Monitoring system and power measurement communication device

Abstract

To provide a monitoring system and the like, which dramatically expand a target area without much effort by using a power measurement communication device installed in each home or facility that uses electricity is used as a base station.SOLUTION: A monitoring system comprises: a power measurement communication device 20 that measures electricity use and / or power generation situations and has a communication function as a base station; a monitoring terminal 10 which has a communication function capable of communicating with the power measurement communication device 20 and is owned by a monitoring target person X; and a position management server 30 which receives a communication history between the power measurement communication device 20 and the monitoring terminal 10 from the power measurement communication device 20 and detects a position of the monitoring terminal 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a monitoring system that detects the position of a person being monitored using an energy measuring communication device as a base station. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for notifying parents of a child's location information when the child is commuting to school, etc. The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a short-range wireless communication device that has identification information but no location information, a base station terminal that can acquire location information using signals from GPS satellites, and a management server that registers information transmitted from the base station terminal, and the base station terminal includes a search means that searches for a short-range wireless communication device with which the child can communicate and determines whether or not the device has been detected, and a detection means that is executed when the search means detects the short-range wireless communication device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5891468 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires the installation of dedicated base station terminals one by one, which poses the problem of requiring a huge amount of time, effort, and cost to expand the service area.In addition, it is necessary to adjust the priorities for spending this time, effort, and cost (for example, priorities such as installing many base station terminals in areas with many service users, such as urban areas, and installing fewer base station terminals in depopulated areas), which results in service disparities between regions and requires additional effort to consider the priorities.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a monitoring system etc. that dramatically expands the target area without much effort by using electricity meters with communication functions installed in each home and in facilities that use electricity as base stations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The monitoring system of the present invention comprises a power measurement communication device that measures electricity usage and / or power generation status and has communication functions as a base station, a monitoring terminal carried by the person being monitored and that has communication functions that enable communication with the power measurement communication device, and a location management server that receives communication history between the power measurement communication device and the monitoring terminal from the power measurement communication device and detects the location of the monitoring terminal.

[0007] In this way, the monitoring system of the present invention comprises a power measurement communication device that measures electricity usage and / or power generation status and has communication functions as a base station, a monitoring terminal carried by the person being monitored and has communication functions that enable it to communicate with the power measurement communication device, and a location management server that receives the communication history between the power measurement communication device and the monitoring terminal from the power measurement communication device and detects the location of the monitoring terminal.Therefore, the location of the monitoring terminal can be detected using electricity meters with communication functions that are already installed nationwide by each electric power company as base stations, thereby dramatically expanding the service area and achieving the effect of being able to detect the location information of the monitoring terminal in detail and accurately. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a system configuration diagram of a monitoring system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of an energy measurement communication device in a monitoring system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a location management server in a watching system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a monitoring terminal in a watching system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart showing processing of an energy measurement communication device in the monitoring system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing processing of a location management server in the watching system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a location management server in a watching system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a first diagram showing an example of optimal information for setting element information in a watching system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a second diagram showing an example of optimal information for setting element information in a watching system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a location management server in a watching system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] (First embodiment of the present invention) A monitoring system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 6. Fig. 1 is a system configuration diagram of the monitoring system according to this embodiment. The monitoring system 1 includes a monitoring terminal 10 carried by a target X to be monitored, such as a child heading to school or cram school, a pet, an elderly person, or a person who may wander off; a power measurement communication device 20 installed in each home, a store, or other facility that uses grid power under contract with a power company; a location management server 30 that collects information transmitted from the power measurement communication device 20 via a power measurement communication network 2 and calculates location information for the monitoring terminal 10; and a monitoring terminal 40 used by a monitor Y, which may be the guardian of the target X.

[0010] In the monitoring system 1 of FIG. 1, a power measurement and communication device 20 installed in each home receives a signal periodically transmitted from a monitoring terminal 10 carried by a target person X and stores the received signal history. The power measurement and communication device 20 transmits stored information about the communication history with the monitoring terminal 10 to a location management server 30 at a preset timing. The location management server 30 stores an identification ID for identifying each power measurement and communication device 20 and its location information (e.g., address) in association with each other, making it possible to identify the time and location of the monitoring terminal 10 when the monitoring terminal 10 communicated with the power measurement and communication device 20. Information about when and where the monitoring terminal 10 was located is then transmitted to the monitoring terminal 40, and the location of the monitoring terminal 10 is displayed on the display of the monitoring terminal 40 together with map information. A monitor Y can view the map to know when and where target person X was (where he or she is currently located).

[0011] Each device constituting the monitoring system 1 will be described below. The monitoring terminal 10 is carried by the monitored person X at all times. Therefore, it has a shape, size, and weight that are highly portable, and is made of a durable material that is resistant to breakdowns even when roughly handled by children and the like. Specifically, it is a rectangular parallelepiped with each side less than a few centimeters (for example, each side is less than 5 cm long and 5 cm wide, and the height is less than 1 cm), and its periphery is coated with a silicone material or the like, so that it can be stored in a pocket or bag or worn as a key chain without interfering with daily life. The monitoring terminal 10 has an extremely simple device configuration, comprising only a battery and a communication function powered by the battery. The communication function is capable of wireless communication in the 920 MHz band and transmits a signal periodically or irregularly. This signal contains at least the identification information of the monitoring terminal 10. The signal transmitted by the monitoring terminal 10 may contain information about the remaining battery level in addition to the identification information.

[0012] The power metering and communication device 20 is installed in power usage / power generation facilities, including individual houses and stores, and is a watt-hour meter with a communication function that measures the status of power usage and power generation, and transmits this information to the power company, etc. As a result, information about electricity usage is transmitted to the power company, etc., for example, every 30 minutes, eliminating the need for a meter reader to visit each home, etc. to perform meter readings. In this embodiment, the power metering and communication device 20 is used as a base station for the monitoring system 1.

[0013] 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a power measurement communication device in a monitoring system according to this embodiment. The power measurement communication device 20 includes a measurement module 21 that measures information related to the power supplied to the load 4, and a communication module 24 that transmits the measurement information measured by the measurement module 21 to a management device of a power company. The measurement module 21 includes a measurement unit 22 that measures information related to the power supplied to the load 4 from the power line 3 connected to the power measurement communication device 20 (e.g., voltage, current, amount of power, demand, harmonics, etc.), and a measurement data unit 23 that stores the measurement information measured by the measurement unit 22 in association with time information at that time. The communication module 24 includes a control unit 25 that reads measurement information from the measurement data unit 23 to be sent to the electric power company periodically (for example, every 30 minutes) and writes and reads information on the communication history between the monitoring terminal 10 and the electric power measurement communication device 20 to and from the communication history data unit 27, and a communication unit 26 that performs wireless communication in the 920 MHz band with the monitoring terminal 10 and also performs wireless communication using mobile lines such as 3G / 4G / 5G with the electric power company's management device and the location management server 30.

[0014] The control unit 25 periodically reads out the measurement information from the measurement data unit 23 and passes it to the communication unit 26. The communication unit 26 uses a mobile line to transmit the measurement information to the power company's management device via the power measurement communication network 2. As a result, information such as the amount of power used and the amount of power generated is collected by the power company. Meanwhile, when the communication unit 26 receives a wireless signal in the 920 MHz band from the monitoring terminal 10, the control unit 25 writes the identification information of the monitoring terminal 10 and the received radio wave intensity together with the time information at that time into the communication history data unit 27. In addition, the control unit 25 periodically or irregularly reads out information from the communication history data unit 27 and passes it to the communication unit 26. The communication unit 26 transmits information on the communication history between the monitoring terminal 10 and the power measurement communication device 20 to the location management server 30 via the power measurement communication network 2 using a mobile line.

[0015] The communication history information includes at least the identification information of the watching terminal 10, the radio wave intensity, and the time of communication, as well as the identification information of the power measurement communication device 20 that is the sender, and may also include information on the remaining battery level of the watching terminal 10, as necessary. The radio wave intensity of the watching terminal 10 is set to a level that can be received by the power measurement communication device 20 when the distance to the power measurement communication device 20 is within a predetermined range (a range of several tens to several hundreds of meters), and the closer the distance, the stronger the intensity.

[0016] This communication history information may be transmitted to the location management server 30 periodically at preset time intervals, or may be transmitted to the location management server 30 each time a signal is received from the watching terminal 10.

[0017] Furthermore, the communication unit 26 may use the power line 3 as a communication line to communicate with the power company.

[0018] 3 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a location management server in the monitoring system according to this embodiment. The location management server 30 includes a receiving unit 31 that receives information on the communication history between the power measurement and communication device 20 and the monitoring terminal 10, transmitted from the power measurement and communication device 20, a communication history storage unit 32 that stores the received communication history information, a location information storage unit 33 in which the identification information of the power measurement and communication device 20 and its installation location (e.g., address or latitude and longitude information) are registered in association with each other, a location detection unit 34 that detects the location of the monitoring terminal 10 from the information stored in the communication history storage unit 32 and the location information storage unit 33, monitoring terminal registration information 36 in which the identification information of the monitoring terminal 10 and destination information related to the monitoring terminal 40 (e.g., email address, application ID, or other destination information required when transmitting information to the monitoring terminal 40) are registered in association with each other, and an output control unit 35 that transmits the location information detected by the location detection unit 34 to the destination information registered in the monitoring terminal registration information 36.

[0019] The receiving unit 31 periodically or irregularly receives communication history information with the watching terminal 10 from the power measurement communication device 20. Because the power measurement communication device 20 can be considered to be installed in all facilities that use / generate electricity, the amount of information received by the receiving unit 31 is extremely large. This communication history information is stored in the communication history storage unit 32. As described above, the communication history information includes the identification information of the watching terminal 10, the identification information of the power measurement communication device 20, and information on the time of communication. This makes it possible to determine whether the watching terminal 10 was located within a range where it could communicate with the power measurement communication device 20 at the time of communication. Furthermore, the location information storage unit 33 registers the location information of each power measurement communication device 20. Therefore, based on the communication history information and this location information, it is possible to determine whether the watching terminal 10 was located in a location where it could communicate with the location where the power measurement communication device 20 was installed at the time of communication. In other words, it is possible to detect the location where the watching terminal 10 was located at the time of communication as the location of the power measurement communication device 20 that performed the communication.

[0020] Depending on the radio wave intensity setting of the watching terminal 10, it is possible that, for example, when the subject X passes through a densely populated residential area, multiple power measurement communication devices 20 will simultaneously communicate with the same watching terminal 10. That is, in this case, the communication history storage unit 32 will store the communication histories of the watching terminals 10 that communicated with multiple power measurement communication devices 20 at the same time. In such a case, the position detection unit 34 may determine that the power measurement communication device 20 with the strongest radio wave intensity when receiving a signal from the watching terminal 10 at the same time is the power measurement communication device 20 closest to the watching terminal 10, and detect the position information of this power measurement communication device 20 as the position information of the watching terminal 10.

[0021] The output control unit 35 transmits the location information of the watching terminal 10 detected by the location detection unit 34 (i.e., the address or latitude and longitude information of the power measurement communication device 20) to the destination information registered in the watching terminal registration information 36. Since the identification information of the watching terminal 10 and the destination information related to the monitoring terminal 40 are registered in association with each other in the watching terminal registration information 36, the output control unit 35 extracts the corresponding destination information from the identification information of the watching terminal 10 whose location information was detected and performs the transmission process.

[0022] The destination information is information of a destination for transmitting the location information of the watching terminal 10 possessed by the subject X to the monitoring terminal 40 of the monitor Y who monitors the subject X, and may be, for example, an email address or destination information using a dedicated app. Also, as will be described later, the map display of the watching terminal 10 may be performed on the monitoring terminal 40 side, or when the output control unit 35 transmits the location information, it may transmit an image in which the location of the watching terminal 10 is clearly indicated on the map information (or link information in which a map app is launched by tapping the link destination and the location of the watching terminal 10 is clearly indicated on the map app).

[0023] Furthermore, the output control unit 35 may transmit information about the remaining battery level together with the location information of the watching terminal 10 as necessary.

[0024] 4 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a monitoring terminal in the monitoring system according to this embodiment. The monitoring terminal 40 includes a location information receiving unit 41 that receives location information for the monitoring terminal 10 transmitted from the location management server 30, a map information storage unit 43 in which map information is registered, and a display control unit 42 that displays on a display 44 a design representing the monitoring terminal 10 superimposed on the location on the map indicated by the location information received by the location information receiving unit 41. The monitoring terminal 40 receives the location information from the location management server 30 at preset time intervals. For example, if the time interval is set to real time, the map is updated whenever the power measurement and communication device 20 communicates with the monitoring terminal 10. If the time interval is set to one minute, the map is updated and displayed every minute.

[0025] The monitoring terminal 40 can be a commonly used mobile terminal such as a smartphone, and when location information is received, for example, the location information can be passed to an existing map application, so that map information indicating the location can be displayed on the map application side.

[0026] Furthermore, if the remaining battery level of the watching terminal 10 is also received, the remaining battery level may also be displayed.

[0027] Furthermore, if necessary, the location management server 30 may transmit the location information of the watching terminal 10 to a device managed by an administrative agency, a security company, or the like as a monitoring terminal 40, so that the information can be shared. This enables a quick response in the event of an incident or accident.

[0028] Next, the operation of the monitoring system 1 will be described. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing of the power measurement communication device in the monitoring system according to this embodiment. The power measurement communication device 20 performs processing for measuring power usage / generation and processing for communicating with the monitoring terminal 10 in parallel. First, in the power measurement processing, the measurement unit 22 of the measurement module 21 measures the power usage / generation (S1) and writes it to the measurement data unit 23 (S2). The control unit 25 determines whether a predetermined time (e.g., 30 minutes) has passed since the previous transmission of measurement information (S3), and if the predetermined time has not passed, the process returns to S1 and measures the power again. This processing is repeated until the predetermined time has passed.

[0029] The above S1 and S2 processes may be performed at predetermined time intervals, for example, at intervals of 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, or the above predetermined time (for example, 30 minutes). When they are performed at predetermined time intervals, the determination process of S3 in the power measurement is not necessary.

[0030] If the predetermined time has elapsed in S3, the control unit 25 reads out the measurement information stored in the measurement data unit 23 that has not yet been transmitted to the power company's management device (S4), and the communication unit 26 transmits the measurement information to the power company's management device using a mobile phone line (S5).The control unit 25 then resets the timer (S6), and the process returns to S1.

[0031] On the other hand, in the process of communicating with the watching terminal 10, the communication unit 26 first enters a standby state to receive a 920 MHz band signal transmitted from the watching terminal 10 (S7). The control unit 25 determines whether a signal has been received from the watching terminal 10 (S8), and if not, returns to S7 and enters the standby state again. If a signal from the watching terminal 10 has been received in S8, the control unit 25 writes information about the content of the signal received from the watching terminal 10 and the time at which it was received into the communication history data unit 27 (S9). The control unit 25 determines whether a predetermined time T (for example, several seconds to several minutes) has elapsed since the previous transmission of communication history information (S10), and if the predetermined time T has not elapsed, returns to S7 and enters the standby state again. This process is repeated until the predetermined time T has elapsed. If the predetermined time T has elapsed, the control unit 25 reads out the communication history information stored in the communication history data unit 27, and the communication unit 26 transmits the communication history information to the location management server 30 using the mobile line (S12). Then, the control unit 25 resets the timer (S13), and the process returns to S7.

[0032] In the above, the process of transmitting the communication history information in S12 is performed at intervals of a predetermined time T determined in S10, but it may also be configured to transmit the information each time a signal is received from the monitoring terminal 10.

[0033] 6 is a flowchart showing the processing of the location management server in the monitoring system according to this embodiment. First, the receiving unit 31 determines whether or not communication history information transmitted from the power measurement communication device 20 has been received (S1). If communication history information has not been received from the power measurement communication device 20, the process returns to S1 and waits until communication history information is received. If communication history information has been received from the power measurement communication device 20, the transmitted communication history information is written to the communication history storage unit 32 (S2). The location detection unit 34 detects the location of the monitoring terminal 10 based on the communication history information (S3), and the output control unit 35 transmits the detected location information to the monitoring terminal 40 corresponding to the monitoring terminal 10 (S4), and the process returns to S1.

[0034] The monitoring terminal 40 that has received the location information explicitly displays the location of the watching terminal 10 on a map, as described above. The monitor Y can ascertain the location of the target person X by referring to the map displayed on the monitoring terminal 40.

[0035] The location information received by the monitoring terminal 40 may be only the most recent location information or all location information going back a predetermined time. In the former case, only the current location of the watching terminal 10 is displayed on the map, while in the latter case, the route traveled by the watching terminal 10 over a predetermined time is displayed on the map. Specifically, for example, in FIG. 3, a movement pattern calculation unit (not shown) is provided that includes the movement pattern of the watching terminal 10 from the location information detected by the position detection unit 34. This movement pattern calculation unit may calculate the movement pattern by linking the position information of the watching terminal 10 detected over a predetermined time period, or may calculate the type of transportation the watching terminal 10 is using, such as walking, running, cycling, bus, car, or train, based on travel speed information corresponding to a pre-registered transportation method. In this case, if the movement pattern deviates from the school route or the movement pattern differs from the normal registered state, alert information may be sent to the monitoring terminal 40.

[0036] Furthermore, when a destination is registered for each monitoring terminal 10, the location management server 30 may calculate information regarding an estimated arrival time of the monitoring terminal 10 at the destination based on the communication history received from the power measurement and communication device 20. Specifically, for example, in FIG. 3 , the location management server 30 may be provided with an estimated arrival time calculation unit (not shown) that calculates the distance to a pre-registered destination from the movement route and movement speed calculated by the movement mode calculation unit and the location information of the current location detected by the position detection unit 34. The result calculated by the estimated arrival time calculation unit may be transmitted to the monitoring terminal 40.

[0037] Furthermore, in the above description, only the power measurement communication device 20 functions as a base station, but it is possible to install any dedicated device that can function as a base station as needed. Since this dedicated device is not the power measurement communication device 20, it does not need to be equipped with the measurement module 21 as shown in Figure 2, and is composed only of the communication module 24.

[0038] As described above, the monitoring system of this embodiment comprises a power measurement communication device 20 that measures electricity usage and / or power generation status and has communication functions as a base station, a monitoring terminal 10 carried by the monitored person X and having communication functions that enable communication with the power measurement communication device 20, and a location management server 30 that receives the communication history between the power measurement communication device 20 and the monitoring terminal 10 from the power measurement communication device 20 and detects the location of the monitoring terminal 10.Therefore, the huge number of power measurement communication devices 20 already installed nationwide by each electric power company can be used as base stations to detect the location of the monitoring terminal 10, dramatically expanding the service area and enabling detailed and accurate detection of the location information of the monitoring terminal 10.

[0039] Furthermore, the location management server 30 calculates the movement pattern of the monitoring terminal 10, including at least the movement route, based on the communication history received from the power measurement communication device 20. Therefore, if the monitoring terminal 10 deviates from the original movement route or a movement speed different from the original means of transportation is calculated, it can be determined that something abnormal has occurred, making it possible to take early action and prevent accidents or incidents.

[0040] Furthermore, the location management server 30 calculates information regarding the expected arrival time of the monitoring terminal 10 at the destination based on the communication history received from the power measurement and communication device 20, so that the monitor Y can feel at ease by knowing the expected time that the subject X will arrive at the destination, and it becomes easier to plan a schedule for picking up the subject X. Note that the destination can be registered from the monitoring terminal 40, and may be freely changed until it is confirmed that the subject X has arrived at the destination.

[0041] (Second embodiment of the present invention) A monitoring system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9. In the monitoring system 1 according to this embodiment, a location management server 30 calculates the appropriate distribution of the power measurement communication devices 20 (the distribution of the power measurement communication devices 20 functioning as base stations) and communication frequency according to the environment of the service area, and distributes the resulting control signal to each power measurement communication device 20. Because the power measurement communication devices 20 are installed in every home and almost every facility that uses electricity, if all the power measurement communication devices 20 were to function as base stations, the communication volume would be enormous and a heavy load would be placed on the processing of the location management server 30. Therefore, in this embodiment, the optimal distribution of the power measurement communication devices 20 to function as base stations is calculated, and the optimal frequency at which each power measurement communication device 20 communicates with the location management server 30 is calculated and set. A control signal based on the calculated information is distributed to each power measurement communication device 20, and each power measurement communication device 20 operates according to the received control signal. Note that descriptions of this embodiment that overlap with those of the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0042] The location management server 30 of the monitoring system 1 according to this embodiment uses AI to set the optimal distribution and optimal communication frequency of the power metering communication devices 20 as base stations. Specifically, it uses machine learning to learn multiple parameters (hereinafter referred to as setting element information 60) that are elements in the configuration of the power metering communication devices 20, and the corresponding optimal distribution and communication frequency of the power metering communication devices 20 as base stations (hereinafter referred to as optimal information 70). The information used for machine learning may be a collection of information on areas where the monitoring system 1 is already functioning satisfactorily, or information created to represent ideal settings. By inputting the setting element information 60 for the area where the power metering communication devices 20 will be configured into the trained AI model, optimal information 70 for the power metering communication devices 20 that is appropriate for that area is output.

[0043] Fig. 7 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a location management server in a monitoring system according to this embodiment. Fig. 7 shows only the configuration related to the process of optimizing the settings of the power measurement and communication device 20, and omits other configurations. In Fig. 7, the location management server 30 includes an optimal setting model 50 having an optimization AI 51 that learns setting element information 60 and optimal information 70 based on the setting element information 60, an editing unit 52 that edits the results output by the optimization AI 51, and a distribution unit 55 that distributes the output results of the optimal setting model 50 to the power measurement and communication device 20.

[0044] The setting element information 60 used for machine learning includes, for example, map information 61 of the area where the monitoring system 1 is provided (including information on the installation status of the power measurement communication devices 20 (i.e., the installation locations and number of power measurement communication devices 20 that can function as base stations)), dangerous area information 62 that identifies dangerous areas in the map information 61, school route information 63 that indicates school routes determined by schools, etc., and passerby information 64 regarding the approximate number of passersby for each (date, time, location).

[0045] In addition to this, it is desirable to include information that should be referred to when determining the distribution of power measurement and communication devices 20 that will function as base stations, such as vehicle traffic volume, frequency of incidents and accidents, distribution information on streetlights, location of intersections, presence or absence of traffic lights, presence or absence and opening hours of convenience stores and commercial stores, distance from stations, width of roads and sidewalks, and number of junior high school to university students commuting to school by bicycle.

[0046] In machine learning, optimal information 70 corresponding to the setting element information 60 is also learned. The optimal information 70 is mainly information on the optimal distribution of the power measurement communication devices 20 and information on the communication frequency with which each power measurement communication device 20 communicates with the location management server 30 (the frequency at which information on the communication history between the monitoring terminal 10 and the power measurement communication device 20 is transmitted to the location management server 30).

[0047] In the information on optimal distribution in the optimal information 70, for example, the number of power measuring communication devices 20 functioning as base stations (which may be an absolute number or a relative number (density)) is set to be large in dangerous areas (near rivers, near railroad crossings, with heavy traffic, near intersections, areas with frequent crimes and accidents, areas with few streetlights, areas with poor security, routes other than school routes, etc.). Conversely, in areas such as near schools where adults can easily keep an eye on them and which are relatively safe, but where many children gather and communication volume is likely to increase, the number of power measuring communication devices 20 functioning as base stations is set to be small.

[0048] In addition, for example, when children are commuting to school, it is conceivable that their movements will radiate out from the school, so by setting fewer power measurement communication devices 20 functioning as base stations (lower density) closer to the school, and setting more power measurement communication devices 20 functioning as base stations (higher density) in areas farther from the school, it is possible to reliably detect the location of the monitoring terminal 10 even when the subjects X are dispersed.

[0049] Furthermore, in the information on the optimum communication frequency in the optimum information 70, for example, in the above-mentioned dangerous area, the communication frequency is increased so that the movement state of the watching terminal 10 can be grasped in as much detail as possible. For example, if the communication frequency is set to once per minute outside the dangerous area, it is set to once every several tens of seconds (for example, 30 seconds) in the dangerous area.

[0050] In addition, in areas where the number of installed power measurement and communication devices 20 is small, such as mountainous areas and depopulated areas, the communication frequency is increased so that the movement state of the monitoring terminal 10 can be kept track of as much as possible at all times.

[0051] 8 and 9 are diagrams showing examples of optimization information 70 for the setting element information 60. FIGS. 8A and 9A show map information in which the setting element information 60 is registered, and FIGS. 8B and 9B show the optimal distribution of power measurement communication devices 20 (distribution of power measurement communication devices 20 functioning as base stations) and communication frequencies registered for the maps of FIGS. 8A and 9A. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, in an area designated as a risky area, power measurement communication devices 20 as base stations are densely distributed, allowing for detailed understanding of the movement state of the monitoring terminal 10. Also, as shown in FIG. 9, for example, near a school, the area is relatively safe and communication volume increases, so the power measurement communication devices 20 as base stations are distributed sparsely. However, the further away from the school, the more dispersed the monitoring terminals 10 are. Therefore, the density of the distribution of the power measurement communication devices 20 as base stations is increased in order to reliably detect the location of the monitoring terminal 10 without losing track of it. In addition, the communication frequency is set to be higher the further away from the school. In this way, the optimal distribution and communication frequency of the power measurement and communication devices 20 are set based on the characteristics of the area and information on risk areas.

[0052] The optimization AI 51 performs machine learning on a large number of pieces of setting element information 60 and corresponding optimal information 70, such as those shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. Then, by inputting map information for a new region in which setting element information 60, such as those shown in FIGS. 8A and 9A, is registered, optimal information 70 is output, which calculates the optimal distribution and communication frequency of the power metering and communication devices 20 for that region. The editing unit 52 performs editing processing on the output optimal information 70 in response to an administrator's operation (e.g., adjusting the distribution and communication frequency of the power metering and communication devices 20, or reflecting optimized settings of the power metering and communication devices 20 that could not be handled by the optimization AI 51), thereby obtaining more precisely optimized optimal information 70. The optimal information 70 obtained as a result of editing by the editing unit 52 is fed back to the optimization AI 51 and is again machine-learned.

[0053] Based on the optimization information 70 optimized by the editing unit 52, the distribution unit 55 generates a control signal for controlling whether each power measurement communication device 20 functions as a base station, and distributes the control signal to each power measurement communication device 20. At this time, if the power measurement communication device 20 functions as a base station, a control signal for setting the communication frequency is also distributed. Then, the power measurement communication device 20 that receives the control signal functions or stops functioning at the communication frequency set as a base station based on the control signal.

[0054] In this embodiment, the optimization AI 51 that performs machine learning is configured to output the optimal information 70. However, the optimal information 70 may be calculated based on, for example, preset rule information. For example, the rule information may include information such as "for houses lined up along a river, 50% of the power measuring communication devices 20 are randomly made to function as base stations," "for houses within a 50-m range of a school, 20% of the power measuring communication devices 20 are randomly made to function as base stations, 30% within 50 m to 100 m, 40% within 100 m to 300 m, and 50% within 300 m to 1000 m," and "for areas where the average distance between power measuring communication devices 20 is 50 m or more, the communication frequency is set to once every 20 seconds," and the optimal information 70 may be calculated by an algorithm without using AI in accordance with the rule information.

[0055] As described above, in the monitoring system 1 according to this embodiment, the location management server 30 is equipped with an optimization AI 51 (corresponding to a distribution determination means) that calculates and selects the distribution of power measurement communication devices 20 suitable for functioning as base stations from among all the power measurement communication devices 20 that are measuring electricity usage, and a distribution unit 55 that distributes a control signal for enabling / disabling the base station function for each power measurement communication device 20. Therefore, by having the minimum number of power measurement communication devices 20 function as base stations, an increase in communication volume can be prevented, and an increase in the load on the location management server 30 can also be prevented.

[0056] In addition, the location management server 30 is equipped with an optimization AI 51 (corresponding to a transmission frequency calculation means) that calculates the appropriate value of the transmission frequency at which the power measurement communication device 20, which functions as a base station, transmits the communication history with the monitoring terminal 10 to the location management server 30, and a distribution unit 55 that distributes a control signal to control the transmission frequency to an appropriate value for each power measurement communication device 20.This prevents communication charges from increasing more than necessary in areas where power measurement communication devices 20 are densely installed, and even in mountainous areas or depopulated areas where there are few power measurement communication devices 20 installed, by increasing the communication frequency, it is possible to collect as much communication history as possible between the monitoring terminal 10 and the power measurement communication device 20, and the location of the monitoring terminal 10 can be accurately determined.

[0057] (Other embodiments of the present invention) The monitoring system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 10. The monitoring system 1 according to this embodiment recalculates the optimal distribution of the power measuring communication devices 20 as base stations, which was calculated in the monitoring system 1 according to the second embodiment, in the event of an emergency such as a disaster. Note that in this embodiment, explanations that overlap with the previous embodiments will be omitted.

[0058] When a disaster occurs, victims want to check on the safety of their family members and obtain information on evacuation sites as quickly as possible, but find it difficult to contact them, which places a great mental burden on them. In such cases, if the detailed movement patterns of the monitoring terminal 10 can be grasped, it will be possible to understand what actions the subject X has taken and where he or she has evacuated. Since it is desirable to grasp such information in as much detail as possible, in this embodiment, the distribution and / or communication frequency of the optimized power metering communication device 20 as a base station are recalculated.

[0059] Specifically, in order to grasp more detailed movement patterns than usual, a control signal is sent to the power measurement communication device 20 that has been determined not to function as a base station by the optimization information 70 so that it functions as a base station. This makes it possible to collect a large amount of information from the power measurement communication device 20, which can be used to confirm the safety of family members and provide information on evacuation sites.

[0060] Fig. 10 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the location management server in the monitoring system according to this embodiment. The difference from the configuration of Fig. 7 in the second embodiment is that it newly includes an alert receiving unit 101 that receives alert information notifying the occurrence of an emergency such as a disaster, and a recalculating unit 102 that recalculates the distribution and / or communication frequency of power measurement communication devices appropriate for functioning as base stations based on the received alert information.

[0061] When a disaster or the like occurs, the alert receiving unit 101 receives information indicating the occurrence of the disaster, the location, the scale of the disaster, and the like. The recalculation unit 102 recalculates the distribution of the power measurement communication devices 20 as base stations in the disaster-hit area according to the content of the alert information. Specifically, for example, since congestion is unlikely to occur in the 920 MHz wireless communication used to communicate with the monitoring terminal 10 during a disaster, the number of power measurement communication devices 20 functioning as base stations is increased to collect as much communication history information as possible to detect the location and movement of the monitoring terminal 10 in detail. On the other hand, since communication from the power measurement communication devices 20 to the location management server 30 uses a cellular line, congestion is likely to occur during a disaster. Therefore, the frequency of communication from the power measurement communication devices 20 to the location management server 30 is reduced compared to normal. In other words, the power measurement communication devices 20 are configured to collect as much information as possible while transmitting information to the location management server 30 less frequently.

[0062] When alert information is received, the calculation may be recalculated so that all power measurement communication devices 20 function as base stations, or the distribution of power measurement communication devices 20 functioning as base stations may be recalculated according to the scale of the disaster. For example, if the information on the scale of the disaster included in the alert information is small, the number of power measurement communication devices 20 functioning as base stations may be randomly doubled while uniformly reducing the communication frequency by half, and if the information on the scale of the disaster included in the alert information is large, the number of power measurement communication devices 20 functioning as base stations may be randomly increased by four times while uniformly reducing the communication frequency by one-quarter. In this way, the distribution and communication frequency of the power measurement communication devices 20 functioning as base stations may be adjusted and recalculated according to the scale of the disaster.

[0063] The results of the recalculation by the recalculation unit 102 are sent to the distribution unit 55, which generates a control signal for setting each power measurement communication device 20 and distributes it to each power measurement communication device 20.

[0064] As described above, in the monitoring system 1 according to this embodiment, the location management server 30 includes an alert receiving unit 101 that receives alert information informing the user that an emergency has occurred, and a recalculation unit 102 that recalculates the distribution of power measurement communication devices 20 that are suitable for functioning as base stations based on the received alert information. The distribution unit 55 distributes a control signal for enabling / disabling the base station function for each power measurement communication device 20 based on the recalculation results of the recalculation unit 102. Therefore, in the event of an emergency such as a disaster, it is possible to collect as much information as possible about the movement patterns of the monitoring terminals 10 while avoiding communication congestion and accurately and quickly checking the safety of users, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] X Target Audience Y Watcher 1. Monitoring system 2. Power measurement and communication network 3 electric wire 4. Load 10 Monitoring device 20. Electricity measurement and communication equipment 21 Measurement Module 22 Measurement section 23 Measurement Data Section 24 Communication Module 25 Control Unit 26 Communications Department 27 Communication history data section 30 Location Management Server 31 Receiving unit 32 Communication history memory unit 33 Location information storage unit 34 Position detection unit 35 Output control section 36 Device registration information 40 Monitoring terminal 41 Location information receiving unit 42 Display control unit 43 Map information storage unit 44 Display 50 Optimal setting model 51 Optimization AI 52 Editorial Department 55 Distribution Department 60 Setting element information 61 Map Information 62 Danger Area Information 63 School Route Information 64 Passerby Information 70 Best Information 101 Alert Receiving Unit 102 Recalculation part

Claims

1. an electric power measurement and communication device that measures the state of electricity use and / or power generation and has a communication function as a base station; A monitoring terminal carried by a person being monitored, the monitoring terminal having a communication function capable of communicating with the power measurement and communication device; A monitoring system characterized by comprising a location management server that receives communication history between the power measurement communication device and the monitoring terminal from the power measurement communication device and detects the location of the monitoring terminal.

2. The monitoring system according to claim 1, The location management server: a distribution determination means for calculating and selecting a distribution of power measurement communication devices that are appropriate to function as the base station from among all power measurement communication devices that measure electricity usage; A monitoring system characterized by comprising a distribution means for distributing control information for switching the function as a base station between enabled and disabled for each of the power measurement communication devices.

3. The monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, The location management server: a transmission frequency calculation means for calculating an appropriate value of a transmission frequency at which the power measurement communication device functioning as the base station transmits a communication history with the monitoring terminal to the location management server; A monitoring system comprising: a distribution means for distributing control information for controlling the transmission frequency to the appropriate value for each of the power measurement communication devices.

4. The monitoring system according to claim 2, The location management server: an alert receiving means for receiving alert information notifying that an emergency has occurred; a recalculation unit that recalculates a distribution of power metering communication devices appropriate for functioning as the base station based on the received alert information, A monitoring system characterized in that the distribution means distributes control information for switching the base station function on / off for each power measurement communication device based on the recalculation results of the recalculation means.

5. The monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, The location management server: A monitoring system characterized by comprising a movement pattern calculation means for calculating a movement pattern including at least a movement route of the monitoring terminal based on the communication history received from the power measurement communication device.

6. The monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, The location management server: A monitoring system characterized by comprising an arrival schedule calculation means for calculating information regarding the arrival schedule of the monitoring terminal at the destination based on the communication history received from the power measurement communication device.

7. An electric power measurement and communication device installed in a predetermined facility, a measuring means for measuring the electricity usage and / or power generation status in the predetermined facility; A communication means is provided which communicates with a management server of a power company using one frequency band and communicates with a monitoring terminal carried by a person to be monitored using another frequency band, The communication means of the power measurement communication device is characterized in that it at least receives a signal from the monitoring terminal indicating that the monitoring terminal and the power measurement communication device have come within a predetermined distance, and transmits at least information on the measurement results by the measurement means and information on the communication history between the monitoring terminal and the management server.

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