Wireless communication system and relay device

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a wireless communication system that can suppress power consumption and communication costs. [Solution] A wireless communication system 100 includes a plurality of wireless units 30 and a relay device 50. The wireless units 30 transmit measurement information obtained by the measuring unit 20, or alarm information generated based on the measurement information, to the relay device 50 via a second line NW2. The relay device 50 receives the alarm information via the second line NW2 and determines whether the alarm information is a first alarm information or a second alarm information. If it is a first alarm information, it transmits the alarm information to a base station 4 via a first line NW1. If it is a second alarm information, it collects measurement information from the measuring unit 20 connected to the plurality of wireless units 30 and transmits the collected information, including the alarm information and the measurement information, to the base station 4 via the first line NW1.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Field of the Invention This disclosure relates to a wireless communication system and relay device for transmitting alarm information from a wireless device connected to a measuring instrument to a base station. [Previous Technology]

[0002] Background of the Invention Conventionally, gas meters are installed in the residences of gas users to measure the flow rate of gas. The flow rate values ​​measured in the gas meters of each user's residence are collected and sent to a central station via wireless communication through repeaters and base stations. Furthermore, Patent Document 1 discloses a gas meter equipped with an accelerometer. This gas meter is configured to send seismic index values ​​calculated based on the detection results of the accelerometer to a central station, thereby enabling the estimation of seismic damage to each user's residence with higher accuracy. Prior Art Documents Patent Documents

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-141427 [Summary of the Invention]

[0004] Problem to be Solved by the Invention: However, if earthquake damage is presumed in one demander's residence, the same damage can also be presumed in other demander's residences nearby. Therefore, in order to accurately grasp the situation, it is advisable to collect information from more gas meters in the surrounding suburbs, even if information about the occurrence of an earthquake is obtained from a gas meter installed in one demander's residence.

[0005] This approach is not limited to earthquakes, but also applies to adverse conditions such as water ingress into gas pipelines. That is, one could consider the following scenario: in the event of water ingress into a gas pipeline at any location, collecting information from gas meters located in multiple nearby residences of consumers would help pinpoint the location of the water ingress.

[0006] On the other hand, the information collection from the gas meters already installed in each consumer's residence, as described above, to the central office involves excluding periodic calls from the gas meters and responding to requests from the central office to each gas meter individually. However, when the request is based on a request from the central office, the relay between the central office and the gas meters must relay the gas meter's response to the central office several times.

[0007] Figure 4 is a sequence diagram showing a previous operation example of the repeater 140 collecting information from each gas meter (flow meter 10A, 10B) according to a request from the center. As shown in Figure 4, for example, when the possibility of water ingress is detected in flow meter 110A (step S101), an alarm message is sent from flow meter 110A to repeater 140 (step S102), and repeater 140 sends this alarm message to the center through base station 104 (step S103).

[0008] In this way, the center will make a data request to the repeater 140 through the base station 104 (step S104), and the repeater 140 will follow suit and make a data request to the flow meter 110A (step S105). The flow meter 110A will obtain the measurement information (data) through the measuring instrument according to the data request (step S106), and send the measurement information to the repeater 140 through a data call (step S107). Then, the repeater 140 will send the measurement information received from the flow meter 110A to the center through the base station 104 (step S108).

[0009] After that, the repeater 140 will also request data from the corresponding flow meter 110B in response to the data request from the center, and send the data to the center each time it receives measurement information from each flow meter 110B (steps S109~S124).

[0010] In this case, as can be clearly seen by observing the transmitting and receiving section surrounded by the link line C1 in Figure 4, the repeater 140 frequently communicates with the center via the base station 104. Therefore, in general, the battery life in a battery-powered repeater will be shorter. Furthermore, utilizing a general wide area communication network for communication between the repeater and the center will lead to an increase in communication costs.

[0011] Therefore, the object of this disclosure is to provide a wireless communication system and relay device that can suppress power consumption and communication costs in a relay. Means for solving the problem

[0012] The wireless communication system disclosed herein includes: a plurality of wireless units connected to a plurality of measuring units; and a relay device that communicates with a base station connected to a center via a first line and with the plurality of aforementioned wireless units via a second line. The aforementioned wireless units perform a transmission process that transmits measurement information obtained by the aforementioned measuring units, or alarm information generated based on the aforementioned measurement information, to the aforementioned relay device via the aforementioned second line. The aforementioned relay device performs the following processes: a receiving process that receives the aforementioned alarm information from the aforementioned wireless units via the aforementioned second line; and a judgment process that determines whether the received alarm information is a predetermined first alarm information or a second alarm information different from the aforementioned first alarm information. The first transmission process, if it is determined that the aforementioned alarm information is the aforementioned first alarm information, sends the aforementioned alarm information to the aforementioned base station through the aforementioned first line; and the second transmission process, if it is determined that the aforementioned alarm information is the aforementioned second alarm information, collects the aforementioned measurement information from the aforementioned measuring device that is connected to the plurality of the aforementioned wireless devices through the aforementioned second line, and sends the collection information containing the aforementioned alarm information and the previously collected measurement information to the aforementioned base station through the aforementioned first line.

[0013] Accordingly, when the relay device receives the second alarm information from the wireless unit, it does not perform multiple relays between the center and multiple wireless units in response to requests from the center. Instead, the relay device spontaneously collects information from the measuring devices already connected to each wireless unit, summarizes the collected information, and sends it to the center. This reduces power consumption in the relay device and also reduces communication costs between the relay device and the center. Effects of the Invention

[0014] According to this disclosure, a wireless communication system and relay device can be provided that can suppress power consumption and communication costs of the relay.

Implementation Method

[0016] The following describes the wireless communication system and relay device according to embodiments of the present invention, with reference to the drawings. Furthermore, in the following, identical or corresponding elements throughout the drawings will be given the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions will be omitted.

[0017] (Composition of the wireless communication system) Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the composition of a wireless communication system 100 in an embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the wireless communication system 100 includes a center 1, a common platform (common PF) 2, a parsing device 3, a base station 4, a flow meter 10, and a repeater 40.

[0018] Furthermore, as an example, this wireless communication system 100 measures the gas consumption in individual residences or various facilities by means of a flow meter 10, and transmits this measurement value to the gas verification system of the central unit 1 via a repeater 40. However, the wireless communication system 100 is not limited to this. For example, it can also be applied to a system that measures the water or electricity consumption in each consumer's residence by means of a flow meter and transmits this measurement value to the central unit.

[0019] Furthermore, in the following, based on the communication direction to Center 1, there are situations referred to as "upper position" and "lower position". That is, Center 1 is located in the upper position relative to the demander's residence, and conversely, the demander's residence is located in the lower position relative to Center 1.

[0020] The center 1 shown in Figure 1 is equipment owned by a gas company and collects information such as gas verification values. Although only one center 1 is shown in Figure 1, each gas company has its own center 1. A common platform 2 is located below the center 1 and is communicatively connected to one or more centers 1. This common platform 2 receives information sent from the lower level and sends each piece of information to the center 1 or the analysis device 3 according to its destination.

[0021] The analysis device 3 is a device that analyzes the information sent from the flow meter 10 and outputs the results. It is equipment owned by various gas companies or other companies specializing in analysis. The base station 4 is a radio station that relays communication between the flow meter 10 and the common platform 2, and enables wireless communication with the flow meter 10 via a first line NW1. This first line NW1 can utilize, for example, an LTE (Long Term Evolution) line capable of wide-area wireless communication.

[0022] A flow meter 10 is installed in each consumer's residence. The flow meter 10 includes a measuring unit 20 and a wireless unit 30. The measuring unit 20 is, for example, an ultrasonic flow meter, and is installed midway in the gas pipeline introduced into the consumer's residence. The measuring unit 20 measures the flow rate of the gas flowing in the gas pipeline and sends the measured value to the wireless unit 30.

[0023] The wireless unit 30 is connected to the measuring unit 20 via a wired connection and receives measurement values ​​sent from the measuring unit 20. Furthermore, the wireless unit 30 is configured to communicate wirelessly with other wireless units 30 of the flow meter 10 via a second line NW2. This second line NW2 can utilize, for example, a line based on the U-Bus Air specification, which supports multi-hop communication.

[0024] One or more flow meters 10A located at the top of each user's residence are connected to a repeater 40. More specifically, the wireless unit 30 (30A) with 0 hops of the flow meter 10A is connected to the repeater 40 via a wired U-bus. The repeater 40 communicates wirelessly with the base station 4 via a first line NW1, and communicates with the wireless unit 30A via a second line NW2 based on the wired U-bus standard.

[0025] As such, in the flow meters 10, a wireless unit 30 (30A) and a repeater 40 are connected to flow meter 10A, while the other flow meters 10B are connected to wireless units 30 (30B) but not to repeaters 40. Hereinafter, the wireless unit 30A connected to flow meter 10A with a hop number of 0 will be referred to as the mother wireless unit 30A, and the wireless unit 30B connected to flow meter 10B located below flow meter 10A with a hop number of 1 or higher will be referred to as the daughter wireless unit 30B.

[0026] Sub-wireless unit 30B communicates with other sub-wireless units 30B or the mother wireless unit 30A. The mother wireless unit 30A communicates with sub-wireless units 30B or repeaters 40. The repeater 40 communicates with the mother wireless unit 30A or the base station 4. Thus, the data measured by the flow meter 10A can be transmitted to the center 1 via the repeater 40. Furthermore, the data measured by the lower-level flow meter 10B is transmitted to the center 1 via one or more wireless units 30 and repeaters 40.

[0027] Figure 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the wireless unit 30 and the repeater 40. As shown in Figure 2, the wireless unit 30 includes a second communication unit 31, a control unit 32, and a memory unit 33. The second communication unit 31 communicates with the second communication units 31 of other wireless units 30 via a second line NW2. In the case of the mother wireless unit 30, in addition to this, it also performs wired communication with the second communication unit 44 of the repeater 40 via the same specifications as the second line NW2. The control unit 32 is configured as a processor such as a CPU, and is communicatively connected to the second communication unit 31 and the memory unit 33 to realize the actions (processing) performed by the wireless unit 30 as described later. The memory unit 32 has a ROM or RAM and stores the programs or various data required for the operation of the wireless unit 30.

[0028] The repeater 40 includes a first communication unit 41, a control unit 42, a memory unit 43, and a second communication unit 44. The first communication unit 41 communicates with the base station 4 via a first line NW1. The control unit 42 is configured with a processor such as a CPU and is communicatively connected to the first communication unit 41, the memory unit 43, and the second communication unit 44 to perform the operations (processing) described later by the repeater 40. The memory unit 43 has a ROM or RAM and stores the programs or various data required for the operation of the repeater 40. The second communication unit 44 performs wired communication with the second communication unit 31 of the wireless unit 30A using the same specifications as the second line NW2.

[0029] Here, as shown in FIG2, the flow meter 10 disclosed herein is composed of a measuring unit 20 and a wireless unit 30. On the other hand, the wireless unit 30, together with the repeater 40, constitutes the repeater device 50 disclosed herein. This repeater device 50 is a device that realizes wireless communication (relay) between the base station 4 and the sub-wireless unit 30B through a first line NW1 and a second line NW2. Thus, when the wireless unit 30 and the repeater 40 are combined as the repeater device 50, the repeater device 50 has a first communication unit 41, a second communication unit 31, and control units 32 and 42. The first communication unit 41 communicates with the base station 4 connected to the center 1 through the first line NW1, and the second communication unit 31 communicates with the sub-wireless unit 30B connected to the measuring unit 20 through the second line NW2.

[0030] The repeater 50 stores measurement information collected from a plurality of wireless units 30 (which may also include the mother wireless unit 30A) via the second line NW2 and measured by the measuring unit 20. Although the memory unit storing this measurement information may be the memory unit 43 of the repeater 40 as an example, it is not limited thereto and may also be the memory unit 33 of the mother wireless unit 30A.

[0031] Furthermore, the relay device 50 stores identification information (wireless device ID), which identifies a plurality of sub-wireless devices 30B that can communicate via the second line NW2. The memory unit storing this identification information can, for example, be the memory unit 33 of the mother wireless device 30A, but is not limited thereto; it can also be the memory unit 43 of the relay device 40. Moreover, each wireless device 30 has stored its own identification information in its own memory unit 33. In addition, each wireless device 30 also stores the identification information of the wireless device 30 located one hop above it (i.e., the wireless device 30 that is one hop smaller) in its memory unit 33.

[0032] (Regarding the check operation) Next, I will briefly explain one example of the operation (check operation) when the traffic measured by the measuring machine 20 is sent to the center 1 in the wireless communication system 100 configured as described above.

[0033] The flow meter 10 periodically measures the flow rate of gas in the gas pipeline using its own measuring instrument (ultrasonic flow meter) 20 at a pre-set cycle. The measured value is then transmitted from the wireless unit 30 to a higher-level wireless unit 30. The transmitted measured value is relayed via the higher-level wireless unit 30 through the second line NW2 and according to multi-hop communication, and then sent to the repeater 40. The repeater 40 transmits the received measured value to the base station 4 via the first line NW1, and the base station 4 transmits the received measured value to the center 1 via the common platform 2.

[0034] In this manner, the measured values ​​of gas flow rate measured by the meter 20 installed in each user's residence can be collected and sent to the center 1. Furthermore, as mentioned above, the transmission of information from the lower-level wireless unit 30 to the upper-level wireless unit 30 is also referred to as a "data call". In a data call, the destination is specified based on the identification information of one upper-level wireless unit 30 stored in the memory unit 33 of the device. That is, the wireless unit 30 will attach a header containing the identification information of the wireless unit 30 of the destination to the measured value and other information to be transmitted. In addition to the periodic flow rate measurement as described above, the flow meter 10 will also perform flow rate measurement and transmit the measured value in response to the instruction received from the upper level. Such a measurement instruction from the upper level to the lower level is also referred to as a "data request".

[0035] (Regarding alarm response) Incidentally, the measuring unit 20 of the flow meter 10 generates various alarm information based on the measured values. Specifically, the flow meter 10 disclosed herein has the following function: it can detect water ingress into the gas pipeline based on changes in the gas flow rate measured by the measuring unit 20. Such a function can be implemented by, for example, executing a predetermined program by the control unit of the measuring unit 20 of the flow meter 10. Thus, when the measuring unit 20 detects the possibility of water ingress into the gas pipeline from changes in the periodically measured gas flow rate, it generates alarm information indicating "water ingress has occurred".

[0036] Furthermore, the flow meter 10 may also be configured such that, when the voltage between the terminals of the drive battery is less than a predetermined value, it generates an alarm message indicating "low voltage". The meter 20 and the wireless unit 30 may also have a battery, such as a drive battery, and the flow meter 10 may have a meter that measures the voltage between the terminals of the battery. In this case, the flow meter 10 can generate the "low voltage" alarm message as described above.

[0037] The alarm information generated in the flow meter 10 is not limited to the aforementioned "water ingress" or "low voltage" alarms, but can also be other types of alarm information. For example, it can be configured to generate alarm information indicating "gas leak" or "gas backflow" based on changes in gas flow rate. Alternatively, it can be configured to include an acceleration sensor in the flow meter 10, and generate alarm information indicating "earthquake" based on the detection result. Furthermore, it can be configured to include a pressure sensor in the flow meter 10 that detects gas pressure in the gas pipe, and generate alarm information indicating "extremely high gas pressure" or "extremely low gas pressure" based on the detection result. These alarm messages can also be generated by the meter 20 or by the wireless unit 30.

[0038] The wireless communication system 100 disclosed herein selects different transmission methods for transmission to the center 1 depending on the type of alarm information generated by the measuring unit 20. That is, when the alarm information is a predetermined first alarm information, a first transmission process is performed, in which the alarm information is directly transmitted to the base station 4 via the first communication line NW1. On the other hand, when the alarm information is a second alarm information different from the first alarm information, the alarm information is not directly transmitted to the base station 4, but a second transmission process is performed. The second transmission process involves collecting detailed measurement values ​​from each flow meter 10 connected to each wireless unit 30 via the second line NW2, and then summarizing the alarm information and the measurement values ​​before transmitting them to the base station 4.

[0039] Here, the second alarm information refers to information related to alarms that yield meaningful results by collecting and analyzing measurement values ​​from a plurality of flow meters 10. For example, in the event of flooding, in order to pinpoint the location, in addition to the flow meter 10 that initially generated and sent the "flooding" alarm information, measurement values ​​are also collected and analyzed from a plurality of nearby flow meters 10, thereby narrowing down the scope of the location. Furthermore, preferably, even in the event of an earthquake, measurement values ​​from a plurality of flow meters 10 are collected in order to pinpoint the location where damage should be confirmed. Thus, alarm information such as "flooding" or "earthquake" can be equivalent to the second alarm information.

[0040] On the other hand, the first alarm information refers to alarm information indicating the type of abnormal state, which is an abnormal state that is only related to the flow meter 10 that specifically generates the alarm information. For example, in the above example, alarm information such as "low voltage", "gas leak", "gas backflow", "extremely high gas pressure", and "extremely low gas pressure" are equivalent to the first alarm information.

[0041] Hereinafter, specific examples will be given to illustrate such a transmission method. Figure 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the transmission process performed in the wireless communication system 100. Furthermore, although this example illustrates the case where an anomaly is detected and alarm information is generated in the flow meter 10A with the mother wireless receiver 30A, the content of the transmission process performed is the same even if the flow meter 10 that detects the anomaly and generates alarm information is another flow meter 10B.

[0042] First, the situation where the repeater 40 receives the first alarm message will be explained. As shown in FIG3, when the flow meter 10A detects a low battery voltage (step S1), the flow meter 10A generates an alarm message indicating "low voltage". This alarm message indicating "low voltage" is the first alarm message as described above. The flow meter 10A sends the generated first alarm message to the repeater 40, which is connected by wires (step S2).

[0043] The repeater 40 will receive alarm information and further perform judgment processing, which determines whether the received alarm information is alarm information 1 or alarm information 2 (step S3). Then, the repeater 40 will determine that the alarm information indicating "low voltage" is alarm information 1 and perform transmission processing to send it to base station 4 through line 1 NW1 (step S4).

[0044] Next, the situation where the repeater 40 receives the second alarm information will be explained. As shown in Figure 3, when the flow meter 10A detects the possibility of water entering the gas pipeline (step S10), the flow meter 10A will generate an alarm message indicating "water ingress has occurred". This alarm message indicating "water ingress has occurred" is the second alarm message as described above. The flow meter 10A will send the generated second alarm message to the repeater 40, which is connected by wire (step S11).

[0045] The repeater 40 performs the same receiving and judging processes as described above (step S12). Then, the repeater 40 judges the alarm information indicating "water ingress has occurred" as the second alarm information. In step S12, if the repeater 40 judges that the second alarm information has been received, it does not perform the first transmission process, but instead performs the collection process of collecting detailed measurement information from each flow meter 10 (steps S13 to S27).

[0046] That is, a data request is made to flowmeter 10A (step S13). Correspondingly, flowmeter 10A obtains measurement information (data) through meter 20 (step S14), and sends this measurement information to relay 40 through a data call (step S15). For other flowmeters 10B, a data request is also made from relay 40 (steps S16~S17, S21~S23), and the destination flowmeter 10B obtains measurement information through its own meter 40 (steps S18, S24), and sends the measurement information to relay 40 through a data call (steps S19~S20, S25~S27).

[0047] Furthermore, the data requests made by the repeater 40 to each flowmeter 10 (steps S13, S16, S21) are made by specifying the destination based on the identification information of the wireless unit 30 that can communicate via the second line NW2, which is stored in the memory unit 43 of the repeater 40. The wireless unit 30 that receives the data request determines whether it is addressed to itself based on the identification information. If it is addressed to itself, it obtains the measurement information and makes the data call through itself. If it is not addressed to itself, it will transmit the data request to the lower-level wireless unit 30.

[0048] In this manner, if measurement information is collected from multiple flow meters 10 connected to multiple wireless units 30 and sent to the repeater 40, the repeater 40 will generate call data based on the collection information including this measurement information and the second alarm information received in step S12 (step S28). Then, the repeater 40 will perform a transmission process to send this call data to the base station 4 through the first line NW1 (step S29). Furthermore, the actions in steps S13 to S29 after the judgment process in step S12, from the data request to each flow meter 10 to the transmission of the collection information to the base station 4, correspond to the second transmission process.

[0049] In this way, when the alarm information is the second alarm information, the repeater 40 does not simply send the second alarm information to the base station 4, but temporarily collects measurement information from multiple flow meters 10, and sends the alarm information and measurement information together to the base station 4. In this way, the power consumption of the repeater 40 and the communication cost of the repeater 40 can be reduced.

[0050] That is, even if the relay 40 receives the second alarm information indicating "water ingress has occurred," it will still only send this second alarm information to the base station 4. In this case, depending on the specific location where water ingress has occurred, data requests for each flow meter 10 will be made from the center 1 or the analysis device 3 to the relay 40 via the base station 4. Thus, communication will occur between the base station 4 and the relay 40, corresponding to the number of data requests and data calls to the destination flow meters 10 (refer to Figure 4 describing the prior art).

[0051] In contrast, in the example shown in Figure 3, when repeater 40 receives the second alarm message indicating "water ingress has occurred," there will be no data request from base station 4. Communication between base station 4 and repeater 40 is accomplished by summarizing the measurement information collected from multiple flow meters 10 and making a single data call to base station 4. This reduces the number of communications between base station 4 and repeater 40, thereby reducing the power consumption of repeater 40 and communication costs.

[0052] Furthermore, the information collected from the relay unit 40 to the base station 4 can be sent to the center 1 or, appropriately, to the analysis device 3 for analysis. For example, the analysis device 3 will use this collected information to create a zoomed-out map of the area where water ingress has occurred, and will create a map that visually displays locations or areas with a high probability of occurrence. Thus, maintenance personnel can easily and quickly locate the site of water ingress by referring to this map.

[0053] Furthermore, the measurement cycle during data acquisition in steps S14, S18, and S24 after receiving the second alarm information can be different from the measurement cycle when each flow meter 10 periodically measures (timed measurement). For example, compared to measuring every 2.0 seconds in timed measurement, the measurement corresponding to the second alarm can be set to use a shorter cycle (e.g., every 0.5 seconds). Moreover, the data measured for a predetermined period (e.g., 10 seconds) within the short cycle can be summarized and sent to the relay 40 as measurement information. In this way, by obtaining measurement information with a short cycle, the accuracy of determining whether water ingress has occurred can be improved. Furthermore, by summarizing and sending the data measured within the short cycle, communication time can be shortened and battery power consumption suppressed.

[0054] (Other embodiments) Based on the above description of the embodiments, the following technology can be disclosed.

[0055] (Technology 1) The wireless communication system of Technology 1 includes: a plurality of wireless units connected to a plurality of measuring units; and a relay device that communicates with a base station connected to a center via a first line and with the plurality of aforementioned wireless units via a second line. The aforementioned wireless units perform a transmission process that transmits measurement information obtained by the aforementioned measuring units, or alarm information generated based on the aforementioned measurement information, to the aforementioned relay device via the aforementioned second line. The aforementioned relay device performs the following processes: a receiving process that receives the aforementioned alarm information from the aforementioned wireless units via the aforementioned second line; and a judgment process that determines whether the received alarm information is a predetermined first alarm information or a second alarm information different from the aforementioned first alarm information. The first transmission process, if it is determined that the aforementioned alarm information is the aforementioned first alarm information, sends the aforementioned alarm information to the aforementioned base station through the aforementioned first line; and the second transmission process, if it is determined that the aforementioned alarm information is the aforementioned second alarm information, collects the aforementioned measurement information from the aforementioned measuring device that is connected to the plurality of aforementioned wireless devices through the aforementioned second line, and sends the collection information containing the aforementioned alarm information and the previously collected measurement information to the aforementioned base station through the aforementioned first line.

[0056] This reduces the number of communications between the repeater and the base station, thereby reducing the power consumption of the repeater and the communication cost.

[0057] (Technology 2) The wireless communication system of Technology 2 can also be the same as that in Technology 1: the aforementioned relay device includes: a relay unit having a first communication unit for communicating with the aforementioned base station via the aforementioned first line; and a wireless unit connected to the measuring machine and having a second communication unit for communicating with the aforementioned wireless unit via the aforementioned second line, wherein the aforementioned relay unit and the aforementioned wireless unit are communicatively connected to each other.

[0058] (Technology 3) The wireless communication system of Technology 3 can also be the same as that in Technology 1: the aforementioned relay device further has a memory unit, which stores the aforementioned measurement information collected by the aforementioned measuring machine from the aforementioned measuring machine that has been connected to the plurality of aforementioned wireless devices through the aforementioned second line.

[0059] (Technology 4) The wireless communication system of Technology 4 can also be the same as that in Technology 1: the aforementioned relay device further has a memory unit, the aforementioned memory unit stores identification information, the aforementioned identification information is information that identifies a plurality of the aforementioned wireless devices that can communicate through the aforementioned second line.

[0060] (Technology 5) The wireless communication system of Technology 5 can also be the same as that in Technology 1: it further includes a parsing device, which can communicate with the base station, and the parsing has obtained the previously collected information through the base station.

[0061] (Technology 6) The relay device of Technology 6 includes: a first communication unit that communicates with a base station connected to the center via a first line; a second communication unit that communicates with a plurality of wireless devices connected to a plurality of measuring machines via a second line; and a control unit that performs the following processes: receiving process, receiving alarm information generated based on measuring information obtained by the measuring machine from the wireless devices via the second line; and judging process, judging whether the received alarm information is a predetermined first alarm information or a second alarm information that is different from the first alarm information. The first transmission process, upon determining that the aforementioned alarm information is the first alarm information, transmits the aforementioned alarm information to the aforementioned base station via the first line; and the second transmission process, upon determining that the aforementioned alarm information is the second alarm information, collects the aforementioned measurement information from the aforementioned measuring device already connected to the plurality of aforementioned wireless devices via the second line, and transmits the collected information, including the aforementioned alarm information and the collected measurement information, to the aforementioned base station via the first line. Industrial Applicability

[0062] This disclosure can be applied to wireless communication systems and relay devices. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0015] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system in an embodiment. Figure 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a wireless receiver and a repeater. Figure 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the transmission process performed in a wireless communication system. Figure 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the transmission process performed in a conventional wireless communication system.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system comprising: a plurality of wireless units connected to a plurality of measuring machines; and a relay device that communicates with a base station connected to a center via a first line and with the plurality of wireless units via a second line, wherein the plurality of wireless units perform a transmission process that transmits measurement information obtained by the plurality of measuring machines, or alarm information generated based on the measurement information, to the relay device via the second line; and the relay device performs the following processes: a receiving process that receives the alarm information from the plurality of wireless units via the second line; and a determining process that determines whether the received alarm information is a predetermined first alarm information or a second alarm information different from the first alarm information. The first transmission process, if it is determined that the aforementioned alarm information is the aforementioned first alarm information, sends the aforementioned alarm information to the aforementioned base station through the aforementioned first line; and the second transmission process, if it is determined that the aforementioned alarm information is the aforementioned second alarm information, collects the aforementioned measurement information from the plurality of the aforementioned measuring devices that are connected to the plurality of the aforementioned wireless devices through the aforementioned second line, and sends the collection information including the aforementioned alarm information and the previously collected measurement information to the aforementioned base station through the aforementioned first line.

2. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the aforementioned relay device comprises: a repeater having a first communication unit for communicating with the aforementioned base station via the aforementioned first line; and a wireless unit connected to the measuring machine and having a second communication unit for communicating with a plurality of the aforementioned wireless units via the aforementioned second line, wherein the aforementioned repeater of the aforementioned relay device and the aforementioned wireless units of the aforementioned relay device are communicatively connected to each other.

3. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the aforementioned relay device further comprises a memory unit, the aforementioned memory unit storing the aforementioned measurement information collected by the aforementioned measuring machine from the aforementioned measuring machine connected to the plurality of aforementioned wireless devices via the aforementioned second line.

4. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the aforementioned relay device further comprises a memory unit, the aforementioned memory unit storing identification information, the aforementioned identification information being information identifying a plurality of the aforementioned wireless devices that can communicate through the aforementioned second line.

5. The wireless communication system of claim 1 further includes a parsing device, which can communicate with the base station and obtain the aforementioned collected information through the base station.

6. A relay device comprising: a first communication unit for communicating with a base station connected to a center via a first line; a second communication unit for communicating with a plurality of wireless devices connected to a plurality of measuring machines via a second line; and a control unit, wherein the control unit performs the following processing: a receiving process, receiving alarm information generated based on measuring information obtained by the plurality of the plurality of the aforementioned wireless devices via the aforementioned second line; and a judging process, judging whether the received alarm information is a predetermined first alarm information or a second alarm information different from the aforementioned first alarm information; The first transmission process, if it is determined that the aforementioned alarm information is the aforementioned first alarm information, sends the aforementioned alarm information to the aforementioned base station through the aforementioned first line; and the second transmission process, if it is determined that the aforementioned alarm information is the aforementioned second alarm information, collects the aforementioned measurement information from the plurality of the aforementioned measuring devices that are connected to the plurality of the aforementioned wireless devices through the aforementioned second line, and sends the collection information including the aforementioned alarm information and the previously collected measurement information to the aforementioned base station through the aforementioned first line.

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