Information communication system

Abstract

To provide an information communication system that, even when multiple edge devices are introduced, can suppress an increase in the number of apparatuses to be installed and also suppress an increase in operational costs at a site.SOLUTION: An information communication system 100 includes: a plurality of edge devices 10; a communication apparatus 20 that integrally comprises an IoT gateway unit 21, which is connected to the edge devices 10 in an information communication possible way and receives information acquired by each edge device 10 using a different type of wireless communication for each edge device 10, and an access point unit 22, which is connected to an external communication network N in the information communication possible way and transmits the information received by the IoT gateway unit 21 to the external communication network N; and a terminal apparatus 30 that is connected to the external communication network N in the information communication possible way, receives the information transmitted by the communication apparatus 20 via the external communication network N, and processes and displays the information acquired by the edge devices 10 as received information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information communication system for communicating information acquired by an edge device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a method for collecting data measured by measuring instruments in the construction of mountain tunnels, etc. Patent Document 1 discloses a ground measurement system. This system includes a gateway and an access point.

[0003] In this system, a gateway and an access point are installed separately and connected via a communication LAN (Local Area Network). The gateway receives measurement data from measuring instruments via wireless communication. The access point performs wireless communication and transmits data to a server device or the like. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-014396 Summary of the Invention

[0005] According to the technology of Patent Document 1, restrictions on the timing of collection of measurement data and the location of measurement are relaxed, and data can be fed back promptly to construction, etc. In relation to this technology, consider the use of IoT sensors. In this case, each piece of data acquired by multiple sensors is sent to an IoT gateway.

[0006] Generally, wireless communication is performed between sensors and IoT gateways. Depending on the wireless communication situation, it may become necessary to install additional IoT gateways. For example, in situations where visibility is poor and data from sensors has difficulty reaching the IoT gateway, it may become necessary to install multiple IoT gateways. Furthermore, multiple IoT gateways may also need to be installed to accommodate multiple different types of sensors. For this reason, multiple IoT gateways corresponding to different types of sensors may be installed in a single installation location, with overlapping locations.

[0007] Therefore, the more IoT sensors are introduced, the more devices need to be installed, which can lead to increased operational costs. Furthermore, when visualizing sensor data, separate web platforms are required, reducing usability. There is a demand for technology that can solve these problems.

[0008] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide an information and communication system for communicating information acquired by edge devices such as sensors, which can prevent an increase in the amount of equipment to be installed even when multiple edge devices are introduced, and can also prevent an increase in on-site operating costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The technical means of the present invention for solving this technical problem is characterized as follows: The information communication system of the present invention includes a communication device that integrally includes a plurality of edge devices, an IoT gateway unit that is communicatively connected to the edge devices and receives information acquired by the edge devices via wireless communication in a format that differs for each edge device, and an access point unit that is communicatively connected to an external communication network and transmits information received by the IoT gateway unit to the external communication network, and a terminal device that is communicatively connected to the external communication network, receives information transmitted by the communication device via the external communication network, and processes and displays the information acquired by the edge devices as the received information.

[0010] In the information communication system of the present invention, the terminal device includes a monitor, and visualizes the information acquired by the edge device on a dashboard displayed on the monitor.

[0011] In the information communication system of the present invention, the wireless communication between the edge device and the IoT gateway unit uses two or more of Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark), and Ultra Wide Band.

[0012] In the information and communication system of the present invention, three wireless communication formats are used between the edge device and the IoT gateway unit: Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark), and Ultra Wide Band. When one positioning target is positioned using three communication devices, three-point positioning information of the positioning target and radiation angle information between the positioning target and the communication device, which are acquired by the edge device, are wirelessly communicated in the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) format. Reception angle information between the positioning target and the communication device, which is acquired by the edge device, is wirelessly communicated in the Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark) format. Radio wave arrival time difference information between the positioning target and the communication device, which is acquired by the edge device, is wirelessly communicated in the Ultra Wide Band format. The position of the positioning target is determined based on the three-point positioning information, the radiation angle information, the reception angle information, and the radio wave arrival time difference information obtained by the wireless communication. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, the access point unit of a communication device can be equipped with the functions of an IoT gateway unit. This allows for space saving and unification of wireless communication paths. Therefore, even when multiple edge devices such as sensors are introduced, the number of devices to be installed can be reduced, and increases in on-site operating costs can also be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall schematic diagram of an information communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the information communication system illustrated in FIG. 1 is applied to a site. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the information communication system illustrated in FIG. 1 is used for positioning. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] 1, an information communication system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a system for communicating information acquired by edge devices such as sensors. The information communication system 100 includes a plurality of edge devices 10, a communication device 20, and a terminal device 30.

[0017] The number of edge devices 10 may be any number equal to or greater than two. As an example, the contents of the information communication system 100 will be described for the case where two edge devices 10a and 10b are used. The edge devices 10a and 10b correspond to edges (endpoints) in the network of the information communication system 100.

[0018] The edge devices 10a and 10b are devices that acquire various types of information, and the information is collected and transmitted. The edge devices 10a and 10b may be, for example, but are not limited to, various sensors, smartphones, scanners, automated machines, and autonomous driving mobility.

[0019] More specifically, when the information and communication system 100 is applied to a construction site or the like, the edge device 10a and the edge device 10b may be, for example, sensors that detect the operating status of a pump and acquire information reflecting that status, or may be sensors of other types.

[0020] In the information communication system 100, the wireless communication between the edge devices 10 and the IoT gateway unit 21 uses two or more of, for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark), and Ultra Wide Band.

[0021] In this embodiment, as an example, the format of wireless communication between the edge device 10a and the communication apparatus 20 (IoT gateway unit 21) is Ultra Wide Band (e.g., 920 MHz), and the format of wireless communication between the edge device 10b and the communication apparatus 20 (IoT gateway unit 21) is Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark).

[0022] The communication device 20 is composed of a housing, modules built into the housing, various circuits, etc. The communication device 20 integrally includes an IoT gateway unit 21 and an access point unit 22. The IoT gateway unit 21 and the access point unit 22 are each composed of an electronic circuit, a CPU, a memory, etc., and are installed integrally inside the housing of the communication device 20.

[0023] The IoT gateway unit 21 is connected to the edge devices 10 so as to be able to communicate information with them. The IoT gateway unit 21 receives information acquired by each edge device 10 through wireless communication in a format that differs for each edge device 10.

[0024] In the present embodiment, as an example, the IoT gateway unit 21 receives information acquired by the edge device 10a via ultra wide band (e.g., 920 MHz) wireless communication, and receives information acquired by the edge device 10b via Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark) wireless communication.

[0025] In this case, the communication device 20 is provided with functional units such as a Bluetooth module, a 920 MHz module, a USB host, a host controller interface, an MQTT broker, etc. In the communication device 20, information from the edge device 10a and the edge device 10b is transmitted to the corresponding modules and delivered to the IoT gateway unit 21 via the above-mentioned functional units.

[0026] The access point unit 22 is connected to be able to communicate information with the external communication network N. The access point unit 22 transmits information received by the IoT gateway unit 21 to the external communication network N. Information communication between the access point unit 22 and the external communication network N may be either wireless or wired.

[0027] The terminal device 30 is connected to an external communication network N so as to be able to communicate information. The terminal device 30 receives information transmitted by the communication device 20 via the external communication network N. The terminal device 30 processes and displays the information acquired by the edge device 10 as the received information.

[0028] The terminal device 30 includes a monitor 31. The terminal device 30 visualizes information acquired by the edge device 10 on a dashboard displayed on the monitor 31. The terminal device 30 may be a desktop PC, a notebook PC, a tablet, a smartphone, or the like.

[0029] The terminal device 30 may be configured to start a predetermined application program as the information communication system 100 operates, and to display a dashboard on the monitor 31. The dashboard may be configured to collectively visualize graphs, logs, and the like corresponding to information acquired by a plurality of edge devices 10, and the display format, etc. may be customizable by the user.

[0030] A plurality of terminal devices 30 may be connected to the external communication network N. Some of the plurality of terminal devices 30 may function as management terminals. That is, the plurality of terminal devices 30 may be configured as a terminal for viewing data and a terminal for network management.

[0031] 2 shows an example in which the information and communication system 100 is applied to a construction site CS inside a tunnel. At the construction site CS, for example, multiple submersible pumps WP are installed. The submersible pumps WP may be installed at intervals of, for example, 200 m. Also, it is assumed that heavy machinery HM is moving around and performing work at the construction site CS.

[0032] At the construction site CS, a plurality of edge devices 10 are installed as sensors to detect the operating status of the submersible pump WP and the operating status and position of the heavy machinery HM. The edge devices 10 may be installed at intervals of, for example, 5 m.

[0033] At the construction site CS, multiple communication devices 20 are installed to aggregate information acquired by the edge devices 10. The communication devices 20 may be installed at intervals of, for example, 50 m. In a building outside the construction site CS, a terminal device 30 is installed to display information acquired by the edge devices 10.

[0034] When each submersible pump WP at the construction site CS operates and the heavy machinery HM performs work, their operating status is detected by multiple edge devices 10, and information indicating each operating status is acquired. The information acquired by each edge device 10 is aggregated by a communication device 20. The communication device 20 has an IoT gateway unit 21 mounted on an access point unit 22, so the gateway is unified.

[0035] The terminal device 30 is installed in a building or the like outside the construction site CS. Information collected by the communication device 20 is transmitted to the terminal device 30 via an external communication network N. The information received by the terminal device 30 is displayed on a dashboard on the monitor 31 of the terminal device 30. That is, the operating status of each submersible pump WP and the operating status and location of the heavy machinery HM are remotely monitored by the terminal device 30.

[0036] In this way, the information and communication system 100 can be applied to monitor submersible pumps, heavy machinery, etc. at a construction site CS. However, the information and communication system 100 is not limited to this, and various other uses are conceivable.

[0037] 3 shows an example of a case where the information communication system 100 is used for positioning. Hereinafter, a case will be described where the information communication system 100 measures the position of one positioning target using three communication devices 20. As an example, the positioning target is assumed to be a smartphone SP.

[0038] Communication device 20a, communication device 20b, and communication device 20c are installed so as to surround smartphone SP. That is, the installation positions of communication device 20a, communication device 20b, and communication device 20c correspond to the vertices of a triangle. Smartphone SP is located inside the triangle.

[0039] The smartphone SP may have, for example, three built-in edge devices 10. The edge devices 10a, 10b, and 10c may communicate with the IoT gateway unit 21 of the communication device 20 using three wireless communication formats: Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark), and Ultra Wide Band.

[0040] The edge device 10a acquires the three-point positioning information and the radiation angle information. The three-point positioning information of the positioning target (smartphone SP) acquired by the edge device 10a and the radiation angle information between the positioning target (smartphone SP) and the IoT gateway unit 21 of the communication device 20 are wirelessly communicated in the form of Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0041] The radiation angle information may correspond to, for example, radiation angles AoDa, AoDb, and AoDc. The radiation angle AoDa corresponds to the angle formed by a line connecting the smartphone SP and the communication device 20a and a line connecting the communication device 20a and the communication device 20c. The radiation angle AoDb corresponds to the angle formed by a line connecting the smartphone SP and the communication device 20b and a line connecting the communication device 20b and the communication device 20c. The radiation angle AoDc corresponds to the angle formed by a line connecting the smartphone SP and the communication device 20c and a line connecting the communication device 20c and the communication device 20a.

[0042] The edge device 10b acquires the reception angle information. The reception angle information between the positioning target (smartphone SP) acquired by the edge device 10b and the IoT gateway unit 21 of the communication apparatus 20 is wirelessly communicated in the format of Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark).

[0043] The reception angle information may correspond to, for example, reception angles AoAa, AoAb, and AoAc. The reception angle AoAa corresponds to the angle formed by a line connecting the communication device 20a and the smartphone SP and a line connecting the smartphone SP and the communication device 20b. The reception angle AoAb corresponds to the angle formed by a line connecting the communication device 20b and the smartphone SP and a line connecting the smartphone SP and the communication device 20c. The reception angle AoAc corresponds to the angle formed by a line connecting the communication device 20c and the smartphone SP and a line connecting the smartphone SP and the communication device 20a.

[0044] The edge device 10c acquires the radio wave arrival time difference information. The radio wave arrival time difference information acquired by the edge device 10c between the positioning target (smartphone SP) and the IoT gateway unit 21 of the communication apparatus 20 is wirelessly communicated in the Ultra Wide Band format.

[0045] The radio wave arrival time difference information may correspond to, for example, radio wave arrival time difference ATDa, radio wave arrival time difference ATDb, and radio wave arrival time difference ATDc. The radio wave arrival time difference ATDa corresponds to the radio wave arrival time difference on the line connecting the communication device 20a and the smartphone SP. The radio wave arrival time difference ATDb corresponds to the radio wave arrival time difference on the line connecting the communication device 20b and the smartphone SP. The radio wave arrival time difference ATDc corresponds to the radio wave arrival time difference on the line connecting the communication device 20c and the smartphone SP.

[0046] In this information communication system 100, the three-point positioning information, radiation angle information, reception angle information, and radio wave arrival time difference information obtained by each wireless communication may be transmitted to the terminal device 30 via the external communication network N. Then, based on the various information, the position of the smartphone SP that is the positioning target is determined. The terminal device 30 may display the positioning information of the positioning target.

[0047] This information and communication system 100 can also acquire the real-time trajectory of the positioning target. Therefore, the positioning target may be, for example, a heavy machine that moves by automatic driving, instead of a smartphone SP. In this case, the edge device 10 may be mounted on the heavy machine, and the communication apparatus 20 may be installed so as to surround the position of the heavy machine.

[0048] [Effects of the embodiment] As described above, the information communication system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a plurality of edge devices 10, a communication device 20 which integrally comprises an IoT gateway unit 21 which is communicatively connected to the edge devices 10 and receives information acquired by each edge device 10 via wireless communication of a different type for each edge device 10, and an access point unit 22 which is communicatively connected to an external communication network N and transmits information received by the IoT gateway unit 21 to the external communication network N, and a terminal device 30 which is communicatively connected to the external communication network N and receives information transmitted by the communication device 20 via the external communication network N, and processes and displays the information acquired by the edge devices 10 as received information.

[0049] According to this, in the communication device 20, the access point unit 22 can be equipped with the functions of the IoT gateway unit 21. This makes it possible to save space and unify the communication path for wireless communication. It also eliminates the hassle of managing devices and reduces user workload. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the cost of devices and cloud usage fees. As a result, even when multiple edge devices 10 such as sensors are introduced, it is possible to prevent an increase in the number of devices to be installed and also to prevent an increase in on-site operating costs.

[0050] In the information communication system 100, the terminal device 30 includes a monitor 31, and visualizes information acquired by the edge device 10 on a dashboard displayed on the monitor 31.

[0051] This allows graphs, logs, and the like corresponding to information acquired by multiple edge devices 10 to be visualized collectively on the dashboard displayed on the monitor 31. Therefore, the operating status of the equipment can be efficiently monitored based on the information acquired by the edge devices 10. Also, appropriate management can be performed based on the information acquired by the edge devices 10.

[0052] In the information communication system 100, the wireless communication between the edge device 10 and the IoT gateway unit 21 uses two or more of Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark), and Ultra Wide Band.

[0053] This allows the IoT gateway unit 21 to support multiple general-purpose communication standards. That is, the communication device 20 can support multi-communication, making it easier to add various edge devices 10.

[0054] In the information and communication system 100, three wireless communication formats are used between the edge device 10 and the IoT gateway unit 21: Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark), and Ultra Wide Band. When one positioning target is positioned using three communication devices 20, the three-point positioning information of the target acquired by the edge device 10 and the radiation angle information between the target and the communication device 20 are wirelessly communicated in the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) format, the reception angle information between the target and the communication device 20 acquired by the edge device 10 is wirelessly communicated in the Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark) format, and the radio wave arrival time difference information between the target and the communication device 20 acquired by the edge device 10 is wirelessly communicated in the Ultra Wide Band format. The target is positioned based on the three-point positioning information, radiation angle information, reception angle information, and radio wave arrival time difference information obtained by each wireless communication.

[0055] This allows for composite positioning using Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark), and Ultra Wide Band wireless communications. More specifically, it is possible to combine three-point positioning with information on the emission angle, reception angle, and radio wave arrival time difference. Therefore, it is possible to achieve positioning with higher accuracy than when using a single piece of information. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 10...edge device, 20...communication device, 21...IoT gateway unit, 22...access point unit, 30...terminal device, 31...monitor, 100...information and communication system, N...external communication network

Claims

1. a plurality of edge devices; a communication device integrally including an IoT gateway unit that is communicably connected to the edge devices and receives information acquired by the edge devices through wireless communication of a type that differs for each edge device, and an access point unit that is communicably connected to an external communication network and transmits information received by the IoT gateway unit to the external communication network; a terminal device that is communicably connected to the external communication network, receives information transmitted by the communication device via the external communication network, and processes and displays information acquired by the edge device as the received information; Equipped with Information and communication systems.

2. 2. The information communication system according to claim 1, The terminal device Equipped with a monitor, The information acquired by the edge device is visualized on a dashboard displayed on the monitor. Information and communication systems.

3. 3. The information communication system according to claim 1, The format of the wireless communication between the edge device and the IoT gateway unit is Two or more of Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark), and Ultra Wide Band are used. Information and communication systems.

4. 4. The information communication system according to claim 3, The format of the wireless communication between the edge device and the IoT gateway unit is Three standards are used: Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark), and Ultra Wide Band. When one positioning object is to be positioned using three communication devices, three-point positioning information of the object to be positioned, which is acquired by the edge device, and radiation angle information between the object to be positioned and the communication device, are wirelessly communicated in the form of Wi-Fi (registered trademark); reception angle information between the positioning object and the communication device acquired by the edge device is wirelessly communicated in the format of Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark); information on a time difference of arrival of radio waves between the positioning object and the communication device, which is acquired by the edge device, is wirelessly communicated in the format of the Ultra Wide Band; The positioning target is located based on the three-point positioning information, the radiation angle information, the reception angle information, and the radio wave arrival time difference information obtained by each of the wireless communications. Information and communication systems.

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