requesting voltage transmission, the control processing section 62 outputs the voltage measured by the meter 61 to the transmitting/receiving section 63 as a result (response data). The control processing unit 62 may store the meter data received from the meter 61 in the storage unit 64, read it from the storage unit 64 at a timing specified by the meter control message, and output it to the transmission/reception unit 63. The storage unit 64 also stores programs such as firmware for controlling the operation of the measuring unit 6. For example, when the regular collection cycle is changed or the type of measurement data sent by the metering section 6 is added, the metering section 6 receives the updated firmware as an instrument control message. The firmware in the storage unit 64 is updated.

The transmitting/receiving unit 63 transmits the meter data, results (response data), etc. received from the control processing unit 62 to the communication unit 5.

Next, an example of the instrument control message of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an instrument control message transmitted by the aggregation device 2. FIG. 5 shows an example in which a COSEM message is used as the instrument control message. The part shown as data in FIG. 5 corresponds to the instrument control message, and the instrument control message includes the instrument ID, the number of COSEM messages, the length of the COSEM message, and COSEM messages #1, . . . indicating the contents of the instruction. COSEM telegram #1 indicates the first COSEM telegram, and the number of COSEM telegrams is specified by the number of COSEM telegrams. If two or more COSEM telegrams are included, COSEM telegram #1 is followed by COSEM telegram #1. 2, followed by individual COSEM telegrams in the same way. Further, the length of each COSEM message is variable, and the length of each COSEM message is specified by the COSEM message length. The length of the COSEM message #1 varies depending on the contents of the instruction, and the contents of the instruction can specify only an operation such as voltage collection, or can specify an operation by specifying a period or cycle. The aggregation device 2 adds an application header and a communication header to the meter control message and transmits it to the terminal 3. The communication header includes identification information of the communication unit 5 of the destination terminal 3, and when the communication control unit 52 of each terminal 3 receives an instrument control message from the aggregation device 2 or another terminal 3, it refers to the communication header. It is determined whether the message is addressed to the device itself, and if it is not addressed to the device itself, the instrument control message is transferred according to the route information.

As described above, the instrument control message includes the instrument ID, but conventionally, the aggregation device 2 communicates with the terminal 3 using the identification information of the communication unit 5 of the terminal 3, and the instrument ID is Not managed. In this embodiment, the aggregation device 2 can generate a meter control message addressed to the terminal 3 by holding the meter ID correspondence information. This reduces congestion in the communication network 4 and reduces the load on the host server 1. In particular, when transmitting instrument control messages to many terminals 3 all at once, or when transmitting instrument control messages with the same contents to a specific terminal 3 at high frequency and regular intervals, congestion in the communication network 4 can be reduced. becomes more effective. For example, the firmware of the measuring unit 6 is sent to a large number of terminals 3 all at once in order to change the regular collection cycle or add voltage collection. Note that the simultaneous transmission is not limited to the case in which the signals are transmitted at exactly the same timing, and the actual transmission timings may differ to some extent as long as the signals are transmitted within a predetermined time, for example. In such a case, when the host server 1 transmits the instrument control message, firmware will be transmitted to each terminal 3 via the communication network 4. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the aggregation device 2 only needs to receive the firmware once from the host server 1 and transmit the firmware to the terminal 3, so the firmware is transmitted via the communication network 4. The number of times is significantly reduced.

Further, for example, in the case where voltage is collected every two minutes, if the host server 1 sends an instrument control message, the instrument control message will be sent to the terminal 3 via the communication network 4 every two minutes. However, in this embodiment, when the aggregation device 2 receives an instruction from the host server 1 to collect voltage at a 2-minute cycle, the instrument control message generated by the aggregation device 2 is sent to the terminal 3 every 2 minutes. Therefore, the number of times instrument control messages are transmitted via the communication network 4 is significantly reduced. The instrument control message transmitted at high frequency or at regular intervals is not limited to voltage measurement instructions, and may be instructions for disconnection detection, event collection, etc., or may be instructions other than these. That is, the instrument control message may be sent to the terminal 3 at regular intervals, or the instrument control message with the same control content may be sent to two or more terminals 3 at once. Further, the meter control message may include firmware for the metering section 6.

For example, if the aggregation device 2 can identify a terminal 3 with poor communication status depending on the status of transmission and reception of other information with the terminal 3, the aggregation device 2 may determine the timing (upper level) for transmitting the instrument control message to the terminal 3. If the communication condition with the terminal 3 is poor at the timing determined based on instructions from the server 1, the instrument control message may be transmitted after waiting until the communication condition is restored. Thereby, it is possible to suppress non-delivery of instrument control messages and an increase in traffic and processing load between the aggregation device 2 and the terminal 3 due to retransmission processing. When the upper level server 1 generates an instrument control message and sends it to the terminals 3, the number of terminals 3 managed by the upper level server 1 becomes large, but the aggregation device 2 only has to manage the terminals 3 under its control. Therefore, adjustment of transmission timing based on the communication state can be more easily realized than in the host server 1.

Next, the operation related to the generation of the instrument control message according to the present embodiment will be explained. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing related to instrument control messages in the communication system of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, the upper level server 1 transmits control information indicating control details to be instructed to the terminal 3 to the aggregation device 2 (step S1). The example shown in FIG. 6 shows an example in which the host server 1 instructs the aggregation device 2 to perform the same control content to a plurality of terminals 3, and the control information includes, for example, the control content, that is, the aggregation device 2 The content of the instrument control message generated by the message and information indicating the destination terminal 3 are included. Note that the information indicating the destination terminal 3 may be a meter ID corresponding to the terminal 3 or may be identification information of the communication unit 5 of the terminal 3. In addition, when transmitting the instrument control message to all terminals 3 under the aggregation device 2, the control information indicates that the message is to be transmitted to all terminals 3 instead of the information indicated individually by the destination terminal 3. May contain information. Further, even when the control contents regarding the terminals 3 are different, the upper server 1 may generate control information that describes the control contents for each terminal 3 and transmit it to the aggregation device 2 at once.

The aggregation device 2 generates an instrument control message based on the control information (step S2). Specifically, upon receiving the control information from the second transmitting/receiving section 24, the control processing section 23 of the aggregation device 2 outputs the control information to the message generation section 25, and the message generation section 25 controls the instrument based on the control information. Generate a message. Note that when the information indicating the terminal 3 in the control information is the identification information of the communication section 5, the control processing section 23 uses the control information and the instrument ID correspondence information stored in the storage section 27 to identify the instrument. Generate a control message. The meter ID correspondence information is correspondence information indicating the correspondence between the meter ID, which is the identification information of the measuring section 6, and the identification information of the communication section 5 of the terminal 3 including the measuring section 6. Note that the control information may be encrypted using a common key between the upper level server 1 and the aggregation device 2. In this case, the control processing unit 23 performs step S2 after decrypting using the common key between the host server 1 and the aggregation device 2.

Next, the aggregation device 2 performs encryption using the common key with the terminal 3 (step S3). Specifically, the message generation unit 25 extracts a corresponding common key from the key information stored in the storage unit 27 for each destination terminal 3, encrypts the instrument control message using the extracted common key, The encrypted instrument control message is output to the control processing unit 23 together with the identification information of the corresponding terminal 3 (identification information indicated by the control information).

Next, the aggregation device 2 transmits an instrument control message for each destination terminal 3 (steps S4, S10). Specifically, the control processing unit 23 instructs the communication control unit 22 to transmit the instrument control message (encrypted instrument control message) to the destination terminal 3, and the communication control unit 22 uses the route information to send the instrument control message (encrypted instrument control message) to the destination terminal 3. A communication header and the like are added to the instrument control message, and the instrument control message with the communication header added is transmitted to the destination terminal 3 via the first transmitter/receiver 21 . Note that when the upper server 1 uses the instrument ID as information indicating the destination terminal 3 in the control information, the control processing unit 23 uses the instrument ID correspondence information stored in the storage unit 27 to The identification information of the communication section 5 of the terminal 3 corresponding to the meter ID is obtained, and the obtained identification information is notified to the communication control section 22 along with the instrument control message.

Next, the communication unit 5 of the terminal 3 that received the instrument control message decodes the instrument control message (steps S5, S11). Specifically, the communication unit 5 of the terminal 3 decrypts the instrument control message using the common key with the aggregation device 2. In addition, although the terminals 3-1 and 3-2 are illustrated as the terminals 3 in FIG. 6, the destination of the instrument control message is not limited to this, and may be all the terminals 3 under the aggregation device 2. However, the terminal 3 may be other than the terminals 3-1 and 3-2. Although not shown in FIG. 6, in a multi-hop network, instrument control messages sent from the aggregation device 2 to terminals 3 other than the next hop terminal 3 are sent to the destination via the other terminals 3. arrives at terminal 3.

Next, the communication unit 5 of the terminal 3 that received the instrument control message transmits the decoded instrument control message to the measuring unit 6 (steps S6, S12). The measuring unit 6 of the terminal 3 performs processing according to the instrument control message, and transmits the result (response data) to the communication unit 5 (steps S7, S13). For example, when the instrument control message indicates an instruction to measure voltage, the result includes the voltage measurement result, and when the instrument control message includes new firmware, the result indicates that the firmware in the measuring unit 6 is normal. Contains information indicating whether or not it has been updated.

Next, the communication unit 5 of the terminal 3 encrypts the result (steps S8, S14). Specifically, the communication unit 5 of the terminal 3 encrypts the result received from the measurement unit 6 using the common key with the aggregation device 2 .

Next, the communication unit 5 of the terminal 3 transmits the results to the aggregation device 2 (steps S9, S15). The aggregation device 2 aggregates the results received within a certain period of time (step S16). Next, the aggregation device 2 decodes each of the aggregation results (step S17). Specifically, the result aggregation unit 26 performs decryption using a common key with the terminal 3. Note that the order of step S16 and step S17 may be reversed.

Next, the aggregation device 2 encrypts the aggregated results using a common key with the higher-level server 1 (step S18), and transmits the encrypted aggregated results to the higher-level server 1 (step S19). The upper level server 1 can obtain the result transmitted from the terminal 3 by decrypting the aggregated result using the common key with the aggregation device 2. For example, if the control information indicates that instrument control messages are to be transmitted at regular intervals, once the aggregation device 2 receives the control information from the host server 1, it will thereafter generate instrument control messages at regular intervals. The traffic on the communication network 4 between the host server 1 and the aggregation device 2 can be reduced. This is possible because the host server 1 can collectively instruct the aggregation device 2 to generate not only the instrument control telegrams sent at regular intervals, but also the instrument control telegrams that the host server 1 has sent to each terminal 3. As a result, traffic on the communication network 4 can be reduced.

Next, the operation when determining the transmission timing in consideration of the communication state will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure regarding generation of an instrument control message in the aggregation device 2 of this embodiment. In FIG. 7, for example, an example will be described in which the aggregation device 2 transmits the instrument control message at regular intervals, but the transmission timing can be similarly adjusted even when the instrument control message is not transmitted at regular intervals. When there are multiple terminals 3 to which the instrument control message is addressed, the aggregation device 2 performs the process shown in FIG. 7 for each terminal 3.

As shown in FIG. 7, the aggregation device 2 determines whether a certain period of time has passed (step S21). Specifically, the control processing unit 23 determines whether a certain period of time has passed since the last transmission of the instrument control message. The fixed time is a time corresponding to one period of the fixed period. If the certain period of time has not elapsed (step S21: No), step S21 is repeated.

If a certain period of time has elapsed (Step S21: Yes), the aggregation device 2 generates an instrument control message (Step S22). Specifically, the control processing section 23 instructs the message generation section 25 to generate the instrument control message, and the message generation section 25 generates the instrument control message.

Next, the aggregation device 2 performs encryption using the common key with the terminal 3 (step S23). Specifically, the message generation unit 25 encrypts the instrument control message using the common key with the terminal 3, and temporarily stores the encrypted instrument control message in the storage unit 27.

Next, the aggregation device 2 determines whether the communication state is good or not (step S24), and if the communication state is not good (step S24: No), repeats step S24. In step S24, in detail, the control processing unit 23 determines whether the communication state is good based on the reception status of other data of the terminal 3 to which the instrument control message is addressed. For example, if the data to be received from the terminal 3 has not been received for a certain period of time, the control processing unit 23 determines that the communication state is not good, and the data to be received from the terminal 3 cannot be received normally. If so, it is determined that the communication status is good. Further, if information regarding communication quality such as reception strength and packet error rate can be obtained from the terminal 3, the control processing unit 23 uses the information regarding the communication quality to determine whether or not the communication state is good. It's okay.

If the communication state is good (step S24: Yes), the aggregation device 2 transmits the instrument control message (step S25), and repeats the processing from step S21. In step S25, in detail, the control processing unit 23 reads out the encrypted instrument control message temporarily stored in the storage unit 27, outputs it to the communication control unit 22, and the communication control unit 22 The first transmitter/receiver 21 is caused to transmit the instrument control message. In this way, the control processing unit 23 determines whether the communication state with the terminal 3 to which the instrument control message is sent is good before transmitting the instrument control message, and if the communication condition is poor, , it may wait for the transmission of the instrument control message, and when the communication state with the terminal 3 becomes good, the first transmitting/receiving section 21, which is a transmitting/receiving section, may transmit the instrument control message to the terminal 3. Through the above processing, the aggregation device 2 can transmit the instrument control message to the terminal 3 when the communication condition is good.

Next, the hardware configuration of each device in this embodiment will be explained. The transmitting/receiving section 11 of the host server 1 of this embodiment is realized by a transmitter and a receiver, and the control processing section 12 is realized by a control circuit. The storage unit 13 is realized by a memory.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the control circuit of this embodiment. The control circuit 100 shown in FIG. 8 includes a processor 101 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), and a memory 102. The memory 102 includes semiconductor memories such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory), magnetic disks, and the like. The control processing unit 12 of the upper level server 1 is realized by the processor 101 executing a program stored in the memory 102 for realizing the operation of the upper level server 1. The program may be provided by a recording medium or a communication medium. Furthermore, the memory that implements the storage section 13 may be a part of the memory 102 or may be a memory separate from the control circuit.

Further, the host server 1 is generally realized by a computer system, and may include, in addition to the control circuit 100, a display unit such as a monitor and a display, and an input unit such as a keyboard and a mouse, although not shown. .

The first transmitter/receiver 21 and the second transmitter/receiver 24 of the aggregation device 2 of this embodiment are realized by a transmitter and a receiver. The communication control section 22, control processing section 23, message generation section 25, and result aggregation section 26 are realized by a processing circuit, and the storage section 27 is realized by a memory. The processing circuit may be the control circuit 100 shown in FIG. 8, or may be a dedicated circuit such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). When the communication control unit 22, control processing unit 23, message generation unit 25, and result aggregation unit 26 are realized by the control circuit 100, the program for realizing the operation of the aggregation device 2 stored in the memory 102 is implemented by the processor 101. By executing this, the communication control section 22 and the control processing section 23 are realized. The program may be provided by a recording medium or a communication medium. Furthermore, the memory that implements the storage section 27 may be a part of the memory 102 or may be a memory separate from the control circuit 100.

The first transmitting/receiving section 51, the second transmitting/receiving section 55, and the transmitting/receiving section 63 of the terminal 3 of this embodiment are realized by a transmitter and a receiver. The communication control section 52, the control processing section 53, and the control processing section 62 are realized by a processing circuit, and the storage section 54 and the storage section 64 are realized by a memory. The processing circuit may be the control circuit 100 shown in FIG. 8, or may be a dedicated circuit such as FPGA or ASIC. When the communication control section 52, the control processing section 53, and the control processing section 62 are realized by the control circuit 100, a program for realizing the operation of the terminal 3 stored in the memory 102 is executed by the processor 101. , a communication control section 52, and a control processing section 53 are realized. The program may be provided by a recording medium or a communication medium. Furthermore, the memory that implements the storage section 54 and the storage section 64 may be part of the memory 102 or may be a memory separate from the control circuit 100.

The program of the present embodiment includes, for example, a step of generating, in the aggregation device 2, an instrument control message for controlling the measuring section 6 using the instrument ID correspondence information, and a step of generating the instrument control message corresponding to the measuring section 6. The steps of transmitting to the terminal 3 are executed.

As described above, in this embodiment, the aggregation device 2 holds instrument ID correspondence information, generates an instrument control message for controlling the measuring section 6 of the terminal 3, and transmits it to the terminal 3. . Therefore, communication traffic between the host server 1 and the aggregation device 2 can be reduced.

The configurations shown in the embodiments above are merely examples, and can be combined with other known techniques, or can be combined with other embodiments, within the scope of the gist. It is also possible to omit or change part of the configuration.

1 Upper server, 2, 2-1, 2-2 Aggregation device, 3, 3-1 to 3-12 Terminal, 4 Communication network, 5 Communication section, 6 Measuring section, 11, 63 Transmission/reception section, 12, 23, 53 , 62 Control processing unit, 13, 27, 54, 64 Storage unit, 21, 51 First transmission/reception unit, 22, 52 Communication control unit, 24, 55 Second transmission/reception unit, 25 Message generation unit, 26 Result aggregation unit, 61 Instrument.

Claims

An aggregation device that communicates with a plurality of terminals, each of which has a measuring section and a communication section, aggregates data transmitted from the plurality of terminals, and transmits the data to an upper-level server,
a storage unit that stores correspondence information indicating a correspondence between identification information of the measurement unit and identification information of the communication unit of the terminal including the measurement unit;
a message generation unit that uses the correspondence information to generate a control message for controlling the measurement unit;
a transmitting/receiving unit that transmits the control message to the terminal corresponding to the measuring unit;
An aggregation device characterized by comprising:
The aggregation device according to claim 1, wherein the control message is transmitted to the terminal at regular intervals.
The aggregation device according to claim 1, wherein the control message with the same control content is simultaneously transmitted to two or more of the terminals.
The aggregation device according to claim 1, wherein the control message includes firmware of the measurement unit.
Before transmitting the control message, it is determined whether the communication state with the terminal to which the control message is addressed is good, and if the communication condition is poor, waiting for the transmission of the control message, a control processing unit that causes the transmitting/receiving unit to transmit the control message to the terminal when the communication state with the terminal becomes good;
The aggregation device according to claim 1, further comprising:
The message generation unit encrypts the control message using a common key between the terminal and the aggregation device,
The aggregation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the transmitting/receiving unit transmits the encrypted control message to the terminal.
a plurality of terminals each having a measuring section and a communication section;
upper server and
an aggregation device that aggregates data transmitted from the plurality of terminals and transmits it to the upper server;
Equipped with
The aggregation device is
a storage unit that stores correspondence information indicating a correspondence between identification information of the measurement unit and identification information of the communication unit of the terminal including the measurement unit;
a message generation unit that uses the correspondence information to generate a control message for controlling the measurement unit;
a transmitting/receiving unit that transmits the control message to the terminal corresponding to the measuring unit;
A communication system comprising:
A communication method in an aggregation device that communicates with a plurality of terminals, each of which has a measuring unit and a communication unit, aggregates data transmitted from the plurality of terminals, and transmits the aggregated data to an upper-level server,
generating a control message for controlling the measuring unit using correspondence information indicating a correspondence between identification information of the measuring unit and identification information of the communication unit of the terminal including the measuring unit;
transmitting the control message to the terminal corresponding to the measuring unit;
A communication method characterized by including.
an aggregation device that communicates with a plurality of terminals, each of which has a measuring section and a communication section, aggregates data transmitted from the plurality of terminals, and transmits the data to an upper-level server;
generating a control message for controlling the measuring unit using correspondence information indicating a correspondence between identification information of the measuring unit and identification information of the communication unit of the terminal including the measuring unit;
transmitting the control message to the terminal corresponding to the measuring unit;
A program characterized by executing.