JP2022107294A - Communication equipment, communication equipment control methods, communication equipment control programs, and communication systems - Google Patents

Abstract

Kind Code: A1 A communication system that realizes a remote data collection system enables more efficient operation between IoT (Internet of Things)/M2M (Machine to Machine) devices and a server that manages each device. [Solution] A communication device transmits a registration request to the server to cause the server to register itself, and after transmitting the registration request, transmits registration completion information indicating that the device has been registered to the server. until the registration request is received, and when the registration completion information is not received after the elapse of a predetermined first period from the start of transmission of the registration request, the self-device is restarted. A control unit for executing [Selection drawing] Fig. 1

Description

The present invention relates to a communication device, a control method of the communication device, a control program of the communication device, and a communication system.

Conventionally, a remote data collection system that collects and relays data such as meter values indicating the amount of electricity, water, gas, etc. used in each household using a wireless network and transmits it to a data collection center such as a remote meter reading center. It exists (eg, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-218080

With the increase in IoT (Internet of Things) / M2M (Machine to Machine) devices that collect data such as meters, IoT / M2M devices and servers that manage each of these devices are used in communication systems that realize remote data collection systems. There was a need for more efficient operation with.

The communication device according to the embodiment of the present invention sends a registration request for registering its own device to the server, and after sending the registration request, registration completion indicating that the own device has been registered in the server. The own device executes the first retransmission control that repeats the transmission of the registration request until the information is received from the server, and if the registration completion information is not received after a predetermined first period has elapsed since the transmission of the registration request was started. It is equipped with a control unit that executes the restart of.

In the communication device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the registration request includes a first registration request according to the first protocol and a second registration request according to a second protocol different from the first protocol. When the registration completion information corresponding to the first registration request is not received from the server, the second registration request is transmitted a predetermined number of times at a predetermined interval for one transmission of the first registration request to the server. The control may be repeatedly executed until the registration completion information is received, and the own device may be restarted when the registration completion information is not received after a lapse of a predetermined first period from the start of the second retransmission control.

In the communication device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the server is connected to a plurality of communication devices including the communication device via a network and manages the plurality of communication devices, and the control unit connects to the network. When the connection is disconnected and then reconnected to the network, the registration request of the own device is sent to the server, and the registration request of the own device is based on the identification information unique to the own device after the reconnection to the network. It may be transmitted to the server at the transmission time set in the above.

In the communication device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the control unit transmits a registration request of the own device to the server in a predetermined time width and a transmission time set according to the identification information unique to the own device. May be good.

In the communication device according to the embodiment of the present invention, even if the control unit transmits a registration request of its own device to the server in a predetermined time width and a transmission time set according to the number of a plurality of communication devices. good.

In the communication device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the control unit receives information for updating a predetermined time width from the server while communication with the server is established, and transmits the information based on the received information. When the time is updated, the connection to the network is disconnected, and then the connection is reconnected to the network, the registration request of the own device may be sent to the server after the updated transmission time has elapsed.

The communication device according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes an acquisition unit for acquiring information on the remaining battery level of the battery driving the own device, and the control unit sets the own device according to the remaining battery level of the own device. The predetermined first predetermined period until the restart may be varied.

The communication device according to the embodiment of the present invention constitutes a communication device group including other communication devices, and can switch the operation as a wireless communication master unit and a wireless communication slave unit in the communication device group, and is a control unit. May send a registration request for its own device and a registration request for a wireless communication slave unit connected to a lower level of its own device to a server when the communication device operates as a wireless communication master unit.

In the communication device according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the control unit operates as the wireless communication master unit, after a predetermined second period elapses after transmitting the registration request of the own device and the registration request of the wireless communication slave unit. If the registration completion information is not received, the own device may be switched to the operation as a wireless communication slave unit, and a registration request of the own device to the server may be transmitted to a new wireless communication master unit in the communication device group.

In the control method of the communication device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the registration request of the own device for establishing the communication with the server is transmitted to the server, and after the registration request is transmitted, the communication with the server is established. The registration completion information is displayed after the step of executing the first retransmission control that repeats the transmission of the registration request until the registration completion information indicating the fact is received from the server and the predetermined first period after the start of the transmission of the registration request. If not received, it includes a step of restarting the own device.

The control program of the communication device according to the embodiment of the present invention transmits to the communication device a registration request of its own device for establishing communication with the server, and after the registration request is transmitted, communicates with the server. A function to execute the first retransmission control that repeats the transmission of the registration request until the registration completion information indicating that the registration request has been established is received from the server, and after a predetermined first period has elapsed from the start of the transmission of the registration request. If the registration completion information is not received, the function to restart the own device is realized.

The communication system according to the embodiment of the present invention includes at least a communication device and a server, and the communication device transmits a registration request for registering its own device to the server, and after the transmission of the registration request, the communication device transmits the registration request. The first retransmission control that repeats the transmission of the registration request is executed until the registration completion information indicating that the own device is registered in the server is received from the server, and a predetermined first period elapses after the transmission of the registration request is started. After that, if the registration completion information is not received, the server is equipped with a control unit that restarts the own device, and the server registers the information about the communication device in response to receiving the registration request from the communication device, and the communication device. It is provided with a server control unit that transmits registration completion information indicating that the registration is completed to the communication device.

In the communication system according to the embodiment of the present invention, the server is connected to a plurality of communication devices including the communication device via a network and manages the plurality of communication devices, and the control unit connects to the network. When the connection is disconnected and then reconnected to the network, the registration request of the own device is sent to the server, and the registration request of the own device is based on the identification information unique to the own device after the reconnection to the network. It may be transmitted to the server at the transmission time set in.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram schematically showing a communication system, a communication device, and a server (information processing device) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence between a communication device and a server according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence between a communication device and a server according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence between a communication device and a server according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a FAN (Field Area Network) including a communication device and a server according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence between a communication device and a server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<System configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The communication system 500 may be a system that realizes IoT / M2M. The IoT (Internet of Things) may refer to a mechanism in which various things are connected to the Internet to enable data collection, remote control, and the like. Further, M2M (Machine to Machine) may refer not only to a connection via the Internet but also a mechanism in which devices are directly connected to each other and exchange data with each other. Communication system 500 may realize data communication in M2M by a predetermined protocol. For example, the communication system 500 may be a system compliant with Lightweight M2M (LwM2M), which is a protocol developed by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA). LwM2M is a management protocol for remote monitoring and maintenance of IoT / M2M devices (IoT / M2M devices), and is one of the protocols for realizing LPWA (Low Power Wide Area). LPWAs are characterized by low power consumption and low cost as compared with communication technologies widely used in the past (for example, Wi-Fi, LTE (Long Term Evolution), etc.). Further, LPWA has a feature that a wide range of communication is possible as compared with a conventional communication technique (for example, wireless LAN). LwM2M is a protocol that has the characteristics of LPWA, prevents network congestion due to data transmitted from a large number of IoT / M2M devices, and realizes low power consumption for suppressing power consumption of IoT / M2M devices. The protocol to which the communication system 500 conforms may be any protocol that can realize low power consumption, and is not limited to the above example. For example, the communication system 500 may be a system compliant with protocols such as MQTT (Message Queue Telemetry Transport), LoRaWAN (registered trademark), and SigFox (registered trademark).

The communication system 500 includes a communication device 100 (100A, 100B, 100C, 100D), a server (information processing device) 200, and a network 300. The communication device 100 may be incorporated inside a meter (not shown), for example, as a communication board. Alternatively, the communication device 100 may be connected to an outer input / output I / F (interface) (not shown) of the meter and provided outside the meter as a separate communication device. In the example of FIG. 1, four communication devices 100 are shown, but the number of communication devices 100 is not limited to this. The communication device 100 may exist innumerably as many as the number of installed meters. Hereinafter, when it is not necessary to distinguish between them, the alphabetic characters in the code of the communication device 100 will be omitted.

In the communication system 500 according to one embodiment, the server 200 transmits information about the meter from the communication device 100 installed in the meter which is an IoT / M2M device installed in each home, company, facility, etc. via the network 300. Can be collected. Further, the server 200 may remotely control the communication device 100 via the network 300. The meter may measure, for example, the amount of water, gas (city gas, LP gas), oil, electricity, and the like used. That is, the server 200 may collect information on the use of water, gas (city gas, LP gas), oil, electricity, etc. in each home, company, facility, etc. from the communication device 100, for example. In the following embodiment, water services will be described as an example. The present invention does not limit the IoT / M2M device to a meter. Further, the object measured by the meter is not limited to the above example. That is, the server 200 may collect arbitrary information according to the measurement target of the meter.

<Communication device>
The communication device 100 may include a control unit 110, a communication unit 120, and a storage unit 150. The control unit 110 may typically be a central processing unit (CPU) in order to execute the functions and methods shown in each embodiment. The control unit 110 realizes each process disclosed in each embodiment by a logic circuit (hardware) or a dedicated circuit formed in an integrated circuit (IC (Integrated Circuit) chip, LSI (Large Scale Integration)) or the like. You may. Further, these circuits may be realized by one or a plurality of integrated circuits, and a plurality of processes shown in each embodiment may be realized by one integrated circuit. In one embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 110 may realize processing and operation for making the communication device 100 conform to the LwM2M protocol. Further, the control unit 110 may have a function of acquiring various information from a meter (not shown). Further, the control unit 110 may restart the own device.

The communication unit 120 may be implemented as hardware that realizes a data transmission / reception function in wireless communication, communication software, and a combination thereof. The communication unit 120 may transmit and receive various data to and from the server 200 via the network 300, and transmit various data received from the server 200 to the control unit 110. The communication unit 120 includes a first communication unit (not shown), and may perform communication with the server 200 using the first communication method. The first communication method is, for example, a wireless communication method for IoT such as category M (Category M), category M1 (Category M1), NB-IoT (Narrow Band IoT), and LTE (Long Term Evolution) is extended. Communication method may be used. As the first communication method, any standard by LPWA such as eMTC (enhanced Machine-Type Communications), LoRaWAN (registered trademark), IEEE802.11ah, Wi-SUN (Wireless Smart Utility Network) may be adopted. .. Further, as the first communication method, a combination of these arbitrary standards may be adopted. Further, the first communication method may be, for example, a communication method (public radio) that requires a license under the Radio Law. The communication unit 120 may send and receive data to and from the server 200 according to a predetermined protocol. The predetermined protocol may be, for example, a LwM2M protocol, an MQTT (Message Queue Telemetry Transport) protocol, a CoAP (Constrained Application Protocol) protocol, or the like. It should be noted that, as described above, the first protocol and the first communication method refer to different ones. Further, as will be described in detail later, the communication unit 120 may include a second communication unit (not shown) and perform communication with another communication device 100 using the second communication method. The predetermined protocol may be an example of the first protocol in the claims.

The storage unit 150 stores various programs and various data required for the communication device 100 to operate. The storage unit 150 may include, for example, a semiconductor memory (magnetic memory, flash memory, etc.). Further, the storage unit 150 may include a memory (RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), etc.) that provides a work area for the control unit 110. Further, in one embodiment of the present invention, the storage unit 150 contains various information for conforming to LwM2M, various network parameters for connecting to the network 300 (for example, IP address, etc.), and identification information unique to the communication device 100. (Device ID, etc.) may be stored. When NIDD (Non-IP Data Delivery), which is a communication standard that does not use an IP address, is used, the IP address does not have to be stored in the storage unit 150.

<Server>
The server 200 may have a function of remotely executing maintenance management of each meter. That is, the server 200 may have a function as an IoT-PF (platform) that processes the information of each meter transmitted from each communication device 100 and passes the necessary data to the administrator of the meter. Therefore, a centralized monitoring center (not shown) of the meter administrator may be connected to the server 200. The information acquired by the server 200 from each meter may be information on a measured value (also referred to as a meter reading value) to be measured by the meter. Specifically, for example, the server 200 may acquire data indicating the usage amount, the remaining amount, the storage amount, and the like in a predetermined period (for example, one day, one week, one month, etc.) of the measurement target from the meter. .. Further, the server 200 may acquire data indicating an abnormality of the measurement target as the information of each meter. The data indicating the abnormality of the measurement target may be, for example, data indicating the possibility of water leakage, gas leakage, electric leakage, or the like. Further, the server 200 may detect an abnormality of the measurement target based on the information acquired from the meter. For example, the server 200 may detect a water leak, a gas leak, an electric leakage, or the like based on the information about the measured value of the meter. Although the server 200 is shown as a single unit in FIG. 1, the server 200 is not limited to this. The server 200 may be any device as long as it can realize the functions described in each embodiment, and may be, for example, a server device, a computer (not limited to, for example, a desktop, a laptop, a tablet, etc.). ), Communication platform, etc. may be included.

The server 200 includes a control unit 210, a communication unit 220, and a storage unit 250. The storage unit 250 is typically realized by various recording media such as an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), and a flash memory, and stores various programs and data required for the server 200 to operate. It may have a function of memorizing. Further, the storage unit 250 may store information about the communication device 100 and the meter for communicating with the server 200. For example, the storage unit 250 relates to a device ID that is an identifier that can uniquely identify each communication device 100, position information of the communication device 100, a meter ID that is an identifier that can uniquely identify the meter, and a meter manager. The administrator ID, the network ID required for the first communication method with the communication device 100, and the like may be stored. The network ID required for the first communication method may be, for example, an IP address or a telephone number, but when NIDD (Non-IP Data Delivery), which is a communication standard that does not use an IP address, is used, the IP address is stored. It does not have to be stored in the part 250. Further, as will be described in detail later, when a plurality of communication devices 100 form a communication device group, the storage unit 250 may store information about the communication device group.

The control unit 210 may typically be a central processing unit (CPU). The control unit 210 may execute the functions and methods shown in each embodiment by reading the program stored in the storage unit 250 and executing the code or instruction included in the read program. The control unit 210 realizes each process disclosed in each embodiment by a logic circuit (hardware) or a dedicated circuit formed in an integrated circuit (IC (Integrated Circuit) chip, LSI (Large Scale Integration)) or the like. May be good. Further, these circuits may be realized by one or a plurality of integrated circuits, and a plurality of processes shown in each embodiment may be realized by one integrated circuit.

The communication unit 220 may be implemented as hardware such as a network adapter, communication software, or a combination thereof. The communication unit 220 may transmit and receive various data to and from each communication device 100 by the first communication method described above via the network 300.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 2 is an example of a sequence between the communication device 100 and the server 200 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Note that FIG. 2 is an example, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Further, although only one communication device 100 is shown in FIG. 2, the same processing may be performed for the other communication devices 100. For the LwM2M protocol, refer to, for example, OMA-TS-LightweightM2M-V1_0_2-20180209-A.pdf at http://www.openmobilealliance.org/release/LightweightM2M/V1_0_2-20180209-A/.

The communication unit 120 of the communication device 100 receives the control of the control unit 110 and transmits a registration request (Registration) to the server 200 (step S11). The registration request is transmitted to establish communication with the server 200, and may include an identification name (Endpoint Client Name) of the communication device 100, an expiration date (Lifetime) of registration, and the like. The server 200 that has received the registration request from the communication device 100 can register the communication device 100 as a communication target. That is, the server 200 can establish communication with the communication device 100 that has received the registration request. The expiration date of registration may refer to the expiration date for storing the information of the communication device 100 in the server 200 so that the communication device 100 can communicate with the server 200. The expiration date may be set to any period. For example, the expiration date may be a value that can be arbitrarily set by the meter administrator, and may be, for example, 15 days, 30 days, 1 year, or the like.

Here, the registration request transmitted from the communication device 100 may not reach the server 200 for some reason such as deterioration of the communication environment. In this case, since the communication device 100 does not receive the registration completion information indicating that the own device has been registered in the server 200 from the server 200, the communication unit 120 may retransmit the registration request to the server 200 (step S12). If the retransmitted registration request does not reach the server 200, the communication device 100 may further retransmit the registration request (step S13). The case where the update information transmitted from the communication device 100 does not reach the server 200 is not limited to the case where the update information does not physically reach the server 200. For example, it may include a case where the update information does not reach the server 200, a case where the update information is not received by the server 200, a case where the server 200 refuses to receive the update information, a case where the server 200 cannot recognize the update information, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 2, after the registration request is transmitted, the communication unit 120 repeats the transmission of the registration request until the server 200 receives the registration completion information indicating that the own device has been registered in the server 200. May be executed (steps S11 to S16). The first retransmission control is retransmitted one hour after the first registration request is transmitted, retransmitted three hours after the second registration request is transmitted, and six after the third registration request is transmitted. Retransmission after an hour may be a process in which retransmission 12 hours after the transmission of the fourth registration request is executed, and retransmission 24 hours after the transmission of the fifth registration request is executed. The retransmission interval is not limited to this. Further, when the registration completion information is received from the server 200 during the first retransmission control, the communication device 100 may cancel the first retransmission control. The registration completion information is not limited to the above example as long as it is information that the communication device 100 can recognize that the own device has been registered in the server 200.

The control unit 110 may determine whether or not the registration completion information has been received from the server 200 (step S17). If the registration completion information is not received even after the first period has elapsed since the transmission of the registration request was started (here, 46 hours, which is the total of 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours described above) (here). NO) in step S17, the control unit 110 may execute a reboot of the communication device 100 (step S18). After restarting, the communication unit 120 may send a registration request for its own device to the server 200 (step S19). If the registration completion information is received from the server 200 (YES in step S17), the communication device 100 is registered in the server 200, and communication is established between the server 200 and the communication device 100. The device 100 may transmit various data acquired from the meter to the server 200, or may receive data and instructions from the administrator (centralized monitoring center) transmitted from the server 200.

As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the registration request of the own device does not reach the server 200 and as a result communication with the server 200 cannot be established, the communication device 100 uses the server 200. The resend of the registration request to the server may be repeated. Then, when communication with the server 200 is not established even if the registration request is retransmitted repeatedly, the communication device 100 may restart its own device. According to this, by restarting the communication device 100, some cause that the registration request from the communication device 100 does not reach the server 200 can be eliminated. That is, according to the communication system 500 according to the embodiment, there is a possibility that communication between the communication device 100 and the server 200 can be established by restarting the communication device 100 and transmitting a registration request to the server 200 after the restart. Can be enhanced.

<Second Embodiment>
In the first embodiment, a case where the registration request transmitted from the communication device 100 is not received by the server 200 and the registration request is retransmitted repeatedly has been described. In the second embodiment, a process for more reliably establishing communication with the server 200 will be described.

FIG. 3 is an example of a sequence between the communication device 100 and the server 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, steps S11 to S19 may be the same as in the first embodiment. In the second embodiment of the present invention, when the update information transmitted from the communication device 100 does not reach the server 200 (step S11) and the communication device 100 does not receive the Ac from the server 200, the communication device 100 , The update information may be retransmitted by another protocol (second protocol) (step S111). The other protocol may be CoAP (Constrained Application Protocol), which is a lower level protocol of LwM2M, and the update information retransmission process by CoAP is the second retransmission 4 seconds after the first update information is transmitted. Retransmission 8 seconds after sending the update information, resending 16 seconds after sending the third update information, and resending 32 seconds after sending the fourth update information May be. It should be noted here that the second communication method and the second protocol, which will be described later, are different from each other. In the second embodiment of the present invention, for each transmission of the registration request according to the first protocol (steps S12, S13, S14, S15, S16), the transmission of the registration request according to the second protocol (step S121). , S131, S141, S151, S161), respectively.

That is, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, when the communication unit 120 does not receive the completion information corresponding to the first registration request according to LwM2M (first protocol) from the server 200, the server 200 of the first registration request. A second retransmission control may be performed in which a second registration request according to CoAP (second protocol) is transmitted a predetermined number of times at a predetermined interval with respect to one transmission to. In the above example, the predetermined interval is set to 4 seconds, 8 seconds, 16 seconds, 32 seconds, and the predetermined number of times is 5, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Further, when the communication unit 120 receives the registration completion information from the server 200, the second retransmission control and the first retransmission control may be stopped. If the control unit 110 of the communication device 100 does not receive the registration completion information from the server 200 even after the first period described above has elapsed since the second retransmission control was started, the control unit 110 may restart its own device. (Step S18). After restarting, the communication device 100 may send a registration request to the server 200 (step S19).

As described above, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, there is a possibility that communication with the server 200 can be established further than in the first embodiment by retransmitting the registration request by another protocol. Can be enhanced. Further, as in the first embodiment, by restarting, some cause of the registration request not reaching the server 200 can be resolved. Therefore, by transmitting the registration request to the server 200 after the restart, the registration request with the server 200 can be resolved. The possibility of establishing communication can be increased.

<Third Embodiment>
As shown in FIG. 1, the server 200 is connected to a plurality of communication devices 100A to 100D via a network 300, and manages the plurality of communication devices 100A to 100D. Here, in the communication system 500, there are innumerable communication devices 100 (IoT / M2M devices), and a large number of communication devices 100 are connected to the server 200. Here, for example, the connection of a large number of communication devices 100 to the network 300 may be disconnected (Detach) due to a malfunction of the server 200, a malfunction or failure of a base station (not shown), or the like. In this case, each of the large number of detached communication devices 100 will be connected (Attach) to the network 300. Further, after attaching to the network 300, each communication device 100 transmits a registration request to the server 200 in order to reestablish communication with the disconnected server 200. Here, in general, when a large number of communication devices send registration requests to the server all at once, the processing capacity of the server is temporarily exceeded, and it is difficult for the server to complete the registration process of each communication device. Can occur.

According to the third embodiment of the present invention, when a large number of communication devices 100 need to transmit a registration request to the server 200, the load on the server 200 can be reduced and communication can be efficiently established.

This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is an example of a sequence between the communication devices 100A and 100B and the server 200 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The communication devices 100A and 100B perform registration processing (steps S21 to S23, S24 to S26) in the server 200, respectively. Specifically, the communication unit (first communication unit) 120 of the communication device 100 may transmit a registration request (Registration) to the server 200 (steps S21 and S24). The details of the registration request may be as described above. When the registration of the communication device 100 is completed, the server 200 may transmit to the communication device 100 that the registration is completed (steps S22 and S25). When communication between the communication device 100 and the server 200 is established (steps S23 and S26), the communication device 100 transmits various data acquired from the meter to the server 200 or is transmitted from the server 200, the administrator (centralized monitoring). Receive data and instructions from the center). The registration processing of the communication devices 100A and 100B may be performed separately. Moreover, the order may be any order.

Here, it is assumed that the connection between the communication devices 100A and 100B and the server 200 via the network 300 is disconnected due to some trouble, and the communication devices 100A and 100B are reconnected to the network 300, respectively (step). S27). After that, the communication units 120 of the communication devices 100A and 100B may each transmit a registration request for their own device to the server 200.

In this case, according to the third embodiment of the present invention, when a plurality of communication devices 100 need to transmit a registration request to the server 200, the time for each communication device 100 to transmit the registration request to the server 200 is distributed. You may let me. Specifically, for example, the communication device 100 may transmit a registration request for its own device to the server 200 at a predetermined timing after reconnecting to the network 300. The predetermined timing (hereinafter, also referred to as transmission time) may be set based on the identification information unique to the own device. The identification information unique to the own device may be information assigned to each communication device 100, and may be information that can uniquely identify the communication device 100. For example, the identification information may be a device ID or the like arbitrarily composed of characters, numbers, symbols, and the like. In the example of FIG. 4, the communication device 100B transmits a registration request to the server 200 10 seconds after the time width of 0 to 60 seconds after reconnecting to the network (step S28). That is, in the example of FIG. 4, regarding the identification information of the communication device 100B, the registration request is transmitted to the server 200 10 seconds after the communication device 100B reconnects to the network, out of the time width of 0 to 60 seconds. Is set to. On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 4, the communication device 100A transmits the registration request to the server 200 50 seconds after the time width of 0 to 60 seconds after the reconnection to the network (step S29). ). That is, in the example of FIG. 4, regarding the identification information of the communication device 100A, the communication device 100A transmits a registration request to the server 200 50 seconds after the time width of 0 to 60 seconds after the communication device 100A is reconnected to the network. Is set to. In this way, the time for the communication device 100 to transmit the registration request to the server 200 may be distributed. Although the two communication devices 100A and 100B have been described in FIG. 4, the transmission time of the registration request is distributed and set for each of the large number of communication devices 100 registered in the server 200 based on the unique identification information. May be done. The time width of 0 to 60 seconds will be described later.

Here, the distribution setting of the transmission time may be performed as follows. First, if the state in which the connection to the server 200 is disconnected is prolonged, the data to be transmitted from the communication device 100 to the server 200 may not be transmitted to the server 200 at an appropriate timing, which is not preferable. For example, even though an electric leakage or a water leakage has occurred, a situation may occur in which it cannot be detected. However, since the number of communication devices 100 to be connected to the server 200 is innumerable, it is necessary to distribute the communication devices 100 in consideration of the processing capacity of the server 200. According to the third embodiment of the present invention, the predetermined time width in which each communication device 100 should complete the registration to the server 200 after attachment may be appropriately set in view of the above points. The predetermined time width may be, for example, 60 seconds, but is not limited to this.

When the predetermined time width is set, the transmission time may be set according to the unique identification information of the communication device 100 and the predetermined time width. For example, the identification information may be quantified and divided by a predetermined time width, and the remaining numerical value may be set as the transmission time. The identification information may be quantified by an existing method. Alternatively, when a predetermined time width is set, the transmission time may be set according to the number of communication devices 100 to be connected to the server 200, the predetermined time width, and the unique identification information. For example, the transmission time may be set in the order specified by the unique identification information at a time interval obtained by dividing a predetermined time width by the number of communication devices 100 to be connected to the server 200. Information regarding the transmission time may be stored in advance in the storage unit 150 of the communication device 100.

The predetermined time width may be changed according to the processing capacity of the server 200 and the fluctuation of the number of communication devices 100 managed by the server 200. For example, when the processing capacity of the server 200 is improved, the predetermined time width may be shortened and the registration of the communication device 100 may be completed in a short time. Further, when the number of communication devices 100 managed by the server 200 increases, the predetermined time width may be lengthened so as not to increase the number of communication devices 100 registered per unit time. Information regarding the change (update) of the predetermined time width may be transmitted from the server 200 to each communication device 100 while the communication between the server 200 and the communication device 100 is established. The communication device 100 may update the transmission time of its own device according to the information regarding the change of the predetermined time width received from the server 200.

<Fourth Embodiment>
According to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the communication device 100 is connected to the server 200 by the first communication method and is connected to another communication device 100 by the second communication method, and is connected to the wireless communication master unit and wireless. The operation as a communication slave unit may be switchable. Further, the communication device 100 may constitute a communication device group including another communication device 100. For example, the communication device 100 may constitute a communication device group including a wireless communication master unit and a wireless communication slave unit. That is, the communication device 100 forms a multi-hop network with a plurality of communication devices 100 in the field, and collects the data of the meters in the network (FAN) and the data collected by the FAN remotely. A WAN (Wide Area Network) to be transmitted to the server 200 may be realized. Further, one communication device 100 may be capable of communication between communication devices 100 (function as a slave unit) and wide area network communication (function as a master unit). The number of wireless communication master units and wireless communication slave units constituting the communication device group is not particularly limited, but for example, the communication device group is composed of one wireless communication master unit and at least one wireless communication slave unit. good.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, the communication devices 100A to 100D constitute a FAN (communication device group) 10A in which the communication device 100A is a master unit and the communication devices 100B to 100D are slave units. Further, the communication devices 100E to 100I constitute a FAN 10B having the communication device 100E as a master unit and the communication devices 100F to 100I as a slave unit. FAN10A and FAN10B may be distinguished by different areas or by different meter managers. In the latter case, the areas may overlap. Hereinafter, when it is not necessary to distinguish between them, the alphabetic characters in the codes of the communication device 100 and the FAN 10 will be omitted. Further, the figure is an example, and the number of communication devices 100 and FAN10 constituting FAN10 is not limited to this. In FAN10, the information of each meter can be transmitted by using multi-hop communication between a plurality of communication devices 100 operating as a slave unit, and the information transmitted between the lower communication devices 100 operating as a slave unit can be transmitted. It may be collected by a higher-level communication device 100 operating as a master unit (gateway) and transmitted to a server 200 via a WAN.

The control unit 110 of the communication device 100 includes a switching unit (not shown) for switching the operation as the master unit or the slave unit, and may operate as both the master unit and the slave unit. The communication device 100 (100A, 100E), which is a master unit, can directly communicate with the server 200 via the network 300 by using the first communication method. The communication device 100 (100B to 100D, 100F to 100I), which is a slave unit, may perform communication (data transmission) with another slave unit and the master unit by using the second communication method. Here, as the second communication method, for example, a specific low power wireless method for communicating using the 920 MHz band may be used. The specific low-power wireless system that communicates using the 920 MHz band includes, for example, a communication system based on the Wi-SUN communication standard and communication of a wireless communication standard that operates on IEEE802.5.4 such as Zigbee (registered trademark). It may be a method. The second communication method is not limited to the 920 MHz band, and may communicate in any communication band. The second communication method may be, for example, a communication method that does not require a license under the Radio Law. For example, the frequency bands of the radio waves used for communication may be different from each other between the first communication method and the second communication method.

FIG. 6 is an example of a sequence between the communication device 100 and the server 200 constituting the FAN according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Although only two communication devices 100A and 100B are shown in FIG. 6, the same may apply to other communication devices constituting the FAN. Further, FIG. 6 is an example, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

In the example of FIG. 6, it is assumed that the communication device 100B operates as a slave unit (step S31) and the communication device 100A operates as a master unit (step S32). Although not shown in FIG. 6, the communication devices 100A and 100B may perform an operation mode determination process for determining whether to operate as a master unit or a slave unit in advance. The operation mode determination process may be performed by an existing method for constructing a FAN. For example, the server 200 may transmit information specifying the operation mode to each communication device 100. Alternatively, information (table) about the own device may be exchanged between the communication devices 100 constituting the FAN, and the master unit may be selected according to the state of each communication device 100. The information about the own device is, for example, the number of communication devices 100 (the number of hops) that the own device passes through when reaching the other communication device 100 in the shortest time, information about the communication environment with the server 200, and the like. good. Further, an external power source is not connected to the meter or the communication device 100 to which the communication device 100 is connected, and the communication device 100 is driven by a built-in battery. Therefore, the information about the remaining battery level of the battery that drives the own device may be included in the information about the own device.

The communication device 100B operating as a slave unit may transmit a registration request to the server 200 of its own device to the communication device 100A operating as a master unit (step S33). The communication device 100A operating as the master unit may execute the above-described first retransmission control / second retransmission control for transmitting the registration request of the communication device 100B to the server 200 (step S34). The communication device 100A operating as a master unit may transmit a registration request for its own device to the server 200 together with a registration request for the communication device 100B. Alternatively, the communication device 100A operating as the master unit may transmit only the registration request of the communication device 100B to the server 200. A communication device 100 (for example, communication devices 100C and 100D) other than the communication device 100B is connected to the communication device 100A that operates as a master unit as a slave unit. The communication device 100A may receive the registration request of each communication device 100 connected as a slave unit and collectively transmit the registration request to the server 200, or may transmit the registration request to the server 200 each time.

In this way, since the registration request of the slave unit is transmitted from the master unit to the server 200, between the communication device 100 and the server 200 as compared with the case where a large number of communication devices 100 directly transmit the registration request to the server 200. Does not overwhelm the network resources of. Further, depending on the installation location of the communication device 100, it may be difficult to communicate with the server 200 by the first communication method such as a meter box or a group of buildings. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a registration request can be transmitted even for a slave unit whose communication with the server 200 is difficult depending on the installation location.

Even if the FAN is configured to transmit the registration request and the first retransmission control or the second retransmission control is performed, the registration to the server 200 may not be completed as described above. For example, in step S35 of FIG. 6, when registration to the server 200 is not completed even after the lapse of a predetermined second period (NO in step S35), the communication device 100A switches the operation mode of its own device to the slave unit. You can. The predetermined second period may be, for example, one hour, but is not limited to this. Specifically, an operation mode determination process is executed with another communication device 100B constituting the FAN (step S36), and the communication device 100B operating as a slave unit becomes a master unit (step S37). The communication device 100A operating as the master unit may become the slave unit (step S38). In the operation mode determination process, the communication device 100A operating as the master unit becomes the slave unit, and the communication device 100B operating as the slave unit becomes the master unit and becomes a new slave unit. Information indicating that the communication device 100A is connected to the lower level of the communication device 100B may be transmitted to the server 200. Further, the communication devices 100C and 100D operating as slave units change the connection route (number of hops) to the master unit 100B so as to connect to the new master unit 100B in response to the change of the master unit. You can do it.

The communication device 100A, which has become a slave unit, may transmit a registration request for its own device to the communication device 100B, which has become a master unit, using the second communication method (step S39). The communication device 100B may transmit the registration request of the communication device 100A to the server 200 (step S40). The registration request transmitted to the server 200 in step S46 may include the registration request of the communication device 100B.

As described above, according to one embodiment of the present invention, when the master unit transmits the registration information of the slave unit and the registration by the master unit is not completed, the slave unit in the FAN is switched to a new master unit, and a new master unit is used. The registration information may be transmitted to the server 200 by the master unit. This makes it possible to increase the possibility that the registration of the communication device 100 with the server 200 is completed.

If the registration of the communication device 100 in the server 200 is not completed by the first retransmission control / second retransmission control in steps S34 and S40, even if the own device is restarted during the operation as the master unit. good.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications and modifications based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and modifications are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, the functions included in each component, each step, etc. can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and a plurality of components, steps, etc. can be combined or divided into one, as needed. Can be omitted or changed as appropriate. In addition, the configurations shown in the above embodiments may be combined as appropriate. For example, each functional unit described as being included in the communication device 100 may be realized by the server 200. On the contrary, the communication device 100 may include each functional unit described as being provided by the server 200.

For example, in the above description, as an IoT / M2M device to which the communication device 100 is connected, a water meter has been described as an example. However, the communication device 100 is not limited to the meter, and may transmit information from various sensors to the server 200. The sensor may be a temperature sensor, an acceleration sensor, a humidity sensor, or the like. That is, the communication device 100 may be able to connect to all devices whose purpose is to connect to the network 300 and transmit various data to the server 200.

Further, the control unit 110 of the communication device 100 further includes an acquisition unit (not shown) for acquiring information on the remaining battery level of the battery driving the own device, and the control unit 110 owns the battery according to the remaining battery level of the own device. The first predetermined period until the device is restarted may be varied. Since power is consumed to restart the own device, it is not preferable for the communication device 100 which does not have an external power source and is driven by a battery to repeat the restart. Therefore, when the remaining battery level is low, the process of repeating the retransmission of the registration request to the server 200 may be performed without restarting. As a result, battery consumption can be prevented and the life of the communication device 100 can be extended.

Further, in the first retransmission control and the second retransmission control, the number of times the registration request is repeated and the time width until the registration request is repeated may be changed according to the remaining battery level.

Further, the FAN may be combined with the mode in which the registration request to the server 200 after the attachment is distributed among the plurality of communication devices 100. That is, when the communication device 100B operating as the slave unit in FIG. 5 is detached and attached, the registration request of the own device is transmitted to the communication device 100A operating as the master unit, and the communication device 100A is the other. The transmission time of the registration request may be distributed and set between the communication device 100 and the communication device 100 that was operating as the master unit of the above.

Further, in the above description, the mode in which the communication device 100 can switch between the master unit and the slave unit has been described. However, it is not essential to operate in both the master unit and the slave unit modes, and it may be possible to operate only as the master unit.

In the above description, the communication system conforming to the LwM2M protocol has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applicable when a communication method or protocol that may cause a mismatch in registration status between the server 200 and the communication device 100 is used.

The program of each embodiment of the present disclosure may be provided in a state of being stored in a storage medium readable by a communication device or an information processing device. The storage medium may be capable of storing the program in a "non-temporary tangible medium". The program may include, for example, a software program or an information processing device program.

Storage media, where appropriate, are one or more semiconductor-based or other integrated circuits (ICs) (eg, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific ICs (ASICs), etc.), hard disks. Disk drive (HDD), hybrid hard drive (HHD), optical disk, optical disk drive (ODD), magneto-optical disk, magneto-optical drive, floppy diskette, floppy disk drive (FDD), magnetic tape, solid drive It can include (SSD), RAM drives, secure digital cards or drives, any other suitable storage medium, or any suitable combination of two or more of these. The storage medium may be volatile, non-volatile, or a combination of volatile and non-volatile, where appropriate.

Further, the program of the present disclosure may be provided to the server 200 via an arbitrary transmission medium (communication network, broadcast wave, etc.) capable of transmitting the program.

Each embodiment of the present disclosure may also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

The program of the present disclosure may be implemented using, for example, a script language such as JavaScript (registered trademark) or Python, or any programming language such as C language, Go language, Swift, Koltin, or Java (registered trademark). ..

100 Communication terminal 110 Control unit 120 Communication unit 150 Storage unit 200 Server (information processing device)
210 Control unit 220 Communication unit 250 Storage unit 300 Network 500 Communication system

Claims (13)

The registration request for registering the own device to the server is transmitted to the server, and after the registration request is transmitted, the registration completion information indicating that the own device has been registered in the server is received from the server. The first retransmission control that repeats the transmission of the registration request is executed, and the own device is restarted when the registration completion information is not received after a predetermined first period has elapsed since the transmission of the registration request was started. Control unit,
A communication device. The registration request includes a first registration request according to the first protocol and a second registration request according to a second protocol different from the first protocol.
The control unit
When the registration completion information corresponding to the first registration request is not received from the server, the second registration request is predetermined at a predetermined interval for one transmission of the first registration request to the server. When the second retransmission control for transmitting the number of times is repeatedly executed until the registration completion information is received, and the registration completion information is not received after the predetermined first period has elapsed from the start of the second retransmission control, the registration completion information is not received. Restart your device,
The communication device according to claim 1. The server is connected to a plurality of communication devices including the communication device via a network, and manages the plurality of communication devices.
The control unit
When the connection to the network is disconnected and then reconnected to the network, a registration request for the own device is transmitted to the server.
After reconnecting to the network, the registration request for the own device is transmitted to the server at a transmission time set based on the identification information unique to the own device.
, The communication device according to claim 1 or 2. The control unit transmits a registration request for the own device to the server in a predetermined time width and at a transmission time set according to the identification information unique to the own device.
The communication device according to claim 3. The control unit transmits a registration request for its own device to the server in a predetermined time width and at a transmission time set according to the number of the plurality of communication devices.
The communication device according to claim 3 or 4. The control unit
While the communication with the server is established, the information for updating the predetermined time width is received from the server, and the transmission time is updated based on the received information.
When the connection to the network is disconnected and then reconnected to the network, the registration request of the own device is transmitted to the server after the updated transmission time has elapsed.
The communication device according to any one of claims 3 to 5. It also has an acquisition unit that acquires information about the remaining battery level of the battery that drives its own device.
The control unit changes the predetermined first period until the own device is restarted according to the remaining battery level of the own device.
The communication device according to claim 1. The communication device constitutes a communication device group including other communication devices, and the operation as a wireless communication master unit and a wireless communication slave unit can be switched in the communication device group.
The control unit
When the communication device operates as the wireless communication master unit, the registration request of the own device and the registration request of the wireless communication slave unit connected to the lower level of the own device are transmitted to the server.
The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The control unit
If the registration completion information is not received after a predetermined second period has elapsed since the registration request of the own device and the registration request of the wireless communication slave unit are transmitted during the operation as the wireless communication master unit, the own device is used. Switch to the operation as the wireless communication slave unit,
A request for registering its own device to the server is transmitted to a new wireless communication master unit in the communication device group.
The communication device according to claim 8. It is a control method for communication devices.
The registration request for registering the own device to the server is transmitted to the server, and after the registration request is transmitted, the registration completion information indicating that the own device has been registered in the server is received from the server. A step of repeating the transmission of the registration request and restarting the own device when the registration completion information is not received after a predetermined first period has elapsed since the transmission of the registration request was started.
A method of controlling a communication device, including. A control program for communication equipment
To the communication device
The registration request for registering the own device to the server is transmitted to the server, and after the registration request is transmitted, the registration completion information indicating that the own device has been registered in the server is received from the server. The first retransmission control that repeats the transmission of the registration request is executed, and the own device is restarted when the registration completion information is not received after a predetermined first period has elapsed since the transmission of the registration request was started. Function and
A control program for communication devices that realizes. A communication system that includes at least a communication device and a server.
The communication device is
A registration request for registering the own device in the server is transmitted to the server, and after the registration request is transmitted, until registration completion information indicating that the own device is registered in the server is received from the server. The first retransmission control that repeats the transmission of the registration request is executed, and the own device is restarted when the registration completion information is not received after a predetermined first period has elapsed since the transmission of the registration request was started. Control unit,
With
The server
The server control unit includes a server control unit that registers information about the communication device in response to receiving the registration request from the communication device and transmits registration completion information indicating that the communication device has been registered to the communication device.
Communications system. The server is connected to a plurality of communication devices including the communication device via a network, and manages the plurality of communication devices.
The control unit
When the connection to the network is disconnected and then reconnected to the network, a registration request for the own device is transmitted to the server.
After reconnecting to the network, the registration request for the own device is transmitted to the server at a transmission time set based on the identification information unique to the own device.
The communication system according to claim 12.

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