Wireless communication system and relay device

Abstract

To provide a wireless communication system that reduces power consumption and communication costs in a repeater.SOLUTION: A wireless communication system includes a plurality of wireless devices 30 including measuring devices each having a flow meter 10, and a relay device 50 including a repeater 40. The wireless devices 30 transmit measurement information acquired by measuring devices 20 or alarm information generated based on the measurement information to the relay device 50 via a second line NW2. The relay device 50 receives the alarm information via the second line NW2 and determines whether the alarm information is first alarm information such as a voltage drop or gas leak, or second alarm information such as the occurrence of water intrusion or an earthquake. If the alarm information is the first alarm information, the relay device transmits the alarm information to a base station via a first line NW1, which is capable of wide-area wireless communication. If the alarm information is the second alarm information, the relay device collects the measurement information from the measuring devices 20 connected to the plurality of wireless devices 30, and transmits the collected information, including the alarm information and the measurement information, to the base station via the first line NW1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication system and a relay device that transmit alarm information from a wireless device connected to a measuring device to a base station. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, gas meters for measuring gas flow rates are installed at gas consumer homes. The flow rate values ​​measured by the gas meters at each consumer home are collected by wireless communication via repeaters and base stations to a center. Patent Document 1 also discloses a gas meter equipped with an acceleration sensor. This gas meter is configured to transmit an earthquake index value calculated based on the detection results of the acceleration sensor to the center, making it possible to estimate earthquake damage to each consumer home with high accuracy. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-141427 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When earthquake damage is predicted for one consumer's home, it is also predicted that similar damage will occur for other nearby consumer's homes. Therefore, when information about an earthquake is obtained from a gas meter installed in one consumer's home, it is preferable to collect information from as many gas meters in the vicinity as possible in order to accurately grasp the situation.

[0005] This is not limited to earthquakes, but also applies to malfunctions such as water intrusion in gas pipes. In other words, if water intrusion occurs in a gas pipe somewhere, it may be possible to collect information from gas meters installed in multiple nearby consumer homes and use this information to help identify the location of the water intrusion.

[0006] On the other hand, the collection of information from the gas meters installed in each consumer's home to the center as described above is carried out in response to requests from the center to each gas meter, except for periodic calls from the gas meter. However, when information is collected by a request from the center, a repeater located between the center and the gas meter must repeatedly relay communication from the center to the gas meter and responses from the gas meter to the center.

[0007] 4 is a sequence diagram showing a conventional operation example in which repeater 140 collects information from each gas meter (flow meters 10A, 10B) in response to a request from the center. As shown in this Fig. 4, for example, when flow meter 110A detects the possibility of water intrusion (step S101), alarm information is transmitted from flow meter 110A to repeater 140 (step S102), and repeater 140 transmits this alarm information to the center via base station 104 (step S103).

[0008] Then, a data request is made from the center to the repeater 140 via the base station 104 (step S104), and the repeater 140 makes a data request to the flow meter 110A accordingly (step S105). The flow meter 110A acquires measurement information (data) using the measuring device based on this data request (step S106), and sends this measurement information to the repeater 140 by making a data call (step S107). Then, the repeater 140 transmits the measurement information received from the flow meter 110A to the center via the base station 104 (step S108).

[0009] Thereafter, in response to a data request from the center to each flow meter 110B, the repeater 140 sends a data request to the corresponding flow meter 110B, and transmits measurement information to the center each time it receives it from each flow meter 110B (steps S109 to S124).

[0010] In this case, as can be seen from the transmission / reception portion surrounded by the dashed line C1 in Fig. 4, the repeater 140 frequently communicates with the center via the base station 104. This shortens the battery life of a battery-powered repeater. Furthermore, if a general wide-area communication network is used for communication between the repeater and the center, the communication cost increases.

[0011] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a wireless communication system and a relay device that can reduce the power consumption and communication costs of the relay. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] A wireless communication system according to the present disclosure includes a plurality of wireless devices connected to a plurality of measuring devices and a relay device that communicates with a base station connected to a center via a first line and communicates with the plurality of wireless devices via a second line, wherein the wireless devices perform a transmission process of transmitting measurement information acquired by the measuring devices or alarm information generated based on the measurement information to the relay device via the second line, and the relay device performs a reception process of receiving the alarm information from the wireless devices via the second line, a determination process of determining whether the received alarm information is predetermined first alarm information or second alarm information different from the first alarm information, a first transmission process of transmitting the alarm information to the base station via the first line if it is determined that the alarm information is the first alarm information, and a second transmission process of collecting the measurement information from the measuring devices connected to the plurality of wireless devices via the second line and transmitting collected information including the alarm information and the collected measurement information to the base station via the first line if it is determined that the alarm information is the second alarm information.

[0013] As a result, when the relay device receives second alarm information from a wireless device, instead of repeatedly relaying the information between the center and multiple wireless devices in response to a request from the center, the relay device autonomously collects information from the measuring devices connected to each wireless device and then transmits the collected information to the center in a consolidated manner, thereby reducing power consumption in the relay device and communication costs between the relay device and the center. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a wireless communication system and a relay device that can reduce the power consumption of the relay and the communication costs of the relay. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the radio device and the repeater. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a transmission process executed in a wireless communication system. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a transmission process executed in a conventional wireless communication system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, a wireless communication system and a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that, in the following, the same or corresponding elements will be denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0017] (Configuration of wireless communication system) 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system 100 according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication system 100 includes a center 1, a common platform (common PF) 2, an analysis device 3, a base station 4, a flow meter 10, and a repeater 40.

[0018] As an example, the wireless communication system 100 is a gas meter reading system that measures the amount of gas used at customer homes, such as private homes and various facilities, using a flow meter 10 and transmits the measured value to a center 1 via a repeater 40. However, the wireless communication system 100 is not limited to this. For example, the wireless communication system 100 may be applied to a system that measures the amount of water or electricity used at each customer home using a flow meter and transmits the measured value to a center.

[0019] In the following, the terms "upper" and "lower" may be used based on the communication direction toward the center 1. In other words, the center 1 is located higher than the customer's home, and conversely, the customer's home is located lower than the center 1.

[0020] The center 1 shown in Figure 1 is a facility owned by a gas company, and collects information such as gas meter readings. Although only one center 1 is shown in Figure 1, a center 1 is provided for each gas company. The common platform 2 is located below the center 1, and is connected to one or more centers 1 so that they can communicate with each other. This common platform 2 receives information sent from below, and forwards each piece of information to the center 1 or an analysis device 3 depending on its destination.

[0021] The analysis device 3 is a device that analyzes information sent from the flow meter 10 and outputs the results, and is equipment owned by each gas company or other specialized analysis company. The base station 4 is a wireless station that relays communication between the flow meter 10 and the common platform 2, and is capable of wireless communication with the flow meter 10 via a first line NW1. For example, an LTE (Long Term Evolution) line that enables wide-area wireless communication can be used as this first line NW1.

[0022] A flow meter 10 is installed in each customer's home. The flow meter 10 includes a measuring device 20 and a wireless device 30. The measuring device 20 is, for example, an ultrasonic flow meter, and is installed midway through the gas pipe leading to the customer's home. The measuring device 20 measures the flow rate of gas flowing through the gas pipe and transmits the measurement value to the wireless device 30.

[0023] The wireless device 30 is connected to the measuring device 20 by a wired connection and receives measurement values ​​sent from the measuring device 20. The wireless device 30 is also capable of wireless communication via a second line NW2 with the wireless devices 30 provided in other flow meters 10. For example, a line conforming to the U-bus air standard that supports multi-hop communication can be used as this second line NW2.

[0024] Among the flow meters 10 installed in each customer's home, one or more flow meters 10A located at the highest position are connected to a repeater 40. More specifically, the wireless device 30 (30A) with a hop count of 0 that the flow meter 10A has is connected to the repeater 40 by a wired U-bus. The repeater 40 performs wireless communication with the base station 4 via a first line NW1, and also communicates with the wireless device 30A via a second line NW2 in accordance with the wired U-bus standard.

[0025] In this way, the wireless device 30 (30A) and the repeater 40 are connected to the flow meter 10A among the flow meters 10, and the other flow meter 10B is connected to the wireless device 30 (30B) but not to the repeater 40. Hereinafter, the wireless device 30A with a hop count of 0 connected to the flow meter 10A will also be referred to as the parent wireless device 30A, and the wireless device 30B with a hop count of 1 or more connected to the flow meter 10B located lower than the flow meter 10A will also be referred to as the child wireless device 30B.

[0026] The slave wireless device 30B communicates with other slave wireless devices 30B or the master wireless device 30A. The master wireless device 30A communicates with the slave wireless device 30B or the repeater 40. The repeater 40 communicates with the master wireless device 30A or the base station 4. Therefore, data measured by the flow meter 10A is transmitted to the center 1 via the repeater 40. Furthermore, data measured by the lower-level flow meter 10B is transmitted to the center 1 via one or more wireless devices 30 and repeaters 40.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the wireless device 30 and the repeater 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the wireless device 30 includes a second communication unit 31, a control unit 32, and a storage unit 33. The second communication unit 31 communicates with the second communication units 31 included in other wireless devices 30 via the second line NW2. In addition, in the case of the master wireless device 30, the master wireless device 30 also communicates with the second communication unit 44 included in the repeater 40 via wired communication using the same standard as the second line NW2. The control unit 32 is configured with a processor such as a CPU, and is connected to the second communication unit 31 and the storage unit 33 so as to be able to communicate with each other, thereby realizing the operation (processing) of the wireless device 30, which will be described later. The storage unit 32 has a ROM and a RAM, and stores programs and various data required for the operation of the wireless device 30.

[0028] The repeater 40 includes a first communication unit 41, a control unit 42, a storage unit 43, and a second communication unit 44. The first communication unit 41 communicates with the base station 4 via the first line NW1. The control unit 42 is configured with a processor such as a CPU, and is connected to the first communication unit 41, the storage unit 43, and the second communication unit 44 so as to be able to communicate with each other, thereby realizing the operation (processing) of the repeater 40, which will be described later. The storage unit 43 has a ROM and a RAM, and stores programs and various data necessary for the operation of the repeater 40. The second communication unit 44 communicates with the second communication unit 31 of the wireless device 30A via wired communication using the same standard as the second line NW2.

[0029] 2, the flow meter 10 according to the present disclosure is composed of a measuring device 20 and a wireless device 30. The wireless device 30, together with a repeater 40, constitutes a relay device 50 according to the present disclosure. The repeater device 50 realizes wireless communication (relay) between a base station 4 and a slave wireless device 30B via a first line NW1 and a second line NW2. Therefore, when the wireless device 30 and the repeater 40 are collectively viewed as the relay device 50, the relay device 50 has a first communication unit 41 that communicates with the base station 4 connected to the center 1 via the first line NW1, a second communication unit 31 that communicates with the slave wireless device 30B connected to the measuring device 20 via the second line NW2, and control units 32 and 42.

[0030] The relay device 50 stores measurement information collected by the measuring device 20 from multiple wireless devices 30 (which may include the master wireless device 30A) via the second line NW2. As an example, the memory unit for storing this measurement information may be the memory unit 43 of the relay device 40, but is not limited to this, and the memory unit 33 of the master wireless device 30A may also be used.

[0031] The relay device 50 also stores identification information (radio device IDs) for identifying multiple child wireless devices 30B that can communicate via the second line NW2. As an example, the storage unit for storing this identification information may be the storage unit 33 of the master wireless device 30A, but is not limited to this and may be the storage unit 43 of the relay device 40. Each wireless device 30 stores its own identification information in its own storage unit 33. Furthermore, each wireless device 30 also stores in its storage unit 33 the identification information of the wireless device 30 that is one level higher than the wireless device 30 itself (i.e., the wireless device 30 that has one hop less).

[0032] (About meter reading operation) Next, an example of the operation (meter reading operation) when transmitting the flow rate measured by the measuring device 20 to the center 1 in the wireless communication system 100 configured as described above will be briefly described.

[0033] The flow meter 10 measures the flow rate of gas in the gas pipe periodically at a preset cycle using its own measuring device (ultrasonic flow meter) 20. The flow meter 10 then transmits the measured value from the wireless device 30 to the upper wireless device 30. The transmitted measured value is relayed by the upper wireless device 30 via the second line NW2 by multi-hop communication and sent to the repeater 40. The repeater 40 transmits the received measured value to the base station 4 via the first line NW1, and the base station 4 sends it to the center 1 via the common platform 2.

[0034] In this way, the gas flow rate measurements by the measuring devices 20 installed in each consumer's home are collected at the center 1. As described above, the transmission of information from a lower-level wireless device 30 to a higher-level wireless device 30 is also referred to as a "data call." In a data call, the destination is specified based on the identification information of the next higher-level wireless device 30 stored in the wireless device's memory unit 33. That is, the wireless device 30 adds a header including the identification information of the destination wireless device 30 to the information to be transmitted, such as the measurement value. In addition to measuring the flow rate periodically as described above, the flow meter 10 also measures the flow rate and transmits the measurement value in response to an instruction received from a higher level. Such a measurement instruction from a higher level to a lower level is also referred to as a "data request."

[0035] (Regarding alarm response) Incidentally, the measuring device 20 included in the flow meter 10 generates various types of alarm information based on the measurement values. Specifically, the flow meter 10 according to the present disclosure has a function that can detect water intrusion into the gas piping based on a change in the gas flow rate measured by the measuring device 20. Such a function is realized, for example, by the control unit of the measuring device 20 included in the flow meter 10 executing a predetermined program. Therefore, when the measuring device 20 detects (possibility of) water intrusion into the gas piping from a change in the gas flow rate that is periodically measured, it generates alarm information indicating "water intrusion has occurred."

[0036] The flow meter 10 may also be configured to generate alarm information indicating a "voltage drop" when the terminal voltage of the driving battery falls below a predetermined value. The measuring device 20 and the wireless device 30 are each equipped with a battery such as a cell to drive the device itself, and the flow meter 10 may be equipped with a measuring device that measures the terminal voltage of the battery. In this case, the flow meter 10 can generate alarm information indicating a "voltage drop" as described above.

[0037] The alarm information generated by the flow meter 10 is not limited to the above-mentioned "water intrusion" and "voltage drop," but may be other alarm information. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which alarm information indicating "gas leakage" or "gas backflow" is generated based on a change in the gas flow rate. Furthermore, the flow meter 10 may be equipped with an acceleration sensor, and a configuration may be adopted in which alarm information indicating "earthquake occurrence" is generated based on the detection results. Furthermore, the flow meter 10 may be equipped with a pressure sensor that detects the gas pressure in the gas pipe, and a configuration may be adopted in which alarm information indicating "extremely high gas pressure" or "extremely low gas pressure" is generated based on the detection results. Furthermore, these alarm information may be generated by the measuring device 20 or the wireless device 30.

[0038] The wireless communication system 100 according to the present disclosure selects different transmission methods for transmission to the center 1 depending on the type of alarm information generated by the measuring device 20. That is, if the alarm information is predetermined first alarm information, a first transmission process is performed in which this alarm information is transmitted as is to the base station 4 via the first communication line NW1. On the other hand, if the alarm information is second alarm information different from the first alarm information, instead of transmitting this alarm information as is to the base station 4, a second transmission process is performed in which detailed measurement values ​​are collected from each flow meter 10 connected to each wireless device 30 via each wireless device 30 connected via the second line NW2, and then the alarm information and the measurement values ​​are transmitted together to the base station 4.

[0039] Here, the second alarm information is information about a type of alarm that can provide meaningful results by collecting and analyzing measurement values ​​from multiple flow meters 10. For example, if water intrusion occurs, in order to identify its location, measurement values ​​can be collected and analyzed not only from the flow meter 10 that first generated and transmitted the alarm information about "water intrusion," but also from multiple flow meters 10 in the vicinity, thereby narrowing down the location. Similarly, if an earthquake occurs, it is preferable to collect measurement values ​​from multiple flow meters 10 in order to identify the location where damage should be checked. Therefore, such alarm information as "water intrusion" or "earthquake occurrence" can be considered as second alarm information.

[0040] On the other hand, the first alarm information is a type of alarm information that indicates an abnormal condition exclusively related to the flow meter 10 that generated the alarm information. For example, in the above example, alarm information such as "voltage drop," "gas leak," "gas backflow," "extremely high gas pressure," and "extremely low gas pressure" may correspond to the first alarm information.

[0041] Such a transmission method will be described below with a specific example. Fig. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a transmission process executed in the wireless communication system 100. Note that in this example, a case will be described in which an abnormality is detected in a flow meter 10A having a master wireless device 30A and alarm information is generated, but even if the flow meter 10 that detects an abnormality and generates alarm information is another flow meter 10B, the contents of the transmission process that is executed will be similar.

[0042] First, a case where the repeater 40 receives the first alarm information will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, when the flow meter 10A detects a drop in battery voltage (step S1), the flow meter 10A generates alarm information indicating a "drop in voltage." This alarm information indicating a "drop in voltage" is the first alarm information, as described above. The flow meter 10A transmits the generated first alarm information to the wired repeater 40 (step S2).

[0043] The repeater 40 performs a reception process to receive the alarm information, and further performs a determination process to determine whether the received alarm information is the first alarm information or the second alarm information (step S3).The repeater 40 then determines that the alarm information indicating a "voltage drop" is the first alarm information, and performs a transmission process to transmit the alarm information to the base station 4 via the first line NW1 (step S4).

[0044] Next, a case where the repeater 40 receives the second alarm information will be described. As shown in Fig. 3, when the flow meter 10A detects the possibility of water intrusion into the gas piping (step S10), the flow meter 10A generates alarm information indicating "water intrusion has occurred." This alarm information indicating "water intrusion has occurred" is the second alarm information, as described above. The flow meter 10A transmits the generated second alarm information to the wired repeater 40 (step S11).

[0045] The repeater 40 executes the same receiving process and determining process as described above (step S12). Then, the repeater 40 determines that this alarm information indicating "water entry has occurred" is second alarm information. If the repeater 40 determines in step S12 that the second alarm information has been received, it does not execute the first transmitting process, but executes a collecting process to collect detailed measurement information from each flow meter 10 (steps S13 to S27).

[0046] That is, a data request is made to the flow meter 10A (step S13). In response, the flow meter 10A acquires measurement information (data) using the measuring device 20 (step S14) and sends this measurement information to the repeater 40 by making a data call (step S15). A data request is also made from the repeater 40 for the other flow meter 10B (steps S17, S21 to S23), and the destination flow meter 10B acquires measurement information using its own measuring device 40 (steps S18, S24) and sends the measurement information to the repeater 40 by making a data call (steps S19, S25 to S27).

[0047] The data request from the repeater 40 to each flow meter 10 (steps S13, S16, S21) is made by specifying the destination based on the identification information of the wireless device 30 that can communicate via the second line NW2, which is stored in the memory unit 43 of the repeater 40. The wireless device 30 that receives the data request determines whether the request is addressed to itself based on the identification information, and if it is addressed to itself, it acquires the measurement information and originates the data. If it is not addressed to itself, it forwards the data request to a lower-level wireless device 30.

[0048] When the repeater 40 collects measurement information from the plurality of flow meters 10 connected to the plurality of wireless devices 30 in this manner, the repeater 40 generates call data from the collected information including the measurement information and the second alarm information received in step S12 (step S28). Then, the repeater 40 executes a transmission process to transmit the call data to the base station 4 via the first line NW1 (step S29). Note that the operations of steps S13 to S29 after the determination process in step S12, from requesting data from each flow meter 10 to transmitting the collected information to the base station 4, correspond to the second transmission process.

[0049] In this way, when the alarm information is the second alarm information, the repeater 40 does not transmit only the second alarm information to the base station 4, but first collects measurement information from a plurality of flow meters 10 and transmits the alarm information and the measurement information together to the base station 4. This makes it possible to reduce the power consumption of the repeater 40 and the communication costs of the repeater 40.

[0050] That is, even when the repeater 40 receives second alarm information indicating "water intrusion has occurred," it transmits only this second alarm information to the base station 4. In this case, in order to identify the location where water intrusion has occurred, a data request is made from the center 1 or the analysis device 3 to the repeater 40 via the base station 4 to each individual flow meter 10. Therefore, data request and data call communications occur between the base station 4 and the repeater 40 for each destination flow meter 10 (see FIG. 4 for explaining the prior art).

[0051] 3, when the repeater 40 receives the second alarm information indicating "water intrusion," no data request is made from the base station 4, and communication between the base station 4 and the repeater 40 is completed with a single communication in which measurement information collected from multiple flow meters 10 is collected and sent as data to the base station 4. Therefore, the number of communications between the base station 4 and the repeater 40 can be reduced, and the power consumption and communication costs of the repeater 40 can be reduced.

[0052] The collected information sent from the repeater 40 to the base station 4 is sent to the center 1 and, as appropriate, to the analysis device 3 for analysis. For example, the analysis device 3 narrows down the locations where water intrusion has occurred based on this collected information, and creates a map that visually shows the locations or areas with a high probability of occurrence. Therefore, by referring to this map, maintenance workers can easily and quickly find the location where water intrusion has occurred.

[0053] Furthermore, the measurement cycle for acquiring data in steps S14, S18, and S24 after receiving the second alarm information may be different from the measurement cycle used when each flow meter 10 performs periodic measurements (fixed-time measurement). For example, while measurements are performed every 2.0 seconds in the fixed-time measurement, measurements in response to the second alarm may be performed at a shorter cycle (e.g., every 0.5 seconds). Data measured at short cycles over a predetermined period (e.g., 10 seconds) may be collected and sent to the repeater 40 as measurement information. In this way, obtaining measurement information measured at short cycles can improve the accuracy of determining whether water has entered the system. Furthermore, transmitting data measured at short cycles in a batch can shorten communication time and reduce battery power consumption.

[0054] (Other embodiments) The above description of the embodiments discloses the following techniques.

[0055] (Technology 1) The wireless communication system of Technology 1 includes a plurality of wireless devices connected to a plurality of measuring devices and a relay device that communicates with a base station connected to a center via a first line and communicates with the plurality of wireless devices via a second line. The wireless devices perform a transmission process of transmitting measurement information acquired by the measuring devices or alarm information generated based on the measurement information to the relay device via the second line. The relay device performs a reception process of receiving the alarm information from the wireless devices via the second line, a determination process of determining whether the received alarm information is predetermined first alarm information or second alarm information different from the first alarm information, a first transmission process of transmitting the alarm information to the base station via the first line if it is determined that the alarm information is the first alarm information, and a second transmission process of collecting the measurement information from the measuring devices connected to the plurality of wireless devices via the second line and transmitting collected information including the alarm information and the collected measurement information to the base station via the first line if it is determined that the alarm information is the second alarm information.

[0056] This reduces the number of communications between the repeater and the base station, and makes it possible to reduce the power consumption of the repeater and communication costs.

[0057] (Technology 2) In the wireless communication system of Technology 2, in Technology 1, the relay device may include a relay having the first communication unit and a radio connected to a measuring device and having the second communication unit, and the relay and the radio may be connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other.

[0058] (Technology 3) In the wireless communication system of Technology 3, in Technology 1, the relay device may further include a memory unit that stores the measurement information collected from the measuring devices connected to the plurality of wireless devices via the second line.

[0059] (Technology 4) In the wireless communication system of Technology 4, in accordance with Technology 1, the relay device may further include a storage unit that stores identification information for identifying the plurality of wireless devices that can communicate via the second line.

[0060] (Technology 5) The wireless communication system of Technique 5 may be the wireless communication system of Technique 1, further comprising an analysis device that can communicate with the base station and analyzes the collected information acquired via the base station.

[0061] (Technology 6) A relay device of Technology 6 includes a first communication unit that communicates with a base station connected to a center via a first line, a second communication unit that communicates with multiple radio devices connected to multiple measuring devices via a second line, and a control unit. The control unit performs the following steps: a receiving process to receive alarm information generated based on measurement information acquired by the measuring devices from the radio devices via the second line; a determining process to determine whether the received alarm information is predetermined first alarm information or second alarm information different from the first alarm information; a first transmitting process to transmit the alarm information to the base station via the first line when it is determined that the alarm information is the first alarm information; and a second transmitting process to collect the measurement information from the measuring devices connected to the multiple radio devices via the second line and transmit collected information including the alarm information and the collected measurement information to the base station via the first line when it is determined that the alarm information is the second alarm information. [Industrial Applicability]

[0062] The present disclosure is applicable to wireless communication systems and relay devices. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1 Center 2. Common platform 3 Analysis device 4 base station 10, 10A, 10B Flow Meter 20 Measuring Instruments 30,30A,30B Radio 31 Second Communications Department 32 Control Unit 33 Storage section 40 Repeater 41 First Communications Department 42 Control Unit 43 Storage section 44 Second Communications Department 50 Relay Device 100 Wireless Communication System NW1 First Line NW2 2nd line

Claims

1. a plurality of radios connected to a plurality of measuring devices; a relay device that communicates with a base station connected to a center via a first line and communicates with the plurality of wireless devices via a second line, The radio device executing a transmission process of transmitting measurement information acquired by the measuring device or alarm information generated based on the measurement information to the relay device via the second line; The relay device a receiving process of receiving the alarm information from the radio device via the second line; a determination process for determining whether the received alarm information is predetermined first alarm information or second alarm information different from the first alarm information; a first transmission process of transmitting the alarm information to the base station via the first line when it is determined that the alarm information is the first alarm information; and executing a second transmission process of collecting the measurement information from the measuring devices connected to the plurality of wireless devices via the second line when it is determined that the alarm information is the second alarm information, and transmitting collected information including the alarm information and the collected measurement information to the base station via the first line. Wireless communication system.

2. The relay device a repeater having the first communication unit; a wireless device connected to the measuring device and having the second communication unit, the repeater and the radio are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other; 10. The wireless communication system of claim 1.

3. the relay device further includes a storage unit configured to store the measurement information collected from the measuring devices connected to the plurality of wireless devices via the second line.

10. The wireless communication system of claim 1.

4. the relay device further includes a storage unit configured to store identification information for identifying the plurality of wireless devices capable of communicating via the second line.

10. The wireless communication system of claim 1.

5. The information processing system further includes an analysis device that can communicate with the base station and analyzes the collected information acquired via the base station.

10. The wireless communication system of claim 1.

6. a first communication unit that communicates with a base station connected to a center via a first line, a second communication unit that communicates with a plurality of wireless devices connected to a plurality of measuring devices via a second line, and a control unit; The control unit a receiving process of receiving alarm information generated based on measurement information acquired by the measuring device from the wireless device via the second line; a determination process for determining whether the received alarm information is predetermined first alarm information or second alarm information different from the first alarm information; a first transmission process of transmitting the alarm information to the base station via the first line when it is determined that the alarm information is the first alarm information; and executing a second transmission process of collecting the measurement information from the measuring devices connected to the plurality of wireless devices via the second line when it is determined that the alarm information is the second alarm information, and transmitting collected information including the alarm information and the collected measurement information to the base station via the first line. Relay device.

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