COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, COMMUNICATION TERMINAL, COMMUNICATION DEVICE, CONTROL METHOD, AND PROGRAM

Abstract

Provided is a communication system that does not require information such as the installation environment and communication quality of each communication terminal to be collected in one place. The communication system includes a communication device and a communication terminal that communicates with the communication device, the communication terminal including a first communication unit that communicates using a first wireless communication method, a second communication unit that communicates using a second wireless communication method, a transfer processing unit that transfers communication of the second communication unit to the first communication unit, a hopping processing unit that hops communication of the second communication unit to another communication terminal that communicates using the second wireless communication method, and a control unit that autonomously controls the on / off state of the first communication unit or the second communication unit.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication system, a communication terminal, a communication device, a control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a system has been proposed that collects meter reading information of power consumption measured by a smart meter via a communication network. For example, in the system proposed in Patent Document 1, a determination device acquires information such as the installation environment and communication quality of the smart meter, and determines whether to install an RF-MESH communication smart meter using the RF-MESH method in which smart meters communicate with each other, a mobile network communication smart meter using the mobile phone method in which smart meters communicate via a mobile phone communication network, or a dual communication smart meter capable of communication using both the RF-MESH method and the mobile phone method. Furthermore, based on the information such as the installation environment and communication quality, the determination device outputs control information to the dual communication smart meter indicating whether to select the mobile phone method or the RF-MESH method, and the dual communication smart meter switches the communication method based on the control information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-080471 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the system proposed in Patent Document 1, the determination device requires information such as the installation environment and communication quality of each smart meter (communication terminal) to determine the type of smart meter and the communication method, so this information must be collected in one place, which can result in communication overhead.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and provides a communication system, communication terminal, communication device, control method, and program that eliminate the need to collect information such as the installation environment and communication quality of each communication terminal in one place. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a communication system comprising a communication device and a communication terminal that communicates with the communication device, wherein the communication terminal comprises a first communication unit that communicates using a first wireless communication method, a second communication unit that communicates using a second wireless communication method different from the first wireless communication method, a transfer processing unit that transfers communication of the second communication unit to the first communication unit, a hopping processing unit that hops communication of the second communication unit to another communication terminal that communicates using the second wireless communication method, and a control unit that autonomously controls the on / off state of the first communication unit or the second communication unit.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned communication system, wherein the control unit controls an on / off state of the transfer processing unit.

[0008] Another aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned communication system, wherein when the control unit is able to transmit data to the communication device through communication by the second communication unit, it turns off the on / off state of the first communication unit and the forwarding processing unit and transitions to a multi-hop mode, and when the control unit is able to communicate with other communication terminals through the second communication unit but is unable to communicate with the communication device, it turns on the on / off state of the first communication unit and the forwarding processing unit and transitions to an aggregation device mode, and when the control unit is unable to communicate with other communication terminals through the second communication unit, it turns on the on / off state of the first communication unit and turns off the on / off state of the forwarding processing unit and transitions to a first wireless communication mode.

[0009] Another aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned communication system, wherein the communication device transmits information specifying an operating mode to the communication terminal, and when the control unit receives the information specifying the operating mode from the communication device, controls the on / off state of at least some of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, and the transfer processing unit in accordance with the information specifying the operating mode.

[0010] Another aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned communication system, wherein when the control unit detects a time regularity of the communication environment from past communication environment information, the control unit controls the on / off state of at least some of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, and the transfer processing unit based on the time regularity.

[0011] Another aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned communication system, further comprising a virtual aggregation device that relays communication between the communication device and the communication terminal, and when the communication terminal transitions to an aggregation device mode by turning on the on / off state of the first communication unit and the forwarding processing unit, the transmission to the virtual aggregation device includes information identifying a multi-hop network to which the communication terminal belongs.

[0012] Another aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned communication system, wherein the information for identifying the multi-hop network is a MAC address of the communication terminal.

[0013] Another aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned communication system, wherein the transmission to the virtual aggregation device includes whether or not ACK is required.

[0014] Another aspect of the present invention is a communication terminal that communicates with a communication device, the communication terminal comprising: a first communication unit that communicates using a first wireless communication method; a second communication unit that communicates using a second wireless communication method different from the first wireless communication method; a transfer processing unit that transfers communication of the second communication unit to the first communication unit; a hopping processing unit that hops communication of the second communication unit to another communication terminal that communicates using the second wireless communication method; and a control unit that autonomously controls an on / off state of the first communication unit or the second communication unit.

[0015] Another aspect of the present invention is a communication device in a communication system including a communication device and a communication terminal that communicates with the communication device, the communication terminal including a first communication unit that communicates using a first wireless communication method, a second communication unit that communicates using a second wireless communication method different from the first wireless communication method, a transfer processing unit that transfers communication of the second communication unit to the first communication unit, a hopping processing unit that hops communication of the second communication unit to another communication terminal that communicates using the second wireless communication method, and a control unit that autonomously controls an on / off state of the first communication unit or the second communication unit, wherein the communication device transmits information specifying an operating mode to the communication terminal, and when the control unit receives information specifying the operating mode from the communication device, it controls the on / off state of at least some of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, and the transfer processing unit in accordance with the information specifying the operating mode.

[0016] Another aspect of the present invention is a control method in a communication system including a communication device and a communication terminal communicating with the communication device, the control method including the steps of communicating using a first wireless communication method, communicating using a second wireless communication method different from the first wireless communication method, transferring the communication of the second wireless communication method to the first wireless communication method, hopping the communication of the second wireless communication method to another communication terminal communicating using the second wireless communication method, and autonomously controlling the on / off state of the first wireless communication method or the second wireless communication method.

[0017] Another aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer communicating with a communication device to function as a first communication unit that communicates using a first wireless communication method, a second communication unit that communicates using a second wireless communication method different from the first wireless communication method, a transfer processing unit that transfers communication from the second communication unit to the first communication unit, a hopping processing unit that hops communication from the second communication unit to another communication terminal that communicates using the second wireless communication method, and a control unit that autonomously controls the on / off state of the first communication unit or the second communication unit.

[0018] Another aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to function as a communication device in a communication system having a communication device and a communication terminal that communicates with the communication device, the communication terminal having a first communication unit that communicates using a first wireless communication method, a second communication unit that communicates using a second wireless communication method different from the first wireless communication method, a transfer processing unit that transfers communication of the second communication unit to the first communication unit, a hopping processing unit that hops communication of the second communication unit to another communication terminal that communicates using the second wireless communication method, and a control unit that autonomously controls an on / off state of the first communication unit or the second communication unit, the communication device transmitting information specifying an operating mode to the communication terminal, and when the control unit receives information specifying the operating mode from the communication device, controlling the on / off state of at least some of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, and the transfer processing unit in accordance with the information specifying the operating mode. Effect of the Invention

[0019] The communication system, communication terminal, communication device, control method, and program of the present invention do not require information on the installation environment, communication quality, and the like of each communication terminal to be collected in one place. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration of a communication system 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2]2 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of a host server 100 in the embodiment. [Diagram 3] 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of an aggregation device 200 in the embodiment. [Figure 4] 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration of a smart meter 300 according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] 11 is a table showing an example of a correspondence between the operation modes of the smart meter 300 and the on / off states of each unit in the embodiment. [Figure 6] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for determining an operation mode by a mode control unit 331 in the embodiment. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a new installation process Sa1 by a mode control unit 331 in the embodiment. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a review process Sa3 by the mode control unit 331 in the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an operation example (part 1) of the communication system 10 in the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing a second operation example of the communication system 10 according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing a third operation example of the communication system 10 in the embodiment. [Figure 12] 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example in which a smart meter 300 according to the embodiment is mixed with a conventional communication system. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of a mode control unit 331 in the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an installation state of a smart meter 300 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration of a smart meter 300 according to the embodiment. [Figure 16] 13 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a mode control unit 331 in the embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration of a communication system 10 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] 11 is a table illustrating the configuration of a network extension header in the embodiment. [Figure 19] 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating an operation of the communication system 10 in the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 20] 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a smart meter 300b in the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 21] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the virtual aggregation device 600 in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] <First embodiment> Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration of a communication system 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The communication system 10 includes an upper server 100 (communication device, head-end system), an aggregation device 200, and smart meters 300a, 300b, and 300c (communication terminals). The communication system 10 in this embodiment is a system that collects meter reading information of power consumption detected by the smart meters 300a, 300b, and 300c, but it may be a system that collects other information without being limited to meter reading information of power consumption, or a system that distributes information instead of collecting information. For example, the smart meters 300a, 300b, and 300c may be gas meters, and the communication system 10 may be a system that collects meter reading information of consumed gas detected by the smart meters 300a, 300b, and 300c. Moreover, the smart meters 300a, 300b, and 300c may be water meters, and the communication system 10 may be a system that collects meter reading information on the amounts of water consumed detected by the smart meters 300a, 300b, and 300c.

[0022] The upper server 100 collects meter reading information of power consumption transmitted by each of the smart meters 300a, 300b, and 300c using a first wireless communication method or a second wireless communication method different from the first wireless communication method. The first wireless communication method is, for example, a communication method using a mobile communication network such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) or 5G (fifth generation mobile communication system). The second wireless communication method is a communication method that is lower in cost than the first wireless communication method, for example, a communication method that forms a multi-hop network and uses wireless multi-hop communication. In FIG. 1, a multi-hop network is formed by the smart meters 300a, 300b, and 300c and the aggregation device 200. In FIG. 1, a solid line indicates communication using the first wireless communication method, a dotted line indicates communication using the second wireless communication method, and a dashed line indicates communication using a mobile communication network or an optical fiber line.

[0023] The aggregation device 200 forms a multi-hop network together with the smart meters 300a and 300c. The aggregation device 200 transmits the meter reading information of the smart meter 300c received through communication of the second wireless communication method to the upper server 100 through communication using a mobile communication network or an optical fiber line. The smart meters 300a, 300b, and 300c detect meter reading information of power consumption and transmit the meter reading information to the upper server 100. The smart meters 300a, 300b, and 300c have the same configuration but are in different operation modes. Hereinafter, the smart meters 300a, 300b, and 300c are also referred to as smart meter 300. The smart meter 300 can autonomously control the on / off state of the communication function of the first wireless communication method and the communication function of the second wireless communication method depending on the operation mode, and transmits the meter reading information to the upper server 100 using one of these communication functions.

[0024] The smart meter 300a operates in a cellular line mode and transmits meter reading information to the upper server 100 by a first wireless communication method. The smart meter 300a forms a multi-hop network together with the aggregation device 200 and the smart meters 300b and 300c, but does not transmit its own meter reading information to the multi-hop network, but transmits the meter reading information of the other smart meter 300c across the multi-hop.

[0025] The smart meter 300b operates in the aggregation device mode, aggregates meter reading information of the smart meter 300b and the smart meter 300c forming a multi-hop network, and transmits the information to the upper server 100 by communication using the first wireless communication method. The smart meter 300c operates in the multi-hop mode, and transmits the meter reading information of the smart meter 300b to the upper server 100 via the multi-hop network and the smart meter 300b or the aggregation device 200.

[0026] 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the upper server 100 in this embodiment. The upper server 100 includes a control unit 110 and a communication unit 120. The control unit 110 communicates with the smart meter 300 via the communication unit 120 to collect meter reading information. The communication unit 120 communicates with the smart meter 300 and the aggregation device 200.

[0027] 3 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the aggregation device 200 in this embodiment. The aggregation device 200 includes a first communication unit 210, a control unit 220, and a second communication unit 230. The first communication unit 210 communicates with the upper server 100 using a mobile communication network or an optical fiber line. The control unit 220 transmits the meter reading information received from the smart meter 300 via the second communication unit 230 to the upper server 100 via the first communication unit 210. The second communication unit 230 communicates with the smart meter 300 using a second wireless communication method.

[0028] 4 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the smart meter 300 in this embodiment. The smart meter 300 includes a first communication unit 310, a second communication unit 320, a control unit 330, and a sensor unit 340. The first communication unit 310 communicates using a first wireless communication method. The second communication unit 320 communicates using a second wireless communication method. The control unit 330 controls the operation of the smart meter 300, and includes a mode control unit 331, a transfer processing unit 332, a hopping processing unit 333, and a transmission data generation unit 334. The sensor unit 340 detects power consumption.

[0029] The mode control unit 331 controls the transition of the operation mode of the own device. The mode control unit 331 controls the on / off state of the first communication unit 310, the second communication unit 320, the transfer processing unit 332, and the hopping processing unit 333 depending on the operation mode. The transfer processing unit 332 transfers the communication of the second communication unit 320 to the first communication unit 310. In other words, the transfer processing unit 332 transmits the meter reading information received from another smart meter 300 by the second wireless communication method to the upper server 100 by the first wireless communication method.

[0030] The hopping processing unit 333 causes the communication of the second communication unit 320 to hop to another smart meter 300 or aggregation device 200 that communicates by the second wireless communication method. That is, the transfer processing unit 332 transmits the meter reading information received from another smart meter 300 by the second wireless communication method to yet another smart meter 300 or aggregation device 200 by the second wireless communication method. Note that a limit number of times is set for hopping. Information that has hopped up to this limit number of times is discarded.

[0031] The transmission data generation unit 334 generates transmission data including meter reading information of the power consumption detected by the sensor unit 340. The transmission data generation unit 334 transmits the transmission data to the upper server 100 via the first communication unit 310 or the second communication unit 320 depending on the operation mode of the smart meter 300.

[0032] 5 is a table showing an example of the correspondence between the operation modes of the smart meter 300 and the on / off states of each unit in this embodiment. In this embodiment, there are three operation modes: a hopping mode, an aggregation device mode, and a cellular line mode. In the hopping mode, the on / off state of the first communication unit 310 is off, the on / off state of the second communication unit 320 is on, the on / off state of the transfer processing unit 332 is off, and the on / off state of the hopping processing unit 333 is on.

[0033] In the aggregation device mode, the on / off state of first communication unit 310 is on, the on / off state of second communication unit 320 is on, the on / off state of forwarding processing unit 332 is on, and the on / off state of hopping processing unit 333 is off. In the cellular line mode, the on / off state of first communication unit 310 is on, the on / off state of second communication unit 320 is on, the on / off state of forwarding processing unit 332 is off, and the on / off state of hopping processing unit 333 is on.

[0034] 6 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the operation mode determination process by the mode control unit 331 in this embodiment. The mode control unit 331 first performs a new installation process to determine the operation mode (step Sa1). Next, the mode control unit 331 waits until the review timing comes (step Sa2). When the review timing comes, the mode control unit 331 performs a review process to review the operation mode (step Sa3). The review timing may be predetermined, such as periodically, or may be notified by the upper server 100, or may be based on the communication situation, such as when there are consecutive transmission failures or when the signal level of the communication partner has decreased.

[0035] 7 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the new installation process Sa1 by the mode control unit 331 in this embodiment. First, the mode control unit 331 causes the second communication unit 320 to communicate by the second wireless communication method (step Sb1). This communication is, for example, the transmission of a beacon to notify other devices of the presence of the own device, and the reception of a response from the other device to the beacon. The mode control unit 331 determines whether or not communication is possible based on the result of the communication in step Sb1 (step Sb2). When the mode control unit 331 determines that communication is not possible (communication is not possible) (step Sb2-No), it transitions to the cellular line mode (step Sb7) and ends the new installation process Sa1.

[0036] On the other hand, when the mode control unit 331 determines in step Sb2 that communication is possible (step Sb2-Yes), it acquires information about the other device determined to be able to communicate (step Sb3). This information may include, for example, any of the number of hops to the aggregation device 200 or the smart meter 300b in the aggregation mode, the signal level of the other device, and the availability of the capacity of the aggregation device 200 or the smart meter 300b in the aggregation mode.

[0037] The mode control unit 331 judges whether or not the aggregation device 200 or the smart meter 300b in the aggregation mode can be connected based on the information acquired in step Sb3 (step Sb4). In this way, the mode control unit 331 judges whether or not communication with the upper server 100 is possible via a multi-hop network. For example, if the information is the number of hops, the mode control unit 331 judges that the connection is possible when the number of hops from the own device to the aggregation device 200 or the smart meter 300b in the aggregation mode does not exceed the maximum number of hops. Also, for example, if the information is a signal level, the mode control unit 331 judges that the connection is possible when the signal level exceeds a threshold. Also, for example, if the information is an available state, the mode control unit 331 judges that the connection is possible when the available state indicates that there is available. Also, if the information includes more than one of these, the mode control unit 331 judges that the connection is possible when it is determined that all of them are available.

[0038] When the mode control unit 331 determines that the connection is possible (step Sb4-Yes), it transitions to the multi-hop mode (step Sb5) and ends the new installation process Sa1. When the mode control unit 331 determines that the connection is not possible (connection is not possible) (step Sb4-), it transitions to the aggregation device mode (step Sb6) and ends the new installation process Sa1.

[0039] FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the review process Sa3 by the mode control unit 331 in this embodiment. In FIG. 8, the parts corresponding to those in FIG. 7 are given the same reference numerals, and the explanation is omitted. First, the mode control unit 331 judges whether the operation mode of the own device is the aggregation device mode (step Sc1). If it is judged that it is the aggregation device mode (step Sc1-Yes), the mode control unit 331 does not change the operation mode, but keeps it in the aggregation device mode (step Sc2), and ends the review process Sa3. If it is judged that it is not the aggregation device mode (step Sc1-No), the mode control unit 331 performs the same process as steps Sb1 to Sb7 in FIG. 7, and ends the review process Sa3.

[0040] Fig. 9 is a sequence diagram showing an operation example (part 1) of the communication system 10 in this embodiment. In Fig. 9, a smart meter 300-1 is a newly installed smart meter 300. Smart meters 300-2 and 300-3 are smart meters 300 installed around the smart meter 300-1.

[0041] The smart meter 300-1 starts communication with the surroundings (sequence S101) and transmits beacons S102 and S103. The smart meter 300-2 that receives the beacon S102 returns a response S104, and the smart meter 300-3 that receives the beacon S103 returns a response S105.

[0042] The smart meter 300-1 that has received the responses S104 and S105 starts acquiring information (sequence S106), transmits a connection confirmation S107 to the smart meter 300-2, and transmits a connection confirmation S108 to the smart meter 300-3. This connection confirmation may be, for example, a request for the free capacity of the aggregation device 200, or a request for the number of hops to the aggregation device 200.

[0043] The smart meter 300-2 transmits a connection possible response S109 as a response to the connection confirmation S107. For example, this connection possible response S109 indicates that the aggregation device 200 has free capacity and the number of hops is smaller than the maximum number of hops. The smart meter 300-3 transmits a connection impossible response S110 as a response to the connection confirmation S108. For example, this connection impossible response S119 indicates that the aggregation device 200 has no free capacity or the number of hops exceeds the maximum number of hops. The smart meter 300-1 that receives these determines that it is possible to connect to the aggregation device 200 based on the connection possible response S109 from the smart meter 300-2 (sequence S111) and transitions to the multi-hop mode (sequence S112).

[0044] Fig. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an operation example (part 2) of the communication system 10 in this embodiment. In Fig. 10, a smart meter 300-1 is a newly installed smart meter 300. Smart meters 300-2 and 300-3 are smart meters 300 installed around the smart meter 300-1.

[0045] The smart meter 300-1 starts communication with the surroundings (sequence S101) and transmits a beacon S202. The surrounding smart meters 300-2 and 300-3 cannot receive this beacon S202 due to distance from the smart meter 300-1 or due to an obstruction between them.

[0046] The smart meter 300-1 transitions to the cellular line mode (sequence S204) based on the fact that no response to the beacon S202 has been received and there has been no multi-hop communication history for a predetermined period of time (sequence S203).

[0047] Fig. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an operation example (part 3) of the communication system 10 in this embodiment. In Fig. 11, parts corresponding to those in Fig. 9 are given the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. Sequences S101 to S108 are the same as those in Fig. 9. The smart meter 300-2 transmits a connection refusal response S309 in response to the connection confirmation S107. The smart meter 300-3 also transmits a connection refusal response S110 in response to the connection confirmation S108.

[0048] Upon receiving the connection-unavailable responses S309 and S110, the smart meter 300-1 determines that connection to the aggregation device 200 is unavailable (sequence S311), and transitions to the aggregation device mode (sequence S312).

[0049] FIG. 12 is a schematic block diagram showing an example in which the smart meter 300 of this embodiment is mixed with a conventional communication system. The upper server 100, the aggregation device 400, and the smart meter 500 in FIG. 12 constitute a conventional communication system. In the conventional communication system, a wireless communication method different from the second wireless communication method may be used in a multi-hop network formed by the aggregation device 400 and the smart meter 500. In this case, the smart meter 300 cannot communicate with the aggregation device 400 and the smart meter 500 even if they are present around the installation position. In other words, the smart meter 300 cannot participate in the conventional multi-hop network formed around it.

[0050] Therefore, the first installed smart meter 300 operates in the cellular line mode. As more smart meters 300 are added, at least one of the multiple smart meters 300 operates in the aggregation device mode and the others operate in the multi-hop mode, autonomously forming a multi-hop network using the second wireless communication method and transmitting meter reading information to the upper server 100, as shown in FIG.

[0051] In the cellular line mode in this embodiment, the on / off states of second communication unit 320 and hopping processing unit 333 are on, but they may be off. Also, there may be an operation mode that differs from the cellular line mode only in that the on / off states of second communication unit 320 and hopping processing unit 333 are off.

[0052] <Second embodiment> In the first embodiment, the smart meter 300 always autonomously determines the operation mode, but in the second embodiment, a form will be described in which the upper server 100 can specify the operation mode to the smart meter 300. The communication system 10 in the second embodiment also includes the upper server 100, the aggregation device 200, and the smart meter 300, similar to Fig. 1. Moreover, the configurations of the upper server 100, the aggregation device 200, and the smart meter 300 in this embodiment are similar to those in Figs. 2, 3, and 4.

[0053] However, the control unit 110 of the upper server 100 transmits to the smart meter 300 via the communication unit 120 information indicating that the autonomous function is ON, which indicates permission for the smart meter 300 to autonomously determine the operation mode, or information specifying the operation mode. In addition, when the mode control unit 331 of the smart meter 300 receives information that the autonomous function is ON from the upper server 100, it autonomously determines the operation mode, and when it receives information that specifies the operation mode, it transitions to the operation mode specified by the information.

[0054] FIG. 13 is a flow chart for explaining an example of the operation of the mode control unit 331 in the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 13, the parts corresponding to those in FIG. 6 are given the same reference numerals, and the explanation is omitted. First, the mode control unit 331 judges whether the device itself is in an autonomous function ON state (step Sd1). When the mode control unit 331 receives information indicating that the autonomous function is ON, or when it does not receive information specifying an operation mode, it judges that the autonomous function is ON. When the autonomous function is ON (step Sd1-Yes), the mode control unit 331 performs a new installation process (step Sa1) and proceeds to step Sa2. When the autonomous function is not ON (step Sd1-No), the mode control unit 331 transitions to an operation mode according to the received information specifying the operation mode (step Sd2) and proceeds to step Sa2.

[0055] Also, when the review timing arrives (step Sa1-Yes), the mode control unit 331 determines whether or not the device is in an autonomous function ON state, as in step Sd1 (step Sd3). If the device is in an autonomous function ON state (step Sd3-Yes), the mode control unit 331 performs a review process (step Sa3) and returns to step Sa2. If the device is not in an autonomous function ON state (step Sd3-No), the mode control unit 331 transitions to an operation mode according to the received information specifying the operation mode (step Sd4) and returns to step Sa2.

[0056] <Third embodiment> In the first embodiment, the smart meter 300 autonomously determines the operation mode depending on the situation at that time, but in the third embodiment, a form in which the operation mode is also determined based on past information will be described. The communication system 10 in the third embodiment also includes an upper server 100, an aggregation device 200, and a smart meter 300, as in FIG. 1. The configurations of the upper server 100 and the aggregation device 200 in this embodiment are the same as those in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, but the configuration of the smart meter 300 is different from that in FIG. 4. Note that in the third embodiment, as in the second embodiment, the upper server 100 may be able to specify the operation mode to the smart meter 300.

[0057] Fig. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an installation state of the smart meter 300 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the example of Fig. 14, there is no obstruction near the smart meter 300 during the daytime T1. However, at nighttime T2, a car C1 is parked near the smart meter 300. Therefore, the wireless signal transmitted by the smart meter 300 and wireless signals transmitted by surrounding smart meters 300 and the like are blocked by the car C1.

[0058] In such a case, it is desirable for the smart meter 300 to operate in the multi-hop mode or aggregation device mode during the day and in the cellular line mode at night. Therefore, the smart meter 300 in this embodiment stores communication environment information such as the signal level of wireless signals from surrounding smart meters 300 at each time, and when a time regularity of the communication environment is detected from the communication environment information, the operation mode at each time is determined based on the time regularity.

[0059] Fig. 15 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of a smart meter 300 in this embodiment. In Fig. 15, parts corresponding to those in Fig. 4 are given the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted. The smart meter 300 shown in Fig. 15 differs from the smart meter 300 in Fig. 4 in that the control unit 330 includes a communication environment information storage unit 335 and the mode control unit 331 acquires information from the communication environment information storage unit 335.

[0060] The communication environment information storage unit 335 stores communication environment information such as the signal level of a wireless signal from the surrounding smart meters 300 at a given time. The mode control unit 331 is similar to that in Fig. 4, but detects a time regularity of the communication environment from the communication environment information stored in the communication environment information storage unit 335. When the mode control unit 331 detects a time regularity, it determines an operation mode at each time based on the time regularity.

[0061] Fig. 16 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the mode control unit 331 in this embodiment. The process shown in Fig. 16 is the review process Sa3 in Fig. 6. First, when the review process Sa3 is started, the mode control unit 331 judges whether the operation mode of the own device is the aggregation device mode (step Se1). When it is judged that it is the aggregation device mode (step Se1-Yes), the mode control unit 331 keeps the operation mode in the aggregation device mode (step Se2) and ends the review process Sa3.

[0062] On the other hand, when it is determined that the aggregation device mode is not set (step Se1-No), the mode control unit 331 determines whether or not the communication environment has time regularity based on the communication environment information read from the communication environment information storage unit 335 (step Se3). To determine whether or not the communication environment has time regularity, for example, the mode control unit 331 calculates the variance of the signal level at a given time in the past for a certain period of time, and if the variance is less than a threshold, the mode control unit 331 determines that the communication environment has time regularity.

[0063] If it is determined that there is a time regularity (step Se3-Yes), the mode control unit 331 determines whether or not communication by the second wireless communication method is possible based on the signal level at the past time (step Se4). If it is determined that communication is possible (step Se4-Yes), the mode control unit 331 transitions to the multi-hop mode (step Se5) and ends the review process Sa3. If it is determined that communication is not possible (step Se4-No), the mode control unit 331 transitions to the cellular line mode (step Se6) and ends the review process Sa3.

[0064] Furthermore, when it is determined in step Se3 that the communication environment has no time regularity (step Se3-No), the same processes as steps Sb1 to Sb7 in FIG. 7 are performed, and the review process Sa3 is terminated.

[0065] <Fourth embodiment> In each of the above-described embodiments, the smart meters 300a and 300b communicate with the upper server 100 using the first communication method, but a virtual aggregation device 600 may be provided between the upper server 100. The virtual aggregation device 600 communicates with the upper server 100 using a protocol similar to that of the aggregation device 400 in the conventional communication system in Fig. 12. As a result, even if the smart meter 300 is added to the conventional communication system, as in Fig. 12, the upper server 100 can collect meter reading information of the smart meter 300 using a protocol similar to that of the conventional communication system.

[0066] FIG. 17 is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration of a communication system 10 in a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The communication system 10 in FIG. 17 includes an upper server 100, a virtual aggregation device 600, a router 700, a carrier network 800, and smart meters 300a, 300b, and 300c. As in the communication system 10 in FIG. 1, the communication system 10 may include an aggregation device 200 and one or more smart meters 300c forming a multi-hop network with the aggregation device 200. In addition, a plurality of virtual aggregation devices 600 may be connected to the upper server 100. The plurality of virtual aggregation devices 600 may be connected to the carrier network 800 by one or more routers 700. In addition, a plurality of smart meters 300b or a plurality of smart meters 300a may be connected to the virtual aggregation device 600 via the router 700 and the carrier network 800.

[0067] The carrier network 800 is a mobile communication network such as LTE or 5G. The router 700 is a router that connects a LAN (Local Area Network) to which the virtual aggregation device 600 is connected and the carrier network 800. The virtual aggregation device 600 relays communication between the smart meters 300a, 300b, and 300c and the upper server 100. The virtual aggregation device 600 relays communication so that the smart meters 300a, 300b, and 300c can communicate with the same protocol as that accommodated in the aggregation device 400 in the conventional communication system, as viewed from the upper server 100. For this reason, a header (hereinafter, a network extension header) for passing information of a multi-hop frame to the virtual aggregation device 600 is used in communication between the virtual aggregation device 600 and the smart meters 300a and 300b. In this embodiment, UDP / IP (User Datagram Protocol / Internet Protocol) is used for communication between the virtual aggregation device 600 and the smart meters 300a and 300b, and the network extension header is included in the payload of the UDP packet.

[0068] The transmission from the smart meter 300b to the virtual aggregation device 600 includes at least information for identifying the multi-hop network to which the smart meter 300b belongs. This allows the virtual aggregation device 600 to accommodate multiple multi-hop networks, i.e., multiple smart meters 300a and 300b. When the aggregation device 400 uses the MAC address of the aggregation device 400 as information for identifying the multi-hop network, the information for identifying the multi-hop network in the network extension header may be the MAC address of the smart meter 300. Furthermore, the transmission from the smart meter 300b to the virtual aggregation device 600 may include whether ACK is required.

[0069] 18 is a table for explaining the configuration of the network extension header in this embodiment. The network extension header may include some or all of the items No. 1 to No. 7 shown in FIG.

[0070] The frame type of No.1 indicates the type of frame. For example, the frame type is an 8-bit area, and when the value is 0x01, it may indicate that it is a DATA frame. Also, when the value is 0xF0, it may indicate that it is an ACK frame.

[0071] The encryption method ID of No. 2 indicates the encryption method of the frame. For example, the encryption method ID is an 8-bit area, with the upper 4 bits (bit0 to bit3) indicating whether encryption is performed and the encryption method ID, and the lower 4 bits (bit4 to bit7) being a reserved area, which may be set to 0. Furthermore, the upper 4 bits may indicate no encryption when their value is 0000b, and may indicate that the encryption method is AES-CCM (Counter with CBC-MAC (Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code))-128 when their value is 0001b.

[0072] No. 3, ACK required, informs the frame receiver whether an ACK is required after receiving the frame. For example, ACK required may be an 8-bit field, and a value of 0x00 indicates that an ACK is not required, and a value of 0x01 indicates that an ACK is required.

[0073] The sequence number in No. 4 indicates the sequence number of the frame. For example, the sequence number is an 8-bit area, and its value is either 0x00 to 0xFF, and is incremented each time a frame is transmitted. If the frame type is an ACK frame, the value of the sequence number is the sequence number of the received frame, i.e., the frame whose reception is indicated by the ACK frame.

[0074] The version number in No. 5 indicates the version of the format of the network extension header.

[0075] The source address in No. 6 indicates the MAC address of the sender. This source address is information that identifies the multi-hop network.

[0076] The security header No. 7 is set when the encryption method ID No. 2 indicates that encryption is performed, that is, when it indicates any encryption method.

[0077] Fig. 19 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the communication system 10 in this embodiment. Note that the communication between the carrier network 800 and the virtual aggregation device 600 is performed via the router 700, but since the contents of the UDP packet are not changed in the router 700, it is omitted in Fig. 19.

[0078] The smart meter 300b transmits an LTE frame S401 to the carrier network 800 when, for example, it receives a DIS (Destination Oriented Directed Acyclic Graph (DODAG) Information Solicitation) requesting information on a multi-hop network from the smart meter 300c. This LTE frame S401 includes an LTE header, a UDP / IP header, a network extension header (NW extension header), and a DIS. "ACK not required" is set as the ACK requirement in the network extension header. "ACK not required" is set because the DIS is a message requesting information, and the delivery of the DIS can be confirmed by the response of the DIS even if an ACK is not transmitted. This makes it possible to omit the transmission of an ACK. In addition, the MAC address of the smart meter 300b is set as the source address of the network extension header. This MAC address of the smart meter 300b is the same as the address set as the destination address in the frame storing the DIS received from the smart meter 300c.

[0079] When the carrier network 800 receives the LTE frame S401, it removes the LTE header, extracts a UDP packet S402, and transmits it to the virtual aggregation device 600. The UDP packet S402 contains the same UDP / IP header, network extension header (NW extension header), and DIS as the LTE frame S401.

[0080] When the virtual aggregation device 600 receives the UDP packet S402, it extracts the DIS, generates a DODAG Information Object (DIO), stores it in a UDP packet S403, and transmits it to the carrier network 800. The virtual aggregation device 600 may acquire the DIO by inquiring of the upper server 100. The UDP packet S403 includes a UDP / IP header, a network extension header, and a DIO. Note that "no ACK required" in the network extension header of the UDP packet S403 may be set to "no ACK required." The reason why "no ACK required" may be set is that the DIO is a response message to an information request, and if the DIO is not delivered, the DIS is retransmitted by the smart meter 300b. Also, the address of the smart meter 300b may be set to the destination of the UDP packet S403.

[0081] Upon receiving the UDP packet S403, the carrier network 800 adds an LTE header to the UDP packet S403 to generate an LTE frame S404, and transmits the LTE frame S404 to the smart meter 300b.

[0082] Furthermore, when the smart meter 300b receives data such as meter reading information from the smart meter 300c, the smart meter 300b transmits an LTE frame S405 to the carrier network 800. This LTE frame S405 includes an LTE header, a UDP / IP header, a network extension header (NW extension header), and data. "ACK required" is set as the ACK required field of the network extension header. "ACK required" is set because the smart meter 300b cannot confirm the delivery of data unless an ACK is transmitted. Furthermore, the MAC address of the smart meter 300b is set as the source address of the network extension header.

[0083] When the carrier network 800 receives the LTE frame S405, it removes the LTE header, extracts a UDP packet S406, and transmits it to the virtual aggregation device 600. The UDP packet S406 contains the same UDP / IP header, network extension header (NW extension header), and DIS as the LTE frame S405.

[0084] When the virtual aggregation device 600 receives the UDP packet S406, it transmits a UDP packet S407, which is an ACK, to the carrier network 800. The UDP packet S407 includes a UDP / IP header and a network extension header, and the sequence number of the network extension header is set to the same value as the sequence number of the network extension header of the UDP packet S406.

[0085] When the carrier network 800 receives the UDP packet S407, it adds an LTE header to the UDP packet S407 to generate an LTE frame S408, and transmits the LTE frame S408 to the smart meter 300b. When the smart meter 300b receives the LTE frame S408, it confirms that the sequence number of the network extension header is the same as the sequence number of the network extension header of the LTE frame S405. This allows the smart meter 300b to confirm that the data stored in the LTE frame S405 has been delivered.

[0086] Furthermore, when the virtual aggregation device 600 receives data for the smart meter 300c from the upper server 100, the virtual aggregation device 600 transmits a UDP packet S409 to the carrier network 800. This UDP packet S409 includes a UDP / IP header, a network extension header, and data. "ACK required" is set as the ACK required field in the network extension header. "ACK required" is set because the virtual aggregation device 600 cannot confirm the delivery of data unless an ACK is transmitted. Furthermore, the MAC address of the virtual aggregation device 600 is set as the source address in the network extension header.

[0087] When the carrier network 800 receives the UDP packet S409, it adds an LTE header to generate an LTE frame S410 and transmits it to the smart meter 300b. The LTE frame S410 contains a UDP / IP header, a network extension header, and a DIS similar to those of the UDP packet S409.

[0088] When the smart meter 300b receives the LTE frame S410, it transmits an LTE frame S411, which is an ACK, to the carrier network 800. The LTE frame S411 includes an LTE header, a UDP / IP header, and a network extension header, and the sequence number of the network extension header is set to the same value as the sequence number of the network extension header of the LTE frame S410.

[0089] When the carrier network 800 receives the LTE frame S411, it removes the LTE header to extract the UDP packet S412, and transmits the UDP packet S412 to the virtual aggregation device 600. When the virtual aggregation device 600 receives the UDP packet S412, it confirms that the sequence number of the network extension header is the same as the sequence number of the network extension header of the UDP packet S409. This allows the virtual aggregation device 600 to confirm that the data stored in the UDP packet S409 has been delivered to the smart meter 300b.

[0090] 20 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the smart meter 300b in the embodiment. The smart meter 300b converts between a frame F11 of wireless communication constituting a multi-hop network and a UDP packet F12 used in communication between the smart meter 300b and the virtual aggregation device 600.

[0091] Frame F11 may include a 920 header, an MH header, an application header, and an application (data). The 920 header is a header of a wireless communication frame constituting a multi-hop network, such as wireless communication in the 920 MHz band, IEEE802.15.4g, etc. The 920 header includes a source address and a destination address. The MH header is a header of the multi-hop network. The application header is a header of an application on the multi-hop network. The application is data of an application on the multi-hop network.

[0092] The UDP packet F12 may include a UDP / IP header, a network extension header (NW extension header), an application header, and an application. The UDP / IP header is a header of a UDP / IP packet. The network extension header is a header that includes the items shown in FIG. 18.

[0093] Fig. 21 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the virtual aggregation device 600 in the embodiment. The virtual aggregation device 600 converts between a UDP packet F21 used in communication between the smart meter 300b and the virtual aggregation device 600 and a communication frame F22 between the virtual aggregation device 600 or the aggregation device 400 and the upper server 100. The UDP packet F21 is similar to the UDP packet F12 in Fig. 20. The communication frame F22 may include an aggregation device-upper-layer header, an application header, and an application.

[0094] The following embodiment may also be adopted. (1) One embodiment is a communication system including a communication device and a communication terminal that communicates with the communication device, the communication terminal including a first communication unit that communicates using a first wireless communication method, a second communication unit that communicates using a second wireless communication method different from the first wireless communication method, a transfer processing unit that transfers communication of the second communication unit to the first communication unit, a hopping processing unit that hops communication of the second communication unit to another communication terminal that communicates using the second wireless communication method, and a control unit that autonomously controls an on / off state of the first communication unit or the second communication unit.

[0095] (2) Another embodiment is the communication system according to (1), in which the control unit controls an on / off state of the transfer processing unit.

[0096] (3) Another embodiment is the communication system described in (2), and another aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned communication system, wherein when the control unit is able to transmit data to the communication device through communication by the second communication unit, it turns off the on / off state of the first communication unit and the forwarding processing unit to transition to a multi-hop mode, and when the control unit is able to communicate with other communication terminals through the second communication unit but is unable to communicate with the communication device, it turns on the on / off state of the first communication unit and the forwarding processing unit to transition to an aggregation device mode, and when the control unit is unable to communicate with other communication terminals through the second communication unit, it turns on the on / off state of the first communication unit and turns off the on / off state of the forwarding processing unit to transition to a first wireless communication mode.

[0097] (4) Another embodiment is a communication system according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the communication device transmits information specifying an operating mode to the communication terminal, and when the control unit receives the information specifying the operating mode from the communication device, the control unit controls the on / off state of at least some of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, and the transfer processing unit in accordance with the information specifying the operating mode.

[0098] (5) Another embodiment is a communication system described in any of (1) to (4), wherein when the control unit detects a time regularity of the communication environment from past communication environment information, the control unit controls the on / off state of at least some of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, and the transfer processing unit based on the time regularity.

[0099] (6) Another embodiment is the communication system according to any one of (1) to (5), further comprising a virtual aggregation device that relays communication between the communication device and the communication terminal, When the communication terminal transitions to aggregation device mode by turning on the on / off state of the first communication unit and the forwarding processing unit, the transmission to the virtual aggregation device includes information identifying the multi-hop network to which the communication terminal belongs.

[0100] (7) Another embodiment is the communication system according to (6), in which the information for identifying the multi-hop network is a MAC address of the communication terminal.

[0101] (8) Another embodiment is the communication system according to (6) or (7), in which the transmission to the virtual aggregation device includes whether ACK is required.

[0102] (9) Another embodiment is a communication terminal that communicates with a communication device, the communication terminal including a first communication unit that communicates using a first wireless communication method, a second communication unit that communicates using a second wireless communication method different from the first wireless communication method, a transfer processing unit that transfers communication of the second communication unit to the first communication unit, a hopping processing unit that hops communication of the second communication unit to another communication terminal that communicates using the second wireless communication method, and a control unit that autonomously controls an on / off state of the first communication unit or the second communication unit.

[0103] (10) Another embodiment is a communication device in a communication system including a communication device and a communication terminal that communicates with the communication device, the communication terminal including a first communication unit that communicates using a first wireless communication method, a second communication unit that communicates using a second wireless communication method different from the first wireless communication method, a transfer processing unit that transfers communication of the second communication unit to the first communication unit, a hopping processing unit that hops communication of the second communication unit to another communication terminal that communicates using the second wireless communication method, and a control unit that autonomously controls an on / off state of the first communication unit or the second communication unit, the communication device transmits information specifying an operation mode to the communication terminal, and when the control unit receives the information specifying the operation mode from the communication device, the control unit controls the on / off state of at least some of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, and the transfer processing unit in accordance with the information specifying the operation mode.

[0104] (11) Another embodiment, another aspect of the present invention is a control method in a communication system including a communication device and a communication terminal communicating with the communication device, the control method including the steps of communicating using a first wireless communication method, communicating using a second wireless communication method different from the first wireless communication method, transferring the communication of the second wireless communication method to the first wireless communication method, hopping the communication of the second wireless communication method to another communication terminal communicating using the second wireless communication method, and autonomously controlling an on / off state of the first wireless communication method or the second wireless communication method.

[0105] (12) Another embodiment is a program for causing a computer communicating with a communication device to function as a first communication unit that communicates using a first wireless communication method, a second communication unit that communicates using a second wireless communication method different from the first wireless communication method, a transfer processing unit that transfers communication from the second communication unit to the first communication unit, a hopping processing unit that hops communication from the second communication unit to another communication terminal that communicates using the second wireless communication method, and a control unit that autonomously controls the on / off state of the first communication unit or the second communication unit.

[0106] (13) Another embodiment is a program for causing a computer to function as a communication device in a communication system including a communication device and a communication terminal that communicates with the communication device, the communication terminal including a first communication unit that communicates using a first wireless communication method, a second communication unit that communicates using a second wireless communication method different from the first wireless communication method, a transfer processing unit that transfers communication of the second communication unit to the first communication unit, a hopping processing unit that hops communication of the second communication unit to another communication terminal that communicates using the second wireless communication method, and a control unit that autonomously controls an on / off state of the first communication unit or the second communication unit, the communication device transmitting information specifying an operation mode to the communication terminal, and when the control unit receives the information specifying the operation mode from the communication device, controlling the on / off state of at least a portion of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, and the transfer processing unit in accordance with the information specifying the operation mode.

[0107] 1 and 17, programs for implementing the functions of the upper server 100, the aggregation device 200, the smart meters 300a, 300b, and 300c, and the virtual aggregation device 600 may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the programs recorded on the recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed to implement the upper server 100, the aggregation device 200, and the smart meters 300a, 300b, and 300c. Note that the term "computer system" here includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices.

[0108] In addition, "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording medium" also includes those that dynamically hold a program for a short period of time, such as a communication line when transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line, and those that hold a program for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory inside a computer system that serves as a server or client in such cases. Furthermore, the above program may be one that realizes part of the above-mentioned functions, or may be one that can realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

[0109] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes and the like that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are also included. [Explanation of symbols]

[0110] 10. Communication Systems 100 Top Servers 110 Control section 120 Communications Department 200, 400 Aggregation Device 210 First Communications Department 220 Control section 230 2nd Communications Department 300, 300a, 300b, 300c, 500 Smart Meter 310 First Communications Department 320 2nd Communications Department 330 Control Unit 331 Mode control section 332 Transfer Processing Unit 333 Hopping Processing Unit 334 Transmission data generation unit 335 Communication environment information storage unit 340 Sensor section

Claims

1. A communication system including a communication device and a communication terminal that communicates with the communication device, wherein the communication terminal includes a first communication unit that communicates using a first wireless communication method, a second communication unit that communicates using a second wireless communication method different from the first wireless communication method, a transfer processing unit that transfers the communication of the second communication unit to the first communication unit, a hopping processing unit that causes the communication of the second communication unit to hop to another communication terminal that communicates using the second wireless communication method, and a control unit that autonomously controls the on / off states of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, the transfer processing unit, and the hopping processing unit, and the control unit when data can be transmitted to the communication device by communication using the second communication unit, sets the on / off states of the first communication unit and the transfer processing unit to off, sets the on / off states of the second communication unit and the hopping processing unit to on, and transitions to a multi-hop mode, when communication with another communication terminal is possible using the second communication unit but communication with the communication device is not possible, sets the on / off states of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, and the transfer processing unit to on, sets the on / off state of the hopping processing unit to off, and transitions to an aggregation device mode, when communication with another communication terminal is not possible using the second communication unit, sets the on / off states of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, and the hopping processing unit to on, sets the on / off state of the transfer processing unit to off, and transitions to a first wireless communication mode. A communication system.

2. The communication device transmits information specifying an operation mode to the communication terminal, and the control unit When receiving information specifying the operation mode from the communication device, at least a part of the on / off states of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, and the transfer processing unit are controlled according to the information specifying the operation mode. The communication system according to claim 1.

3. The control unit When detecting the time regularity of the communication environment from the past communication environment information, at least a part of the on / off states of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, and the transfer processing unit are controlled based on the time regularity. The communication system according to claim 1.

4. A virtual aggregation device for relaying communication between the communication device and the communication terminal is provided. When the communication terminal is in the aggregated device mode with the on / off states of the first communication unit and the transfer processing unit being on, information identifying the multi-hop network to which the communication terminal belongs is included in the transmission to the virtual aggregation device. The communication system according to claim 1.

5. The information identifying the multi-hop network is the MAC address of the communication terminal. The communication system according to claim 4.

6. The communication system according to claim 4, including whether an ACK is required in the transmission to the virtual aggregation device.

7. A communication terminal that communicates with a communication device, The communication terminal A first communication unit that communicates using a first wireless communication method, A second communication unit that communicates using a second wireless communication method different from the first wireless communication method, A transfer processing unit that transfers the communication of the second communication unit to the first communication unit, A hopping processing unit that hops the communication of the second communication unit to another communication terminal that communicates using the second wireless communication method, A control unit that autonomously controls the on / off states of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, the transfer processing unit, and the hopping processing unit and includes The control unit When data can be transmitted to the communication device by communication using the second communication unit, the on / off states of the first communication unit and the transfer processing unit are set to off, and the on / off states of the second communication unit and the hopping processing unit are set to on to transition to the multi-hop mode. When the second communication unit can communicate with another communication terminal but cannot communicate with the communication device, the on / off states of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, and the transfer processing unit are set to on, and the on / off state of the hopping processing unit is set to off to transition to the aggregation device mode. When the second communication unit cannot communicate with another communication terminal, the on / off states of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, and the hopping processing unit are set to on, and the on / off state of the transfer processing unit is set to off to transition to the first wireless communication mode. Communication terminal.

8. A communication device in a communication system including a communication device and a communication terminal that communicates with the communication device, The communication terminal A first communication unit that communicates using a first wireless communication method, A second communication unit that communicates using a second wireless communication method different from the first wireless communication method, A transfer processing unit that transfers the communication of the second communication unit to the first communication unit, A hopping processing unit that hops the communication of the second communication unit to another communication terminal that communicates using the second wireless communication method, A control unit that autonomously controls the on / off states of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, the transfer processing unit, and the hopping processing unit and includes The communication device Transmits information specifying an operation mode to the communication terminal, The control unit When information designating the multi-hop mode as the operation mode is received from the communication device, the on / off states of the first communication unit and the transfer processing unit are turned off, and the on / off states of the second communication unit and the hopping processing unit are turned on. When information designating the aggregator device mode as the operation mode is received from the communication device, the on / off states of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, and the transfer processing unit are turned on, and the on / off state of the hopping processing unit is turned off to transition to the aggregator device mode. When information designating the first wireless communication mode as the operation mode is received from the communication device, the on / off states of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, and the hopping processing unit are turned on, and the on / off state of the transfer processing unit is turned off to transition to the first wireless communication mode. Communication device.

9. A control method in a communication system including a communication device and a communication terminal that communicates with the communication device, A step of communicating in a first wireless communication method, A step of communicating in a second wireless communication method different from the first wireless communication method, A step of transferring communication in the second wireless communication method to the first wireless communication method, A step of hopping communication in the second wireless communication method to another communication terminal that communicates in the second wireless communication method, A step of autonomously controlling the on / off states of the first wireless communication method, the second wireless communication method, the transfer, and the hopping and having In the step of controlling, When data can be transmitted to the communication device by communication using the second wireless communication method, the on / off states of the first wireless communication method and the transfer are turned off, and the on / off states of the second wireless communication method and the hopping are turned on to transition to the multi-hop mode. Although it is possible to communicate with other communication terminals by the second wireless communication method, when it is not possible to communicate with the communication device, the first wireless communication method, the second wireless communication method, and the on / off state of the transfer are turned on, the on / off state of the hopping is turned off, and the device is transitioned to the aggregation mode. When it is not possible to communicate with other communication terminals by the second wireless communication method, the first wireless communication method, the second wireless communication method, and the on / off state of the hopping are turned on, the on / off state of the transfer is turned off, and the device is transitioned to the first wireless communication mode. Control method.

10. A computer that communicates with a communication device, A first communication unit that communicates by a first wireless communication method, A second communication unit that communicates by a second wireless communication method different from the first wireless communication method, A transfer processing unit that transfers the communication of the second communication unit to the first communication unit, A hopping processing unit that hops the communication of the second communication unit to other communication terminals that communicate by the second wireless communication method, A program for functioning as a control unit that autonomously controls the on / off states of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, the transfer processing unit, and the hopping processing unit, The control unit, When it is possible to transmit data to the communication device by the communication of the second communication unit, the on / off states of the first communication unit and the transfer processing unit are turned off, the on / off states of the second communication unit and the hopping processing unit are turned on, and the device is transitioned to the multi-hop mode. Although it is possible to communicate with other communication terminals by the second communication unit, when it is not possible to communicate with the communication device, the on / off states of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, and the transfer processing unit are turned on, the on / off state of the hopping processing unit is turned off, and the device is transitioned to the aggregation mode. When the second communication unit cannot communicate with other communication terminals, turn on the on / off states of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, and the hopping processing unit, and turn off the on / off state of the transfer processing unit to transition to the first wireless communication mode. Program.

11. A computer, A program for causing the computer to function as the communication device in a communication system including a communication device and a communication terminal that communicates with the communication device, The communication terminal includes, A first communication unit that communicates using a first wireless communication method, A second communication unit that communicates using a second wireless communication method different from the first wireless communication method, A transfer processing unit that transfers the communication of the second communication unit to the first communication unit, A hopping processing unit that hops the communication of the second communication unit to other communication terminals that communicate using the second wireless communication method, And a control unit that autonomously controls the on / off states of the first wireless communication method, the second wireless communication method, the transfer, and the hopping. And includes, The communication device, Transmits information specifying an operation mode to the communication terminal, The control unit, When receiving information specifying the multi-hop mode as the operation mode from the communication device, turn off the on / off states of the first communication unit and the transfer processing unit, and turn on the on / off states of the second communication unit and the hopping processing unit. When receiving information specifying the aggregation device mode as the operation mode from the communication device, turn on the on / off states of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, and the transfer processing unit, and turn off the on / off state of the hopping processing unit to transition to the aggregation device mode. When information designating the first wireless communication mode as the operation mode is received from the communication device, the on / off states of the first communication unit, the second communication unit, and the hopping processing unit are set to on, and the on / off state of the transfer processing unit is set to off to transition to the first wireless communication mode. Program.

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