Communication system, communication device, communication control method and program

Abstract

To provide a communication system including a faucet device which is used at a farm field, and capable of performing communication suitable for a use environment of the faucet device at the farm field.SOLUTION: A communication system comprises: a communication unit; and a plurality of faucet devices which are used corresponding to water feeding / discharging at a farm field. The communication unit comprises a first communication control part for controlling so as to perform communication sequentially for every circulation unit period, with each of the plurality of faucet devices provided in a range of the communication distance, bypassing other faucet devices, and the faucet device comprises a second communication control part for controlling so as to perform communication with the communication device bypassing other faucet devices, in the communication system.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication system, a communication device, a communication control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art There is known a water management system that manages water supply and drainage in rice paddies by controlling the opening and closing of water supply and drainage valves in the rice paddies by a computer (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In an environment where water supply and drainage are managed in a field such as a rice paddy as described above, a water tap device installed in the field is connected to a higher-level device that manages water supply and drainage so that they can communicate with each other, and the higher-level device controls the water supply and drainage of the water tap device via communication. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-161192 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] For a communication system including a water faucet device used in a farm field, it is preferable that communication be performed in a manner suited to the environment in which the water faucet device is used in the farm field.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a communication system including a faucet device used in a farm field that enables communication that is suited to the usage environment of the faucet device in the farm field. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a communication system comprising a communication device and a plurality of tap devices used in a field for water supply and drainage, wherein the communication device has a first communication control unit that controls communication with each of the plurality of tap devices located within a communication distance so that communication is performed sequentially for each rotation unit period without going through other tap devices, and the tap devices have a second communication control unit that controls communication with the communication device so that communication is performed without going through the other tap devices.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is a communication device that is located within a communication distance and has a communication control unit that communicates sequentially with each of a plurality of water tap devices used in a field for water supply and drainage, without going through other water tap devices, for each patrol unit period.

[0008] Another aspect of the present invention is a communication control method in a communication system including a communication device and a plurality of water tap devices used in a field for water supply and drainage, the communication control method including a first communication control step of controlling the communication device to communicate with each of the plurality of water tap devices located within a communication distance range sequentially for each patrol unit period without going through other water tap devices, and a second communication control step of controlling the water tap devices to communicate with the communication device without going through the other water tap devices.

[0009] Another aspect of the present invention is a communication control method that includes a communication control step of sequentially communicating with each of a plurality of water tap devices that are located within a communication distance and are used in a field for water supply and drainage, without going through other water tap devices, for each patrol unit period.

[0010] Another aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer serving as a communication device to function as a communication control unit that communicates sequentially with each of a plurality of faucet devices located within a communication distance and used in a field for water supply and drainage, for each patrol unit period, without going through other faucet devices. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, as a communication system including a water faucet device used in a farm field, it is possible to obtain the effect of enabling communication suited to the usage environment of the water faucet device in the farm field. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a farm land management system including a faucet device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a topology that can be constructed in the farm land management system. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a farm land management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a water supply faucet in the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a water supply faucet in the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a communication procedure in the farm land management system of the present embodiment. [Figure 6] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a communication procedure when an immediate opening / closing command is transmitted in the farm land management system of this embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a gateway according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure executed by the gateway according to the embodiment in relation to interrupt communication. [Figure 9] 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure executed by the gateway according to the embodiment in relation to skipping communication by polling. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the topology configuration of the present embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the topology configuration of the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, a farm land management system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [An example of topology in a farm management system] 1 shows an example of a farm land management system including a water faucet device according to the present embodiment, and a topology (network topology) that can be constructed in the farm land management system. The farm land management system manages water supply and drainage in a farm land. In this embodiment, "water supply and drainage" refers to at least one of water supply by a faucet device serving as a water supply tap and drainage by a faucet device serving as a drain plug.

[0014] In the figure, an example is shown in which the farm field management system manages one farm field FM. The farm field FM in this embodiment is, for example, a paddy field, and water is supplied (irrigated) and drained so that the water level is appropriate depending on the rice cultivation season. The field FM may be, for example, a farm field other than a paddy field. The field management system may manage multiple fields. In the following, an example will be described in which the field management system manages one field FM.

[0015] In the farm field FM in the same figure, a plurality of water faucet devices 100 (100-P (100-P1 to 100-Pn, 100-C) are installed at predetermined positions. The plurality of water faucet devices 100 may include, for example, a mixture of water supply faucets and drain faucets. The water faucet is a facility that supplies irrigation water sent from, for example, a farm pond to the farm field FM. The water faucet is equipped with a valve that opens and closes in a flow path (flowing water path) from the farm pond to where the irrigation water is discharged into the farm field FM, making it possible to adjust the amount of irrigation water supplied to the farm field FM. The drain plug is a facility for draining water that has accumulated in the farm field FM. The drain plug is equipped with a plug part (valve) that opens and closes in the flow path until the water drawn up from the farm field FM is discharged, for example, into a pipeline, so that the amount of water discharged can be adjusted. There are no particular limitations on the number of water faucet devices 100 installed in the field FM and the breakdown of water supply taps and drain plugs in the multiple water faucet devices 100. All of the multiple water faucet devices 100 may be water supply taps, or all of the multiple water faucet devices 100 may be drain plugs.

[0016] In the figure, first, the gateway 200 is directly connected to one faucet device 100-P1. Then, starting with the faucet device 100-P1, the faucet devices 100-P2...100-Pn are connected in series in hop order. In other words, in this modification, multiple faucet devices 100-P are connected to the gateway 200 in a multi-hop manner.

[0017] Furthermore, each of the faucet devices 100-P1 to 100-Pn connected to the gateway 200 by multi-hop as described above may have one or more faucet devices 100 connected thereto. In the figure, an example is shown in which three faucet devices 100-C are connected to each of the faucet devices 100-P1 to 100-Pn. In the topology of the figure, one water tap device 100-P and a water tap device 100-C connected to the water tap device 100-P are installed in the same farm field FM. In the example of the figure, water tap devices 100-P1 to 100-Pn and water tap devices 100-C connected to the respective water tap devices 100-P are all installed in the same farm field FM. Since the instructions (commands) received by the tap devices 100 placed in the same field FM are the same, by connecting the tap devices 100 in the same field FM in this manner, it is possible to have only one tap device 100-P that receives instructions directly from the gateway 200. Furthermore, restrictions on the polling cycle length also impose restrictions on the number of nodes directly connected to the gateway 200. However, by configuring a topology in which one or more faucet devices 100-C are further connected under the faucet device 100-P in the hierarchical level immediately below the gateway 200 as shown in the figure, it is possible to properly manage a large number of faucet devices 100 under the restrictions on the polling cycle length.

[0018] It should be noted that among the faucet devices 100-P1 to 100-Pn, there may be some that do not have the faucet device 100-C connected thereto. Also, faucet devices may be connected in a hierarchy further below the faucet device 100-C.

[0019] In such a topology with multi-hop connections, the water faucet device 100-P1 is set as a connection destination node in the gateway 200. Also, in each of the water faucet devices 100, connection destination nodes in the upstream and downstream directions are set. For example, for the faucet device 100-P1, the gateway 200 is set as the upstream connection node, and the faucet device 100-P2 and the subordinate faucet device 100-C are set as the downstream connection nodes. Also, for the faucet device 100-P2, the faucet device 100-P1 is set as the upstream connection node, and the faucet device 100-P3 and the subordinate faucet device 100-C are set as the downstream connection nodes. In addition, in such a topology with multi-hop connections, the faucet devices 100 that are connected to each other can be arranged to be within a certain distance from each other. Therefore, in a multi-hop connection between the gateway 200 and the faucet devices 100, short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be adopted.

[0020] The gateway 200 has a function of connecting a plurality of water faucet devices 100 that are multi-hop connected to the gateway 200 as described above with the network NT. A gateway 200, a farm land management server 300, and a farm land management terminal 400 are connected to the network NT.

[0021] In such a topology, for example, when the field management server 300 sends a command to one of the faucet devices 100-C connected under the faucet device 100-Pn as the destination (destination), the command is transmitted as follows. The command sent by the farm field management server 300 is first received by the gateway 200 via the network NT. The gateway 200 sends the received command to the tap device 100-P1. The tap device 100-P1, for example, references its own routing table and forwards the command to the tap device 100-P2. Thereafter, the command is forwarded in order from the tap device 100-P3 to the tap device 100-Pn according to the hop order. The tap device 100-Pn sends the water supply / drainage command to the tap device 100-C designated as the destination among the subordinate tap devices 100-C.

[0022] In the farm field FM, for example, there are cases where a water faucet device 100 that has been installed is moved and relocated to a different location. In such a case, in the case of the multi-hop connection topology shown in the figure, each water faucet device 100 needs to be placed so that the other node set as the connection destination is within communication distance. However, rearranging the multiple faucet devices 100 so that they are within communication distance of each other while taking into account the destination settings as described above is a burden for the worker. There is also a possibility that the worker will make an incorrect arrangement, in which case data transfer may not be performed in the hop order according to the destination settings. In this case, the worker must either rearrange the faucet devices 100 so that data can be transferred in the hop order according to the destination settings, or change the destination settings of the faucet devices 100, which also places a burden on the worker.

[0023] [Example of configuration of farm management system according to this embodiment] Therefore, in this embodiment, taking the above problems into consideration, a topology is constructed as follows for a gateway 200 (an example of a communication device) and a plurality of water faucet devices 100. Fig. 2 shows an example of the configuration of a farm land management system according to this embodiment. In this figure, the same parts as in Fig. 1 are given the same reference numerals.

[0024] The figure shows an example in which a water tap device 100 is arranged for each of a plurality of farm fields FM. Here, an example is given in which the plurality of farm fields FM shown in the figure are managed by the same farm manager (farm owner). The number of water tap devices 100 placed in each of the fields FM may be one or more, but the figure shows an example in which multiple water tap devices 100 are placed in each of the fields FM. In each of the fields FM, the multiple water tap devices 100 are each placed in a predetermined location. In the case of the figure, the multiple water tap devices 100 may include a mixture of water supply taps and drain taps, for example. The water faucet devices 100 in each field FM shown in the figure can communicate with the same single gateway 200. In other words, in this case, the farm field management system of this embodiment configures a star topology in which multiple water faucet devices 100 present in multiple farm fields FM are connected as nodes to the gateway 200 as a hub.

[0025] For example, a wireless communication method compatible with LPWA (Low Power, Wide Area) may be adopted for communication between the water faucet device 100 and the gateway 200. LPWA is a wireless communication method that is capable of relatively long distance communication while consuming low power. This makes it possible to directly connect the gateway 200 and the water faucet device 100 in a relatively wide area such as a farm field FM. As an example, LoRa, which is one type of LPWA, may be adopted for communication between the water faucet device 100 and the gateway 200.

[0026] The gateway 200 has a function of connecting the water faucet devices 100 to the network NT. The gateway 200 of this embodiment is installed so as to be able to communicate with all of the water faucet devices 100 installed in the field FM. In the figure, a gateway 200, a farm land management server 300, and a farm land management terminal 400 are also connected to a network NT.

[0027] Although not shown in the figure, sensors such as a water level sensor and a temperature sensor may be connected to at least a part of the water faucet device 100. The water faucet device 100 and the sensors may be connected by, for example, a predetermined short-range wireless communication. The sensors are installed to detect the water level, water temperature, etc. in the field FM. The sensors transmit detection information to the water tap devices 100, and the water tap devices 100 can transmit the detection information received from the corresponding sensors to the field management server 300 via the gateway 200. The field management server 300 can manage the field FM, such as by controlling the water supply and drainage operations of the water tap devices 100 based on the received detection information.

[0028] The farm land management server 300 performs farm land management. The farm land management performed by the farm land management server 300 includes control of water supply and drainage performed by the water faucet device 100 (water supply and drainage control). For water supply and drainage management, the farm land management server 300 communicates with the water faucet devices 100 in the fields FM from the network NT via the gateway 200, thereby controlling the opening and closing of the taps in each water faucet device 100. This allows the farm land management server 300 to individually control the water supply and drainage for each field FM.

[0029] The farm field management terminal 400 is a network terminal device used by a farm field manager (user) of the farm field FM, for example, in an office, at home, etc. The farm field manager here refers to a person who operates the farm field management terminal 400 in accordance with the management of the farm field FM. The field management terminal 400 logs in to a website (field management site) for a field management service provided by the field management server 300 using the user account of the field manager. Logging in enables the field management terminal 400 to access the field management site. The field manager can cause the field management terminal 400 to access the field management site that provides the desired service and perform various operations on the field management site. This allows the field manager to use the field management service provided by the field management server 300.

[0030] The sensor may be connected to the gateway 200 without passing through the water tap device 100. In this case, the sensor can transmit detection information to the farm land management server 300 on the network NT via the gateway 200, without passing through the water tap device 100.

[0031] Furthermore, if a water supply / drainage abnormality occurs such that the faucet of the water faucet device 100 does not close or open as controlled, the water level may continue to rise unexpectedly or may not decrease over time. Therefore, the water level and flow rate corresponding to such water supply / drainage abnormality may be detected by a water level sensor and a flow rate sensor, and the detection information may be transmitted to the farm field management server 300 and the farm field management terminal 400. In this case, for example, if a water supply / drainage abnormality occurs in the water tap device 100, and then a failure such as a communication error or power supply abnormality occurs, communication becomes impossible and the water tap device 100 itself cannot send a notification of the occurrence of the abnormality. However, by connecting various sensors to the gateway 200 without going through the water tap device 100 as described above, the sensors can notify the farm field management server 300 or the farm field management terminal 400 of the occurrence of a water supply / drainage abnormality in the water tap device 100. Also, even if the water tap device 100 does not originally have the function of sending a notification of the occurrence of an abnormality or is designed to automatically supply and drain water using water pressure without using electricity, it is possible for the sensors to notify of a water supply / drainage abnormality in the water tap device 100.

[0032] Alternatively, a topology may be used in which the gateway 200 and a sensor are connected, and the water faucet device 100 is then connected to the sensor. In this case, the water faucet device 100 is connected to the network NT via the gateway 200 from the sensor, and communicates with the farm land management server 300 and the like.

[0033] As described above, each sensor may be connected to the gateway 200 and be able to communicate with the farm land management server 300, and the sensors may also be configured to be able to communicate with each other. The communication between the sensors may be performed by directly connecting the sensors to each other, or may be performed via the gateway 200 or a repeater such as a wireless communication compatible router or hub.

[0034] A control spot may be provided that communicates with nearby sensors and faucet devices 100 within its communication range via short-range wireless communication, and also communicates with the gateway 200. In this case, the control spot can control the sensors and faucet devices 100 within its communication range. The control spot can also receive commands sent from the farm land management server 300, etc., via the gateway 200, and transfer information sent from the sensors, faucet devices 100, etc., to the farm land management server 300, etc.

[0035] The detection information obtained by the sensors, such as the water level and water temperature, may be stored by the water faucet device 100, and the water supply and drainage operation may be performed according to the results of the water faucet device 100's own judgment based on the control information included in the control command transmitted from the farm land management server 300. In this case, the control command may include control conditions according to the water level and water temperature, allowing the water faucet device 100 to appropriately determine the water supply and drainage operation.

[0036] [Example of faucet device configuration] A configuration example of the faucet device 100 will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Here, a configuration example of the faucet device 100 as a water supply faucet will be described as an example. In each figure, the structure of the faucet device 100 is shown in a cross-sectional view of the faucet device 100 as seen from the side. In the water faucet device 100, the water supply pipe 101 is a pipe to which water is supplied from, for example, a pipeline. The lower end side of the water supply pipe 101 is connected to the end of the pipeline as shown in the figure. As a result, the water sent from the pipeline is supplied to the hollow portion 101a of the water supply pipe 101 as shown by the arrow α in Figure 3.

[0037] A discharge pipe 102 is attached to the upper end of the water supply pipe 101. A hollow portion 102a of the discharge pipe 102 is connected to a hollow portion 101a of the water supply pipe 101. In addition, at the joint between the water supply pipe 101 and the discharge pipe 102, the diameter of the hollow portion 101a of the water supply pipe 101 is larger than the stop valve ball 104, and the diameter of the hollow portion 102a of the discharge pipe 102 is smaller than the stop valve ball 104. In addition, the opening of the hollow portion 102a of the discharge pipe 102 on the hollow portion 101a side is tapered as shown in the figure, so that when the stop valve ball 104 rises up to the opening of the hollow portion 102a, it is located in a position where it can close the hollow portion 102a as shown in the figure. In this embodiment, the stop valve ball 104 and the lower opening of the hollow portion 102a form a stopper portion. The stopper portion may include a rubber packing or the like.

[0038] A cup 103 is provided to cover the upper side of the discharge pipe 102. A hollow portion 103a is formed between the inside of the cup 103 and the discharge pipe 102. The hollow portion 103a serves as a path through which the water discharged from the hollow portion 102a of the discharge pipe 102 is discharged to the outside.

[0039] The stop valve ball 104 is a spherical member having buoyancy. As shown in the figure, the stop valve ball 104 is provided in the hollow portion 101a. Further, shaft portion 105 is provided so as to penetrate cup 103 and hollow portion 102a of discharge pipe 102. Shaft portion 105 is movable up and down within a certain movable range by plug drive portion 111 as shown by arrow A in FIG.

[0040] 3 is in a state in which it is located at the topmost position in its movable range, for example. In this state, the pressure of the water supplied from the pipeline to the water supply pipe 101 causes the stop valve ball 104, which is a buoyant body, to rise to the state shown in the figure, resulting in a state in which the opening of the hollow portion 102a is blocked by the stop valve ball 104 (closed state). By being in this closed state, the water supplied from the pipeline to the water supply pipe 101 is not discharged outside the water faucet device 100.

[0041] On the other hand, shaft portion 105 shown in Fig. 4 has been moved downward from the state shown in Fig. 3 as indicated by arrow B in Fig. 4, and is in the lowest position within its movable range. In this state, stop valve ball 104 is pushed down by shaft portion 105 as shown in the figure. As a result, stop valve ball 104 is in a state (open state) in which it is located lower than hollow portion 102a in hollow portion 101a. By opening the pipe in this manner, the water supplied from the pipeline to the water supply pipe 101 passes through a water flow path formed by hollow portions 101a, 102a, and 103a, as indicated by the dashed arrow β in the figure, and is discharged to the outside of the water faucet device 100. In this manner, the water is supplied from the water faucet device 100 to the field FM. At this time, because a cup 103 is provided above the discharge pipe 102, even if the pressure of the water discharged from hollow portion 102a is high, it can flow downward through hollow portion 103a without being sprayed out upwards.

[0042] 3 and 4, a case 110 is provided, for example, on cup 103. Case 110 includes plug drive unit 111, sensor-compatible communication unit 113, gateway-compatible communication unit 114, power supply unit 115, control unit 120, storage unit 130, and operation panel unit 140.

[0043] The plug drive unit 111 drives the plug unit to open and close. That is, the plug drive unit 111 moves the shaft unit 105 in the vertical direction to change the state between a closed state in which the stop valve ball 104 closes the opening of the hollow unit 102a and an open state in which the stop valve ball 104 is located below the opening of the hollow unit 102a. In addition, in the open state, the plug drive unit 111 can adjust the gap between the opening of the hollow portion 102a and the stop valve ball 104 by changing the vertical position of the shaft portion 105. This makes it possible to adjust the amount of water (flow rate) discharged from the faucet device 100.

[0044] The plug drive unit 111 is configured to include, for example, a motor 111a and a mechanism for moving the shaft 105 in the vertical direction in response to the rotation of the motor 111a. For example, the mechanism for moving the shaft 105 in the vertical direction can be configured by a structure in which the shaft 105 is screwed into a predetermined portion of the faucet device 100 so that it can be moved in the vertical direction by rotation, and the shaft 105 is rotated in response to the rotation of the motor 111a. Note that the mechanism for moving the shaft 105 in the vertical direction can have other structures and is not limited to the above example.

[0045] The control unit 120 controls the operation of the faucet device 100. The control of the operation of the faucet device 100 includes the control of the tap driver 111. To control the tap driver 111, the control unit 120 outputs to the tap driver 111, for example, a motor control signal for rotating the motor 111a of the tap driver 111. The control unit 120 can also transmit and receive information to and from sensors such as a water level sensor and a temperature sensor via the sensor-compatible communication unit 113. The control unit 120 also transmits and receives information to and from the farm land management server 300 via the gateway-compatible communication unit 114 and the network NT.

[0046] The control unit 120 includes a communication control unit 121 (an example of a second communication control unit). The communication control unit 121 performs control so that communication between the gateway 200 and other water faucet devices 100 does not pass through them in accordance with the star topology. The functions of the control unit 120 are realized by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) provided in the water faucet device 100 executing a program.

[0047] The storage unit 130 stores various types of information used by the control unit 120.

[0048] The sensor compatible communication unit 113 communicates with a water sensor or the like located within a communication distance via short-distance wireless communication. The gateway compatible communication unit 114 communicates with the farm land management server 300 via the network NT.

[0049] The power supply unit 115 supplies power to the plug drive unit 111 , the sensor compatible communication unit 113 , the gateway compatible communication unit 114 , the control unit 120 , the storage unit 130 , and the operation panel unit 140 . The power supply unit 115 includes, for example, a solar cell and a storage battery. Although not shown in the drawings, the solar cell is provided, for example, on the top surface of the case 110 so as to be exposed to the outside. The power supply unit 115 stores the power generated by the solar cell during the day in the storage battery. The power supply unit 115 is configured to supply the power stored in the storage battery as a power source. Alternatively, the power supply unit 115 may be configured to supply power from a battery of a specified standard, such as a secondary battery or a primary battery, and to replace the battery when the remaining battery power becomes low.

[0050] Operation panel unit 140 is a panel unit on which various settings related to faucet device 100 and operations for opening and closing the faucet unit are performed. Case 110 has a structure that can be opened and closed. Operation panel unit 140 is stored within case 110 when case 110 is closed, and is provided so that it can be operated by opening case 110. That is, the faucet device 100 of this embodiment is capable of operating in response to control from, for example, the farm land management server 300, and is also capable of operating in response to operations performed on the operation panel unit 140. In this way, because the faucet device 100 is configured to operate in response to operations on the operation panel unit 140, the user can go to the field FM and perform various settings and open and close the tap while actually checking the operation of the faucet device 100. This allows for cases where, for example, the user wants to operate the faucet device 100 directly because control from the farm land management server 300 is not working properly, or where the user wants to check the operation of the faucet device 100 while actually operating it themselves.

[0051] [Example of communication procedures in a farm management system] FIG. 5 shows an example of a communication procedure in a farm management system when a star topology is established between the gateway 200 and the water faucet device 100 as in FIG. Under the star topology, the gateway 200 is configured to sequentially connect to and communicate with the multiple faucet devices 100 for each fixed time period (circulating unit period). In other words, the gateway 200 communicates with the multiple faucet devices 100 by polling (an example of sequential communication).

[0052] The timing chart in Figure 5 shows an example of a communication procedure in the farm land management system of this embodiment. The diagram shows communication between the farm land management server 300 and the gateway 200, and communication between the gateway 200 and the water tap devices 100. Here, an example is shown in which the gateway 200 communicates with four water tap devices 100 (water tap devices #1 to #4).

[0053] The farm land management server 300 and the gateway 200 communicate with each other once per cycle corresponding to a time length of a cycling unit period Tb (Tb-1, Tb-2, Tb-3, Tb-4, Tb-5, etc.) In this example, a case where one cycling unit period Tb is 15 minutes is taken as an example. The timing of communication between the farm land management server 300 and the gateway 200 is not particularly limited, and may be multiple times in a cycle corresponding to the length of time of the recurring unit period Tb. However, if the communication frequency is about once per cycle corresponding to the recurring unit period Tb as shown in the figure, it is possible to reduce the amount of data in the communication log between the farm land management server 300 and the gateway 200. For example, the communication log is stored in the farm land management server 300, but by reducing the amount of data in the communication log, the storage capacity of the farm land management server 300 can be used effectively.

[0054] In the figure, the gateway 200 first communicates with the faucet devices #1 to #4 in sequence during a recurring unit period Tb-1 by making inquiries of the faucet devices #1 to #4 in that order. When the gateway 200 completes communication with the faucet device #N during the recurring unit period Tb-1, it waits until the next recurring unit period Tb-2. Then, when the start timing of the recurring unit period Tb-2 arrives, the gateway 200 communicates with the faucet devices #1 to #N in the same order as in the previous recurring unit period Tb-1. Thereafter, in the same manner, the gateway 200 communicates with the faucet devices #1 to #4 in sequence for each successive recurring unit period Tb, during recurring unit periods Tb-3, Tb-4, Tb-5, and further after recurring unit period Tb-5.

[0055] The time interval for polling in the recurring unit period Tb may be set arbitrarily within the constraints of the corresponding communication method, for example. Also, the order in which the gateway 200 connects to the multiple faucet devices in the recurring unit period Tb does not have to be the same for each recurring unit period Tb. However, in the following description, for the sake of ease of understanding, it is assumed that the order in which the gateway 200 connects to the multiple faucet devices is the same for each recurring unit period Tb.

[0056] According to such a basic communication procedure of this embodiment, one water faucet device 100 communicates with the gateway 200 once per time interval corresponding to the circulating unit period Tb.

[0057] As can be understood from the above explanation, in the farm management system of this embodiment, the gateway 200 and the multiple faucet devices 100 form a star topology with the gateway 200 as a hub and the faucet devices 100 as nodes. In addition, the gateway 200 polls the multiple faucet devices 100 in sequence, thereby enabling communication with each of the faucet devices 100 while avoiding collisions. In such a configuration, each of the faucet devices 100 can communicate directly with the gateway 200 without going through other faucet devices 100. As a result, in this embodiment, it is not necessary to set upstream and downstream connection destinations for each of the faucet devices 100. Therefore, in this embodiment, for example, when rearranging the water faucet device 100 in the farm field FM, it is possible to arrange the water faucet device 100 without considering the connection destination settings, reducing the workload.

[0058] [Interrupt communication in response to receiving an immediate open / close command] In the present embodiment, in a normal state, the farm land management server 300 performs periodic communication with the gateway 200 once for each cycle corresponding to the cyclic unit period Tb, as illustrated in Fig. 5. However, for example, if a situation arises in which the faucet of the faucet device 100 must be opened or closed immediately, the farm land manager can operate the farm land management terminal 400 to issue an instruction (immediate opening / closing instruction) to immediately fully open or fully close the faucet of the faucet device 100. Such an immediate opening / closing instruction is transmitted to the farm land management server 300. When the field management server 300 receives an immediate opening / closing instruction, in addition to the above-mentioned periodic communication, it performs interrupt communication during the current rotation unit period Tb and immediately transmits an immediate opening / closing command (an example of a specific command) corresponding to the immediate opening / closing instruction to the gateway 200.

[0059] FIG. 6 shows an example in which an immediate opening / closing command is sent from the farm land management server 300 to the gateway 200 as described above. In the example shown in the figure, during a patrol unit period Tb-2, after regular communication by polling with faucet device #3, an instantaneous opening / closing command CMD is sent from farmland management server 300 to gateway 200, with faucet device #2 as the destination. In response to receiving the instantaneous opening / closing command CMD, gateway 200 immediately sends (transfers) the instantaneous opening / closing command CMD to faucet device #2 by interrupt communication separate from the regular polling communication.

[0060] In this manner, in this embodiment, the instantaneous open / close command CMD is immediately sent to the water faucet device 100 by interruption. This allows the water faucet device 100 to instantly fully open or fully close to start or stop water supply or drainage according to the intention of the farm field manager. For example, in the case of a topology with multi-hop connections as illustrated in Fig. 1, even if gateway 200 receives an instantaneous open / close command and immediately forwards it to faucet device 100-P1 in the first hop order, if there are a significant number of hop connections, it will take a significant amount of time for the instantaneous open / close command to reach the destination faucet device 100. In this case, even though an instantaneous open / close command has been sent, there will be a significant delay in the time it takes for the faucet device 100 to actually fully open or fully close the faucet portion of the controlled faucet device 100 to actually perform the operation. In contrast, in the case of this embodiment, gateway 200 can transmit an instantaneous open / close command to the controlled (destination) faucet device 100 without passing through other faucet devices 100. This allows the controlled faucet device 100 to begin operating to open or close the tap in response to the instantaneous open / close command with a time lag that can be considered to be sufficient real time after, for example, a farm field manager operates the farm field management terminal 400.

[0061] [Skipping communication by polling in response to interrupt communication] Furthermore, in communication between the gateway 200 and the faucet device 100 using a star topology, an upper limit (maximum number of communications) may be specified for the number of times per unit time (communication count specification period) that the gateway 200 is permitted to communicate with one faucet device 100. In other words, it is required that the number of communications between the gateway 200 and one faucet device 100 does not exceed the maximum number of communications in the unit time of the communication count specification period. In the figure, an example is shown in which the communication count specification period is one hour, and the maximum number of communications during the communication count specification period is set to four. As described above, the cycle unit period Tb is 15 minutes. In this case, one hour as the communication count specification period includes four consecutive cycle unit periods Tb. Therefore, the figure shows an example in which the gateway 200 and one faucet device 100 communicate by polling four times during the communication count specification period, which is the same as the maximum number of communications.

[0062] For example, if the communication count specification period Ta is started from the recurring unit period Tb-2 in which communication for transmitting and receiving an immediate open / close command is performed, the communication count specification period Ta includes four recurring unit periods Tb-2, Tb-3, Tb-4, and Tb-5. If the gateway 200 performs regular communication with the faucet device #2 by polling in each of these four recurring unit periods Tb, the following problems will occur. In other words, communication with faucet device #2 during the communication count regulation period Ta will consist of four polling communications and one communication for sending and receiving an immediate open / close command. In this case, communication between gateway 200 and faucet device #2 during the communication count regulation period Ta will ultimately occur five times, exceeding the maximum number of communications of four.

[0063] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the gateway 200 performs communication by interruption with one water faucet device 100, the gateway 200 controls the communication as follows: In other words, the gateway 200 does not perform regular communication by polling with the water faucet device 100 that was the destination of the communication by interruption during one recursive unit period Tb following the recursive unit period Tb during which the communication by interruption was performed. As a specific example, in Figure 6, in the cyclic unit period Tb-3 that follows the cyclic unit period Tb-2 in which interrupt communication was performed with faucet device #2, regular communication by polling with faucet device #2 is skipped, as shown by the dashed arrow. When polling communication with faucet device #2 is skipped in this manner, the timing of subsequent communications with faucet devices #3 and #4 in cycling unit period Tb-3 may be brought forward. By carrying out such communication control, it becomes possible to prevent the communication between the gateway 200 and the water faucet device 100 from exceeding the maximum number of communications per unit time corresponding to the communication count regulation period.

[0064] [Gateway configuration example] An example of the configuration of the gateway 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. The gateway 200 in the figure includes a network-compatible communication unit 201, a water faucet device-compatible communication unit 202, a control unit 203, and a storage unit 204. A network compatible communication unit 201 executes communication via the network NT. The water faucet device compatible communication unit 202 communicates with the water faucet device 100 . The control unit 203 executes various controls in the gateway 200. The functions of the control unit 203 are realized by a CPU included in the gateway 200 executing a program. The control unit 203 includes a communication control unit 231 (an example of a first communication control unit). The communication control unit 231 executes control related to communication with the water faucet devices 100. In other words, the communication control unit 231 controls communication to be performed sequentially with each of the multiple water faucet devices 100 for each cyclic unit period Tb in accordance with the star topology, without passing through the other water faucet devices 100. The storage unit 204 stores various information corresponding to the gateway 200 .

[0065] [Example of processing procedure] An example of a processing procedure executed by the gateway 200 in relation to interrupt communication will be described with reference to the flowchart of Figure 8. The processing in the figure is executed in a state in which the gateway 200 is steadily communicating with the water faucet device 100 by polling. Step S101: In the gateway 200, the communications control unit 231 waits to receive a command transmitted from the farm land management server 300 for controlling the water faucet device 100.

[0066] Step S102: If it is determined in step S101 that a command has been received, the communication control unit 231 further determines whether the received command is an immediate open / close command. Specifically, the communication control unit 231 may determine that the received command is an immediate open / close command if the command identifier indicated by the received command indicates either a command to immediately fully open the stopper unit or a command to immediately fully close the stopper unit.

[0067] Step S103: If it is determined in step S102 that the command is a real-time open / close command, the communications control unit 231 transmits the received real-time open / close command to the destination water faucet device 100 by interrupt communication.

[0068] Step S104: On the other hand, if it is determined in step S102 that the received command is not an immediate open / close command, the communication control unit 231 stores the received command in the storage unit 204. The stored command is transmitted to the destination water faucet device 100 during subsequent communication by polling.

[0069] Next, an example of a process procedure executed by the gateway 200 in relation to skipping communication by polling in response to an interrupt communication will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG. Step S201: In the gateway 200, the communication control unit 231 waits for the start timing of the cycling unit period Tb to arrive. Step S202: When the start timing of the cycle unit period Tb arrives, the communications control unit 231 assigns an initial value of 1 to a variable n, which corresponds to the order of communication with the water faucet device 100 by polling.

[0070] Step S203: The communications control unit 231 determines whether or not an immediate open / close command was transmitted by interrupt communication to the water faucet device 100 that is n-th in the communication order during the previous (immediately preceding) cycling unit period Tb.

[0071] Step S204: If it is determined in step S203 that interrupt communication has not been performed, the communication control unit 231 executes control so that communication by polling is performed with the water faucet device 100 that is n-th in the communication order. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S203 that interrupt communication has been performed, the communication control unit 231 skips the process of step S204. As a result, for the water faucet device 100 for which interrupt communication was performed in the previous cycling unit period Tb, communication by polling is not performed in the current cycling unit period Tb.

[0072] Step S205: After the process of step S204, or if it is determined in step S203 that interrupt communication has been performed, the communication control unit 231 determines whether the variable n has become equal to or greater than the maximum value corresponding to the last communication order. Step S206: If it is determined in step S205 that the variable n is less than the maximum value, the communication control unit 231 increments the variable n and returns the process to step S203. This determines whether or not communication by polling is possible for the next water faucet device 100 in the communication order. If it is determined in step S205 that the variable n is equal to or greater than the maximum value, the process returns to step S201 for processing corresponding to the next cyclic unit period Tb.

[0073] The specific command to be transmitted by gateway 200 through interrupt communication is not limited to an immediate open / close command. For example, the specific command may be a command to instruct faucet device 100 to set a specific parameter, or a command to instruct faucet device 100 to clear a specific parameter that has been set.

[0074] [Modification of topology configuration] Fig. 10 shows a modified topology configuration in the farm land management system of this embodiment. In the figure, the gateway 200, the gateway communication range AR, the farm land FM, and the water tap device 100 in Fig. 2 are respectively shown as a gateway 200-1, a gateway communication range AR-1, a farm land FM-1, and a water tap device 100-1.

[0075] In the figure, in addition to the gateway 200-1, another gateway 200-2 is provided. The gateway 200-2 is set to connect to a plurality of water faucet devices 100-2 installed in a farm field FM-2 within a gateway communication range AR-2. That is, in the figure, two different topologies are set: a topology made up of the gateway 200-1 and the subordinate faucet device 100-1, and a topology made up of the gateway 200-2 and the subordinate faucet device 100-2.

[0076] In explaining the figure, gateways 200-1 and 200-2 will be referred to as gateway 200 when there is no particular distinction between them. Furthermore, gateway communication ranges AR-1 and AR-2 will be referred to as gateway communication range AR when there is no particular distinction between them. Furthermore, fields FM-1 and FM-2 will be referred to as field FM when there is no particular distinction between them. Furthermore, water faucet devices 100-1 and 100-2 will be referred to as water faucet device 100 when there is no particular distinction between them.

[0077] Here, due to the positional relationship between gateway 200-1 and gateway 200-2, a gateway communication range AR-1 of gateway 200-1 and a gateway communication range AR-2 of gateway 200-2 are in a partially overlapping state. In the range where gateway communication range AR-1 and gateway communication range AR-2 overlap (overlapping range), there is one farm field FM-1 in which a water faucet device 100-1 under the control of gateway 200-1 is located. In such a case, the faucet device 100-1 in the overlapping range is in an environment in which it can communicate not only with the gateway 200-1 but also with the gateway 200-2. However, since the gateway 200-2 and the faucet device 100-1 in the overlapping range belong to different topologies, it is necessary to prevent communication between them.

[0078] To this end, for example, a communication destination table that associates the water faucet devices 100 set as communication destinations is provided for each gateway 200. The communication destination table may have a structure in which a gateway ID indicating the gateway 200 is associated with a water faucet device ID indicating the water faucet device 100 as the communication destination. The gateway 200 and the water faucet device 100 each store their own corresponding communication destination table. Gateway 200 includes its own gateway ID in the information it transmits. If the gateway ID included in the information transmitted from gateway 200 is not associated with its own faucet device ID in the communication destination table, water faucet device 100 discards the transmitted information. Furthermore, the faucet device 100 includes its own faucet device ID in the information it transmits. If the faucet device ID included in the information transmitted from the faucet device 100 is not associated with its own gateway ID in the communication destination table, the gateway 200 discards the transmitted information. This makes it possible to prevent communication between the gateway 200 and the water faucet device 100 that belong to different topologies.

[0079] Alternatively, the command ID may be defined to have a unique value for each topology. If the command ID included in the received information does not have a unique value corresponding to the gateway 200 or the water faucet device 100, the gateway 200 or the water faucet device 100 discards the received information. This makes it possible to prevent communication between the gateway 200 and the water faucet device 100 that belong to different topologies.

[0080] Alternatively, after defining a field ID indicating the field FM, the gateway 200 may store the field IDs of all fields FM in which subordinate faucet devices 100 are installed, and the faucet devices 100 may store the field ID of the field FM in which they are installed. When transmitting information, gateway 200 includes the stored field ID in the information to be transmitted. Tap device 100 includes the field ID corresponding to itself in the information to be transmitted. If the field ID included in the received information does not match the one stored in gateway 200, gateway 200 discards the received information. Furthermore, tap device 100 discards the received information if there is no field ID included in the received information that matches its own field ID. This makes it possible to prevent communication between the gateway 200 and the water faucet device 100 that belong to different topologies.

[0081] FIG. 11 shows another modified example of the topology configuration in the farm land management system of this embodiment. In the figure, three farm field management terminals 400, 400-A, 400-B, and 400-C, are connected to a network NT. That is, the example in the figure shows a case where three farm field managers A, B, and C exist, corresponding to the farm field management terminals 400-A, 400-B, and 400-C. Furthermore, three fields FM-A, FM-B, and FM-C, each managed by a different field manager, are included in the gateway communication range AR of one gateway 200. The fields FM-A, FM-B, and FM-C are managed by field managers A, B, and C, respectively. In this case, gateway 200 communicates with multiple tap devices 100-A installed in field FM-A, multiple tap devices 100-B installed in field FM-B, and multiple tap devices 100-C installed in field FM-C. In explaining the figure, when there is no need to distinguish between tap devices 100-A, 100-B, and 100-C, they will be referred to as tap devices 100. In such a configuration, the gateway 200 may be shared by, for example, farm field managers A, B, and C, or may be owned by an organization such as a land improvement district.

[0082] In this configuration, information transmitted between the water tap device 100 and the farm land management server 300 via the gateway 200 and the network NT is encrypted. This prevents the content of information transmitted between the water tap device 100 and the farm land management server 300 from being intercepted by, for example, one of the farm land management terminals 400 connected to the gateway 200.

[0083] In addition, a program for implementing the functions of the above-mentioned water faucet device 100, gateway 200, farm management server 300, farm management terminal 400, etc. may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed to perform processing corresponding to the above-mentioned water faucet device 100, gateway 200, farm management server 300, farm management terminal 400, etc. Here, "reading a program recorded on a recording medium into a computer system and executing it" includes installing the program into a computer system. The "computer system" here includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. In addition, the "computer system" may include multiple computer devices connected via a network including a communication line such as the Internet, a WAN, a LAN, or a dedicated line. In addition, the "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a portable medium such as a flexible disk, an optical magnetic disk, a ROM, a CD-ROM, etc., and a storage device such as a hard disk built into a computer system. In this way, the recording medium storing the program may be a non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM. The recording medium also includes a recording medium provided inside or outside the distribution server and accessible to distribute the program. The code of the program stored in the distribution server's recording medium may be different from the code of the program in a format executable by the terminal device. In other words, the format in which the program is stored in the distribution server does not matter as long as it can be downloaded from the distribution server and installed in a format executable by the terminal device. The program may be divided into multiple parts, downloaded at different times, and then combined in the terminal device, or each of the divided programs may be distributed by a different distribution server. Furthermore, the "computer-readable recording medium" includes a memory that holds the program for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory (RAM) in a computer system that becomes a server or a client when the program is transmitted via a network. The program may be for realizing part of the above-mentioned functions.Furthermore, the above-mentioned functions may be realized in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system, that is, a so-called differential file (differential program). [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 100 Water faucet device, 101 Water supply pipe, 111 Faucet drive unit, 113 Sensor compatible communication unit, 114 Gateway compatible communication unit, 115 Power supply unit, 120 Control unit, 121 Communication control unit, 130 Memory unit, 140 Operation panel unit, 200 Gateway, 201 Network compatible communication unit, 202 Water faucet device compatible communication unit, 203 Control unit, 204 Memory unit, 231 Communication control unit, 300 Farm management server, 400 Farm management terminal

Claims

1. a communication device; a water tap device used to supply or drain water to or from a farm field; a sensor that detects a detection target including a water level in the farm field in which the water tap device is used; and a farm field management server that is capable of communicating with the communication device via a network; The communication device includes: a first communication control unit that communicates with the water faucet device and the sensor located within a communication distance at regular intervals; The sensor includes: The detection information can be transmitted to the communication device without passing through the water faucet device, The water faucet device is a second communication control unit that controls communication with the communication device so as to be performed without going through other water faucet devices; In the control of the water faucet device, the second communication control unit executes communication of control information with the farm land management server via the first communication control unit, The transmission of the detection information of the sensor is performed by the sensor transmitting the sensor information to the farm management server via the first communication control unit. Field management system.

2. A system including a plurality of the communication devices and a plurality of the water faucet devices, the plurality of communication devices are arranged such that their communication ranges partially overlap; A water faucet device is provided in an overlapping range where the communication ranges overlap, The water faucet device arranged in the overlapping range communicates with only one of the plurality of communication devices. The farm land management system according to claim 1.

3. A system including a plurality of the communication devices and a plurality of the water faucet devices, the plurality of communication devices are arranged such that their communication ranges partially overlap; The communication device transmits information to the faucet device including its own ID associated with the ID of the faucet device. The farm land management system according to claim 2.

4. A system including a plurality of the communication devices and a plurality of the water faucet devices, the plurality of communication devices are arranged such that their communication ranges partially overlap; A field ID in which the water faucet device is installed is defined for the field, The communication device transmits the field ID together with the information to be transmitted to the water faucet device. The farm land management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The water faucet device is installed in a plurality of farm fields managed by different farm managers, The first communication control unit is Communicating with a plurality of the water faucet devices installed in the plurality of farm fields located within a communication distance for a certain period of time, and communicating with a plurality of farm field management terminals respectively owned by the plurality of different farm field managers; Information transmitted and received between the water faucet device and the farm management server is encrypted. The farm land management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A communication device for use in the farm land management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A network-compatible communication unit that communicates with the network; A water faucet device compatible communication unit that wirelessly communicates with the water faucet device; A control unit; A storage unit that stores information related to the communication device, The control unit includes a communication control unit that communicates with each of the plurality of water faucet devices at regular intervals without passing through other water faucet devices. Communications equipment.

7. A water faucet device for use in the farm land management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, a plug driving unit, a communication unit that communicates with the communication device, a power supply unit, a control unit, and an operation panel unit; The device is operable in response to control by the farm management server and in response to operations performed on the operation panel unit. Faucet equipment.

Images