Field communication processing device

Abstract

To provide a field communication processing device that eliminates restrictions on the installation location of field sensors within the field, can output analog values ​​to a management device, and allows for optimized power supply design. [Solution] A field communication processing device used in a field management device that performs field management based on measurement data from field sensors installed in a field comprises a sensor-side communication processing unit that creates digitized measurement data based on the output from the field sensor and transmits it via wireless communication, and a management-side communication processing unit that creates analog output data based on the measurement data received via wireless communication from the sensor-side communication processing unit and outputs it to the management device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a field communication processing device used for field management such as paddy fields.

Background Art

[0002] There is a known field management system that installs field sensors for managing water levels and water temperatures in fields such as paddy fields and controls management devices such as automatic water supply taps based on measurement data obtained from these field sensors (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Also, as this type of field management system, it is common to output measurement data obtained from field sensors to a management device connected by a wired connection as an analog value.

[0003] However, in the above conventional field management system, since the field sensor and the management device (automatic water supply tap) are connected by a wired connection, it is difficult to install the field sensor separately from the management device. When the field sensor is installed separately from the management device using a long wire, troubles such as accidentally cutting the wire during mowing operations or the wire being bitten by birds and beasts are likely to occur.

[0004] Also, in the method using known wireless communication devices, there was a problem that existing management devices that only support analog values could not be used as they were. Furthermore, in terms of power supply design, since the management device (automatic water supply tap) was operating only on the battery, there was an issue that the battery of the management device was consumed rapidly and it was difficult to keep the battery for a long time.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] The present invention aims to solve the problems of the above-mentioned prior art, and in summary, it aims to provide a field communication processing device that eliminates the constraints on the installation location of field sensors within the field, can output analog values ​​to a management device, and can optimize the power supply design. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, the present inventor has configured a field communication processing device used in a management device that performs field management based on measurement data from a field sensor installed in the field, comprising: a sensor-side communication processing unit that creates digitized measurement data based on the output from the field sensor and transmits it by wireless communication; and a management-side communication processing unit that creates analog output data based on the measurement data received by wireless communication from the sensor-side communication processing unit and outputs it to the management device (the effects will be described later).

[0008] In the present invention, the sensor-side communication processing unit is configured to minimize battery consumption by including a power supply unit that supplies power from a battery and a transmission processing unit that performs the transmission processing of the measurement data asynchronously with the management-side communication processing unit for a set transmission period (t1) and a set transmission time (τ).

[0009] In the present invention, the transmission processing unit can be configured to change the transmission cycle (t1) and the transmission time (τ) based on the remaining battery charge, thereby enabling transmission processing to be performed in accordance with battery depletion.

[0010] In the present invention, the management-side communication processing unit is equipped with a receiving processing unit that performs receiving processing of measurement data transmitted from the sensor-side communication processing unit based on a command signal from the management device, and the reception time (t2) is set to be greater than or equal to the transmission time (τ) of the sensor-side communication processing unit, and shorter than the sum of the transmission period (t1) and the transmission time (τ), thereby ensuring reliable reception processing of the transmitted measurement data.

[0011] In this invention, the command signal from the above-mentioned management device includes a periodic signal transmitted at a set period (T) and a non-periodic signal transmitted by an external input, thereby enabling the non-periodic signal to respond to irregular control caused by external operations by the user.

[0012] In this invention, by using the above-mentioned management device as a water supply control device for controlling the water supply to the field, it becomes possible to set the installation position of the field sensor to a position necessary for water supply control and perform accurate water supply control.

[0013] In this invention, the system includes a plurality of sensor-side communication processing units connected to each of the plurality of field sensors, and a management-side communication processing unit that receives the measurement data from each of the sensor-side communication processing units. This allows the management-side communication processing unit to receive and centrally manage the measurement data. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] The field communication processing device of the present invention transmits measurement data from the sensor-side communication processing unit to the management-side communication processing unit via wireless communication. Therefore, when the sensor-side communication processing unit is installed together with the field sensor, there are no restrictions on the installation location of the field sensor, and the field sensor can be installed in the necessary location in the field to perform accurate field management.

[0015] Furthermore, in this invention, the sensor-side communication processing unit transmits digitized measurement data wirelessly, and the management-side communication processing unit converts the measurement data to analog and outputs it to the management device, thus enabling output to the management device as an analog value.

[0016] Furthermore, in this invention, since power supplies are provided on both the sensor side and the management device side, the design power can be distributed, allowing the power supply design to be optimized and the sensor and management device to operate for a long period of time. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1]This is a circuit block diagram showing a field communication processing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a system schematic diagram showing a field management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram showing the control and communication method of the field communication processing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart showing the regular processing of the field communication processing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart showing the irregular processing of the field communication processing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] 『First Embodiment』 The first embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 1 to 5. In the figures, what is indicated by reference numeral 1 is a field sensor, what is indicated by reference numeral 2 is a management device. Also, what is indicated by reference numeral 3 is a sensor-side communication processing unit, and what is indicated by reference numeral 4 is a management-side communication processing unit. Further, what is indicated by reference numeral A is a field communication processing device, and what is indicated by reference numeral G is a gateway.

[0019] 「Hardware Configuration of Field Communication Processing Device」 [1] Basic Configuration The hardware configuration of the field communication processing device A of the present embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a water level sensor and a water temperature sensor are used as the field sensor 1, and a water supply control device that controls the water supply of the field is used as the management device 2. Also, a sensor-side communication processing unit 3 that creates digitized measurement data based on the output from the field sensor 1 and transmits it by wireless communication is connected to the field sensor 1.

[0020] On one hand, the management device 2 is connected to a management-side communication processing unit 4 that creates output data analogized based on the measurement data received by wireless communication from the sensor-side communication processing unit 3 and outputs it to the management device 2. By setting the installation position of the field sensor 1 to a position necessary for water supply control in this way, accurate water supply control can be performed by the management device 2 based on the measurement data from the field sensor 1.

[0021] [2] Field Sensor Next, each component will be described. Regarding the above field sensor 1, in this embodiment, a field sensor 1 for paddy fields is used, and a water level sensor that detects the water level of the field and outputs it as an analog value, and a water temperature sensor that detects the water temperature of the field and outputs it as an analog value are used. As the field sensor 1, depending on the type of the field or the management device 2, other sensors than the water level sensor and the water temperature sensor can also be used. For example, as the field sensor 1 for upland farming, vinyl greenhouses, and plant factories, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a solar radiation sensor, a CO2 concentration sensor, a wind direction and wind speed sensor, a soil sensor, etc. can also be used.

[0022] [3] Management Device Regarding the above management device 2, in this embodiment, a water supply control device that controls the amount of water supplied to the paddy field by opening and closing a valve is used, but a device of a water supply control device can also be used. For example, a ventilation control device, a fertilizer management device, a temperature control device, and other environmental control devices used in upland farming, vinyl greenhouses, plant factories, etc. can also be used.

[0023] [4] Sensor-Side Communication Processing Unit As shown in FIG. 1, the sensor-side communication processing unit 3 of this embodiment includes an A / D conversion unit 31 that converts the analog value output from the field sensor 1 into a digital value, a transmission processing unit 32 with a built-in microcomputer for transmitting the digitized measurement data by wireless communication, and a power supply unit 33 that supplies power from a battery (dry battery) via a power circuit. Also, in this embodiment, the sensor-side communication processing unit 3 and the field sensor 1 are connected by wire to enable data reception, but wireless connection can also be made by short-range wireless communication or the like.

[0024] [5] Management side communication processing unit As shown in Figure 1, the management-side communication processing unit 4 of this embodiment comprises a receiving processing unit 41 with a built-in microcontroller for receiving measurement data digitized by wireless communication via wireless communication, a D / A conversion unit 42 for converting the received digital values ​​into analog values, and a power supply unit 43 that supplies power from the battery (dry cell) of the management device 2 via a power supply circuit. In this embodiment, the management-side communication processing unit 4 and the management device 2 are connected by a wire to enable data transmission and reception, but wireless connection is also possible using short-range wireless communication, etc.

[0025] In this embodiment, a temporary storage device is provided in the D / A conversion unit 42 of the management-side communication processing unit 4, so that the analog values ​​converted by the D / A conversion unit 42 can be stored in the temporary storage device. This allows the control unit of the management device 2 to read measurement data from the temporary storage device of the D / A conversion unit 42 at any time (not shown).

[0026] [6] Number of sensor-side communication processing units and management-side communication processing units In this embodiment, the sensor-side communication processing unit 3 and the management-side communication processing unit 4 are connected in a one-to-one communication manner. However, when multiple field sensors 1 are installed, multiple sensor-side communication processing units 3 connected to each field sensor 1 and one management-side communication processing unit 4 that receives measurement data from each of these sensor-side communication processing units can be connected in an N-to-1 communication manner. This allows for centralized management by receiving and aggregating the measurement data from multiple field sensors 1 with a single management-side communication processing unit 4. Alternatively, multiple sensor-side communication processing units 3 and multiple management-side communication processing units 4 can be connected in an N-to-N communication manner.

[0027] Furthermore, when the sensor-side communication processing unit 3 and the management-side communication processing unit 4 are connected in an N-to-1 or N-to-N communication manner, the management-side communication processing unit 4 can calculate the measurement data from multiple field sensors 1 and send control signals (for example, valve opening / closing control signals) to the management device 2 based on the calculation results. When N-to-1 communication is enabled, it becomes possible to obtain measurement data from adjacent fields, and water-saving effects can be achieved by opening and closing the valves of the water supply control device based on the measurement data from adjacent fields and managing water distribution. When N-to-N communication is enabled, it becomes possible to simultaneously transmit measurement data to the water supply side and the drainage side, allowing for more accurate control of the valve opening and closing of the water supply control device.

[0028] [6] Gateway device In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, a gateway device G is provided to connect multiple management devices 2 and user terminals (smartphones, PCs, etc.) via the internet. This allows measurement data acquired by the management devices 2 to be transmitted to smartphones, PCs, etc. via the internet for user review. Furthermore, the management devices 2 can be remotely controlled from the user terminal (smartphone, PC, etc.) to acquire measurement data at any desired time.

[0029] [7] Example of modification of field communication processing device The sensor-side communication processing unit 3 of the field communication processing device A can also be connected to the cloud server via the gateway device G, or directly. This allows measurement data from the field sensor 1 to be transmitted from the sensor-side communication processing unit 3 to the cloud server for use.

[0030] "Software configuration for field communication processing equipment" [1] Transmission process of the sensor-side communication processing unit [1-1] Asynchronous transmission process with the management side communication processing unit Next, the transmission control means of the sensor-side communication processing unit 3 will be explained with reference to Figure 3. The transmission processing unit 32 of the sensor-side communication processing unit 3 performs the transmission processing of measurement data asynchronously with the management-side communication processing unit 4 for a set transmission period (τ) at a set transmission cycle (t1). Specifically, as shown in the processes (a) to (d) in Figure 3 and in Figure 4, the sensor-side communication processing unit 3 wakes up from sleep mode at a cycle of t and acquires measurement data (water level and water temperature data) from the field sensor 1 (water level sensor and water temperature sensor). Furthermore, it transmits the acquired measurement data to the management-side communication processing unit 4 for a period of τ.

[0031] This allows for pre-setting appropriate transmission cycles (t1) and transmission times (τ) to reduce battery consumption in the sensor-side communication processing unit 3. In this embodiment, the transmission cycle (t1) and transmission time (τ) are set to be unchangeable during use, but they can also be set to be changeable as needed according to usage conditions.

[0032] [1-2] Transmission process based on battery level In this embodiment, the transmission cycle (t1) and transmission time (τ) of the transmission processing unit 32 are fixed to a constant time. However, the transmission cycle (t1) and transmission time (τ) can also be varied based on the remaining battery level of the power supply unit 33. Specifically, the power supply unit 33 is provided with a battery level detection unit, and this detection unit transmits remaining battery level data to the transmission processing unit 32. If the remaining battery level data falls below a predetermined threshold, processing such as extending the transmission cycle (t1) can be performed. This allows the transmission process to be performed with an optimal transmission cycle (t1) in accordance with the battery depletion.

[0033] [2] Reception processing of the management side communication processing unit [2-1] Reception processing based on command signals from the control device As shown in the processing (a) of Figure 3 and Figure 4, the receiving processing unit 41 of the management-side communication processing unit 4 receives (scans) the measurement data transmitted from the transmitting processing unit 32 of the sensor-side communication processing unit 3 based on the command signal from the management device 2. At this time, the receiving time (t2) of the receiving processing unit 41 is set to be greater than or equal to the transmission time (τ) of the sensor-side communication processing unit 3, and to be the sum of the transmission period (t1) and the transmission time (τ), thereby ensuring that the transmitted measurement data is reliably received. The received analog measurement data is converted to digital values ​​by the D / A conversion unit 42 and stored, as shown in Figures 4 and 5.

[0034] Furthermore, regarding the reception time (t2) of the receiving processing unit 41, the management-side communication processing unit 4 can be made to transition to sleep mode at the point when it has finished receiving the measurement data from the sensor-side communication processing unit 3. In that case, the reception process will be completed in less than t2 time (not shown). That is, it will be longer than or equal to the transmission time (τ) of the sensor-side communication processing unit 3, and shorter than the sum of the transmission period (t1) and the transmission time (τ).

[0035] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, when the management device 2 sends a command signal, the management-side communication processing unit 4 synchronously wakes up from sleep mode and reads the measurement data from the temporary storage device of the D / A conversion unit 42. Therefore, the measurement data read by the management device 2 is the measurement data that the receiving processing unit 41 has already received from the sensor-side communication processing unit 3. Note that the timing of sending the command signal from the management device 2 and the timing of the reading process do not necessarily have to be simultaneous; the timing can be staggered.

[0036] [2-2] Periodic and non-periodic signals from the control device The command signals from the management device 2 include a periodic signal S1 transmitted at a set period T, as shown in processes (a) to (d) in Figure 3, and a non-periodic signal S2 transmitted by an external input, as shown in processes (b) and (c) in Figure 3. By allowing the management-side communication processing unit 4 to perform reception processing at timings other than those of the periodic signal S1 using the non-periodic signal S2, it is possible to handle irregular control via remote operation using a user terminal.

[0037] [2-3] Waiting time for receiving data When the receiving processing unit 41 receives a command signal from the management device 2, it waits for a set time (x) as shown in Figures 3(a) and 4, then wakes up from sleep mode and starts processing the measurement data transmitted from the sensor-side communication control unit 3. This delays the start time of the receiving process by the waiting time (x), allowing the receiving process to start just before the management device 2 reads the measurement data (later than the previous command signal). If immediate receiving processing is performed for the periodic signal S1 without setting a waiting time (x), the measurement data read by the management device 2 will be old data received T hours earlier.

[0038] [2-4] Irregular processing due to non-periodic signals If the receiving processing unit 41 receives a specified signal (periodic signal S1 or non-periodic signal S2) from the management device 2 during the set waiting time (x), it immediately starts the receiving process as shown in process (b) of Figure 3 and Figure 5. This allows the sensor-side communication processing unit 3 to receive measurement data at the time the user remotely operates the management device 2. The measurement data received at that time is then read into the management device 2 at the timing of the next command signal.

[0039] [2-5] Return from irregular processing to regular processing If the receiving processing unit 41 performs irregular processing (immediate receiving processing) based on a command signal (periodic signal S1 or non-periodic signal S2) from the management device 2, and after the set waiting time (x) has elapsed and the receiving processing is completed, the unit will return to regular processing (receiving processing after waiting) for the next periodic signal S1, as shown in processes (c) and (d) in Figure 3 and in Figure 5. This makes it possible to automatically revert the irregular processing after receiving the non-periodic signal S2 back to the regular processing for the periodic signal S1.

[0040] [2-6] Disable interrupt handling When the receiving processing unit 41 receives a command signal from the management device 2 while receiving measurement data from the sensor-side communication processing unit 3, it can disable interrupts to prevent interrupt processing from occurring, as shown in process (c) of Figure 3 and Figure 5. This prevents the receiving process from being interrupted midway by an interrupt and having to be restarted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1. Field Sensor 2 Management device 3. Sensor-side communication processing unit 31 A / D conversion section 32 Transmission Processing Unit 33 Power supply section 4. Management side communication processing unit 41 Receiving Processing Unit 42 D / A Conversion Section 43 Power supply section A Field communication processing device G Gateway Device t1 transmission cycle t2 Reception time τ Transmission time T Command signal period S1 periodic signal S2 Aperiodic signal

Claims

1. A field communication processing device used in a field management device that performs field management based on measurement data from field sensors installed in a field, comprising: a sensor-side communication processing unit that creates digitized measurement data based on the output from the field sensor and transmits it by wireless communication; and a management-side communication processing unit that creates analog output data based on the measurement data received by wireless communication from the sensor-side communication processing unit and outputs it to the management device.

2. The field communication processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor-side communication processing unit comprises a power supply unit that supplies power from a battery, and a transmission processing unit that performs the transmission processing of the measurement data asynchronously with the management-side communication processing unit for a set transmission period (t1) and a set transmission time (τ).

3. The field communication processing device according to claim 2, wherein the transmission processing unit changes the transmission cycle (t1) and the transmission time (τ) based on the remaining battery charge.

4. The field communication processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the management-side communication processing unit includes a receiving processing unit that processes the receipt of measurement data transmitted from the sensor-side communication processing unit based on a command signal from the management device, and the reception time (t2) is greater than or equal to the transmission time (τ) of the sensor-side communication processing unit, and is shorter than the sum of the transmission period (t1) and the transmission time (τ).

5. The field communication processing device according to claim 4, wherein the command signal from the control device includes a periodic signal transmitted at a set period (T) and a non-periodic signal transmitted by an external input.

6. The field communication processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the management device is a water supply control device that controls the water supply to the field.

7. A field communication processing device according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a plurality of sensor-side communication processing units connected to a plurality of field sensors, and a management-side communication processing unit that receives the measurement data from each of the sensor-side communication processing units.

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