Communication terminal

Abstract

To provide a communication terminal that enables switching of telecommunications carriers used for wireless communication more efficiently than before.SOLUTION: A communication terminal is provided that includes a communication interface for acquiring meter reading values, a wireless communication antenna for wirelessly transmitting the meter reading values, and a control unit that controls the wireless communication antenna to switch the communication carrier used for wireless communication. On the basis of the wireless communication history for each communication carrier, the control unit performs communication carrier switching less when a communication carrier with stable wireless communication is used than when a communication carrier with unstable wireless communication is used.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for a communication terminal for transmitting various types of information to a server using a communication carrier's line. [Background technology]

[0002] Meter reading meters for measuring the amount of water, gas, and other services used have traditionally been installed in homes, offices, and the like. Technology for switching between multiple communication carriers is also known. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2021-097380 (Patent Document 1) discloses an MTC device, method, program, and apparatus. Patent Document 1 provides an MTC device that includes: a storage unit that stores switching conditions for switching at least one of a SIM and a communication carrier, each associated with a plurality of sets of SIMs and communication carriers; a measurement unit that measures the communication quality of the set of SIMs and communication carriers currently in use; and a control unit that controls switching of at least one of the SIMs and communication carriers when the communication quality satisfies the switching conditions associated with the set of SIMs and communication carriers currently in use. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-097380 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, switching communication carriers consumes power, so an object of the present invention is to provide a communication terminal that can switch communication carriers used for wireless communication more efficiently than conventional methods. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication terminal including a communication interface for acquiring meter reading values, a wireless communication antenna for wirelessly transmitting the meter reading values, and a control unit that controls the wireless communication antenna to switch a communication carrier used for wireless communication. The control unit, based on a wireless communication history for each communication carrier, performs communication carrier switching less frequently when a communication carrier with stable wireless communication is used than when a communication carrier with unstable wireless communication is used. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to switch the communication carrier used for wireless communication more efficiently than conventionally. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of a measurement system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 2 is a block diagram showing main functions of a communication terminal according to the first embodiment; FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating communication carrier data according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing meter reading data according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing communication history data according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing switching condition correction data according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a process when terminal-initiated communication in the measurement system according to the first embodiment is successful. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a process when a terminal-initiated communication fails in the measurement system according to the first embodiment; [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing a process of the microcomputer when communication is successful according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10]5 is a flowchart showing a process of a microcomputer when communication fails according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] 5 is a flowchart showing a process of a microcomputer when switching carriers according to the first embodiment; [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing switching condition correction data according to the third embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing switching condition correction data according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing switching condition correction data according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing switching condition correction data according to the sixth embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing switching condition correction data according to the seventh embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. The names and functions of the components are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated. First Embodiment <Overall configuration of the measurement system>

[0009] First, the overall configuration of a measurement system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The measurement system 1 according to this embodiment mainly includes a meter reading meter 200, a communication terminal 100, a network 500, a center-side network control device 400, a center server 300, and the like.

[0010] The meter 200 is a meter reading device for measuring the amount of water, gas, etc. used, and in particular stores and externally outputs the cumulative amount of usage up to that point as a measurement result.

[0011] The communication terminal 100 is a device that can be attached later near the meter reading meter 200. In this embodiment, the communication terminal 100 receives a measurement value of a measuring device via a wired signal cable and transmits the measurement value to the server 300 by wireless communication.

[0012] The communication terminal 100 according to this embodiment exchanges data with the server 300 by connecting to the Internet via a base station of one of a plurality of communication carriers.

[0013] In particular, the communication terminal 100 according to this embodiment switches communication carriers depending on the communication state. For example, if communication with a base station fails a predetermined number of times or more, the communication terminal 100 switches to another communication carrier.

[0014] The server 300 acquires metered values ​​from the communication terminal 100 via a network 500 such as the Internet, and calculates the amounts of gas, water, electricity, etc. used in each home, office, or building.

[0015] As described above, with regard to the measurement system 1 according to this embodiment, by connecting the communication terminal 100 to the meter reading meter 200, the communication terminal 100 can provide the measurement value from the meter reading meter 200 to the server 300 instead of having an operator visit. <Communication terminal configuration>

[0016] Next, one aspect of the configuration of communication terminal 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Communication terminal 100 mainly includes a control microcomputer 110, a storage unit 120, a display unit 130, an operation interface 140, a communication module 160, a wireless interface 165, and a meter interface 175.

[0017] Microcomputer 110 is composed of a processor, memory, interface, etc., and controls each unit of communication terminal 100. For example, the processor of microcomputer 110 executes the processes described below in accordance with programs stored in ROM within microcomputer 110, storage unit 120, etc.

[0018] The memory unit 120 is composed of various RAMs (Random Access Memory), various ROMs (Read Only Memory), etc., and stores the control program, acquired meter reading values ​​and the date and time of acquisition, the date and time of communication failure, the number of communication failures, and the conditions for switching communication carriers.

[0019] For example, the storage unit 120 stores communication carrier data 121 as shown in Fig. 3. The communication carrier data 121 stores, for each communication carrier, a correspondence relationship between an ID, a communication carrier name, a base station address, the latest radio wave strength, the cumulative number of successes, the cumulative number of failures, an error rate, the allowable number of failures, and the like.

[0020] The storage unit 120 also stores meter reading value data 122 as shown in Fig. 4. The meter reading value data 122 stores, for each meter reading result acquired from the meter 200, a correspondence relationship between the ID, the meter reading value, the acquisition date and time, a flag indicating whether or not the result has been transmitted, and the like.

[0021] The storage unit 120 also stores communication history data 123 as shown in Fig. 5. The communication history data 123 stores the communication results each time an attempt is made to transmit a meter reading to the server 300 via a base station of the currently used communication carrier, i.e., each time a meter reading is obtained. The communication ID, the date and time of communication, the ID of the communication carrier used, the address of the base station used, the number of retries this time, and other information are stored in association with each other. The number of retries here refers to the number of connection attempts made at intervals of several seconds, several tens of seconds, or several minutes when an attempt to communicate with the base station or server 300 during one meter reading acquisition fails.

[0022] The storage unit 120 also stores switching condition correction data 124, which stores criteria for switching carriers, as shown in Fig. 6. The switching condition correction data 124 according to this embodiment stores the correspondence between the communication error rate, a correction value, and the allowable number of failures. Here, the correction value is used to correct the upper limit of the number of retries for each communication error rate.

[0023] Returning to FIG. 2, the display unit 130 emits light and displays text and images in accordance with instructions from the microcomputer 110.

[0024] The operation interface 140 is configured with buttons, a touch panel, and the like, and receives various operation commands from the worker installing the communication terminal 100, a service person, a meter reader, and the like, and inputs them to the microcomputer 110.

[0025] The communication module 160 and the wireless interface 165 transmit various types of information to the center server 300 in accordance with instructions from the microcomputer 110. The communication module 160 and the wireless interface 165 constitute a communication unit. Alternatively, the communication module 160, the wireless interface 165, and the microcomputer 110 constitute a communication unit.

[0026] In this embodiment, the communication module 160 selects a base station with strong radio wave intensity from among the base stations of the communication carrier specified by the microcomputer 110. Based on an instruction from the microcomputer 110, the communication module 160 transmits the meter reading value to the server 300 via the base station selected by itself.

[0027] The meter interface 175 requests various information from the meter 200 in accordance with instructions from the microcomputer 110 , and obtains various information, such as measured values, from the meter 200 and passes it on to the microcomputer 110 . <Control of communication terminals>

[0028] The following describes in detail the processing of the control microcomputer 110 of the communication terminal 100 according to this embodiment. The processor of the microcomputer 110 periodically executes the following processing in accordance with a program stored in the ROM or a program stored in the storage unit 120.

[0029] First, referring to FIG. 7, a process of the communication terminal 100 during initial communication with the server 300 will be described. The microcomputer 110 of the communication terminal 100 attempts to connect to the meter 200 via the meter interface 175 (step S112). The microcomputer 110 acquires a meter reading value or the like as a response from the meter 200 via the meter interface 175 (step S114). The microcomputer 110 wirelessly connects to a base station of a first communication carrier via the communication module 160 (step S116). The microcomputer 110 requests the server 300 to open a connection via the communication module 160 (step S118). The microcomputer 110 receives a response from the server 300 via the communication module 160 (step S120). The microcomputer 110 stores the success of the call in the communication history data 123 and the communication carrier data 121 (step S122). In this embodiment, the allowable number of failed retries is increased.

[0030] In addition, the microcontroller 110 stores the successful call in the communication history data 123 and updates the communication carrier data 121 every time a connection to the server 300 or a communication carrier's base station is successful, not just at the first communication.

[0031] Next, a call failure process in the communication terminal 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. The microcomputer 110 of the communication terminal 100 periodically requests a meter reading value from the meter 200 via the meter interface 175 (step S132). The microcomputer 110 acquires the latest meter reading value as a response from the meter 200 via the meter interface 175 (step S134). The microcomputer 110 attempts to transmit the latest meter reading value to the server 300 via the communication module 160 (step S136).

[0032] If transmission to server 300 fails, microcomputer 110 stores the call failure in communication history data 123 and communication carrier data 121 (step S138). In this embodiment, the allowable number of retry failures is reduced. Microcomputer 110 references communication carrier data 121, reads and sets the allowable number of connection failures (step S140). Microcomputer 110 retries connection to server 300 via communication module 160 at predetermined intervals (step S142). Each time a retry fails, microcomputer 110 increments the number of retries for the first communication carrier in communication history data 123 by +1.

[0033] When the number of failed retries reaches the allowable number of failures, the microcomputer 110 switches the wireless connection destination to the second communication carrier by referring to the communication carrier data 121 (step S144). The microcomputer 110 attempts to connect to the server 300 by connecting to a base station of the second communication carrier via the communication module 160 (step S146). If the connection is successful, the microcomputer 110 transmits a meter reading value to the server 300 via the communication module 160 and receives a response from the server 300 (step S148). The microcomputer 110 stores the success of the call in the communication history data 123 and updates the communication carrier data 121 (step S150). In this embodiment, the allowable number of failed retries for the second communication carrier is increased.

[0034] More specifically, in this embodiment, when communication is successful, the control shown in Fig. 9 is executed. When communication with server 300 is necessary, microcomputer 110 sends an instruction to communication module 160 to start communication with server 300 (step S162). Communication module 160 returns a message to microcomputer 110 indicating that communication with server 300 was successful (step S164). As a result, microcomputer 110 stores the successful communication in communication history data 123 and communication carrier data 121 (step S166). In this embodiment, the allowable number of failed retries for the currently used communication carrier is increased.

[0035] In this embodiment, when communication fails, the control shown in FIG. 10 is executed. When communication with the server 300 is necessary, the microcomputer 110 sends an instruction to the communication module 160 to start communication with the server 300 (step S172). If the communication fails, the communication module 160 returns a message to the microcomputer 110 indicating that communication with the server 300 has failed (step S174). This causes the microcomputer 110 to store the communication failure in the communication history data 123 and update the communication carrier data 121 (step S176). In this embodiment, the allowable number of retry failures for the currently used communication carrier is reduced. After a predetermined time has elapsed, the microcomputer 110 again sends an instruction to the communication module 160 to start communication with the server 300 (step S178). If the communication fails, the communication module 160 returns a message to the microcomputer 110 indicating that communication with the server 300 has failed. As a result, the microcomputer 110 stores the communication failure in the communication history data 123 and updates the communication carrier data 121 (step S180). In this embodiment, the allowable number of retry failures is reduced.

[0036] In this embodiment, when switching communication carriers, control such as that shown in Fig. 11 is executed. When the number of communication failures exceeds the allowable number, microcomputer 110 determines that switching communication carriers is necessary and causes communication module 160 to scan for another communication carrier (step S182). At this time, microcomputer 110 refers to communication carrier data 121 and specifies to communication module 160 the allowable number of retry failures for the other communication carrier. Communication module 160 returns the results of the communication carrier scan to microcomputer 110 (step S184).

[0037] The microcomputer 110 instructs the communication module 160 to connect to the base station or server 300 of the other communication carrier (step S186). The communication module 160 returns the result of the connection to the base station or server 300 of the other communication carrier to the microcomputer 110 (step S188). The microcomputer 110 instructs the communication module 160 to complete the connection (step S190). The communication module 160 reports the completion of the connection to the microcomputer 110 (step S192). <Second embodiment>

[0038] In the above embodiment, the allowable number of retry failures when communication fails is increased or decreased depending on the rate of success or failure in connecting to the server 300. However, this configuration is not limiting. For example, the microcomputer 110 may increase or decrease the allowable number of connection retry failures depending on the period of time during which connection with the server 300 is continuously successful. <Third embodiment>

[0039] In the above embodiment, the allowable number of retry failures is increased each time a connection with server 300 is successfully established, and is decreased each time a connection is unsuccessful. However, this configuration is not limited to this. For example, the allowable number of failures may be increased when the latest signal strength is strong, and decreased when the latest signal strength is weak.

[0040] 12, microcomputer 110 stores data 125 of the correspondence relationship between radio wave strength and the corrected value of the allowable failure count. Then, in steps S164 and S174, microcomputer 110 refers to the correspondence relationship and updates the allowable failure count each time it acquires, from communication module 160, the radio wave strength of the base station used to connect to server 300. In other words, microcomputer 110 sets a higher number of retries in communication module 160 for communication carriers with strong radio wave strength. <Fourth embodiment>

[0041] 13, the microcomputer 110 may store data 126 indicating the correspondence between the communication carrier and the correction value for the allowable number of failures. For example, the correction value may be set higher for a communication carrier with a lower fee, and lower for a communication carrier with a higher fee. In other words, the microcomputer 110 sets a higher number of retries in the communication module 160 for a communication carrier with a higher priority. <Fifth embodiment>

[0042] Furthermore, in addition to the above embodiment, the microcomputer 110 may store the allowable number of retry failures for each communication error rate and for each time period, as shown in Fig. 14. The microcomputer 110 may be programmed to set the allowable number of retry failures based on the current time period and communication error rate, and to switch carriers when the allowable number of retry failures is reached. Sixth Embodiment

[0043] Alternatively, in addition to the above embodiment, the microcomputer 110 may store the allowable number of retry failures depending on whether or not a predetermined period has elapsed since the first communication of a communication carrier, as shown in Fig. 15. For example, while the error rate for each communication carrier is not accurate, it is preferable to switch communication carriers more frequently, and once the error rate for each communication carrier becomes accurate, it is preferable to set the allowable number of failures for communication carriers with low communication error rates to be particularly high. Seventh Embodiment

[0044] Alternatively, in addition to the above embodiment, as shown in Fig. 16, the microcomputer 110 may store correspondence data between the communication error rate and the retry interval. This allows the microcomputer 110 to repeatedly retry at an interval corresponding to the communication error rate when communication with a base station fails. In this embodiment, it is preferable that the microcomputer 110 sets a longer retry interval for the communication module 160 for a communication carrier with a lower communication error rate. <Summary>

[0045] In the above embodiment, a communication terminal is provided that includes a communication interface for acquiring meter reading values, a wireless communication antenna for wirelessly transmitting the meter reading values, and a control unit that controls the wireless communication antenna to switch the communication carrier used for wireless communication. The control unit, based on the wireless communication history for each communication carrier, performs communication carrier switching less when a communication carrier with stable wireless communication is used than when a communication carrier with unstable wireless communication is used.

[0046] Preferably, the control unit determines that the fewer the number of wireless communication connection failures, the more stable the wireless communication of the communication carrier is.

[0047] Preferably, the control unit changes a criterion for determining whether to switch communication carriers depending on the time period.

[0048] Preferably, the control unit changes a criterion for determining whether to switch communication carriers depending on the period of time that has elapsed since the first communication.

[0049] Preferably, the control unit increases the upper limit of the number of retries for wireless communication connection, thereby preventing the process of switching communication carriers.

[0050] Preferably, the control unit extends the interval between retries of wireless communication connection to avoid switching of communication carriers.

[0051] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1: Measurement system 100: Communication terminal 110: Microcomputer 120: Storage section 121: Telecommunications carrier data 122: Meter reading data 123: Communication history data 124: Switching reference data 130: Display section 140: Operation interface 160: Communication module 165: Wireless interface 175: Meter interface 200: Meter reading 300: Center server 400: Center side network control device 500: Network

Claims

1. a communication interface for obtaining meter readings; a wireless communication antenna for wirelessly transmitting the meter reading value; a control unit that controls the wireless communication antenna to switch a communication carrier used for wireless communication, The control unit, based on the wireless communication history for each communication carrier, does not perform communication carrier switching processing when using a communication carrier with stable wireless communication compared to when using a communication carrier with unstable wireless communication.

2. The communication terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit determines that the fewer the number of wireless communication connection failures, the more stable the wireless communication of the communication carrier is.

3. The communication terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit changes a criterion for determining whether to switch the communication carrier depending on a time period.

4. The communication terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit changes a criterion for determining whether to switch communication carriers depending on an elapsed time since a first communication.

5. The communication terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit increases an upper limit of the number of retries for wireless communication connection, thereby preventing the switching of communication carriers.

6. The communication terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit extends an interval between retries of wireless communication connection to avoid switching of communication carriers.

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