Communication system

Abstract

If a communication terminal cannot receive a confirmation request from an external monitoring center, it will simply communicate with the monitoring center, and the abnormal state will persist until the monitoring center restores functionality. [Solution] The communication system comprises a communication device having a SIM, and a central device that transmits and receives data via a carrier network, which deletes SIM information when the SIM's location information is not updated and there is no communication for a certain period of time. The central device has a short message transmission unit that periodically sends short messages to the communication device, and the communication device has a short message receiving unit that receives short messages, a determination unit that determines whether a short message has been received, and a restart unit that restarts the communication device and requests the carrier network to update the location information if the determination unit determines that a short message has not been received.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a communication system that communicates via a carrier network.

Background Art

[0002] In the earthquake control system of Patent Document 1, when a communication terminal receives an emergency earthquake bulletin from a mobile phone company, the elevator is shifted to earthquake control operation. Also, in the system, in order to avoid the situation of not being able to receive due to a communication failure when an earthquake occurs, a confirmation request composed of a short message (SMS) or the like is periodically transmitted from an external monitoring center to the communication terminal, and the reception record is updated every time the reception is made, and the reception state of the communication terminal is determined based on this update state. And when an abnormality in the reception state is detected (there is no reception record), the elevator is reported to the monitoring center by a communication means that does not use the communication terminal.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In Patent Document 1, when a communication terminal cannot receive a confirmation request from an external monitoring center, it simply reports to the monitoring center, so an abnormal state continues until recovery by the monitoring center thereafter.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a communication system that can restart itself and restore communication when it cannot receive a short message via a carrier network by periodically transmitting a short message.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The communication system of this disclosure comprises a communication device having a SIM, and a center device that transmits and receives data via a carrier network, which deletes SIM information when the SIM's location information is not updated and there is no communication for a certain period of time. The center device has a short message transmission unit that periodically sends short messages to the communication device, and the communication device has a short message receiving unit that receives short messages, a determination unit that determines whether a short message has been received, and a restart unit that restarts the communication device and requests a location information update from the carrier network if the determination unit determines that a short message has not been received. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] This disclosure enables rapid recovery even if location information is not updated and the carrier network deletes SIM information due to a period of no communication, making it impossible to send or receive data. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a configuration diagram showing the communication system in Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of a table used in the operation of the central device and communication device in Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart showing the operation of the periodic execution unit in Embodiment 1. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart showing the operation of the short message transmission unit in Embodiment 1. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart showing the operation of the short message receiving unit in Embodiment 1. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart showing the operation of the determination unit in Embodiment 1. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart showing the operation of the restart unit in Embodiment 1. [Figure 8]This is a flowchart showing the operation of the data transmission unit in Embodiment 1. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart showing the operation of the data receiving unit in Embodiment 1. [Figure 10] This is a flowchart showing the operation of the determination unit in Embodiment 2. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of a table used in the operation of the central device and communication device in Embodiment 2. [Figure 12] This figure shows an example of hardware resources for a communication device. [Figure 13] This figure shows another example of hardware resources for communication devices. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The embodiments for implementing this disclosure will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are simplified or omitted as appropriate.

[0010] Embodiment 1. Figure 1 is a configuration diagram showing the communication system 1 in Embodiment 1. In Figure 1, the communication system 1 comprises a central device 100, a communication device 200, and a carrier network 300. The communication device 200 has a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module). For example, a SIM card is inserted into the communication device 200.

[0011] Generally, in communication using a carrier network 300, the carrier network 300 needs to retain the SIM information of the SIM held by the communication device 200. The communication device 200 attempts to update its location information by accessing the carrier network 300, for example, when it is activated or when the communication device 200 moves, i.e., when the SIM moves and the communication area changes. At that time, the carrier network 300 acquires the SIM information and retains it thereafter. However, if the location information is not updated thereafter and the communication device 200 is inactive for a certain period of time, the carrier network 300 may delete (puegged) the SIM information it has retained. After deleting the SIM, the carrier network 300 becomes in a state where it rejects communication to that SIM. This disclosure assumes such a case and aims to retain the SIM information by the carrier network 300 by sending a short message (SMS). Furthermore, when data is transmitted and received between the central device 100 and the communication device 200 via the carrier network 300, a data session is established from the communication device 200 to the central device 100 each time. Also, although only one communication device 200 is shown in Figure 1, multiple communication devices 200 may be connected to the central device 100.

[0012] The central device 100 includes a periodic execution unit 101, a short message transmission unit 102, and a data reception unit 103. The central device 100 also has other functions, such as processing data received from the communication device 200, but these will not be explained here. The periodic execution unit 101 has pre-set time information. When that time arrives, it activates the short message transmission unit 102. The short message transmission unit 102 generates and transmits a standard short message. The data reception unit 103 receives data transmitted via the carrier network 300.

[0013] The communication device 200 includes a determination unit 201, a short message receiving unit 202, a restart unit 203, and a data transmission unit 204. For example, the communication device 200 is connected to an elevator control device and transmits data acquired from the control device. In the case of an elevator, there is no horizontal movement, and position information is not updated due to a change in the communication area.

[0014] The determination unit 201 determines whether it has received the short message transmitted from the short message transmission unit 102. The short message receiving unit 202 receives the short message transmitted from the short message transmission unit 102. The restart unit 203 causes the communication device 200 to restart. The data transmission unit 204 transmits data. Note that this data is different from the short message.

[0015] Next, the operation of the communication system 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a table used in the operations of the center device 100 and the communication device 200. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the periodic execution unit 101.

[0016] In the flowchart of FIG. 3, the periodic execution unit 101 reads the hour and minute of the periodic execution from the periodic execution table T1 (step S001). In FIG. 2, for example, the periodic execution table T1 is set to 8:30. The periodic execution table T1 is stored in the center device 100.

[0017] Next, the periodic execution unit 101 determines whether the current time matches the hour and minute read from the periodic execution table T1 (step S002). If the hour in the periodic execution table T1 is blank and only the minute is set, it is determined whether only the minute matches.

[0018] In step S002, if it is determined that the current time matches the time read from the periodic execution table T1, for example, if the current time is 8:30, the periodic execution unit 101 activates the short message sending unit 102 (step S003).

[0019] In step S002, if the current time does not match the time read from the periodic execution table T1, that is, if it has not yet reached the time read from the periodic execution table T1, the periodic execution unit 101 determines whether the time has not been set with the time read from the periodic execution table T1 (step S004).

[0020] If the periodic execution unit 101 determines in step S004 that no time is set, it rewrites the short message template T2 to “Sending frequency = 1 time / 1 hour” (step S005). The short message template T2 is the content to be sent as a short message, and as shown in Figure 2, if the time is set, it is “Sending frequency = 1 time / 24 hours”. This means that a short message will be sent once every 24-hour interval. If the time is not set and only the minutes are set, for example, if only 30 minutes are set, a short message will be sent at 30 minutes past the hour. Therefore, the periodic execution unit 101 rewrites the short message template T2 to “Sending frequency = 1 time / 1 hour”. This means that a short message will be sent once every 1-hour interval.

[0021] If it is determined in step S004 that a time has been set, and after step S005, the periodic execution unit 101 will wait until the current time matches the time read from the periodic execution table T1 in step S002.

[0022] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the short message transmission unit 102. The short message transmission unit 102, which was activated in step S003 of Figure 3, reads the short message template T2 and sends it to the communication device 200 (step S011).

[0023] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the short message receiving unit 202. When the short message receiving unit 202 receives a short message sent in step S011 of Figure 4, it reads the content and records the reception time and content in the reception record table T3 (step S101). As shown in Figure 2, for example, the reception time is 10 / 24 8:30 and the content is "Transmission frequency = 1 time / 24 hours".

[0024] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the determination unit 201. The determination unit 201 sets the periodic execution time to XX minutes past every hour (step S111). This is the first step performed after a restart and sets the time for steps S112 and later, which will be described later. For example, suppose it is set to 00 minutes past the hour.

[0025] Next, it is determined whether the current time is a scheduled execution time set in step S111 (step S112). For example, if it was set to 00 minutes, then 1:00, 2:00, etc., would be a scheduled execution time.

[0026] If it is determined in step S112 that it is a scheduled execution time, the determination unit 201 reads the latest record in the reception record table T3 (step S113). For example, in Figure 2, it reads the reception time 10 / 24 8:30 and the transmission frequency = 1 time / 24 hours.

[0027] Next, it is determined whether the current time has elapsed for more than the time interval specified by the transmission frequency described in the message content since the reception time (step S114). That is, whether a regular short message has been received from the short message transmission unit 102. For example, suppose the current time is 9:00 on 10 / 25. In the reception record table T3, the content of the most recent short message received is recorded as reception time 10 / 24 8:30, transmission frequency = 1 time / 24 hours. If normal, at 8:30 on 10 / 25, step S101 in the flowchart in Figure 5 should be executed, and the reception record table T3 should show reception time 10 / 25 8:30. Therefore, this means that the short message receiving unit 202 was unable to receive the short message sent by the short message transmission unit 102. The most likely reason for this is that the SIM information of the communication device 200 held by the carrier network 300 has been deleted. For example, if the communication device 200 was inactive for a certain period after receiving the previous short message at 8:30 on 10 / 24, the carrier network 300 might delete the SIM information of the communication device 200 that it was holding at 0:00 on 10 / 25.

[0028] In step S114, if it is determined that the current time is longer than the time interval specified by the transmission frequency described in the message from the time of reception, the restart unit 203 is activated (step S115).

[0029] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the restart unit 203. The restart unit 203, which was started in step S115 of Figure 6, restarts the communication device 200, and after starting up, attempts to communicate with the base station of the carrier network 300 and requests a location information update in order to update the location information (step S121). Specifically, the base station of the carrier network 300 recovers the SIM information from the deleted state, acquires the SIM location information, and updates it. The carrier network 300 will also retain the SIM information thereafter.

[0030] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the data transmission unit 204. When the communication device 200 is restarted, the data transmission unit 204 is also restarted and sends data to the central device 100 with a request to increase the transmission frequency, for example, "once per hour" (step S131). Next, the data transmission unit 204 requests the carrier network 300 to update the location information (step S132).

[0031] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the data receiving unit 103. The data receiving unit 103 receives the data transmitted in step S131 of Figure 8. The data receiving unit 103 then reads the content of the data, for example, "1 time / 1 hour", and rewrites the short message template T2 (step S021).

[0032] Next, the "hour" value in the periodic execution table T1 is modified or deleted according to the information read in step S021 (step S022). For example, if it is "1 time / 1 hour", the hour value is deleted. Also, for example, if it is "1 time / 12 hours", the hour is modified to "8, 20". By doing this, the time interval at which the short message sending unit 102 sends short messages is shortened, and the interval at which the determination unit 201 determines whether a short message has not been received is also shortened.

[0033] Specifically, for example, suppose the short message template T2 becomes "1 time / hour," the hour is deleted from the periodic execution table T1, and only the minute becomes "30."

[0034] In this case, as shown in the flowchart in Figure 3, at step S002, when it is 30 minutes past the hour, the short message sending unit 102 is activated at step S003. Then, at step S011, the short message sending unit 102 sends a short message with the content "once per hour". At step S101, the short message receiving unit 202 records the reception time and "once per hour" in the reception record table T3. Therefore, as shown in the flowchart in Figure 6, the determination unit 201 determines at step S114 that the transmission frequency is "once per hour".

[0035] In Embodiment 1, short messages are periodically transmitted from the central device 100 to the communication device 200 to suppress prolonged periods of no communication.

[0036] Furthermore, the communication device 200 can determine whether it has received the short message periodically sent from the central device 100. If it has not received the message, it restarts and requests a location information update from the carrier network. This allows for a quick recovery even if the location information is not updated and the carrier network deletes the SIM information due to a period of inactivity, making it impossible to send or receive data.

[0037] Furthermore, since the method is relatively simple—the center device 100 informs the communication device 200 of the frequency at which it will send periodic short messages, and the communication device 200 determines whether it has received a short message at that frequency—it requires minimal overhead.

[0038] Furthermore, if the communication device 200 fails to receive a short message, increasing the frequency of sending short messages from the center device 100 after recovery can reduce the occurrence of SIM information deletion in the carrier network due to a lack of communication.

[0039] Furthermore, in order to determine whether the communication device 200 has received a short message, it is not necessary to have information on the transmission frequency, as long as the communication device 200 can determine when the short message was sent from the central device 100.

[0040] Embodiment 2. In Embodiment 2, the communication device 200 is restarted periodically to suppress the deletion of SIM information in the carrier network 300. The configuration of the communication system 1 in Embodiment 2 is the same as in Figure 1, but the operation of the determination unit 201 is different.

[0041] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the determination unit 201 in Embodiment 2. In Figure 10, steps that are the same as or similar to those in Figure 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their explanations are omitted or simplified. Furthermore, the operation of each component in the central device 100, and the operation of the short message receiving unit 202, restart unit 203, and data transmission unit 204 in the communication device 200 are the same as in Embodiment 1.

[0042] In Figure 10, the determination unit 201 sets the periodic execution time to XX minutes past every hour (step S111). Next, the determination unit 201 reads the previous restart time and execution interval from the restart management table T4 shown in Figure 11 (step S116). In Figure 11, for example, the restart management table T4 shows that the previous restart date and time was 10 / 24 1:00 and the execution interval was 22 hours.

[0043] Next, it is determined whether the current time is a scheduled execution time set in step S111 (step S112). For example, if it was set to 00 minutes, then 1:00, 2:00, etc., would be a scheduled execution time.

[0044] If it is determined in step S112 that it is a scheduled execution time, it is determined whether the current time is longer than the execution interval since the last restart (step S117). For example, if in step S116 the previous restart date and time was read to be 10 / 24 1:00 and the execution interval was 22 hours, it will be determined whether more than 22 hours have passed since 10 / 24 1:00.

[0045] In step S117, if it is determined that more than the execution interval has elapsed since the last restart, the restart unit 203 is activated (step S115). As a result, in step S121 of the flowchart in Figure 7, the restart unit 203 restarts the communication device 200 and requests the carrier network 300 to update the location information.

[0046] If, in step S117, it is determined that the execution interval has not elapsed longer than the last restart, the determination unit 201 reads the latest record from the received record table T3 (step S113).

[0047] Next, it is determined whether the current time is longer than the time interval of transmission frequency described in the content, since the time of reception (step S114). If it is determined in step S114 that the current time is longer than the time interval of transmission frequency described in the content, the restart unit 203 is activated (step S115).

[0048] In this way, by periodically restarting the communication device 200 and requesting location information updates from the carrier network 300, the possibility of the SIM information of the communication device 200 being deleted from the carrier network 300 can be reduced.

[0049] Figure 12 shows examples of hardware resources for the communication device 200 according to Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2. The communication device 200 has a processor 200a, memory 200b, and a transceiver circuit 200c as hardware resources. Note that there may be multiple processors 200a, memory 200b, and transceiver circuits 200c.

[0050] In Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2, the operation of each configuration of the communication device 200 is executed by the processor 200a by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware, which are described as programs stored in memory 200b. The transmit / receive circuit 200c is responsible for processing data transmission and reception in the communication device 200. Memory 200b is responsible for temporary storage of information being processed and for storing tables.

[0051] The processor 200a is also called a CPU (Central Processing Unit), central processing unit, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, or DSP. For memory 200b, semiconductor memory, magnetic disks, flexible disks, optical disks, compact disks, minidiscs, or DVDs may be used. Suitable semiconductor memories include RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM, and EEPROM.

[0052] Figure 13 shows another example of the hardware resources of the communication device 200. In the example in Figure 13, the communication device 200 has a processor 200a, memory 200b, a transmit / receive circuit 200c, and dedicated hardware 200d. The dedicated hardware 200d implements some of the functions of the communication device 200. Alternatively, all of the functions of the communication device 200 may be implemented by the dedicated hardware 200d. The dedicated hardware 200d can be a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a combination thereof.

[0053] Furthermore, the hardware resources of the central device 100 are the same as those described in Figures 12 and 13. That is, the processing in each configuration of the central device 100 is executed by the processor by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware, which are written as programs stored in memory.

[0054] Although preferred embodiments have been described in detail above, the invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the scope of disclosure.

[0055] Furthermore, when referring to the number, quantity, range, or other values ​​of each element in the embodiments, the apparatus of this disclosure is not limited to the referred number unless specifically stated or clearly defined in principle. Also, the structures, etc., described in these embodiments are not necessarily essential unless specifically stated or clearly defined in principle. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0056] 1. Communication system, 100 Center device, 101 Periodic execution unit, 102 Short message transmission unit, 103 Data receiving unit, 200 Communication device, 200a Processor, 200b Memory, 200c transmit / receive circuit, 200d dedicated hardware, 201 Determination unit, 202 Short message receiving unit, 203 Restart section, 204 Data transmission section, 300 Carrier Network

Claims

1. In a communication system comprising a communication device having a SIM and a central device that transmits and receives data via a carrier network, which deletes SIM information when the location information of the SIM is not updated and there is no communication for a certain period of time, The aforementioned center device has a short message transmission unit that periodically transmits short messages to the communication device, The communication device includes a short message receiving unit that receives the short message, The unit for determining whether the aforementioned short message was received and A communication system comprising: a determination unit that determines that it has not received the short message, a restart unit that restarts the communication device and requests the carrier network to update the location information.

2. The aforementioned short message includes the frequency of transmission. The short message sending unit sends the short message at time intervals determined by the transmission frequency, The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines that the short message has not been received if a time interval determined by the transmission frequency has elapsed since the short message was received.

3. The communication device has a data transmission unit that, after the restart, transmits a request to the central device to increase the transmission frequency. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein the center device changes the transmission frequency when it receives a request to increase the transmission frequency.

4. The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the restart unit periodically restarts the communication device.

Images