JP4349057B2 - Communication device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention, "Security sensors" in the home, "home appliances" group, "the flow rate measuring device group" is intended to relate to a communication device for controlling these as "health equipment group".

  Conventionally, the following are common for this type of system. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing an embodiment of the meter reading central device of the remote meter reading system according to the conventional example.

  In the meter reading central device 101 shown in this figure, a communication unit 9 having a modem connected to a telephone line 108 is connected to a host computer 110, and a database 111 and a display unit 112 are connected to the host computer 110.

  The communication unit 109 has a built-in modem necessary for data communication with the meter-reading terminal device 103 via the telephone line 108, modulates a signal from the host computer 110 and sends it to the telephone line 108. The signal from the telephone line 108 is demodulated and output to the host computer 110.

  The database 111 is a storage device that stores meter reading information from each meter reading terminal device 103 received by the host computer 110 and is controlled by the host computer 110. The display unit 112 is for notifying the operator of a list of meter reading information in the database 111 and the operation status of the host computer 110, and generates not only characters and images but also sounds and alarm sounds. You may be able to do it.

  Next, FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing an embodiment of a meter reading terminal device of a remote meter reading system according to a conventional example.

  The meter reading terminal device 103 shown in this figure includes a line connecting unit 113 connected to a telephone line 108, a modem 114 connected to the line connecting unit 113, a meter reading unit 115, a pager receiver 116, a clock counter 117, , And a control unit 119 connected to the memory 118. The line connection unit 113 has a function of detecting whether or not the telephone line 108 is in use. If the line connection unit 113 is in use, the line connection unit 113 waits without making a call from the meter reading terminal device 103 and is not in use. The control unit 119 is controlled to sometimes make a call from the meter reading terminal device 103. In other words, the switch corresponding to the hook switch for opening and closing the telephone line loop is limited by the detection signal indicating whether or not the telephone line is in use.

  The modem 114 is used to perform data communication with the meter-reading central device 101 when connected to the telephone line 108 by the line connection unit 113, and modulates a signal from the control unit 119. In addition to being sent to the telephone line 108, the signal from the telephone line 108 is demodulated and output to the control unit 119. Further, the meter-reading instrument 115 has meters (not shown) for measuring the usage amount of electricity, gas, water, etc., and always measures this and records a cumulative value or a regular value.

  The pager receiver 116 is also called a calling radio receiver, which is a receiver for performing one-way communication from a source to a destination using a radio communication line using radio waves. A typical use of a pager receiver is a wide range of wireless access from a pager base station 115 connected to a telephone line 108, even if the person carries the pager receiver and the person moves to various locations. The call is caught and a message is transmitted. The pager receiver 116 used in the remote meter reading system is different from a general pager receiver in that functions relating to the human interface can be omitted. That is, a speaker for generating a ringing tone, a vibrator for generating vibration, and a liquid crystal display unit for displaying a message or the like are not required.

  The clock counter 117 is a clock that operates based on a frequency from a local oscillator (not shown) and also has a timer function. The memory 118 is controlled by the control unit 119 and is used to hold a message received by the pager receiver 116, meter reading information of the meter reading device 115, and the like.

  Next, FIG. 7 is a table showing the correspondence of various number form examples which each device has in the remote meter reading system according to the conventional example.

  The number correspondence table shown in this figure is a “telephone number”, “pager number”, “group broadcast number”, and “user ID” attached to the meter reading central device and meter reading terminal device. It is classified into three.

  The first is a number by the telephone carrier of the telephone line 108, which corresponds to the telephone number, and is held by both the meter-reading central device 101 and the meter-reading terminal device 103. Here, the telephone number of the meter-reading terminal device 103 is a telephone line subscriber number for the telephone 104 owned by the customer corresponding to each of the plurality of terminal stations 106 a to 106 n and is actually attached to the meter-reading terminal device 103. Although not described here, the telephone number of the meter reading terminal device 103 will be described here for convenience.

  Next, the second is a number by the pager carrier of the pager base station 107, which corresponds to the pager number and the group broadcast number, and these are only in the meter reading terminal device 103. . The pager number is a number unique to the pager receiver built in the meter reading terminal device 103, and the group broadcast number is a group of pager receivers of the meter reading terminal device over a plurality of terminal stations 106a to 106n, This is the number for calling these pager receivers all at once.

  Next, the third is a number assigned by a supplier of electricity, gas, water, etc., and corresponds to the user ID, which only the meter reading terminal device 103 has. The user ID is a management number unique to the meter reading terminal device 103. The meter reading central device 101 may also be managed with a host ID number.

  As shown in this figure, the meter-reading central device 101 and the meter-reading terminal device 103 are assigned some numbers. The meter-reading central device 101 has a meter-reading terminal device for each of a plurality of terminal stations 106a to 106n. 3 are stored in advance in association with each other, and the meter reading terminal device 103 stores various numbers of the meter reading central device 101 in advance.

  The remote meter reading system shown in the examples of FIGS. 5 to 7 described above functions as follows. In addition, when the meter-reading terminal device 103 spontaneously transmits and communicates with the meter-reading central device 101, and when the meter-reading terminal device transmits and communicates with the meter-reading central device in response to a meter-reading information collection request from the meter-reading central device However, the feature of the present invention resides in the latter, and the former is the same as the conventional one, so the description of the former is omitted.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure in the case where the meter reading terminal device 103 transmits to the meter reading central device in response to a meter reading information collection request (wireless call) from the meter reading central device 101 in the remote meter reading system according to the present invention. This shows a case where a plurality of terminal stations are collectively called as a meter reading information collection request.

  First, the meter-reading central device 101 creates a message to be attached at the time of simultaneous calling <STEP 1>, then sends a dial signal by a group broadcast number to the telephone line 108 and issues a meter-reading information collection request (simultaneous calling) < STEP2>. As a result, radio waves are emitted from the pager base station 7, and the pager receivers 116 incorporated in the meter-reading terminal devices 3 of the plurality of terminal stations 106a to 106n are called all at once. Here, this calling radio wave is referred to as a wireless communication line, and this wireless communication line can only perform one-way communication from the meter reading central device 101 to the meter reading terminal device 103.

  On the other hand, the meter reading terminal device 103 constantly measures the amount of electricity, gas, water, etc. used by the meter meter 115 and records the meter reading value (STEP 3). In this state, it is determined whether or not there is a meter reading information collection request (call) from the meter reading central device 1 (STEP 4). If there is no meter reading information collection request (NO), the metering information collection is continued and meter reading is continued. If there is a request (YES), the process proceeds to the next STEP5. In STEP 5, it is determined whether or not a message is attached to the meter reading information collection request (call).

  In STEP 5, if no message is attached to the call (NO), a call is sent to the telephone line 108 after a preset time for each meter reading terminal device 103 and the meter reading central device 101 reads the meter. Information is transmitted <STEP6>. Here, the preset time is set to be different for each meter reading terminal device 103. For example, the terminal station 106a is set to 0 minutes, the terminal station 106b is set to 3 minutes, and the terminal station 6c is set to 106 minutes. Thus, each meter-reading terminal device 103 measures each set time by the clock counter 117 from when a call is made, and makes a call when the time has elapsed. That is, the plurality of meter reading terminal devices 103 that are called all at once transmit meter reading information to the central meter reading device 101 at different times.

  In STEP 5, if a message is attached to the call (YES), the message is analyzed <STEP 7>. Based on the content of the analyzed message, a call is made to the telephone line 108 and the meter reading information is transmitted to the meter reading central device 101 <STEP 8>. Here, a transmission line that communicates via the telephone line 108, that is, using only the telecommunication network provided by the telephone carrier, is referred to as a wired communication line. Two-way communication between the terminal 101 and the meter reading terminal device 103 is possible.

  When an incoming call is made to the meter reading central device 101 by STEP 6 or STEP 8, the meter reading central device 101 responds to this and performs data communication with the meter reading terminal device 103 to receive meter reading information <STEP 9>. The meter reading central device 101 performs processing such as organizing the received meter reading information for each meter reading terminal device 103 <STEP 10>, and then stores it in the database 111 <STEP 11>.

  As described above, meter reading information is collected according to the series of procedures shown in FIG. 8. In STEP 1, STEP 7, and STEP 8, specific numbers of messages and examples of sending messages are shown below. This will be described in more detail.

  Here, it is assumed that there are 200 meter reading terminal devices 3 under the control of the meter reading central device 101, and each of the meter reading terminal devices 3 is referred to as “●●● -001” to “●●● -200”. It is assumed that a user ID has been assigned, and further, all the 200 units belonging to the group broadcast number of “◇◇◇-▽▽▽▽-△△△△” consisting of 200 units are called at once here. The meter-reading terminal device 103, of the meter-reading terminal devices 103 corresponding to this group, makes a meter-reading information collection request to 100 meter-reading terminal devices having the user ID “●● -101 to 200”. The case will be described. Also, symbols such as ●, ◇, ▽, Δ, ◎ appearing here indicate predetermined numbers.

  First, the meter-reading central device 101 sends a group broadcast number “◇◇◇ − ▽▽▽▽ −ΔΔΔΔ” to the telephone line. Then, after connecting to the pager system automatic response device, a password “◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎” is sent to this group broadcast number (if the pager system has a password service).

  Subsequently, a message “●●● * 2 * 423 * 200 * 403 * 4101 * 2200 ##” attached to the general call is transmitted (in this case, the number of digits is limited to 34 digits).

  If the above message is displayed and converted, for example, the following will explain the meaning of this message.

●●●-[23-00 [03 [101-200
This message indicates a delimiter by “[], and is given in the order of group → current time (hour / minute) → interval (minute) → target user. In an actual meter reading terminal device, analysis processing is performed without display conversion.

  That is, the first “●●● −” is a predetermined user group number corresponding to the called group broadcast number, and is a number added to the head of the user ID of each meter-reading terminal device 3. This is for confirming whether the meter reading central device 101 which is a message transmission source intentionally makes a meter reading information collection request to the group. For example, if the group of users related to this call is user IDs “102-001” to “102-200”, the value corresponding to the “●●● −” is “102−”.

  The next “23-00” is the current time given by the meter-reading central device 101 at the time of simultaneous calling, and actually a delay time until a plurality of called meter-reading terminal devices 103 recognize this time information. The time is taken into consideration. In the above example, 23:00 is the current time, and the meter reading terminal device 103 called by this call sets the time as the initial value of the clock counter 117, and then starts time measurement.

  The next “03” indicates a time interval value at which the meter reading terminal device 103, which is the target of the meter reading information collection request by this call, should sequentially transmit the meter reading information to the meter reading central device 101. In the above example, every 103 minutes is the time interval, and each meter-reading terminal device 103 cuts the transmission time to the meter-reading central device 101 by tamming every 3 minutes from the time set at the initial value (23:00). It will be replaced.

  The next “101-200” indicates the meter reading terminal device 103 that is the target of the meter reading information collection request by this call. In the above example, of 200 user IDs “102-001” to “102-200” to be called at the same time, 100 meter user information “102-101” to “102-200” are requested to collect meter reading information. It is a target.

  In this way, each meter-reading terminal device that has received a general call performs message analysis processing in the control unit, and operates based on this message. For example, when the meter reading terminal device 103 whose user ID is “102-105” receives the simultaneous call, the meter reading terminal device 103 operates as follows.

  That is, first, the current time in the received message is set in its own clock counter 117, and it is confirmed whether or not itself is included in the meter reading terminal device that is the target of the meter reading information collection request. If it is determined by this confirmation that the self is included, the time to be transmitted by the self is calculated.

  In this example, it calculates the number of itself from the top of the 100 called vehicles (here, it is the fifth), and every 3 minutes from 23:00 set in the clock counter. It is recognized that it is an instruction to start transmission at the fifth transmission timing, i.e., when its own clock counter 17 reaches 23:15.

  As shown in this example, in a general pager system, the number of digits of a message that can be attached to one call is often limited. Therefore, if the content to be specified by the message for the plurality of meter reading terminal devices 103 that the meter reading central device 101 calls all at once cannot be performed within the range of the number of digits that can be attached to one call, the message is sent to the plurality of calling terminals. It is sufficient to send it separately.

  Specifically, a symbol indicating that there is a message following, for example, “” ”, is assigned, and this is described at the end of the message other than the final message, so that the general call is repeated. Alternatively, a symbol indicating the end (end) of the message may be assigned and described only at the end of the final message. As a result, the plurality of meter-reading terminal devices 3 that are called all at once can recognize that there is a subsequent message, and wait until the last message is received and operate to comprehensively analyze the message contents. .

  Thereby, the meter-reading terminal device 103 whose user ID is “102-105” tries to make a call to the meter-reading central device 101 at 23:15. At this time, if the line connection unit 113 of the meter-reading terminal device 103 detects that the telephone line 108 (wired communication line) is being used by a customer of the terminal station or the like, the terminal station 103 waits for a predetermined time and waits for a certain period of time. If the telephone line is not opened (for example, within 2 minutes), the transmission is abandoned.

  Further, if the telephone line is opened, a call is made to make a line connection with the meter reading central apparatus 101, and meter reading information is transmitted. Even in this case, priority is given to the use of the telephone line by the consumers of the terminal station, so even if the meter reading terminal device 103 is transmitting meter reading information, the communication is interrupted and the telephone line is disconnected. Must be opened. In this case, transmission is abandoned as a transmission failure.

  As described above, the example in which the number of communication units 109 of the meter-reading central apparatus 101 is one is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, as shown in FIG. You may comprise so that it may be provided.

  FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram showing another embodiment of the meter reading central device in the remote meter reading system. The meter-reading central apparatus 101 shown in this figure has a first communication unit 120 and a second communication unit 121. The first communication unit 120 and the second communication unit 121 are functional blocks similar to the communication unit 109 in FIG. In this case, a private branch exchange or the like is installed in the central office 102, and two telephone lines are assigned to one telephone number corresponding to the meter-reading central apparatus 101. Alternatively, a configuration is adopted in which a double-line contract is made with a telephone carrier that directly provides the telephone line 108 and two telephone lines are allocated.

  The meter reading central device 101 shown in this figure functions as follows. That is, when an incoming call from a certain meter reading terminal device 103 is received by the first communication unit 120 to receive meter reading information, when another meter reading terminal device 103 sends a call to the meter reading central device 101, The second communication unit 121 receives an incoming call from the other meter reading terminal device 103. According to this, the meter-reading central device 101 can simultaneously receive meter-reading information from the two meter-reading terminal devices 103. That is, since the local oscillator that drives the clock counter 117 of each meter reading terminal device 103 oscillates in a self-running state, the time intervals at which each meter reading terminal device 103 should sequentially transmit to the meter reading central device 101 vary, Even if communication overlaps, it becomes possible to cope with this, and it is not necessary to use a high-performance oscillator as a local oscillator.

  Further, the local oscillator that drives the clock counter 117 of each meter reading terminal device 103 is corrected by an external standard radio wave, etc., and the clock accuracy is improved, thereby eliminating the duplication of the communication unit of the meter reading central device 101 described above. It becomes possible.

  Further, when a call is made from the meter reading central device 101 to the meter reading terminal device 103 via a wireless communication line, if this wireless communication line (pager system) is compatible with the caller number notification service, the meter reading terminal device 103 is used. Uses this service to confirm the call originator by comparing the caller number obtained by receiving the call with the telephone number of the meter reading central device 101 stored in advance, It is possible to prevent mischief by malicious third parties and improve safety.

  Further, this remote meter reading system is provided with supply control means capable of opening and closing the supply of electricity, gas, water, etc. in the meter reading terminal device 103, and based on the message attached when calling from the meter reading central device 101, The supply control means may be controlled. The supply control means is a switch (breaker or the like) if the supplied one is electricity, or an open / close valve if gas or water is supplied, and this is provided integrally with the meter reading device 115 of the meter reading terminal device 3. Alternatively, it is provided separately in the vicinity of the meter reading device 115.

That is, when a customer of electricity, gas, water, etc. has not paid for a certain period of time without notification for any reason, the supplier of electricity, gas, water, etc. counters by stopping the supply. Although the remote meter reading system of the present invention may take measures, the remote meter reading system according to the present invention can quickly and effortlessly control the supply control means based on the message to the pager receiver 116 by the wireless call from the meter reading central device 1. Countermeasures can be taken. When a disaster such as an earthquake occurs, it is also effective as a means for preventing a secondary disaster such as a fire by, for example, urgently stopping gas supply all at once.
JP 2001-86574 A

  However, the conventional configuration described above is intended to avoid a collision by shifting the timing of response to the broadcast, but the broadcast command is given only to any device selected by the user among the devices under its control. There is no mechanism to put out. Therefore, in such a case, it is necessary to perform communication one by one without using the broadcast, and it takes time to command all the target devices, and the timing for operating each device as per the command. There was a problem that variations occurred and it was very difficult to use as a system.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention assigns a group broadcast address to an arbitrarily selected device, and performs the broadcast communication including the group broadcast address when actually issuing a command. It is possible to solve the problem and accelerate the improvement of the convenience of the system and the promotion of the spread.

  Therefore, the communication device includes a device selection unit that selects and groups at least one terminal device, and a transmission unit A that transmits a control signal only to the terminal devices grouped by the device selection unit. Receiving means for receiving a signal, group storage means for storing whether or not it belongs to a specific communication group, control means for controlling the terminal device itself, analyzing the signal received by the receiving means, and receiving signal Is a signal that sets that it belongs to a specific communication group, the fact is stored in the group storage means, and if the received signal is a signal addressed to a specific group, A signal comparison unit is provided that activates the control unit only when the specific groups stored in the group storage unit are compared and matched.

  As described above, the present invention uses broadcast communication for a device arbitrarily selected by a user, so that instructions to a plurality of devices can be executed at the same timing, and the system As well as improving the convenience of the system, the reliability of the system also increases, and it is possible to exert a great effect on the spread and promotion of the system.

A first invention is a terminal device that operates in two different modes, and includes a receiving means for receiving a signal including information indicating broadcast communication and information specifying a mode, and arbitrary grouping information. A group storing unit for storing; a signal comparing unit for analyzing whether or not grouping information is included in information specifying a mode among signals received by the receiving unit; and a control unit. ) When it is analyzed by the signal comparison means that grouping information is included, and the grouping information matches the grouping information stored in the group storage means, the information specifying the mode is (2) The grouping information is analyzed when it is analyzed by the signal comparison means that grouping information is included. And the grouping information stored in the group storage means do not switch to the mode indicated by the information specifying the mode, and (3) the signal comparison means analyzes that the grouping information is not included. In such a case, a process for switching to the mode indicated by the information for designating the mode is performed, and the grouping information stored in the group storage means can be rewritten by a signal transmitted from an external communication device.

  In addition, it is possible to send a command only to an arbitrary device selected by the user by broadcasting, and not only can a command be given to the device quickly, but each device can follow the instructions at the same timing. Thus, not only the reliability of the system is improved, but also the promotion of the spread of the system can be accelerated.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the entire system of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a terminal device. 2 is a communication device. Reference numeral 3 denotes an open / close sensor A. Reference numeral 4 denotes an open / close sensor B. Reference numeral 5 denotes a human sensor A. 6 is a human sensor B. The opening / closing sensor A3, the opening / closing sensor B4, the human sensor A5, and the human sensor B6 are specific names of the terminal device 1.

  In FIG. 1, an open / close sensor A3, an open / close sensor B4, a human sensor A5, and a human sensor B6 are a “security sensor group”. In this example, two “open / close sensors” (open / close sensor A3, open / close sensor B4) and two “human sensors” (human sensor A5, human sensor B6) are provided for one communication device 2. The case is described.

  The “security sensor group” referred to here is, for example, an open / close sensor A3, which is installed on a window or door in a home, and sounds an alarm sound or reports that when there is an intruder from outside. B4, or human sensor A5 or human sensor B6 that detects the presence or absence of a person and uses such an alarm sound or notification to intimidate or notify the person to prevent an intruder from the outside. These are assumed to be installed around each household. For example, when an abnormality report from the “security sensor group” occurs, the communication device 2 notifies the user to that effect using a screen or voice, or sends it to an external mobile phone, personal computer, medical institution, service center, etc. Play the role of reporting.

  In FIG. 1, only the “security sensor group” is explicitly shown as the terminal device 1, but the “home appliance group”, “flow rate measuring device group”, “ “Health equipment group” is also considered. The “home appliance group” mentioned here refers to home appliances used at home such as “washing machine”, “microwave oven”, “air conditioner”, “refrigerator”, “rice cooker”, “hot water heater”, and the like. The communication device 2 can grasp or control the current state of these “home appliance groups”. For example, the “home appliance group” is controlled from a mobile phone outside the home via the communication device 2 or the abnormality information of the “home appliance group” is reported to an external mobile phone, personal computer, service center, etc. .

  The “flow rate measuring device group” refers to an energy measuring device called a lifeline of each household, such as electricity, gas, and water. The communication device 2 may have a function of communicating with these “flow rate measuring device groups”. That is, for example, the gas flow rate of each household is measured by a “flow rate measuring device” called a gas meter. The communication device 2 acquires the meter reading value data of the gas meter and sends the data to the gas supplier. The gas company charges the household a gas fee according to the amount of gas used.

  The gas meter measures the gas flow rate and also has various security functions. That is, the gas meter has a shut-off function for shutting off the gas flow. When a gas leak or an earthquake occurs, the gas meter automatically shuts off the gas flow and notifies that effect. The report destination is the communication device 2. The communication device 2 notifies the gas service provider of an alarm notification such as a cutoff output from the gas meter. The gas service provider notifies the home of the abnormality by telephone, or in some cases, goes to the home and responds. At this time, the communication device 2 can notify the user to that effect using a user interface such as a screen or voice.

  Further, when the gas meter is a gas meter for LP gas, for example, it has a function of detecting the remaining amount of the LP gas cylinder. That is, when the remaining amount of the LP gas cylinder falls below a predetermined level, or when the remaining amount is exhausted, the gas meter detects and notifies that fact. The reporting method is the same as in the case of the above-mentioned blocking. Upon receipt of the report, the gas service provider delivers the gas cylinder to the household and performs an exchange operation.

  The “health equipment group” refers to health equipment such as a sphygmomanometer, a weight scale, a body fat percentage meter, and a pedometer. Each of these devices may exist as a single device, or may be incorporated in, for example, a warm water toilet seat. Devices that measure the state of excrement using a toilet and acquire health data are also included in the “health device group”. In any case, the data acquired by these “health equipment groups” can be reported to an external mobile phone, a personal computer, a medical institution, a service center, and the like via the communication device 2. Furthermore, it is also possible to acquire these data remotely from outside such as a medical institution.

  In addition, the communication device 2 sets / cancels various warning operations to the “security sensor group”, controls ON / OFF of the power supply of the “home appliance group”, and turns on the flow rate for the “flow rate measurement device group”. Also plays the role of controlling / OFF etc. Here, in the case of the “security sensor group”, since it is difficult to supply AC power, the “security sensor group” generally operates with a battery. In addition, when the “flow rate measuring device group” is a gas meter or a water meter, the gas meter or the water meter is installed in the garden or the back side of each home and normally operates with a battery.

  On the other hand, in the case of the “home appliance group”, the operation is performed by supplying AC power. As described above, the communication apparatus 2 and at least one or more “security sensor group”, “home appliance group”, “flow rate measurement apparatus group”, and “health appliance group” terminal apparatus 1 constitute a system.

  Here, when the communication apparatus 2 communicates with the outside, a line is used. Here, the line is an analog telephone line, ISDN line, ADSL line, FTTH line, cable TV line, or the like. This line uses the various line types introduced by the household. Depending on the line, the communication device 2 is connected via a modem such as a modem, T-NCU (Terminal Network Control Unit), TA, dial-up router, ONU (Optical Network Unit) or the like for connection to the line. Built-in. On the other hand, the communication device 2 and an external server device, a mobile phone, a personal computer, a medical institution, a service center, etc. may be connected by a direct circuit switching method, ISP (Internet Service Provider) or ASP (Application In some cases, it is connected via the Internet via a Service Provider. Further, the communication protocol between the communication device 2 and an external server device, a mobile phone, a personal computer, a medical institution, a service center, etc. may be a non-procedure original protocol determined in advance in this system, or may be TCP / IP, In some cases, an Internet protocol such as HTTP or HTTPS is used.

  Next, communication between the communication device 2 and the terminal device 1 such as “security sensor group”, “home appliance group”, “flow rate measurement device group”, and “health device group” will be described. Here, the communication between the communication device 2 and the terminal device 1 such as “security sensor group”, “home appliance group”, “flow rate measurement device group”, and “health device group” is, for example, a specific low power wireless in the 400 MHz band. It is done using. That is, when the opening / closing sensor A3, the opening / closing sensor B4, the human sensor A5, or the human sensor A6 detects an intrusion abnormality, the “security sensor group” transmits the fact to the communication device 2 using the specific low-power radio. When reporting the meter reading value from a gas meter or water meter, or when notifying the gas meter or water meter valve in the event of an abnormality, the "flow rate measuring device group" uses a specific low-power radio to communicate that fact. 2 is transmitted. The same applies to the “health equipment group”. In addition, when the communication device 2 sends a signal to the “security sensor group” to shift to a warning operation, or remotely shuts off / returns the valve to the “flow rate measurement device group” of the gas meter or water meter. In this case, the specific low-power radio is also used when transmitting an operation ON / OFF command to the “home appliance group”.

  In the above system configuration, in this embodiment, a case where a “security sensor group” such as the opening / closing sensor A3, the opening / closing sensor B4, the human sensor A5, and the human sensor B6 communicates with the communication device 2 will be described with reference to FIG. To do. As described above, the “opening / closing sensor” is attached to a door or window and threatens the intruder with its own alarm sound or the like when the suspicious person or the like intrudes, and notifies the communication device 2 to that effect. The “human sensor” detects the movement of a person, animal, or other object, threatens the intruder with its own alarm sound or the like, and informs the communication device 2 accordingly. Here, the “open / close sensor” is battery-operated as described above, and emits an alarm sound when a window or door is “open”. The “human sensor” is also battery-operated as described above, and generates an alarm sound when the presence of a person is detected.

  Note that both the “open / close sensor” and “human sensor” may be AC driven, but both the “open / close sensor” and “human sensor” are more likely to be installed in places where AC power is not available. There is convenience in time. As described above, since both the “opening / closing sensor” and the “human sensor” sound their own alarm sound, they cannot always be in a warning state. This is because, if the alert state is always set, a warning sound is emitted from the detected sensor every time the user opens / closes a window or door or roams around the human sensor, which causes great inconvenience to the user. In addition, since the “open / close sensor” and “human sensor” are battery-driven as described above, there is a problem that if the alarm is always maintained, current must be supplied to the sensing portion of each sensor, and battery consumption is accelerated. is there. Further, when the “opening / closing sensor” and “human sensor” are detected in a warning state, a notification is sent to the communication device 2. Therefore, if the warning device is always in a warning state, the communication device 2 and the “opening sensor” and “human sensor” This increases communication traffic and increases the possibility of interference and interference. In addition, battery consumption is increased by communication.

  From the above, the “open / close sensor” and “human sensor” will be described below on the assumption that two modes of “warning mode” and “non-warning mode” are provided. The “warning mode” is a mode in which three points of sensing, alarm sounding, and calling to the communication device 2 are performed, and the above three points are not performed in non-warning. The “warning mode” and “non-warning mode” of the “open / close sensor” and “human sensor” are set from the communication device 2.

  Next, the following two patterns can be considered as the usage of this system by the user. As the first pattern, for example, when the user goes to bed in the bedroom on the second floor, only the “open / close sensor” and “human sensor” installed on the first floor are set to the “warning mode”. . The second pattern is a pattern for detecting a suspicious person by setting the “opening / closing sensor” and the “human sensor” to the “warning mode” when all users go out and no one is in the home. In this case, all “open / close sensors” and “human sensors” installed in the home are often set to the “warning mode”. In this case, the “open / close sensor” and “human sensor” installed on the second floor remain in the “non-warning mode”.

  The case where each sensor is set to the “warning mode” from the communication device 2 under the above conditions will be described. Assume that the sensors installed in the home are four sensors: an open / close sensor A3, an open / close sensor B4, a human sensor A5, and a human sensor B6.

  First, the first pattern will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, 7 is a device selection means. Reference numeral 8 denotes transmission means A. Reference numeral 9 denotes a receiving means. Reference numeral 10 denotes group storage means. Reference numeral 11 denotes a control means. Reference numeral 12 denotes signal comparison means. The device selection means 7 and the transmission means A8 are inside the communication device 2. The receiving unit 9, the group storage unit 10, the control unit 11, and the signal comparison unit 12 are inside the terminal device 1.

  First, in FIG. 1, among the “security sensor group (4 units)”, the open / close sensor A3 and the human sensor A5 are installed on the second floor, and the open / close sensor B4 and the human sensor B6 are installed on the first floor. It shall be. In this case, considering the first pattern described above, the sensors set to the “warning mode” are the open / close sensor B4 and the human sensor B6.

  The movement of the communication device 2 in this case will be described with reference to FIG. The user sets the sensor to be set in the “warning mode” using the device selection means 7. In this case, the opening / closing sensor B4 and the human sensor B6. Information set by the device selection means 7 is transmitted to the open / close sensor B4 and the human sensor B6 through the transmission means A8. The opening / closing sensor B4 and the human sensor B6 receive this information by the internal receiving means 9. Information received by the receiving means 9 is sent to the signal comparing means 12. The signal comparison unit 12 analyzes this information, but the information sent from the communication device 2 this time is information indicating that the sensor is a first pattern, that is, a sensor to be warned. Therefore, the signal comparison unit 12 stores this information in the group storage unit 10. As a result, the open / close sensor B4 and the human sensor B6 are grouped into the alert target sensors.

  On the other hand, after the user selects a sensor to be set to the “warning mode” in the communication apparatus 2 as described above, the user actually executes “warning mode start”. Then, the communication device 2 uses the internal transmission means A8 to transmit all the sensors in the home by “broadcast”, here, the opening sensor A3, the opening sensor B4, the human sensor A5, and the human sensor B6. “Warning mode start” is transmitted to the stand. Here, “broadcast” refers to transmission without specifying a partner to all the terminal devices 1 by specific low-power radio as described above. Here, the alarming group start information is included in the signal indicating “start of warning mode”. Here, the alerting target grouping information is the same as the information indicating that the alerting target sensor is transmitted only to the alerting target sensor.

  The four sensors, the open / close sensor A3, the open / close sensor B4, the human sensor A5, and the human sensor B6, receive the signal indicating the “warning mode start”. B4, human sensor B6, opening / closing sensor A3 and human sensor A5 that are not alarm target sensors will be described separately.

  First, the open / close sensor B4 and the human sensor B6, which are alarm target sensors, receive the information by the internal receiving means 9, and then analyze the contents by the internal signal comparing means 12. Here, the signal comparison unit 12 compares the information stored in the group storage unit 12 with the information indicating that the sensor is the target of the alert included in the received signal. Here, since the group storage means 12 of the open / close sensor B4 and the human sensor B6 stores information indicating that it is a sensor subject to warning transmitted only to the warning target sensor, the signal comparison means. The results of 12 comparisons agree. Therefore, the signal comparison unit 12 activates the control unit 11.

  Here, as described above, each sensor has two states of “warning mode” and “non-warning mode”, but the control means 11 changes the terminal device 2 itself from “non-warning mode” to “warning mode”. To play a role. Therefore, when the control unit 11 is activated, the open / close sensor B4 and the human sensor B6 enter the “warning mode”, and shift to a mode in which sensing, alarm sounding, and calling to the communication device 2 are performed.

  On the other hand, the open / close sensor A3 and the human sensor A5 which are not alarm target sensors also receive a signal indicating “start of alarm mode” by the internal receiving means 9, and analyze the contents by the internal signal comparing means 12. The group storage means 12 does not store information indicating that it is a sensor to be warned, so the comparison does not match. Therefore, the control means 11 is not activated and remains in the “non-warning mode”. In this way, only the alarm target sensor can be shifted to the “warning mode” simply by transmitting the “warning mode start” signal from the communication device 2 as “broadcast”.

  In this explanation, after the user selects the sensor to be set to the “warning mode” in the communication device 2 as described above, the “warning mode start” is actually executed. You may carry out at the same timing. In this case, two signals or a signal containing both pieces of information in one signal is transmitted from the communication device 2 to the terminal device 1.

  Next, consider the second pattern described above. That is, it is necessary to set all of the four sensors of the open / close sensor A3, the open / close sensor B4, the human sensor A5, and the human sensor B6 to the “warning mode”. In this case, the communication device 2 transmits an instruction “warning mode start” as “broadcast”, but the warning target grouping information such as the first pattern is transmitted in the signal “warning mode start”. Is not included. In this case, the open / close sensor A3, the open / close sensor B4, the human sensor A5, and the human sensor B6 that have received the signal indicating that the “warning mode start” has received this information by the internal receiving means 9, The signal comparison means 12 analyzes the contents. However, since the received signal is a signal indicating that the “warning mode is started”, but no grouping information for the warning target is included, the signal comparison means 12 unconditionally controls the means. 11 is started. Therefore, in this case, the terminal device 1 side that has received the “broadcast”, that is, the open / close sensor A3, the open / close sensor B4, the human sensor A5, and the human sensor B6 are all in the “warning mode”.

  In this example, the operation when a specific `` security sensor group '' is shifted to the `` warning mode '' has been described, but conversely, the warning is released (the transition from the `` warning mode '' to the `` non-warning mode ''). The same can be achieved for). In this embodiment, the “security sensor group” system is described. However, in the system in which “home appliance group”, “flow rate measuring device group”, “health device group” and the like are connected to the communication device 2. The same can be done. For example, in a home with 5 air conditioners, if you want to turn on / off only 3 units or set the temperature, etc., each terminal device can be used only with “broadcast” communication in the same mechanism as this time. 2 can be transferred to an appropriate state.

  By taking the above-mentioned method, when performing specific control only for the device arbitrarily selected by the user, it is possible to communicate with the corresponding device without performing individual communication. It is possible to execute all the target devices at the same timing in the batch setting by "Broadcast", which improves the convenience of the system, increases the reliability of the system, and has a great effect on the spread and promotion of the system. Will be able to.

(Embodiment 2)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 2 used in the first embodiment. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 13 denotes a remote control device.

  In FIG. 3, the description of the parts having the same functions and roles as those of the first embodiment is omitted. In FIG. 3, a remote control device 13 is a device that can be carried by a user, and communicates with an open / close sensor A3, an open / close sensor B4, a human sensor A5, and a human sensor B6. The content of communication plays the role of setting the “security sensor group” of the open / close sensor A3, the open / close sensor B4, the human sensor A5, and the human sensor B6 to “warning mode” as in the communication device 2. That is, for the open / close sensor A3, the open / close sensor B4, the human sensor A5, and the human sensor B6, the specific “security sensor group” is set to the “warning mode” as in the first pattern of the first embodiment. It is possible.

  Here, as in the case of the first embodiment, when the “security sensor group” is used in the first pattern using the communication device 2, the sensors set to the “warning mode” are the open / close sensor B 4, the human sensor B6. On the other hand, when the “security sensor group” is used in the first pattern using the remote control device 13, it is assumed that the sensor set to the “warning mode” is fixed to the open / close sensor A3 and the human sensor A5. That is, the sensor set in the “warning mode” in the first pattern differs between the communication device 2 and the remote control device 13.

  In this case, the user uses the device selection means 7 to set a sensor that should be set to the “warning mode” as in the first embodiment. The information set by the device selection means 7 is transmitted to the open / close sensor B4 and the human sensor B6 through the transmission means A8. As for the opening / closing sensor B4 and the human sensor B6, the information received by the receiving means 9 is analyzed by the signal comparing means 12, and the open / close sensor B4 and the human sensor B6 are grouped as alarm target sensors with respect to the communication device 2. It becomes. In this case, the grouping information is set to “01” and stored in the group storage unit 10.

  On the other hand, the sensors that the remote controller 13 should set to the “warning mode” in the first pattern of the first embodiment are the open / close sensor A3 and the human sensor A5. In this case, it is assumed that alarm grouping information for the remote control device 13 is stored in advance in the group storage unit 12 of the open / close sensor A3 and the human sensor A5. In this case, the grouping information is “02”.

  Next, the user actually executes “warning mode start” on the communication device 2 or the remote control device 13. Then, for example, the communication device 2 uses the internal transmission means A8 to make all the sensors in the home by “broadcast”, here, the open / close sensor A3, the open / close sensor B4, the human sensor A5, and the human sensor B6. "Warning mode start" is transmitted to the four units. Here, the signal indicating the “warning mode start” from the communication device 2 includes grouping information “01” to be warned. The four sensors, the open / close sensor A3, the open / close sensor B4, the human sensor A5, and the human sensor B6, receive the signal indicating the “warning mode start”, but the open / close sensor B4 and human sensor that are alarm target sensors. In B6, after receiving this information by the internal receiving means 9, the internal signal comparing means 12 analyzes the contents.

  Here, the signal comparison unit 12 compares the information “01” indicating that the sensor to be alerted is included in the received signal with the information “01” stored in the group storage unit 12. Since the comparison results match, the signal comparison means 12 activates the control means 11, and the open / close sensor B4 and the human sensor B6 shift to the “warning mode”. On the other hand, the open / close sensor A3 and the human sensor A5 also receive a signal indicating "start of warning mode" by the internal receiving means 9, and analyze the contents by the internal signal comparing means 12, but the group storage means 12, the information indicating that the sensor is a target sensor to be alerted is “02”, so the comparison does not match. Therefore, the control means 11 is not activated and remains in the “non-warning mode”.

  The above description has been given of the case where the communication device 2 transmits a signal indicating “beginning of warning mode”, but the same applies to the case where the remote control device 13 transmits a signal indicating “start of warning mode”. In this case, the open / close sensor B4 and the human sensor B6 remain in the “non-warning mode”, and the open / close sensor A3 and the human sensor A5 shift to the “warning mode”. As described above, even when the “security sensor group” is “alert set” by a plurality of devices, only the alert target sensor determined for each device is “alert mode” by using “broadcast”. Can be transferred to.

  In the present embodiment, the remote control device 13 has been introduced and described. However, the same applies to the case where there are a plurality of communication devices 2 instead of the remote control device 13, and the remote control device 13 is not portable and is fixedly installed. Even so, it is the same. In the present embodiment, the alarm target sensor of the remote control device 13 is described as being set in advance. However, the remote control device 13 has the device selection means 7 and the transmission means A8 as in the communication device 2, and the user The same can be realized by the method of selecting the alert target sensor in advance. Further, in the case of the second pattern of the first embodiment, as in the case of the first embodiment, all sensors (open / close sensor A3, open / close sensor B4, human sensor A5, It is also possible to shift the human sensor B6) to the “warning mode”.

(Embodiment 3)
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, 14 is a transmission means B. In FIG. 4, the description of the parts having the same functions and roles as those of the first and second embodiments is omitted.

  In FIG. 4, a case where a list of alert target grouping information stored in the terminal device 2 is read from the outside will be described. In FIG. 4, an external signal is received by the receiving means 9. The signal received by the receiving means 9 is analyzed by the signal comparing means 12. As a result of the analysis by the signal comparison unit 12, when the signal received by the reception unit 9 is a signal for reading the alarm target grouping information stored in the terminal device 2, the signal comparison unit 12 stores the group storage unit 10. The alerting target grouping information is transmitted to the outside from the transmission means B14.

  By configuring such a mechanism, it is possible to read out the alert target grouping information stored in the terminal device 2 from the outside. Thereby, for example, when the communication device 2 or the remote control device 13 is added to the home of the user, the newly added communication device 2 or the remote control device 13 is connected to the already installed communication device 2 or the remote control device 13. The grouping information between the terminal devices 1 can be copied and used, or can be read from an external device to change the grouping information for maintenance, improving the reliability of the system and spreading. Promotion also has a tremendous effect.

  The communication system, the terminal device, and the program according to the present invention enable immediate communication and simultaneous operation of arbitrary devices. Therefore, the “security sensor group”, “home appliance group”, and “flow rate measurement device group” in the home. It can also be applied to uses such as communication between terminal devices such as “health equipment group” and communication devices.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the entire system according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram of a communication device and a terminal device according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention. The block diagram of the whole system in Example 3 of this invention The block diagram of the terminal device in Example 4 of this invention Functional block diagram showing a configuration example of a meter reading central device of a remote meter reading system according to a conventional example Functional block diagram showing a configuration example of a meter reading terminal device of a remote meter reading system according to a conventional example The figure which shows the example of the various number form which each apparatus has in the remote meter-reading system which concerns on a prior art example The flowchart which shows the collection procedure example (simultaneous calling) of meter-reading information in the remote meter-reading system which concerns on a prior art example Functional block diagram showing another configuration example of the meter reading terminal device of the remote meter reading system according to the conventional example

Explanation of symbols

1 Communication Device 2 Terminal Device 3 Open / Close Sensor A
4 Open / close sensor B
5 Human sensor A
6 Human sensor B
7 Device selection means 8 Transmission means A
9 Receiving means 10 Group storage means 11 Control means 12 Signal comparing means 13 Remote control device 14 Transmitting means B

Claims (1)

A terminal device operating in two different modes,
Receiving means for receiving a signal including information indicating broadcast communication and information specifying a mode;
Group storage means for storing arbitrary grouping information;
Signal comparing means for analyzing whether or not grouping information is included in information specifying a mode among signals received by the receiving means;
Control means,
The control means is
  (1) When it is analyzed that grouping information is included by the signal comparison unit, and the grouping information matches the grouping information stored in the group storage unit, the mode is designated. Switch to the mode indicated by the information,
  (2) When it is analyzed that the grouping information is included by the signal comparison means, and the grouping information does not match the grouping information stored in the group storage means, the mode is designated. Do not switch to the mode indicated by the information,
  (3) If it is analyzed by the signal comparison means that grouping information is not included, the mode is switched to the mode indicated by the information specifying the mode.
Process,
A communication device in which the grouping information stored in the group storage means is rewritable by a signal transmitted from an external communication device.

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