Smart meter monitoring system

Abstract

To provide a smart meter monitoring system capable of determining whether or not a smart meter has been stolen on the basis of the current position acquired by a GPS and, in the case of the smart meter being stolen, searching the smart meter over a wide range.SOLUTION: A smart meter monitoring system comprises a monitoring server 1 and a smart meter 5a. The monitoring server 1 comprises a communication unit 2, a storage unit 3 in which an installation location information DB 3a is constructed, and a controlling unit 4. The controlling unit 4 comprises position information comparison means 4a and alarm generation means 4b. The smart meter 5a comprises a GPS 6, a standby power source 7, and power source changeover means 8.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a smart meter monitoring system for checking the presence or absence of movement of a smart meter, and more particularly to a smart meter monitoring system capable of tracking the whereabouts of a smart meter when it has been stolen.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, instead of analog induction type watt-hour meters, smart meters that transmit measured watt-hour values as digital signals to the power company's server at 30-minute intervals have been used. Here, a power consumption data collection system using a conventional smart meter will be described with reference to FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b). FIG. 7(a) is a block diagram showing the configuration of a conventional smart meter according to the prior art, and FIG. 7(b) is a block diagram showing the configuration of a power consumption data collection system using the smart meter.

[0003] As shown in FIG. 7(a), a conventional smart meter 50 includes a metering unit 51 that measures the amount of power used in the power system supplied to the customer's facility, a communication control unit 52 that exchanges data with external devices, a terminal unit 53 having a power supply circuit 53a that converts the power supplied from the power system via the power line into the power required for each unit and supplies power to the metering unit 51 and the communication control unit 52, and an antenna 54. The metering unit 51 includes a power measurement means 51c that measures the amount of power used supplied via the power line 55, a CPU 51b that controls the operation of the power measurement means 51c, and a ROM in which programs executed by the CPU 51b and the like are stored in advance, and a RAM used for storing data during program execution and the like. It also includes a memory 51a in which the amount of power used measured by the power measurement means 51c is stored according to the instructions of the CPU 51b. And the communication control unit 52 includes a wireless circuit 52a connected to the antenna 54 that converts the amount of power used into an electrical signal and transmits it, and a communication control CPU 52b that controls the operation of the wireless circuit 52a. That is, the communication control CPU 52b sends a data transmission instruction signal A2 to the wireless circuit 52a, and the wireless circuit 52a transmits the power consumption amount information D3 according to the data transmission instruction signal A2. Note that the wireless circuit 52a is a communication circuit for performing wireless communication in the 920 MHz band according to the IEEE802.15.4g standard.

[0004] As shown in Fig. 7(b), the power consumption data collection system 56 is composed of a smart meter 50 installed in the facilities of each customer, a concentrator 57 installed on, for example, a utility pole for a distribution line, a communication server 58a, an MDMS 58b, an in-house system 58c, etc., and includes a management device 58 installed in a power company or the like. Note that the communication server 58a is called a HES (Head End System) and has a function of transmitting and receiving data between the smart meter 50 and the MDMS. Also, the MDMS (Meter Data Management System) is a system that collects, accumulates, and creates a database of data such as the meter reading values and alarms of smart meters and cooperates with systems inside and outside the company.

[0005] Data on the amount of electricity used measured by the smart meter 50 is sent to the concentrator 57 and aggregated, and then transmitted to the management device 58 via a wide - area communication network 59 such as a WAN (Wide Area Network), but it may also be directly transmitted to the management device 58 via the telephone network 60. In addition, the communication between the smart meter 50 and the concentrator 57 is performed not only by a multi - hop method (a method in which adjacent smart meters relay data to each other until it reaches the concentrator) but also by PLC (Power Line Communications) that uses the power line 61 as a communication line.

[0006] When an abnormality is found in the data transmitted to the management device 58, an inspector or the like will go directly to the site to check the installation status of the smart meter 50. Currently, however, the received data is only checked once a month during the meter reading. Therefore, if the smart meter 50 is stolen, it takes up to one month to notice the loss, making it very difficult to discover the stolen smart meter 50.

[0007] Regarding technologies for general anti - theft measures, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an invention related to a system that enables tracking of the moving position of a work vehicle under the name of "Anti - theft system for work vehicle". Explaining using the reference numerals described in the drawings of Patent Document 1, the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a structure including a position information detection means P for measuring the current position of the vehicle, a communication ECU1e for transmitting abnormality detection information to the cloud, a sub - battery 1s and a constant - power supply 1p for operating this communication ECU1e, and an input T for detecting the supply from the sub - battery 1s. According to such a structure, even when the main power supply is lost, a communication connection with the monitoring server is ensured, so theft can be prevented by tracking the position based on the vehicle position information.

[0008] In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses an invention related to an apparatus and a system for monitoring theft of goods placed on a merchandise shelf or the like in a store, under the name of "theft prevention apparatus and theft prevention system". Explaining with reference to the reference numerals described in the drawings of Patent Document 2, the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a structure including a receiving unit 12 that receives radio waves of a predetermined frequency, a microcomputer 18 that performs a warning operation when determining whether or not it is in a position where radio waves cannot be detected by the receiving unit 12, and an acceleration sensor 16. According to such a structure, it is possible to detect that an object has moved when transitioning from a state where radio wave detection is possible to a state where radio wave detection is impossible. Also, it is possible to detect the movement of the object by the acceleration sensor 16.

[0009] Furthermore, Patent Document 3 discloses an invention related to an apparatus for preventing theft of a small passenger vehicle, under the name of "theft prevention apparatus for a light vehicle". Explaining with reference to the reference numerals described in the drawings of Patent Document 3, the invention disclosed in Patent Document 3 has a structure in which a security module 4 is connected to an ECU 3 that controls the engine 2 of a motorcycle 1, and the security module 4 includes a security control unit 9 having an inclination sensor 7 and a vibration sensor 8, a GPS receiving unit 10, and a 3G, 4G communication unit 11 that exchanges information with a security management center 5 through a mobile phone line. According to such a structure, the inclination and vibration of the vehicle are detected by the inclination sensor 7 and the vibration sensor 8, and it is possible to determine that there are signs of vehicle theft based on the own vehicle position information acquired by the GPS receiving unit 10. Also, since a theft confirmation email is sent to the email address of the vehicle user via the communication unit 11, it is possible to promptly report to the police when the user is not aware of the behavior such as transporting the vehicle.

[0010] Patent Document 4 discloses an invention related to an anti-theft device for a motorcycle, which is an anti-theft device that can be arranged while effectively using a storage space and other vehicle body spaces for the motorcycle. Explaining with reference to the reference numerals described in the drawings of Patent Document 4, the invention disclosed in Patent Document 4 includes an acceleration sensor 51 that detects vibrations applied to the vehicle body of a motorcycle, a GPS 52 that measures the current position of the vehicle by receiving orbit information from a plurality of artificial satellites, a control unit 55 that receives an acceleration signal SA from the acceleration sensor 51 and position information JP from the GPS 52 and commands anti-theft measures, and a mobile phone communication unit 56 that transmits the position information JP to a mobile phone base station 61 based on a communication command SC from the control unit 55. According to such a structure, when the movement of the vehicle body is detected by the acceleration signal SA from the acceleration sensor 51, it is considered that the motorcycle equipped with the anti-theft countermeasure device according to the present invention is in a situation where it is about to be stolen, so anti-theft measures can be taken promptly.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0011]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0012] In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, when it is detected that the sub-battery 1s has been removed, abnormal detection information and position information are transmitted from the inter-device controller 1e to the cloud. However, when the vehicle is stolen with the sub-battery 1s attached, abnormal detection information and position information are not transmitted from the inter-device controller 1e to the cloud, so there is a problem that detection of vehicle theft is delayed. In addition, in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2, although an alarm signal can be wirelessly transmitted when the movement of a product is detected by the acceleration sensor 16, there is a problem in that the area where the alarm signal can be received is limited, and thus the stolen product cannot be tracked over a wide range. Furthermore, in the device disclosed in Patent Document 3, based on the information regarding the inclination and vibration of the vehicle detected by the inclination sensor 7 and the vibration sensor 8 and the vehicle position information acquired by the GPS receiver 10, it is possible to quickly notice that the vehicle is likely to be stolen. However, since this information is sent to the management center 5 using the telephone network, there is a problem in that the location cannot be identified when the vehicle is transported to a place where the telephone network cannot be used. And in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 4, since the position information JP from the GPS 52 is configured to be transmitted to the mobile phone base station 61, there is a problem in that the whereabouts of a stolen motorcycle or the like cannot be tracked when it is transported to an area where the mobile phone cannot be used. Note that in the inventions and devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 4, since there is no means for detecting changes in the current position of the product or vehicle acquired by the GPS, in order to determine whether they have been stolen, it is necessary to separately provide a sensor for detecting that the sub-battery has been removed and a sensor for detecting the movement of the object, in addition to the GPS.

[0013] The present invention has been made in view of such conventional circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a smart meter monitoring system that determines whether a smart meter has been stolen based on the current position acquired by the GPS, and that can perform a search over a wide range when the smart meter has been stolen.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0014] To achieve the above object, a first invention is a smart meter monitoring system composed of a smart meter that operates with electric power supplied from a power line and measures the amount of electric power used, and a monitoring server that monitors the installation status of this smart meter. The smart meter includes a GPS that acquires current position information by receiving the orbital information of an artificial satellite, and a communication control unit. The communication control unit includes a wireless circuit that converts the current position information into an electric signal together with the amount of electric power and transmits it, and a communication control CPU that controls the operation of this wireless circuit. The monitoring server includes a communication unit that transmits and receives data to and from the smart meter, a storage unit in which the installation location information of the smart meter is stored, and a control unit having position information comparison means and alarm generation means. The position information comparison means compares the installation location information of the smart meter with the current position information, and when the two do not match, sends a reporting instruction signal to the alarm generation means. The alarm generation means is characterized by issuing an alarm to the administrator of the smart meter according to the reporting instruction signal.

[0015] The smart meter is installed in a customer's facility or the like, and unlike products sold in stores or motorcycles, it basically does not move from the installed location. And the power company holds the information about the installation location of the smart meter. Therefore, if the current position of the smart meter is known, it is possible to determine whether the smart meter has moved by comparing it with the installation location. Regarding this, in the first invention, the smart meter includes a GPS and a wireless circuit that converts the current position information of the smart meter acquired by this GPS into an electric signal and transmits it. The monitoring server includes a communication unit that receives the current position information transmitted from the smart meter, a storage unit in which the installation location information of the smart meter is stored, and a control unit having position information comparison means and alarm generation means. In the control unit of the monitoring server, the position information comparison means compares the installation location information of the smart meter with the current position information. When the two do not match, it sends a reporting instruction signal to the alarm generation means, and according to this reporting instruction signal, the alarm generation means issues an alarm to the administrator of the smart meter.

[0016] Therefore, in the first invention having such a structure, when the smart meter is stolen, the current position information of the smart meter no longer matches the installation location information, so an alarm is sent to the administrator of the smart meter by the control unit of the monitoring server that has received the current position information of the smart meter. In addition, the current position information transmitted from the smart meter together with the measured power consumption is sent to the management device of the conventional power consumption data collection system, so a part of this management device can be used as a monitoring server. By doing so, since the current position information of the smart meter is sent to the monitoring server via a wide area communication network or a telephone network, even when the smart meter is carried to an area where either the mobile phone or the Internet is not available, the current position information can be received by the monitoring server.

[0017] The second invention is the first invention, wherein the communication control unit includes a memory in which the installation location information is stored instead of the storage unit of the monitoring server, and the communication control CPU has position information comparison means instead of the control unit of the monitoring server, controls the operation of the memory, the position information comparison means compares the installation location information and the current position information, and when the two do not match, sends a data transmission instruction signal to the wireless circuit, and the wireless circuit transmits the current position information according to the data transmission instruction signal. In the second invention, in addition to the action of the first invention, in the smart meter, the position information comparison means of the communication control CPU compares the current position information of the smart meter acquired by GPS with the installation location information of the smart meter stored in the memory, and when the two do not match, the current position information of the smart meter is transmitted.

[0018] The third invention is as follows: In the first invention, the smart meter includes a movement detection sensor connected to the communication control CPU, the communication control CPU has movement detection means, and the movement detection means sends a data transmission instruction signal to the wireless circuit when the movement of the smart meter itself is detected by the movement detection sensor, and the wireless circuit transmits the current position information in accordance with the data transmission instruction signal. In the third invention, in addition to the operation of the first invention, the smart meter has the operation of transmitting the current position information of the smart meter when its movement is detected by the movement detection sensor.

[0019] The fourth invention is as follows: In any one of the first to third inventions, the smart meter includes an emergency power supply and a power supply switching means, and the power supply switching means supplies the power of the emergency power supply to the communication control unit when power is not supplied from the power line. In the fourth invention, in addition to the operation of any one of the first to third inventions, even when the connection between the smart meter and the power line is interrupted, the communication control unit operates by receiving power supply from the emergency power supply, so that the current position information of the smart meter is transmitted.

Advantages of the Invention

[0020] According to the first invention, it is only necessary to add GPS to the conventional smart meter and add a function to the wireless circuit to convert the current position information of the smart meter into an electrical signal and transmit it in the same way as the measured power consumption, so that the smart meter can be manufactured at low cost. In addition, since a part of the management device of the conventional power consumption data collection system can be used as a monitoring server, the installation cost of the monitoring server can also be kept low. Furthermore, since the current position information of the smart meter is transmitted to the monitoring server via a wide area communication network or a telephone network, even when the stolen smart meter is carried to an area where either the mobile phone or the Internet is unavailable, the current position information is received by the monitoring server, so that the smart meter can be searched over a wide range.

[0021] In the second invention, since the smart meter itself determines whether or not the smart meter has been stolen, even an operator of a server other than the monitoring server can notice the theft of the smart meter when the server receives the current location information of the smart meter. Therefore, according to the second invention, in addition to the effect of the first invention, there is an effect that responses such as contacting relevant parties and searching for the stolen smart meter can be carried out more promptly than in the case of the first invention.

[0022] Also in the third invention, since the smart meter itself determines whether or not the smart meter has been stolen, even an operator of a server other than the monitoring server can notice the theft of the smart meter when the server receives the current location information of the smart meter. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the first invention, there is an effect that responses such as contacting relevant parties and searching for the stolen smart meter can be carried out more promptly than in the case of the first invention. In addition, since even a slight movement of the smart meter is detected by the movement detection sensor, even at the initial stage of a theft operation where the smart meter has not been completely removed from the customer's facility or the like and the current location information of the smart meter has hardly changed, the operator of the server that has received the current location information of the smart meter can notice the abnormality of the smart meter, so that the above-mentioned responses can be carried out more quickly.

[0023] According to the fourth invention, since the current location information of the smart meter is transmitted even when the smart meter has been completely removed from the customer's facility or the like and the connection to the power line has been cut off, in addition to the effect of any one of the first to third inventions, responses such as contacting relevant parties and searching for the stolen smart meter that were carried out before the connection to the power line was cut off can be continued even after the connection to the power line has been cut off.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0025] The smart meter monitoring system of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. The smart meter monitoring system of the present invention is characterized by including a monitoring server 1 and a smart meter 5a, which will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b). However, the monitoring server 1 may have a structure installed separately from the management device 58 in the power amount data collection system 56 already described with reference to FIG. 7(b). Further, for example, a communication server 58a may be used as the communication unit 2 of the monitoring server 1, and a part of the management device 58 may be used as the monitoring server 1 by causing an in-house system 58c to have the functions of the storage unit 3 and the control unit 4 of the monitoring server 1. Furthermore, the communication server 58a may be used only as the communication unit 2 of the monitoring server 1, and the monitoring server 1 may be provided separately from the in-house system 58c.

Embodiment

[0026] FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) are block diagrams showing the configurations of a monitoring server 1 and a smart meter 5a that constitute a smart meter monitoring system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the monitoring server 1 includes a communication unit 2 that transmits and receives data to and from the smart meter 5a via a wide area communication network 59 or a telephone network 60, like the communication server 58a of the management device 58 in the power amount data collection system 56 already described with reference to FIG. 7(b), a storage unit 3 in which an installation location information DB (installation location information database) 3a for storing the installation location information D2 of the smart meter 5a is constructed, and a control unit 4 having a position information comparison means 4a and an alarm generation means 4b. The position information comparison means 4a compares the installation location information D2 of the smart meter 5a with the current position information D1, and when they do not match, sends a reporting instruction signal A1 to the alarm generation means 4b. According to this reporting instruction signal A1, the alarm generation means 4b sends an alarm to a person concerned such as the administrator of the smart meter 5a.

[0027] The smart meter 5a includes a GPS 6 that obtains current position information D1 by receiving the orbital information of a satellite in the conventional smart meter 50 already described with reference to FIG. 7(a), an emergency power source 7 that stores power for supplying the communication control unit 52 in place of the terminal unit 53 when the connection to the power line 55 is interrupted, and a power supply switching means 8 that detects that power is not being supplied from the power line 55 and supplies the power of the emergency power source 7 to the communication control unit 52. The current position information D1 of the smart meter 5a obtained by the GPS 6 is sent to the communication control unit 52. The communication control CPU 52b sends a data transmission instruction signal A2 to the wireless circuit 52a. The wireless circuit 52a converts the current position information D1 into an electrical signal according to the data transmission instruction signal A2 and then transmits it via the antenna 54. The current position information D1 transmitted from the smart meter 5a is received by a monitoring server 1 of the smart meter monitoring system via a wide area communication network 59 or a telephone network 60.

[0028] In such a smart meter monitoring system having such a structure, when the smart meter 5a is stolen, the current position information D1 of the smart meter 5a no longer matches the installation location information D2. Therefore, an alarm is sent to a related person such as the administrator of the smart meter 5a by the control unit 4 of the monitoring server 1 that has received the current position information D1 of the smart meter 5a. The current position information D1 transmitted from the smart meter 5a together with the power consumption amount information D3 is sent to the management device 58 of the conventional power amount data collection system 56 already described with reference to FIG. 7(a). Therefore, a part of this management device 58 can be used as the monitoring server 1.

[0029] In this way, since the current position information D1 of the smart meter 5a is transmitted to the monitoring server 1 via the wide area communication network 59 or the telephone network 60, even when the smart meter 5a is carried to an area where either the mobile phone or the Internet is not available, the current position information D1 is received by the monitoring server 1. Therefore, even if the smart meter 5a is stolen, its search can be carried out over a wide range. In addition, in the smart meter monitoring system of the present invention, it is only necessary to add a GPS 6 to a conventional smart meter 50 (see Fig. 7(a)) and add a function to convert the current location information D1 into an electrical signal and transmit it to the wireless circuit 52a, similar to the power consumption information D3. Therefore, the smart meter 5a can be manufactured at low cost. Furthermore, since a part of the management device 58 of the conventional power consumption data collection system 56 (see Fig. 7(b)) can be used as the monitoring server 1, the installation cost of the monitoring server 1 can also be kept low.

[0030] In addition, in the above-described smart meter monitoring system, even when the connection between the smart meter 5a and the power line 55 is interrupted, the communication control unit 52 operates by receiving power supply from the backup power supply 7, and thus the current location information D1 of the smart meter 5a is transmitted. That is, even when the smart meter 5a is completely removed from the customer's facility or the like and the connection with the power line 55 is interrupted, the current location information D1 of the smart meter 5a is transmitted. Therefore, it is possible to continue the correspondence such as contacting the relevant persons who have been carried out before the connection with the power line 55 is interrupted and searching for the stolen smart meter 5a even after the connection with the power line 55 is interrupted.

[0031] Here, the processing by the smart meter monitoring system will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the smart meter monitoring system composed of the monitoring server 1 and the smart meter 5a. As shown in Fig. 2, first, when the power switching means 8 of the smart meter monitoring system detects that the connection with the power line 55 is interrupted in step S1, the backup power supply 7 supplies power to the communication control unit 52 in step S2. However, if it is not detected that the connection with the power line 55 is interrupted, the processing of the monitoring server 1 bypasses step S2 and proceeds to step S3.

[0032] Next, when the position information comparison means 4a determines in step S3 that the communication unit 2 of the monitoring server 1 has received the current position information D1 of the smart meter 5a acquired by the GPS 6 and transmitted from the antenna 54, the position information comparison means 4a reads out the installation location information D2 of the smart meter 5a from the installation location information DB3a in the storage unit 3 in step S4, and then compares the current position information D1 of the smart meter 5a with the installation location information D2 in step S5. Furthermore, when the position information comparison means 4a determines in step S6 that the current position information D1 of the smart meter 5a does not match the installation location information D2, it sends a reporting instruction signal A1 to the alarm generation means 4b. Then, according to the reporting instruction signal A1, the alarm generation means 4b transmits an email in step S7 via the communication unit 2 to notify the relevant person such as the administrator of the smart meter 5a that the smart meter 5a has been stolen. In this case, not limited to sending emails, an alert with sound, light, etc. may be displayed on the monitor of the relevant person's server by the alarm generation means 4b for the purpose of prompting attention.

[0033] If the position information comparison means 4a does not determine in step S3 that the communication unit 2 of the monitoring server 1 has received the current position information D1 of the smart meter 5a, the processing of the smart meter monitoring system bypasses steps S4 to S7 and proceeds to step S8. Also, if the position information comparison means 4a determines in step S6 that the current position information D1 of the smart meter 5a matches the installation location information D2, the processing of the smart meter monitoring system bypasses step S7 and proceeds to step S8. Then, when it is determined in step S8 that the communication unit 2 of the monitoring server 1 has received a processing stop command sent from another in-house server or the like, the processing of the smart meter monitoring system ends. If the communication unit 2 has not received the processing stop command, the processing of the smart meter monitoring system returns from step S8 to before step S1.

[0034] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a communication control unit 52 in a smart meter 5b according to a modified example of the smart meter 5a shown in FIG. 1(b), and FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of a smart meter monitoring system including the smart meter 5b. As shown in FIG. 3, the smart meter 5b has a structure in which the communication control unit 52 in the smart meter 5a includes a memory 10 in addition to the wireless circuit 52a and includes a communication control CPU 9 instead of the communication control CPU 52b. The communication control CPU 9 includes a position information comparison means 9a having the same function as the position information comparison means 4a, and an installation location information DB 10a same as the installation location information DB 3a is constructed in the memory 10. That is, the smart meter 5b includes a memory 10 in which the installation location information D2 is stored instead of the storage unit 3 of the monitoring server 1 in the communication control unit 52, and the communication control CPU 9 has a position information comparison means 9a instead of the control unit 4 of the monitoring server 1. Therefore, the position information comparison means 9a compares the installation location information D2 with the current position information D1, and when the two do not match, sends a data transmission instruction signal A2 to the wireless circuit 52a, and the wireless circuit 52a transmits the current position information D1 according to the data transmission instruction signal A2.

[0035] That is, in the smart meter monitoring system having the above structure, since the determination as to whether or not the smart meter 5b has been stolen is made by the smart meter 5b itself, even an operator of a server other than the monitoring server 1 can notice the theft of the smart meter 5b when the server receives the current position information D1 of the smart meter 5b. Therefore, according to the smart meter monitoring system including the smart meter 5b, responses such as contacting the relevant parties and searching for the stolen smart meter 5b can be performed more quickly than in the case of the smart meter monitoring system including the smart meter 5a.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 4, similar to the case of the smart meter 5a, when the power supply switching means 8 detects that the connection with the power line 55 is interrupted in step S1, the backup power supply 7 supplies power to the communication control unit 52 in step S2. However, if it is not detected that the connection with the power line 55 is interrupted, the process of the smart meter monitoring system bypasses step S2 and proceeds to step S3. Next, when the communication control CPU 9 determines in step S3 that the GPS 6 has received the orbital information of the artificial satellite and thus acquired the current position information D1 of the smart meter 5b, the position information comparison means 9a reads out the installation location information D2 of the smart meter 5b from the installation location information DB10a in the memory 10 in step S4, and then compares the current position information D1 and the installation location information D2 of the smart meter 5b in step S5. If the position information comparison means 9a determines in step S6 that the current position information D1 and the installation location information D2 do not match, it sends the current position information D1 of the smart meter 5b to the wireless circuit 52a together with the data transmission instruction signal A2 in step S7, and the wireless circuit 52a transmits the current position information D1 according to the data transmission instruction signal A2. Then, this current position information D1 is received by the communication unit 2 of the monitoring server 1. In step S8, when the control unit 4 of the monitoring server 1 determines that the communication unit 2 has received the current position information D1 of the smart meter 5b, it sends a reporting instruction signal A1 to the alarm generation means 4b. Then, according to the reporting instruction signal A1, the alarm generation means 4b sends an email in step S9 via the communication unit 2 to notify relevant persons such as the administrator of the smart meter 5b that the smart meter 5b has been stolen.

[0037] In step S3, when the communication control CPU9 determines that the current position information D1 of the smart meter 5b has not been acquired by the GPS6, the process of the smart meter monitoring system bypasses steps S4 to S9 and proceeds to step S10. Then, in step S6, when the position information comparison means 9a determines that the current position information D1 of the smart meter 5b matches the installation location information D2, the process of the monitoring server 1 bypasses steps S7 to S9 and proceeds to step S10. Furthermore, in step S10, when the communication unit 2 of the monitoring server 1 determines that it has received a process stop command sent from another in-house server or the like, the process of the smart meter monitoring system ends. If the communication unit 2 has not received the process stop command, the process of the smart meter monitoring system returns from step S10 to before step S1.

Embodiment

[0038] Fig. 5(a) is a block diagram showing the configuration of the smart meter 5c that constitutes the smart meter monitoring system according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 5(b) is a block diagram showing the configuration of the communication control CPU 11 of the communication control unit 52 shown in Fig. 5(a). Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the smart meter monitoring system including the smart meter 5c. As shown in Fig. 5(a) and Fig. 5(b), the smart meter 5c includes an acceleration sensor 12 in the smart meter 5b, and is provided with a communication control CPU 11 having movement detection means 11a instead of the communication control CPU 9. When the movement detection means 11a detects the movement of the smart meter 5c by the acceleration sensor 12, it sends a data transmission instruction signal A2 to the wireless circuit 52a, and the wireless circuit 52a is configured to transmit the current position information D1 in accordance with the data transmission instruction signal A2.

[0039] In the above-described smart meter monitoring system equipped with the smart meter 5c, in the smart meter 5c, when its movement is detected by the acceleration sensor 12, the current position information D1 of the smart meter 5c is transmitted. That is, since the determination as to whether the smart meter 5c has been stolen is made by the smart meter 5c itself, even an operator of a server other than the monitoring server 1 can notice the theft of the smart meter 5c when the server receives the current position information D1 of the smart meter 5c. As a result, responses such as contacting the relevant parties and searching for the stolen smart meter 5c can be carried out more promptly than in the case of the smart meter monitoring system of the first embodiment. Further, since even a slight movement of the smart meter 5c is detected by the acceleration sensor 12, even at the initial stage of a theft operation in which the smart meter 5c has not been completely removed from the customer's facility or the like and the current position information D1 of the smart meter 5c has hardly changed, the operator of the server that has received the current position information D1 of the smart meter 5c can notice the abnormality of the smart meter 5c, so that the above-described responses can be carried out more quickly.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 6, similar to the case of the smart meter 5b, when the power supply switching means 8 detects in step S1 that the connection with the power line 55 has been interrupted, the smart meter 5c supplies power from the backup power supply 7 to the communication control unit 52 in step S2. However, if it is not detected that the connection with the power line 55 has been interrupted, the processing of the smart meter monitoring system bypasses step S2 and proceeds to step S3. Next, when the communication control CPU 11 determines in step S3 that the GPS 6 has acquired the current position information D1 of the smart meter 5c by receiving the orbital information of the artificial satellite, and receives in step S4 a movement detection signal D4 indicating that the movement of the smart meter 5c has been detected from the acceleration sensor 12, the movement detection means 11a sends the current position information D1 of the smart meter 5c to the wireless circuit 52a together with the data transmission instruction signal A2 in step S5, and the wireless circuit 52a transmits the current position information D1 according to the data transmission instruction signal A2. Then, this current position information D1 is received by the communication unit 2 of the monitoring server 1.

[0041] In step S6, when the control unit 4 of the monitoring server 1 determines that the communication unit 2 has received the current position information D1 of the smart meter 5c, it sends a reporting instruction signal A1 to the alarm generating means 4b. Then, according to the reporting instruction signal A1, the alarm generating means 4b sends an email via the communication unit 2 in step S7 to notify relevant persons such as the administrator of the smart meter 5c that the smart meter 5c has been stolen. Note that in step S3, if the CPU 11 does not determine that the current position information D1 of the smart meter 5c has been acquired by the GPS 6, the processing of the smart meter monitoring system bypasses steps S4 to S7 and proceeds to step S8. And in step S4, if the movement detection means 11a determines that the movement of the smart meter 5c has not been detected by the acceleration sensor 12, the processing of the smart meter monitoring system bypasses steps S5 to S7 and proceeds to step S8. Furthermore, in step S8, when the communication unit 2 of the monitoring server 1 determines that it has received a processing stop command sent from another in-house server or the like, the processing of the smart meter monitoring system ends. Note that if the communication unit 2 has not received the processing stop command, the processing of the smart meter monitoring system returns from step S8 to before step S1. In this embodiment, the smart meter 5c is provided with an acceleration sensor 12. However, any sensor that can detect the movement of the smart meter 5c may be used. For example, the smart meter 5c may be configured to be provided with a vibration sensor or an inclination sensor instead of the acceleration sensor 12. In this case, the same operations and effects as those when the acceleration sensor 12 is provided are exhibited.

Industrial Applicability

[0042] The present invention is used for the purpose of monitoring the installation status of a smart meter installed in a customer's facility or the like, and enabling prompt search even if the smart meter has been stolen.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0043] 1... Monitoring server 2... Communication unit 3... Memory unit 3a... Installation location information DB 4... Control unit 4a... Location information comparison means 4b... Alarm generation means 5a to 5c... Smart meters 6... GPS 7... Emergency power supply 8... Power supply switching means 9... Communication control CPU 9a... Location information comparison means 10... Memory 10a... Installation location information DB 11... Communication control CPU 11a... Movement detection means 12... Acceleration sensor 50... Smart meter 51... Metering unit 51a... Memory 51b... CPU 51c... Power measurement means 52... Communication control unit 52a... Wireless circuit 52b... Communication control CPU 53... Terminal unit 53a... Power supply circuit 54... Antenna 55... Power line 56... Power consumption data collection system 57... Concentrator 58... Management device 58a... Communication server 58b... MDMS 58c... In-house system 59... Wide area communication network 60... Telephone network 61... Power line A1... Transmission instruction signal A2... Data transmission instruction signal D1... Current location information D2... Installation location information D3... Power consumption information D4... Movement detection signal

Claims

1. A smart meter monitoring system composed of a smart meter that operates by the power supplied from a power line and measures the amount of power used, and a monitoring server that monitors the installation status of this smart meter, wherein the smart meter, a GPS that obtains current position information by receiving the orbit information of artificial satellites, and a communication control unit, wherein the communication control unit, a wireless circuit that converts the current position information into an electrical signal together with the amount of power used and transmits it, and a CPU for communication control that controls the operation of this wireless circuit, wherein the monitoring server, a communication unit that transmits and receives data to and from the smart meter, a storage unit in which the installation location information of the smart meter is stored, and a control unit having position information comparison means and alarm generation means, wherein the position information comparison means compares the installation location information of the smart meter with the current position information, and when the two do not match, sends a reporting instruction signal to the alarm generation means, and the alarm generation means issues an alarm to the administrator of the smart meter according to the reporting instruction signal. A smart meter monitoring system characterized by this.

2. The communication control unit, comprises a memory in which the installation location information is stored instead of the storage unit of the monitoring server, the CPU for communication control has the position information comparison means instead of the control unit of the monitoring server, and controls the operation of the memory, the position information comparison means compares the installation location information with the current position information, and when the two do not match, sends a data transmission instruction signal to the wireless circuit, and the wireless circuit transmits the current position information according to the data transmission instruction signal. The smart meter monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized by this.

3. The smart meter includes a movement detection sensor connected to the CPU for communication control, and the CPU for communication control has movement detection means, wherein the movement detection means, when the movement of the smart meter itself is detected by the movement detection sensor, sends a data transmission instruction signal to the wireless circuit, and the wireless circuit transmits the current position information according to the data transmission instruction signal. The smart meter monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized by this.

4. The smart meter includes an emergency power source and a power supply switching means, The smart meter monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the power supply switching means supplies the power of the backup power supply to the communication control unit when the power is not supplied from the power line.

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