JP2012175688A - Remote meter-reading system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to expand a service in a remote meter-reading system by utilizing a communication network of a power line carrier communication for transmitting meter-reading information, together with another communication network which is available to a user.SOLUTION: A slave station 11 attached to a power meter 21 acquires meter-reading information from the power meter 21. A master station 12 acquires the meter-reading information from the slave station 11 through a first communication network 31, and collects the meter-reading information. The master station 12 provides a monitoring controller 13 with the collected meter-reading information through a second communication network 32. The monitoring controller 13 communicates with an interface device 10 through a third communication network 33 which is a public network. The monitoring controller 13, which has a function of choosing either of the second communication network 32 and the third communication network 33 in the case of transmitting or receiving data, chooses the second communication network 32 in the case that an amount of data transmitted or received is equal to or smaller than a prescribed threshold, and chooses the third communication network 33 in the case that the amount of data transmitted or received is larger than the prescribed threshold.

Description

  The present invention collects meter reading information relating to a supply medium supplied to a customer by a supplier from a slave station provided for each customer to the master station by communication, and monitoring that the supplier manages the meter reading information aggregated by the master station The present invention relates to a remote meter reading system provided to a control device by communication.

  In general, a supply medium such as electricity, gas, water, and heat is supplied to a customer from a supplier through a supply facility such as a transmission line, a gas conduit, a water pipe, and a heat conduit. The supply medium consumer measures the amount of supply medium used with a measuring instrument (meter). In many cases, the supply company confirms the measurement result of the measuring instrument with a meter reader and informs the consumer of the supply medium. Is charged for the amount used.

  The meter reading work by the meter reader requires labor costs and there are problems such as erroneous reading of the measured value. To solve this kind of problem, the measured value is managed without going through the meter reader. Various techniques have been proposed.

  For example, in a housing complex, a slave station as a communication device is connected to a meter (power meter, etc.) placed in each dwelling unit (customer), and communication is performed between the master station and the slave station placed in an electrical room or the like. A technique has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). That is, the master station acquires meter reading information measured by a meter from a slave station by communication, and the master station collects meter reading information from a plurality of slave stations. In addition, the master station can communicate with a monitoring control device (such as a host aggregation server) through a communication network different from the communication network used for communication with the slave station, and the meter reading information acquired from the slave station is sent to the monitoring control device. Has the function to provide.

  Not only in housing complexes but also in detached houses, in multiple customers who are supplied with power from the secondary side of a transformer such as a pole transformer, a slave station is attached to the meter installed for each consumer, A technique for communicating between a master station and a slave station arranged in the vicinity of a transformer has been proposed.

  In patent document 1, the technique of power line carrier communication is used for communication between a slave station and a master station. Therefore, since the power line for supplying power to each consumer is also used as the communication path, there is no need to separately construct a communication network, and there is an advantage that the construction is saved.

JP 2006-180021 A

  By the way, as described above, for communication between a master station and a slave station, a technique of power line carrier communication having a narrow communication band with a carrier frequency of 10 to 450 kHz is used. Even in this level of communication bandwidth, the meter reading information that the master station periodically collects from the slave stations and the information that controls the switches provided between the power distribution network and the customer's distribution line If the amount of data is relatively small, transmission is possible.

  However, the communication speed of the communication network between the master station and the slave station is slower than the broadband communication network recently adopted in the wide area communication network such as the Internet, so it is possible to expand the remote meter reading system service. There is a problem that you can not.

  The present invention relates to a remote meter reading that enables expansion of a service in a remote meter reading system by using a communication network using a power line carrier communication technology for transmitting meter reading information and another communication network available to consumers. The purpose is to provide a system.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention obtains the usage amount of a supply medium used by a plurality of consumers through a supply facility from a supplier, and acquires and holds each meter reading information, and power line carrier communication A function that aggregates meter reading information by communicating with a slave station through the first communication network that performs communication, and meter reading information that is collected by communicating with the monitoring control device managed by the supplier through the second communication network The monitoring and control device through a third communication network having a function of providing data to the monitoring and control device, a function of transferring data to and from a slave station provided in a consumer, and a third communication network having a wider communication band than the first communication network. And an interface device having a communication function. The monitoring control device has a function of selecting one of the second communication network and the third communication network when transmitting or receiving data, and At least one of the device and the interface device causes the monitoring control device to select the second communication network when the amount of data transmitted or received by the monitoring control device is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, and the monitoring control device transmits or receives the data. When the amount of data to be exceeded exceeds a prescribed threshold, the monitoring control device is made to select the third communication network.

  In this remote meter reading system, the master station can select a path to communicate with the interface device through the third communication network, and if the amount of data transmitted from the master station to the slave station exceeds a prescribed threshold, It is preferable to transmit data to the slave station via the interface device through the communication network.

  In this remote meter reading system, data transmitted through the third communication network is encrypted, and an encryption key for encryption is preferably distributed through at least one of the first communication network and the second communication network. .

  In this remote meter reading system, the monitoring control device has a function of transmitting firmware from the third communication network to the slave station via the interface device, and the slave station updates the firmware through the first communication network. It is preferable to receive the instructions.

  In this remote meter reading system, the monitoring control device has a function of acquiring meter reading information held by the slave station through a third communication network at predetermined time intervals and holding it as a backup for meter reading information. Has a function of acquiring backup meter reading information from the monitoring control device through the third communication network and holding the acquired meter reading information in the replaced slave station when detecting that the slave station has been replaced. preferable.

  In this remote meter reading system, the interface device has a function of sending and receiving signals for monitoring and controlling the equipment used by the consumer. The monitoring and control device passes through the interface device through the third communication network. It is preferable to monitor and control the device.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, since a communication network using power line carrier communication technology for transmitting meter reading information is used in combination with another communication network that can be used by customers, it is possible to expand services in a remote meter reading system. There is an advantage of becoming.

It is a block diagram of the principal part which shows embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure same as the above. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing same as the above. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing which shows the other operation example same as the above. FIG. 9 is an operation explanatory diagram of the second embodiment. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a third embodiment. FIG. It is a block diagram of the principal part same as the above.

(Embodiment 1)
In the present embodiment, a case where there are a plurality of consumers in one building such as an apartment house or a tenant building will be described as an example. However, even if a customer occupies a single building, such as a detached house, the same applies when multiple customers can be handled as a group, such as a customer in the area. Technology can be applied.

  In the present embodiment, the supply company is assumed to be an electric power company, and the supply medium is assumed to be electricity. That is, each consumer measures the amount of power used by a power meter (measuring instrument). Each power meter is provided with a slave station, and the slave station acquires the amount of power (meter reading information) used by the consumer from the power meter.

  A slave station is attached to each power meter, and a customer has one or more slave stations. A step-down transformer is arranged in the electrical room in the building in the apartment house, and the slave station uses the secondary distribution line of the step-down transformer as a communication path to communicate with the master station by power line carrier communication. If there are multiple step-down transformers in the building, connect a coupler that allows only communication signals to pass between the distribution lines on the secondary side of each step-down transformer. It becomes possible to communicate with the slave stations respectively connected to the secondary sides of the plurality of step-down transformers. The master station is placed in an electrical room or the like.

  In this embodiment, electricity is used as the supply medium. However, meter reading information by a meter (measuring instrument) can be transmitted to the master station for supply media such as gas, water, and heat.

  This will be specifically described below. As shown in FIG. 2, the apartment house 1 is provided with a plurality of dwelling units 2 that are consumers. Each dwelling unit 2 is provided with a power meter (measuring instrument) 21 that measures the amount of power used. A slave station 11 is attached to the power meter 21, and the slave station 11 acquires a power amount from the power meter 21 every predetermined time (for example, every 1 minute, every 5 minutes, every 10 minutes, etc.) as meter-reading information. The slave station 11 has a function of holding the amount of power acquired from the power meter 21 for a certain period (for example, for one day). Further, a slave station ID (for example, an address) is set in the slave station 11 as unique identification information necessary for communication. Since the slave station ID is attached to each power meter 21, the slave station ID can also be used for the identification information of the power meter 21 for each consumer. However, the identification information of the power meter 21 may be set separately for each power meter 21.

  Further, each dwelling unit 2 is provided with an interface device 10 connected to the slave station 11 and a communication interface device 15 having a router function. The place where the interface device 10 and the communication interface device 15 are installed is not particularly limited, but the interface device 10 and the communication interface device 15 are preferably housed in a distribution board or an information board. An information panel is a panel device that contains only information communication equipment such as home gateways, routers, hubs, boosters, and modems. A distribution panel is used to connect distribution lines, whereas an information panel is an information panel. Used for wire connection. The interface device 10 and the communication interface device 15 will be described later.

  A master station 12 that communicates with the slave station 11 is disposed in the electrical room of the apartment house 1. The communication network (first communication network 31) between the slave station 11 and the master station 12 is also used as a power distribution network wired in the building of the apartment house 1, and between the slave station 11 and the master station 12. Communication is performed using power line carrier communication technology. For communication between the slave station 11 and the master station 12, in addition to the distribution lines constituting the distribution network, a communication network of a local network used for local communication in the apartment house 1, a communication path of wireless communication, and the like are used. These communication paths may be used in appropriate combination.

  The master station 12 has a function of collecting meter reading information acquired from each slave station 11 provided in the apartment house 1. The meter reading information collected by the master station 12 is provided to the monitoring control device 13 through a communication network (second communication network 32) through a communication network dedicated to remote meter reading or a public network such as the Internet. For example, an optical communication network is used as the second communication network 32, and a large amount of data can be transmitted at high speed. The supervisory control device 13 is a computer operated by an electric power company or a service provider that performs an electric energy totaling service, and acquires from the parent station 12 the electric energy that is the basis of the electricity bill that the electric power company charges the consumer. .

  That is, the master station 12 acquires the amount of power measured for each power meter 21 from the managed slave station 11, associates the acquired power amount with the identification information of the power meter 21, and calculates the total power amount under management. Aggregated and provided to the monitoring control device 13 through the second communication network 32. The supervisory control device 13 individually recognizes the amount of power measured by each power meter 21 from the content received from the master station 12 through the second communication network 32 and totals the amount of power for each power meter 21. In short, it can be said that the master station 12 has a function of collectively transmitting the power amount for each power meter 21 acquired from a plurality of managed slave stations 11 to the monitoring control device 13.

  The monitoring control device 13 not only communicates with the master station 12 through the second communication network 32, but also with the communication interface device 15 installed for each consumer (dwelling unit 2), the public network (third communication). Communication is possible through the network 33). The third communication network 33 is assumed to be a wide area communication network such as the Internet, but a cable television network, a telephone network, or the like may be used.

  In the illustrated example, the second communication network 32 and the third communication network 33 physically share a communication path. However, the second communication network 32, the third communication network 33, May use different communication paths. However, even when the second communication network 32 and the third communication network 33 use different communication paths, between the second communication network 32 and the third communication network 33 via a gateway device or the like. It is possible to communicate with each other. Further, since the second communication network 32 and the third communication network 33 can communicate with each other regardless of whether the communication path is shared or not, the second communication network 32 is configured with the VPN ( Confidentiality is secured by a technique such as Virtual Private Network).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the slave station 11 includes a power line communication interface unit 114 for communicating with the master station 12 through the first communication network 31 and a meter communication interface unit 112 for communicating with the power meter 21. . Further, the slave station 11 also includes a meter-reading information storage unit 113 for holding the amount of power acquired from the power meter 21 through the meter communication interface unit 112. The operation of the slave station 11 is controlled by the processing unit 110 including a microcomputer by executing a program. Further, the slave station 11 includes an auxiliary interface unit 111 for connecting to the interface device 10. As described above, the meter-reading information storage unit 113 stores meter-reading information for a certain period of time (for example, for every day).

  On the other hand, the master station 12 includes a power line communication interface unit 121 for communicating with a plurality of slave stations 11 through the first communication network 31 and a host system for communicating with the monitoring control device 13 through the second communication network 32. A communication interface unit 122 is provided. The master station 12 also includes a management information storage unit 123 for collecting meter reading information acquired from the slave stations 11. The operation of the master station 12 is controlled by the processing unit 120 formed of a microcomputer by executing a program.

  The management information storage unit 123 stores the meter reading information acquired by the master station 12 from the slave station 11 in association with the slave station ID. When providing the meter reading information to the monitoring control device 13, the processing unit 120 combines the meter reading information held in the management information storage unit 123 and collects the meter reading information acquired from the slave station 11 managed by the master station 12. Then, the data is transmitted to the monitoring control device 13.

  The interface device 10 includes an external communication interface unit (first interface unit) 102 that connects the communication interface device 15. Further, the interface device 10 includes an auxiliary interface unit (second interface unit) 103 for connecting to the slave station 11. The operation of the interface device 10 is controlled by the processing unit 100 including a microcomputer by executing a program.

  The interface device 10 can exchange data with the slave station 11 by connecting the auxiliary interface unit 103 to the auxiliary interface unit 111 of the slave station 11. The auxiliary interface unit 103 and the auxiliary interface unit 111 are usually coupled using a connection line. As the auxiliary interface units 103 and 111, specifications selected from various standards such as USB (Universal Serial Bus), IEEE802.3, IEEE1394, and the like are used. Alternatively, the auxiliary interface units 103 and 111 may have specifications for performing power line carrier communication.

  The operation will be described below. In normal operation, as shown in FIG. 3, when the master station 12 reaches a time (for example, 0:00) determined as a meter reading time once a day, for example, each slave station 11 is connected to the power meter 21. Is requested from the meter reading information storage unit 113 (P11). The master station 12 requests each slave station 11 under management in order, and receives meter reading information as a response for each slave station 11 (P21). In other words, the master station 12 polls each slave station 11, and the slave station 11 stores the request from the master station 12 in the meter reading information storage unit 113 after the previous request from the master station 12. Returns the meter reading information. Such meter reading performed periodically is hereinafter referred to as “periodic meter reading”.

  In FIG. 3, in order to distinguish each slave station 11, the parenthesized code i (i = 1, 2,..., N) is added to each slave station 11 and expressed in the form of “slave station (i)”. ing. In addition, a request from the master station 12 to the slave station (i) is represented by a symbol P1i, and a response from the slave station (i) to the master station 12 is represented by a symbol P2i.

  The master station 12 stores the meter reading information acquired from the slave station 11 by polling each slave station 11 in the management information storage unit 123 in association with the slave station ID (for example, address). The master station 12 requests meter reading information from all the slave stations 11 and collects the meter reading information held in the meter reading information storage unit 113 for each slave station 11. After acquiring the meter reading information at a predetermined time from all the slave stations 11, the master station 12 transmits the meter reading information stored in the management information storage unit 123 to the monitoring control device 13 (P3). Note that the master station 12 transmits only the collected meter reading information to the monitoring control device 13 when it is time to provide the meter reading information to the monitoring control device 13 even when there is a slave station 11 from which meter reading information cannot be obtained.

  Here, the supervisory control device 13 manages the identification information of the power meter 21 installed in the consumer who is supplying power, and has one-to-one correspondence between the identification information of the power meter 21 and the slave station ID of the slave station 11. It corresponds. Therefore, when the meter reading information is provided from the master station 12, the monitoring control device 13 can determine whether meter reading information corresponding to the slave station ID of the slave station 11 is included (P4).

  When the master station 12 aggregates the meter reading information, prescribed data (such as a flag) indicating that meter reading information is not included may be set in association with the slave station ID of the slave station 11. In this case, the monitoring control device 13 recognizes that the meter reading information corresponding to the slave station 11 is not included based on the prescribed data included in the meter reading information provided from the master station 12.

  The monitoring control device 13 is missing in the meter reading information from any of the slave stations 11 when the meter reading information cannot be obtained from any of the slave stations 11 for a long time due to the influence of noise or the like, or due to a long-term power failure or the like. In some cases, a backup meter reading operation is performed (P5 to P8). The backup meter reading is an operation for individually requesting meter reading information from the slave station 11 in which the meter reading information provided from the master station 12 is missing. In this operation, the monitoring control device 13 requests backup meter reading through the second communication network 32 to the master station 12 that manages the corresponding slave station 11 (P5). When the master station 12 receives a request for backup meter reading from the monitoring control device 13, it requests the slave station 11 to perform backup meter reading through the first communication network 31 (P6). Further, when a backup meter reading request is received from the master station 12, the slave station 11 returns the meter reading information necessary for the backup meter reading out of the held meter reading information to the master station 12 (P7). The meter reading information received from 11 is transmitted to the monitoring control device 13 (P8). In this way, the monitoring control device 13 acquires the meter reading information acquired by each slave station 11 by the operation of the backup meter reading.

  By the way, in the operation of the backup meter reading described above, the monitoring control device 13 acquires meter reading information from the slave station 11 via the master station 12, and power line carrier communication is performed between the master station 12 and the slave station 11. A first communication network 31 is used. Since the communication band of the first communication network 31 is relatively narrow, the time required for the operation of the backup meter reading increases as the amount of meter reading information to be subjected to the backup meter reading increases. In addition, since the communication band of the first communication network 31 is narrowed due to the backup meter reading, there may be a case where the periodic meter reading is hindered.

  Therefore, a route using the third communication network 33 from the slave station 11 via the interface device 10 without passing through the first communication network 31 in preparation for an increase in the amount of data passing through the first communication channel 31. Is provided.

  For example, in preparation for the case where the monitoring control device 13 performs backup meter reading, the monitoring control device 13 has information for communicating with the interface device 10 and has a function of performing communication with the interface device 10. As shown in FIG. 4, when performing the backup meter reading, the monitoring control device 13 connects the third communication network, which is a public network, to the customer interface device 10 provided with the slave station 11 that is the target of the backup meter reading. Through 33, a request for backup meter reading is made (P15). Receiving the request for backup meter reading, the interface device 10 acquires meter reading information for backup meter reading from the corresponding slave station 11 (P16, 17), and sends the backup meter reading information to the monitoring control device 13 through the third communication network 33. The meter reading information is notified (P18). Here, the communication interface device 15 functions as a router or a gateway between the third communication network 33 and the interface device 10, but in a substantial process between the monitoring control device 13 and the interface device 10. Is not involved.

  Whether the monitoring control device 13 communicates with the master station 12 through the second communication network 32 or communicates with the interface device 10 through the third communication network 33 depends on the amount of data transmitted to the slave station 11 Is selected. That is, the monitoring control device 13 selects the second communication network 32 when the amount of data to be transmitted or received is equal to or less than the prescribed threshold value, and when the amount of data to be transmitted or received exceeds the prescribed threshold value, 3 communication network 33 is selected.

  The amount of data transmitted or received by the monitoring control device 13 is normally determined by the monitoring control device 13, but may be determined by the interface device 10 and the determination result may be notified to the monitoring control device 13. For example, a request for backup meter reading is made through a route passing through the master station 12 through the second communication network 32, and the interface device 10 determines the amount of meter reading information held by the slave station 11 and notifies the monitoring control device 13. By doing so, a route passing through the third communication network 33 may be selected.

  Based on the number of meter reading information requested from the slave station 11 as a backup meter reading, the monitoring control device 13 makes a request to the slave station 11 via the route via the master station 12 or the child via the route via the interface device 10. Whether to make a request to the station 11 may be selected. That is, the reference number for the number of meter reading information is used instead of the threshold value for the data amount. The monitoring control device 13 selects the second communication network 32 when the number of requested meter reading information is less than or equal to the reference number, and selects the third communication network 33 when the number of requested meter reading information exceeds the reference number. To do.

  In the above-described operation, meter reading information is transmitted through the third communication network 33 when the data amount of meter reading information exceeds the threshold value. The communication network 33 may be used. That is, a threshold is defined for the amount of data transmitted or received by the supervisory control device 13, and when the amount of data is equal to or less than the threshold, communication is performed with the master station 12 through the second communication network 32, and the amount of data is the threshold. If it exceeds, the third communication network 33 may be selected to communicate with the interface device 10. Here, the data amount of the data received by the supervisory control device 13 is obtained by obtaining the data amount by the supervisory control device 13 communicating with the communication partner, and the third communication network 32 and the third data based on the obtained data amount. One of the communication networks 33 may be selected.

  Alternatively, in selecting the second communication network 32 and the third communication network 33, the data type may be used instead of the data amount. For example, the monitoring control device 13 may always select the second communication network 32 in order to obtain normal meter reading information, and may select the third communication network 33 when requesting backup meter reading. . Further, as will be described later, the firmware of the slave station 11 may be given to the slave station 11 via the interface device 10. Alternatively, when a device other than the slave station 10 is connected to the interface device 10, data transmitted or received in relation to the device is transmitted to the third communication network 33 via the interface device 10. You may make it make it. These operations will be described later.

  Incidentally, the interface device 10 and the slave station 11 include processing units 100 and 110 each constituted by a microcomputer, and operate according to a program. This type of program belongs to firmware, but in some cases, a program belonging to an application program may be installed. These programs may need to be updated or added. Since there are a large number of devices such as the interface device 10 and the slave station 11 provided in the customer, it is difficult to manually update or add the program for each device manually.

  Therefore, the first communication network 31, the second communication network 32, and the third communication network 33 are used only for transmission of information related to the use of electric power at the consumer such as meter reading information, electricity charges, and electric energy. It can also be used for transmission of information related to the program. Below, the case where the firmware of the slave station 11 is updated by communication is taken as an example.

  In order to update the firmware of the slave station 11 by communication, a route passing through the master station 12 through the second communication route 32 and a route passing through the interface device 10 through the third communication route 33 are conceivable. The firmware can be given to the slave station 11 from the monitoring control device 13 or from a dedicated device different from the monitoring control device 13. Here, in order to simplify the description, a case where the monitoring control device 13 updates the firmware of the slave station 11 will be described as an example.

  In the case of adopting the former route, a technique is conceivable in which firmware is temporarily held in the master station 12 and the contents of the firmware are transferred from the master station 12 to the managed slave station 11 through the first communication network 31. Here, although the firmware has a very large amount of information compared to the meter reading information and the like, the communication band is limited because the first communication network 31 assumes transmission of the meter reading information. Therefore, when this technique is adopted, the first communication network 31 becomes a bottleneck, and it takes a very long time to update the firmware.

  On the other hand, in recent years, various broadband public networks with a wide communication band have been provided, and there are many customers who use this type of public network. Therefore, when the latter route is adopted, the monitoring control device 13 can transmit the firmware in a short time by using the third communication network 33 having a wide communication band for the communication route to the interface device 10. .

  In some cases, the communication band between the interface device 10 and the slave station 11 is narrow. However, since the interface device 10 and the slave station 11 are connected one-to-one, the firmware can be updated even when the communication band of this part is narrow. The time required for is greatly improved. That is, compared with the case where firmware is transmitted from the master station 12 to the plurality of slave stations 11 through the first communication network 31 having a narrow communication band, it is more likely to deliver the firmware from the interface device 10 to the slave station 11 on a one-to-one basis. , Will be a significant time reduction.

  As can be seen from the above description, when the monitoring control device 13 transmits firmware and application programs to the interface device 10 and the slave station 11, the program can be executed in a relatively short time by using the third communication network 33. Can be delivered.

  Here, different types of information may be transmitted through a route passing through the master station 12 through the second communication network 32 and a route reaching the interface device 10 through the third communication network 33. For example, when updating the firmware of the slave station 11, the firmware data may be distributed through the third communication network 33, and the firmware update instruction may be notified to the slave station 11 via a route via the master station 12. . Here, the type of data generally reflects the amount of data, so selecting a route according to the type of data is based on the same concept as selecting a route according to the amount of data. It can be said that.

  For example, if the firmware is handed over to the slave station 11 in advance and only the firmware update timing is notified from the master station 12 to the slave station 11, the firmware update timing can be substantially matched in each slave station 11. That is, the time difference between the firmware update timings in the individual slave stations 11 is suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation in which a plurality of slave stations 11 under the control of one master station 12 operate with different firmware. In addition, since the firmware is not updated even if only the firmware is given to the slave station 11, an effect of preventing the firmware of the slave station 11 from being rewritten illegally can be obtained.

  As described above, when data is transmitted between the monitoring control device 13 and the slave station 11, the interface device via the second communication network 32 via the master station 12 and the third communication network 33. The route via 10 can be selected. With this configuration, the first communication network 31, the second communication network 32, and the third communication network 33 are effectively used according to the amount of data or the type of data. Further, not only the function of collecting meter reading information in the remote meter reading system but also the function can be added using the interface device 10 even if it is necessary to add other functions to expand the functions. In other words, functions can be expanded without changing the system by changing the specifications of the interface unit for connecting the device to the interface device 10 or changing the program of the interface device 10. it can.

  By the way, in the above-described operation, data is transmitted between the master station 12 and the slave station 11 through the first communication network 31. On the other hand, when data can be transmitted between the second communication network 32 to which the master station 12 is connected and the third communication network 33 to which the interface device 10 is connected, the master station 12 and the child station 12 A route via the interface device 10 with the station 11 can be used.

  If a route through the interface device 10 is made available between the master station 12 and the slave station 11 through the second communication network 32 and the third communication network 33, the master station 12 and the slave station 11 It becomes possible to transmit data with a large amount of data in a short time. That is, when the amount of data transmitted between the master station 12 and the slave station 11 exceeds a prescribed threshold value, the data is routed through the interface device 10, and when the data amount is equal to or less than the prescribed threshold value, the first Data is transmitted through the communication network 31.

  For example, when performing the backup meter reading, the interface device 10 transmits the meter reading information of the backup meter reading to the master station 12, and then the master station 12 transmits the meter reading information to the monitoring control device 13 through the second communication network 32. It becomes possible. When transmitting the firmware of the slave station 11, the master station 12 receives the firmware data, and the master station 12 passes through the second communication network 32 and the third communication network 33 through the interface device 10. 11 can transmit the firmware.

  As described above, when the master station 12 is involved in data transmission, the master station 12 is connected to the slave station 11 as a path through the first communication network 31, the second communication network 32, and the second communication network 32. And a route passing through the third communication network 33 is selected. In this configuration, since data is transmitted between the monitoring control device 13 and the master station 12 through the second communication network 32, the processing load on the monitoring control device 13 is less than when the monitoring control device 13 selects a route. Can be reduced.

  By the way, since meter-reading information corresponds to the personal information linked | related with the consumer, it is concealed in communication between the monitoring control apparatus 13 and the apparatus (interface apparatus 10, slave station 11, master station 12) on the consumer side. Sex is required. Since communication using the first communication network 31 and the second communication network 32 is prepared for remote meter reading, the secrecy is high in advance. On the other hand, since the third communication network 33 is a public network, it is necessary to encrypt information to be transmitted in order to increase the confidentiality of communication.

  Therefore, delivery of the encryption key used for encryption or decryption is performed through a route passing through the first communication network 31 and the second communication network 32. The type of encryption key is not limited, but basically a common key is used. In this case, the supervisory control device 13 passes the second communication network 32, passes through the master station 12, passes through the first communication network 31, and sends the encryption key to the partner device (interface device 10, slave station 11, etc.). ). The counterpart device performs encryption or decryption using this encryption key when communicating with the monitoring control device 13.

  Since the information is encrypted while transmitting the personal information associated with the consumer like the meter reading information using the third communication network 33 which is a public network, the confidentiality of the personal information can be maintained. In addition, since the encryption key for performing encryption and decryption is transmitted through a safe route different from that of the third communication network 33, the encryption key can be safely delivered.

  In order to further enhance confidentiality when transmitting information belonging to personal information, it is preferable to attach an expiration date to the encryption key. For example, if a different encryption key is issued for each predetermined period and information indicating the expiration date is included in the encryption key, the encryption key can be used only within the expiration period. Further, it is preferable that the encryption key is sent immediately before data is transmitted through the third communication network 33. In this way, if the encryption key is transmitted immediately before data transmission, the expiration date when using the encryption key with the expiration date can be shortened, and the security of the encryption key can be improved. In this case, the encryption key issuance is irregular, and an increase in the communication load of the third communication network 33 can be suppressed as compared with the case where different encryption keys are sent every predetermined period.

(Embodiment 2)
In the present embodiment, an operation when the slave station 11 is exchanged for verification or failure will be described. The slave station 11 holds the meter reading information acquired from the power meter 21, and when the slave station 11 is replaced without notifying all the meter reading information held by the slave station 11 to the monitoring control device 13, In the monitoring control device 13, there is a possibility that a part of the meter reading information is lost. In order to prevent such loss of meter reading information, there is a case where processing for handing over the meter reading information of the slave station 11 before the exchange to the slave station 11 after the exchange is performed.

  In the present embodiment, in order to facilitate delivery of meter reading information from the slave station 11 before replacement to the slave station 11 after replacement, meter reading information (including other information necessary for the slave station 11 after replacement is included. May be transferred from the slave station 11 before replacement to the monitoring control device 13 and stored.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the monitoring control device 13 uses the route passing through the third communication network 33 with the interface device 10 to obtain necessary meter reading information from the slave station 11 before replacement. Acquire and save the acquired meter reading information. That is, the supervisory control device 13 requests the interface device 10 to acquire information on the slave station 11 through the third communication network 33 (P21), and the interface device 10 requests the slave station 11 to acquire information. (P22). The slave station 11 transmits information in response to the request from the interface device 10 (P23), and the interface device 10 that has received the information from the slave station 11 transmits information to the monitoring control device 13 (P24).

  The operation in which the monitoring control device 13 acquires and stores the meter reading information from the slave station 11 through the third communication network 33 is performed periodically or immediately before the slave station 11 is replaced. Further, instead of the monitoring control device 13 downloading from the slave station 11 through the interface device 10, an operation of uploading information from the slave station 11 to the monitoring control device 13 through the interface device 10 may be performed.

  On the other hand, when the slave station 11 is replaced at the consumer (P25), the slave station 11 after the replacement notifies the interface device 10 of the initial startup at the initial startup (P26). After that, the interface apparatus 10 that has received the initial activation notification from the slave station 11 acquires the information acquired and stored by the monitoring control apparatus 13 from the slave station 11 before replacement through the third communication network 33. That is, a request is made to obtain information on the slave station 11 before replacement (P27), and the supervisory control device 13 transmits information to the interface device 10 in response to the request (P28). Further, the interface device 10 writes the information acquired from the monitoring control device 13 in the slave station 11 after replacement (P29). After the exchange, the slave station 11 notifies the interface device 10 that the setting of information has been completed (P30).

  Through the series of operations described above, the meter reading information stored in the slave station 11 before the exchange is delivered to the slave station 11 after the exchange through the monitoring control device 13.

  In the above-described example, the interface device 10 performs an operation of determining replacement of the slave station 11 in response to a replacement notification or initial activation notification from the slave station 11. The operation for the interface device 10 to determine the replacement of the slave station 11 is an operation of periodically sending a survival confirmation (connection confirmation) signal to the slave station 11 and detecting the replacement of the slave station 11 from the content of the response to this signal. May be adopted. In this case, the interface apparatus 10 returns information (address or the like) for identifying the slave station 11 as a response to the transmission of the survival confirmation, and if there is a change in the information for identifying the slave station 11, the slave station 11 It is possible to determine that 11 has been replaced.

  By the operation described above, when replacing the slave station 11, the meter reading information is transferred from the slave station 11 before the replacement to the slave station 11 after the replacement. Therefore, the slave station 11 after replacement has not only the meter reading information after replacement but also the meter reading information before replacement so that more meter reading information can be used and the loss of meter reading information associated with the replacement of the slave station 11 is suppressed. be able to. Further, as described above, since the meter reading information of the slave station 11 before the exchange is automatically transferred to the slave station 11 after the exchange, there is an advantage that the work at the time of exchange does not take time. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

(Embodiment 3)
In each of the embodiments described above, the interface device 10 is provided in order to use the third communication network 33 having a wider communication band than the first communication network 31 that performs power line carrier communication for remote meter reading. Therefore, services other than remote meter reading can be provided by using the interface device 10. In other words, the present embodiment makes it possible to provide a remote meter reading service by using the current first communication network 31 and also using the third communication network 33 in addition to the remote meter reading service. It is also possible to provide services. Further, by using the first communication network 31 and the second communication network 32 and employing a technique such as encryption while using the third communication network 33 which is a public network, the confidentiality of the information. Can be secured.

  As shown in FIG. 6, each dwelling unit 2 has a device 22 used by a consumer, and at least a part of the device 22 is an interface for performing control with an external signal and monitoring with an external device. (Not shown). Examples of this type of interface include an HA terminal known as the JEM-A standard, an interface for data communication, and an interface of a standard established for information appliances. In addition, a consumer may use a monitoring camera or a sensor used for disaster prevention or crime prevention as the device 22.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that a business operator (for example, an electric power company) that owns the monitoring control device 13 provides a security service for disaster prevention and crime prevention in a consumer together with remote meter reading. The amount of data necessary for this type of service is much larger than the meter reading information, so the first communication network 31 lacks the communication band and communication speed, but the interface device 10 uses the third communication network 33. This eliminates problems related to communication bandwidth and communication speed.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the interface device 10 includes a device interface unit 101 for connecting the device 22. The device interface unit 101 has a function of receiving a monitoring signal output from the device 22. The device interface unit 101 is configured to be compatible with an interface provided in the device 22. Examples of the interface provided in the device 22 include a JEM-A standard HA terminal, a data communication interface, and a standard interface established for information appliances.

  As a specific operation, a case where the device 22 detects information relating to disaster prevention or crime prevention and the information is transmitted from the third communication network 33 to the monitoring control device 13 via the interface device 10 is exemplified. Since the information transmitted to the monitoring control device 13 is information relating to disaster prevention or crime prevention, it is necessary to inform the resident of the dwelling unit 2.

  Here, as an example, it is assumed that the monitoring control device 13 notifies through a mobile telephone network. In other words, when receiving this type of information from the interface device 10, the monitoring control device 13 notifies the user's mobile phone registered in advance of the content corresponding to the information. The notification to the mobile phone uses an appropriate means such as a short mail, an electronic mail, or a voice message. When the device 22 includes a monitoring camera, the video of the monitoring camera may be transmitted to the monitoring control device 13 via the interface device 10 and displayed on the mobile phone.

  When this type of service is performed, the data transmitted from the interface device 10 to the monitoring control device 13 through the third communication network 33 is encrypted, and this type of information according to personal information is leaked to a third party. It is desirable to prevent this. Similarly to the first embodiment, if the data amount of information transmitted from the device 22 to the monitoring control device 13 is equal to or less than a prescribed threshold value, the first communication network 31 and the first communication network are connected from the interface device 10 via the slave station 11. Information may be transmitted to the monitoring control device 13 through the second communication network 32. For example, if the device 22 is a sensor that generates binary information of detection and non-detection, the information can be transmitted to the monitoring control device 13 using this route.

  In the present embodiment, the operation for transmitting information from the device 22 to the monitoring control device 13 has been described. However, information for controlling the device 22 from the monitoring control device 13 is transmitted from the third communication network 33 to the interface device. It is also possible to transmit via 10. When a service provided in conjunction with the device 22 is performed, the service may be provided by another service providing device connected to the third communication network 33 instead of the monitoring control device 13. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

1 apartment house 2 dwelling unit (customer)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Interface apparatus 11 Slave station 12 Master station 13 Monitoring and control apparatus 22 Equipment 31 1st communication network 32 2nd communication network 33 3rd communication network

Claims (6)

  A plurality of slave stations that acquire and retain the amount of supply medium used by a plurality of consumers through a supply facility from a supplier as meter reading information, and the slave stations through a first communication network that performs power line carrier communication A function for aggregating the meter reading information by communication, and providing the monitoring control device by collecting the meter reading information by communicating with a monitoring control device managed by the supplier through a second communication network. A master station having a function of performing communication, a function of exchanging data with the slave station provided in a consumer, and a function of communicating with the monitoring control device through a third communication network having a wider communication band than the first communication network; And the monitoring control device has a function of selecting one of the second communication network and the third communication network when transmitting or receiving data. At least one of the monitoring control device and the interface device causes the monitoring control device to select the second communication network when the amount of data transmitted or received by the monitoring control device is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, The remote meter-reading system which makes the said monitoring control apparatus select a said 3rd communication network when the data amount which the said monitoring control apparatus transmits or receives exceeds a predetermined | prescribed threshold value.   The master station can select a path for communicating with the interface device through the third communication network, and when the amount of data transmitted from the master station to the slave station exceeds a predetermined threshold, the third station The remote meter reading system according to claim 1, wherein data is transmitted to the slave station via the interface device through a communication network.   The data transmitted through the third communication network is encrypted, and an encryption key for encryption is distributed through at least one of the first communication network and the second communication network. Item 3. The remote meter reading system according to Item 1 or 2.   The supervisory control device has a function of transmitting firmware from the third communication network to the slave station via the interface device, and the slave station is instructed to update firmware through the first communication network. The remote meter reading system according to claim 1, wherein the remote meter reading system is received.   The monitoring control device has a function of acquiring the meter reading information held by the slave station through the third communication network at a predetermined time interval and holding the meter reading information as a backup. When detecting that the slave station has been replaced, the backup station acquires the meter reading information for backup from the monitoring and control device through the third communication network, and holds the acquired meter reading information in the replaced slave station It has a function, The remote meter-reading system of any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The interface device has a function of transmitting and receiving a signal for monitoring and controlling a device used by a consumer. The monitoring and control device passes through a third communication network via the interface device and The remote meter reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein monitoring control is performed.

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