Communication Equipment

Abstract

To provide a communication apparatus which is easy to replace with a novel communication apparatus.SOLUTION: A communication apparatus 100 performs communication with a center apparatus 300 via a wireless communication network Ne. The communication apparatus 100 comprises a first circuit board 1, a second circuit board 2, and a first storage unit 19. A first connection part 21 is mounted to the first circuit board 1. A second connection part 22 connected to the first connection part 21 detachably is mounted to the second circuit board 2. The first storage unit 19 is mounted to the second circuit board 2 and stores information to connect with the wireless communication network Ne.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a communication device that communicates with a center device via a wireless communication network (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The terminal device of Patent Document 1 includes an electronic board. The electronic board has a board, a control IC, and an eSIM (embedded subscriber identity module). The control IC and eSIM are mounted on the board. In other words, the control IC and eSIM are fixed to the board. The control IC reads information written in the eSIM, and controls the terminal device based on the information read from the eSIM. Information for connecting to a wireless communication network is written in the eSIM. The information written in the eSIM includes information unique to each eSIM. The information written in the eSIM is registered in the center device for each communication device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-46183 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in a configuration in which a storage unit that stores information for connecting to a wireless communication network is mounted on a board, when a communication device breaks down, it is necessary to replace the communication device with a new one, including the storage unit. Therefore, when a communication device breaks down, it is necessary to update the information registered in the center device. As a result, the work of replacing the communication device with a new one becomes complicated.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a communication device that can be easily replaced with a new communication device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a communication device communicates with a center device via a wireless communication network. The communication device includes a first circuit board, a second circuit board, and a first memory unit. A first connection unit is mounted on the first circuit board. A second connection unit is mounted on the second circuit board and is detachably connected to the first connection unit. The first memory unit is mounted on the second circuit board. The first memory unit stores information for connecting to the wireless communication network. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the communication device of the present invention, the task of replacing the communication device with a new one becomes easy. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a telemetry system including a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram showing an external appearance of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a front view of the communication device with the front cover removed. [Figure 4] 1 is an enlarged view of a portion of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 5] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a part of a circuit configuration of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the external appearance of a memory unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the communication device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings (FIGS. 1 to 7). However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and can be embodied in various aspects without departing from the gist of the present invention. Note that where explanations are repeated, they may be omitted as appropriate. Also, in the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference symbols, and explanations will not be repeated.

[0010] First, a communication device 100 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a telemeter system SYS including the communication device 100 of the present embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the telemeter system SYS includes the communication device 100, a meter 200, a center device 300, and a center-side network control device 400. For example, the telemeter system SYS may include a plurality of communication devices 100, a plurality of meters 200, the center device 300, and the center-side network control device 400. The telemeter system SYS collects information indicating the measurement results of the meter 200. The measurement results of the meter 200 indicate the measurement values ​​measured by the meter 200. The meter 200 is an example of an "external device."

[0011] The meter 200 is a measuring device related to resources or energy. The measurement target of the meter 200 is, for example, gas, water, or electricity. The meter 200 is installed for each consumer, such as, for example, a private home, a company, or various facilities. That is, the meter 200 measures the usage amount of, for example, gas, water, or electricity, and outputs the measurement value as a measurement result.

[0012] The communication device 100 is installed for each meter 200. The communication device 100 is communicatively connected to the meter 200. In this embodiment, the communication device 100 is wired to the meter 200 by an electric wire PL. The electric wire PL includes a signal line and a ground line.

[0013] The communication device 100 communicates with the center device 300 via a wireless communication network Ne, and transmits information indicating the measurement result of the meter 200 to the center device 300. The wireless communication network Ne is, for example, a wide-area wireless network such as a Personal Handy-phone System (PHS) network, a Freedom Of Mobile Multimedia Access (FOMA) network, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, a fourth generation mobile communication system (4G) network, or a fifth generation mobile communication system (5G) network.

[0014] Specifically, the communication device 100 and the center-side network control device 400 are connected to a wireless communication network Ne, and the communication device 100 and the center-side network control device 400 wirelessly communicate with each other via the wireless communication network Ne. The center device 300 is connected to the wireless communication network Ne via the center-side network control device 400. The center-side network control device 400 controls communication between the communication device 100 and the center device 300 via the wireless communication network Ne. The center device 300 collects information indicating the measurement results of the meter 200. Hereinafter, the information indicating the measurement results of the meter 200 may be referred to as "measurement results."

[0015] When the communication device 100 transmits the measurement result to the center-side network control device 400 via the wireless communication network Ne, the center-side network control device 400 transmits the measurement result received from the communication device 100 to the center device 300. The center device 300 stores the measurement result received from the center-side network control device 400 for each meter 200. In other words, the center device 300 stores the measurement result for each consumer. The center device 300 includes, for example, a database server.

[0016] The communication device 100 may transmit information indicating the measurement result of the meter 200 to the center device 300 via the parent device. Specifically, the communication device 100 communicates with the parent device, for example, by specific low power radio (special low power radio). The parent device communicates with the center device 300 via a wireless communication network Ne.

[0017] Next, the communication device 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the external appearance of the communication device 100 of this embodiment. In detail, Fig. 2 is a front view of the communication device 100. As shown in Fig. 2, the communication device 100 includes a housing 110. The housing 110 has a housing main body 111 and a front cover 112. The front cover 112 is detachable from the housing main body 111.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a front view of the communication device 100 with the front cover 112 removed. As shown in FIG. 3, the communication device 100 includes an interface unit 12, an operation unit 13, an alarm unit 14, and a memory unit 101. A battery 11 is attached to the communication device 100 of this embodiment. The battery 11 is an example of a "power source." The communication device 100 operates based on power supplied from the battery 11. The front cover 112 shown in FIG. 2 is disposed on the front of the housing main body 111, and covers the interface unit 12, the operation unit 13, the alarm unit 14, the memory unit 101, and the battery 11.

[0019] The electric wire PL described with reference to Fig. 1 is connected to the interface unit 12. Therefore, the interface unit 12 is wiredly connected to the meter 200 described with reference to Fig. 1 via the electric wire PL.

[0020] Specifically, the interface unit 12 has a plurality of ports. When the meter 200 is a gas meter, the plurality of ports include a port for city gas, a port for U-bus, and a port for a 5-bit meter (LP gas). The interface unit 12 may further include an M port. A contact device is wired connected to the M port via an electric wire PL. The contact device is an example of an "external device." The contact device is a device that does not comply with the U-bus standard, and detects some kind of state change (for example, a change indicating a short / open switching state of a certain contact) and notifies on or off information.

[0021] The operation unit 13 receives instructions for the communication device 100. The operation unit 13 includes, for example, a dip switch and a tact switch. The dip switch receives, for example, an instruction to switch the operation mode of the communication device 100. The tact switch causes, for example, a processing unit 18, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 5, to execute the instruction received by the dip switch.

[0022] The notification unit 14 notifies various information to a worker performing installation or maintenance work on the communication device 100. For example, the notification unit 14 notifies the field strength of radio waves received by the communication device 100. Alternatively, the notification unit 14 may notify the field strength of radio waves transmitted by the communication device 100. In this embodiment, the notification unit 14 includes an LED (Light Emitting Diode). Note that the notification unit 14 may include an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) instead of or in addition to the LED.

[0023] The memory unit 101 is detachable from the main housing 111. The memory unit 101 stores information for connecting to a wireless communication network Ne, as will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0024] Next, the communication device 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a part of the communication device 100 of this embodiment. In detail, Fig. 4 shows the housing main body 111 with the memory unit 101 removed.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 4, the housing body 111 has a recess 111a and an opening 111b. The communication device 100 further includes a first connection portion 21. The recess 111a is recessed from the front side toward the rear side of the communication device 100. The memory unit 101 shown in FIG. 3 is accommodated in the recess 111a. More specifically, the memory unit 101 is accommodated in the recess 111a with a part of the memory unit 101 protruding from the recess 111a. By having a part of the memory unit 101 protruding from the recess 111a, it becomes easier to remove the memory unit 101 from the housing body 111.

[0026] The opening 111b is formed on the bottom surface of the recess 111a. The first connection portion 21 is exposed through the opening 111b. Specifically, the first connection portion 21 is accommodated inside the housing main body 111 and disposed at a position that can be seen through the opening 111b. Alternatively, the first connection portion 21 may be accommodated inside the housing main body 111 and disposed at a position where a part (tip portion) of the first connection portion 21 protrudes through the opening 111b.

[0027] 3 is detachably connected to the first connection portion 21. The memory unit 101 is mechanically connected to the first connection portion 21, and thereby electrically connected to the first connection portion 21.

[0028] Next, the communication device 100 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the communication device 100 of the present embodiment. As shown in Fig. 5, the communication device 100 further includes a first circuit board 1, a second circuit board 2, a power supply circuit section 15, a wireless communication section 16, an antenna section 17, a processing section 18, a first storage section 19, a second storage section 20, and a second connection section 22.

[0029] Wiring is formed on the first circuit board 1. The first circuit board 1 is, for example, a printed circuit board. An interface unit 12, an operation unit 13, a notification unit 14, a power supply circuit unit 15, a wireless communication unit 16, an antenna unit 17, a processing unit 18, and a first connection unit 21 are mounted on the first circuit board 1. The first circuit board 1, the power supply circuit unit 15, the wireless communication unit 16, the antenna unit 17, and the processing unit 18 are accommodated inside a housing main body 111 shown in FIG. 3.

[0030] 3, power is supplied to the power supply circuit unit 15. The power supply circuit unit 15 generates driving power for operating the communication device 100 based on the power supplied from the battery 11. The power supply circuit unit 15 includes, for example, a DC-DC converter.

[0031] 1 and performs wireless communication via the wireless communication network Ne. The wireless communication unit 16 includes, for example, a wireless communication module that complies with the communication protocol of the wireless communication network Ne. The wireless communication unit 16 performs communication with the center-side network control device 400 by transmitting and receiving radio waves via the antenna unit 17.

[0032] The antenna section 17 includes an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves. The antenna includes, for example, an antenna pattern formed on the first circuit board 1.

[0033] The processing unit 18 controls the operation of each unit of the communication device 100. The processing unit 18 includes a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a micro controller unit (MPU).

[0034] Next, the memory unit 101 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 5, the memory unit 101 has a second circuit board 2, a first storage section 19, a second storage section 20, and a second connection section 22.

[0035] Wiring is formed on the second circuit board 2. The second circuit board 2 is, for example, a printed circuit board. A first storage unit 19, a second storage unit 20, and a second connection unit 22 are mounted on the second circuit board 2.

[0036] The second connection portion 22 is detachably connected to the first connection portion 21. The second connection portion 22 is mechanically connected to the first connection portion 21, thereby electrically connecting the second circuit board 2 to the first circuit board 1. The first connection portion 21 and the second connection portion 22 are, for example, connectors. The first connection portion 21 and the second connection portion 22 may be board-connecting connectors. The opening 111b of the housing main body 111 described with reference to FIG. 4 is formed in the area where the first connection portion 21 and the second connection portion 22 are connected.

[0037] The first storage unit 19 includes a storage device and stores information for connecting to the wireless communication network Ne described with reference to Fig. 1. The center device 300 described with reference to Fig. 1 stores information stored in the first storage unit 19 for each communication device 100. The first storage unit 19 is, for example, an eSIM (embedded subscriber identity module) chip. In this case, the first storage unit 19 stores an IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity). The IMSI is an identification number assigned to a user and is used for authentication for connecting to the wireless communication network Ne. The IMSI is a number unique to each eSIM chip.

[0038] When the first storage unit 19 is an eSIM chip, the first storage unit 19 further stores a Mobile Subscriber Integrated Service Digital Network Number (MSISDN) and an Integrated Circuit Card ID (ICCID). The MSISDN is a mobile phone number. The ICCID is a serial number assigned to the eSIM chip. The ICCID is a unique number for each eSIM chip.

[0039] The second storage unit 20 includes a storage device and stores the identification information assigned to the meter 200 described with reference to Fig. 1. Specifically, the second storage unit 20 includes a main storage device such as a semiconductor memory and an auxiliary storage device such as a semiconductor memory. For example, the semiconductor memory includes a Random Access Memory (RAM) and a Read Only Memory (ROM). Alternatively, the semiconductor memory may include at least one of a flash memory, an Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), and an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM) instead of the RAM and the ROM, or in addition to the RAM and the ROM.

[0040] The second memory unit 20 may further store the latest measurement value, measurement conditions, and destination telephone number acquired from the meter 200. The measurement conditions may include, for example, a measurement date, a measurement period, and a transmission time. Here, the destination telephone number indicates a telephone number assigned to the center device 300. The measurement date indicates the date and time when the meter 200 performs measurement. The measurement period indicates the period when the meter 200 performs measurement. The transmission time indicates the time when the communication device 100 transmits the measurement result to the center device 300.

[0041] In addition, when the contact device described with reference to FIG. 3 is connected to the communication device 100, the second storage unit 20 stores the identification information assigned to the contact device. In this case, the second storage unit 20 may further store a destination telephone number and a transmission condition. Here, the destination telephone number indicates a telephone number assigned to the center device 300. The transmission condition indicates, for example, whether the communication device 100 immediately transmits on or off information to the center device 300 when the contact device detects a state change. When the transmission condition indicates that the on or off information is not immediately transmitted to the center device 300, the second storage unit 20 further stores a transmission time. The transmission time indicates a delay time from when the contact device detects a state change to when the communication device 100 transmits on or off information to the center device 300. Therefore, the communication device 100 transmits on or off information to the center device 300 after the delay time has elapsed since the contact device detected a state change.

[0042] In this embodiment, the second storage unit 20 further stores various data and various computer programs. The processor of the processing unit 18 controls each element of the communication device 100 by executing the various computer programs stored in the storage device of the second storage unit 20.

[0043] Next, the circuit configuration of the communication device 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a part of the circuit configuration of the communication device 100 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the first circuit board 1 has power supply lines VD11 and VD12. The second circuit board 2 has a power supply line VD21. The power supply line VD21 of the second circuit board 2 is an example of a "first power supply line", and the power supply line VD11 of the first circuit board 1 is an example of a "second power supply line". The power supply line VD12 of the first circuit board 1 is an example of a "third power supply line". The power supply lines VD11 and VD12 of the first circuit board 1 and the power supply line VD21 of the second circuit board 2 transmit power supplied from the battery 11.

[0044] Specifically, power is supplied from a battery 11 to a power supply line VD11 of the first circuit board 1. The power supply line VD11 of the first circuit board 1 is electrically connected to one end of a power supply line VD21 of the second circuit board 2 via a first connection portion 21 and a second connection portion 22, and supplies power to the power supply line VD21 of the second circuit board 2.

[0045] The power supply line VD12 of the first circuit board 1 is electrically connected to the other end of the power supply line VD21 of the second circuit board 2 via the first connection portion 21 and the second connection portion 22, and supplies the power transmitted by the power supply line VD21 of the second circuit board 2 to the power supply circuit portion 15.

[0046] Therefore, in a state in which the first connection portion 21 and the second connection portion 22 are electrically connected and the first circuit board 1 and the second circuit board 2 are electrically connected, the power supplied from the battery 11 is supplied to the power supply line VD12 of the first circuit board 1 via the power supply line VD11 of the first circuit board 1 and the power supply line VD21 of the second circuit board 2. As a result, power is supplied to the power supply circuit unit 15. The power supply circuit unit 15 generates drive power based on the power supplied from the power supply line VD12 of the first circuit board 1.

[0047] On the other hand, when first connection portion 21 and second connection portion 22 are electrically disconnected and first circuit board 1 and second circuit board 2 are electrically disconnected, the supply of power to power supply line VD12 of first circuit board 1 is stopped, and the supply of power to power supply circuit section 15 is stopped. Therefore, by removing memory unit 101 from housing main body 111, the generation of drive power by power supply circuit section 15 can be stopped.

[0048] According to this embodiment, the communication device 100 can operate only when the memory unit 101 is electrically connected to the first circuit board 1, and the communication device 100 is in a power-off state when the memory unit 101 and the first circuit board 1 are electrically disconnected from each other. Therefore, since the communication device 100 does not operate when the memory unit 101 is removed from the communication device 100, unnecessary operations of the communication device 100 can be reduced, and power consumption of the battery 11 can be suppressed.

[0049] Next, the communication device 100 of this embodiment will be further described with reference to Fig. 6. As shown in Fig. 6, the first circuit board 1 further has power supply lines VDD11 to VDD15. The second circuit board 2 further has power supply lines VDD21 and VDD22. The power supply lines VDD11 to VDD15 of the first circuit board 1 and the power supply lines VDD21 and VDD22 of the second circuit board 2 transmit driving power.

[0050] Specifically, the power supply circuit unit 15 supplies driving power to a power supply line VDD11. The driving power is supplied to power supply lines VDD12 to VDD14 via the power supply line VDD11.

[0051] The power supply line VDD12 transmits the driving power to the processing unit 18. As a result, the driving power is supplied to the processing unit 18, and the processing unit 18 becomes operable. The power supply line VDD13 transmits the driving power to the wireless communication unit 16. As a result, the driving power is supplied to the wireless communication unit 16, and the wireless communication unit 16 becomes operable.

[0052] The power supply line VDD14 of the first circuit board 1 is electrically connected to one end of the power supply line VDD21 of the second circuit board 2 via the first connection portion 21 and the second connection portion 22. Therefore, the power supply line VDD14 of the first circuit board 1 supplies driving power to the power supply line VDD21 of the second circuit board 2. The power supply line VDD21 of the second circuit board 2 transmits the driving power to the second storage unit 20. As a result, the driving power is supplied to the second storage unit 20, and the processing unit 18 becomes able to access the second storage unit 20.

[0053] The wireless communication unit 16 supplies driving power to the power supply line VDD15 of the first circuit board 1. The power supply line VDD15 of the first circuit board 1 is electrically connected to one end of the power supply line VDD22 of the second circuit board 2 via the first connection portion 21 and the second connection portion 22. Therefore, the power supply line VDD15 of the first circuit board 1 supplies driving power to the power supply line VDD22 of the second circuit board 2. The power supply line VDD22 of the second circuit board 2 transmits the driving power to the first storage unit 19. As a result, the driving power is supplied to the first storage unit 19, and the wireless communication unit 16 becomes able to access the first storage unit 19.

[0054] Next, the communication device 100 of this embodiment will be further described with reference to Fig. 6. As shown in Fig. 6, the first circuit board 1 further includes signal lines S11 and S12. The second circuit board 2 further includes signal lines S21 and S22.

[0055] The signal line S12 of the first circuit board 1 is electrically connected to the signal line S22 of the second circuit board 2 via the first connection portion 21 and the second connection portion 22. The processing unit 18 accesses the second storage unit 20 via the signal line S12 of the first circuit board 1 and the signal line S22 of the second circuit board 2. Specifically, the processing unit 18 reads out various programs and various data from the second storage unit 20 via the signal line S12 of the first circuit board 1 and the signal line S22 of the second circuit board 2. The processing unit 18 also stores the latest measurement value in the second storage unit 20 via the signal line S12 of the first circuit board 1 and the signal line S22 of the second circuit board 2.

[0056] The signal line S11 of the first circuit board 1 is electrically connected to the signal line S21 of the second circuit board 2 via the first connection portion 21 and the second connection portion 22. The wireless communication unit 16 accesses the first storage unit 19 via the signal line S11 of the first circuit board 1 and the signal line S21 of the second circuit board 2. Specifically, when connecting to the wireless communication network Ne described with reference to FIG. 1, the wireless communication unit 16 reads information for connecting to the wireless communication network Ne from the first storage unit 19 via the signal line S11 of the first circuit board 1 and the signal line S21 of the second circuit board 2. In more detail, when connecting to the wireless communication network Ne, the wireless communication unit 16 reads the IMSI from the first storage unit 19 for network authentication and transmits the IMSI to the base station.

[0057] When the antenna unit 17 shown in Fig. 5 receives a wireless signal (radio wave), the wireless communication unit 16 decodes the wireless signal and determines whether or not the wireless signal is addressed to the wireless communication unit 16. In more detail, the wireless communication unit 16 reads the MSISDN from the first storage unit 19 and determines whether or not the destination acquired by decoding matches the MSISDN of the wireless communication unit 16.

[0058] Next, the memory unit 101 will be further described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the external appearance of the memory unit 101. As shown in Fig. 7, the memory unit 101 further includes a memory housing 101a. The memory housing 101a is an example of a "separate housing".

[0059] The memory housing 101a houses the second circuit board 2, the first storage unit 19, and the second storage unit 20 described with reference to Figures 5 and 6. The memory housing 101a further houses a part of the second connection unit 22 described with reference to Figures 5 and 6. Specifically, a part (tip) of the second connection unit 22 protrudes from the memory housing 101a.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 7, the memory housing 101a has a character string LA indicating information stored in the first storage unit 19. For example, the character string LA includes a first character string LA1 indicating the IMSI and a second character string LA2 indicating the MSISDN. The character string LA is attached to the surface of the memory housing 101a. The character string LA may be printed or inscribed on the surface of the memory housing 101a. Alternatively, a label (sticker) with the character string LA attached may be attached to the surface of the memory housing 101a.

[0061] 7, the memory housing 101a has two character strings LA (a first character string LA1 and a second character string LA2), but the memory housing 101a may have one character string LA or may have three or more character strings LA. For example, the character string LA may further include a character string indicating an ICCID.

[0062] An embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 7. According to this embodiment, when replacing the communication device 100, the memory unit 101 can be removed from the existing communication device 100 and the removed memory unit 101 can be inserted into the new communication device 100. Therefore, when replacing the communication device 100, the task of registering the information stored in the first storage unit 19 in the center device 300 can be omitted. This makes it easier to replace the communication device 100 with a new one.

[0063] Furthermore, when the second storage unit 20 is mounted on the first circuit board 1, it is necessary to use an information processing device such as a personal computer to read information from the second storage unit 20 of the existing communication device 100 and write the read information to the second storage unit 20 of the new communication device 100. In contrast, according to the present embodiment, since the second storage unit 20 is provided in the memory unit 101, the task of reading information from the second storage unit 20 when replacing the communication device 100 can be omitted. This makes it easier to replace the communication device 100 with a new one.

[0064] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings (FIGS. 1 to 7). However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented in various aspects without departing from the gist of the present invention. In addition, the components disclosed in the above embodiments can be modified as appropriate. For example, a certain component among all the components shown in one embodiment may be added to the components of another embodiment, or some of all the components shown in one embodiment may be deleted from the embodiment.

[0065] The drawings are mainly schematic illustrations of each component to facilitate understanding of the invention, and the thickness, length, number, spacing, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual ones due to the convenience of creating the drawings. Furthermore, the configurations of each component shown in the above embodiment are merely examples and are not particularly limited, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible within a range that does not substantially deviate from the effects of the present invention.

[0066] For example, in the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7, the second storage unit 20 is mounted on the second circuit board 2, but the second storage unit 20 may be mounted on the first circuit board 1.

[0067] 1 to 7, the power source of the communication device 100 is the battery 11, but the power source of the communication device 100 is not limited to the battery 11. The power source of the communication device 100 may include, for example, an AC / DC converter. The AC / DC converter generates DC power from AC power and supplies the generated DC power to a power supply line VD11 shown in Fig. 6. The AC power input to the AC / DC converter may be, for example, AC power supplied from a commercial power source.

[0068] In the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7, the interface unit 12 has a plurality of ports, but the number of ports may be one.

[0069] 1 to 7, the communication device 100 is connected to an external device (the meter 200 or a contact device) by wire, but the communication device 100 may be connected to the external device wirelessly. That is, the communication device 100 may perform wireless communication with the external device. In this case, the interface unit 12 includes a wireless communication module. For example, the interface unit 12 may include a short-range wireless communication module that performs wireless communication in accordance with a short-range wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0070] 1 to 7, the memory casing 101a has the character string LA, but the memory casing 101a may have a code or a figure for acquiring information stored in the first storage unit 19 instead of or in addition to the character string LA. The code is, for example, a barcode. The figure is, for example, a two-dimensional barcode. [Industrial Applicability]

[0071] The present invention is useful for devices that connect to a wireless communication network, and has industrial applicability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1 :1st circuit board 2 :Second circuit board 12: Interface section 19: 1st memory section 20:Second memory section 21: First connection part 22: Second connection part 100: Communication equipment 101a: Memory case 111: Housing body 200: Meter 300: Center device LA : String LA1: First string LA2: 2nd string Ne: Wireless communication network VD11: Power line VD12: Power line VD21: Power line

Claims

1. A communication device that communicates with a center device via a wireless communication network, a first circuit board on which the first connection portion is mounted; a second circuit board on which a second connection portion is mounted, the second connection portion being detachably connected to the first connection portion; a first storage unit mounted on the second circuit board; a second storage unit mounted on the second circuit board; An interface section for connecting to external devices Equipped with the first storage unit stores information for connecting to the wireless communication network; The second storage unit stores identification information of the external device.

2. a housing body that houses the first circuit board, The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the housing body has an opening in a region where the first connection portion and the second connection portion are connected.

3. A communication device that communicates with a center device via a wireless communication network, a first circuit board on which the first connection portion is mounted; a second circuit board on which a second connection portion is mounted, the second connection portion being detachably connected to the first connection portion; a first storage unit mounted on the second circuit board; Equipped with the first storage unit stores information for connecting to the wireless communication network; the second circuit board has a first power supply line for transmitting power; The first circuit board is a second power supply line electrically connected to one end of the first power supply line via the first connection portion and the second connection portion; a third power supply line electrically connected to the other end of the first power supply line via the first connection portion and the second connection portion; having the second power supply line is supplied with the power from a power supply; when the first connection portion and the second connection portion are electrically connected to each other, the power from the power source is supplied to the third power source line via the first power source line and the second power source line, When the first connection portion and the second connection portion are electrically disconnected, the supply of power to the third power line is stopped.

4. A communication device that communicates with a center device via a wireless communication network, a first circuit board on which the first connection portion is mounted; a second circuit board on which a second connection portion is mounted, the second connection portion being detachably connected to the first connection portion; a first storage unit mounted on the second circuit board; Equipped with the first storage unit stores information for connecting to the wireless communication network; a separate housing that houses the second circuit board; A communication device, wherein the separate housing has a character string indicating information stored in the first memory unit, or a code or figure for acquiring the information stored in the first memory unit.

Images