JP4315999B2 - Meter reading system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention, meter reading system provided with a meter such as a moth Sumeta, power meters and water meters, and Lud over data transmission and reception device can be read without contact the integrated value data and specific data like in the meter, and a handy terminal About.

  Conventionally, gas meters (hereinafter referred to as “microcomputer meters”) that have built-in microcomputers in the meter and monitor the accumulated value of gas usage and abnormalities during gas usage have become widespread. Automatic meter reading of meter integrated values and transmission of abnormal information during gas use are being carried out.

  When meter reading without using a telephone line, for example, a meter reader takes the handy terminal to the installation location of the microcomputer meter, visually checks the integrated value of the microcomputer meter, and manually inputs the meter to the handy terminal. The method is also widespread.

  Furthermore, as described in Patent Document 1, using a handy terminal including an electromagnetic induction type transmission / reception unit, a display unit, and a microcomputer unit, there is also a meter reading method for directly reading the integrated value of the microcomputer meter in a non-contact manner. Already provided.

JP-A-5-101293

  However, in a system that communicates by connecting a telephone line to a microcomputer meter, the equipment investment for communication is high, so even if a microcomputer meter with a communication function is used, in reality the communication function has only a small overall installation rate. The fact is that, even in a gas company, automatic meter reading using a telephone line and manual input meter reading using a handy terminal are used in combination. In the case of this manual input meter reading, there is a problem that a data input error occurs.

  In addition, when using a handy terminal that can directly read the integrated value of the microcomputer meter without contact, an electromagnetic induction type transmitter / receiver must be provided on the microcomputer meter side as well. There were difficulties in applying to.

It is an object of the present invention, a communication function meter has been widely used, but the meter reading by a handy terminal is also used in combination, also in view of the situation also handy terminal readable without contact are provided, the changes to the menu over data An object of the present invention is to provide a meter-reading system provided with a simple data transmitting / receiving device that allows the integrated value data, unique data, and the like to be automatically read in a non-contact manner using a handy terminal.

The meter reading system according to the present invention comprises a meter, a data transmission / reception device attached to an existing or newly installed meter with a communication function, and a handy terminal,
The data transmitter / receiver includes a storage unit that stores data read from the meter as previous data when a request signal issued from the handy terminal is received, and a handy terminal that receives the request signal issued from the handy terminal. A transmission / reception unit that transmits the previous data stored in the storage unit and the current data read from the meter in a contactless manner;
The handy terminal is characterized by having a microcomputer unit that calculates a usage amount based on the previous integrated value data and the current integrated value data from the storage unit.

The handy terminal may have a display unit for displaying the usage amount calculated by the microcomputer unit .

According to the present invention, since additionally provided by connecting to the communication terminal of the main over other existing or newly established, without changing the main chromatography data, the integrated value data and specific data such as, by using a handy terminal non it is possible to automatically read by contact, the measurement of the integrated value of Ime over data that has been connected to the telephone line, it becomes possible to meter reading accurately without erroneous entry or input error.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In FIG. 1, a data transmission / reception device 20 according to the present invention is attached to a microcomputer meter (gas meter) 10 having a communication function, and the integrated value data and the like of the microcomputer meter 10 is contactlessly communicated with the handy terminal 30 via the data transmission / reception device 20. 1 is a block diagram of a reading system.

The microcomputer meter 10, the microcomputer 11, a battery 12, a liquid crystal display 13, a communication interface 14 having two communication terminals DT · SG connectable to a transmission device which performs transmission by telephone line, the external device interface 15, the gas shut-off valve 16 The flow sensor 17 and the integration counter 18 are configured. The integrated value of the integrating counter 18 is stored in the internal memory of the microcomputer 11 and the integrated value data can be transmitted to the outside via the terminal DT / SG by the communication interface 14.

  The data transmission / reception device 20 includes an antenna coil 21, a transmission / reception unit 22, a readable / writable storage unit 23, a serial communication conversion unit 24 for communicating with the microcomputer meter 10, and communication serially connected to the communication terminals DT / SG of the microcomputer meter 10. The interface unit 25 and the sequence unit 26 are included in the microcomputer meter 10.

Handy terminal 30 includes an antenna coil 31, transceiver 32, power supply unit 33, the microcomputer unit 34, a display 35, a buzzer 36, and is a switch 37 is separated from the microcomputer meter 10.

  When measuring data such as the integrated value of the microcomputer meter 10, the antenna coil 31 of the handy terminal 30 is brought close to the antenna coil 21 of the data transmitting / receiving device 20, the switch 37 is turned on, and a radio wave is emitted from the handy terminal 30. Thus, an induced electromotive force is generated in the antenna coil 31, and the request is transmitted to the microcomputer meter 10 via the data transmitting / receiving device 20 by starting with the power, and measurement is started.

  In the data transmitter / receiver 20, when the antenna coil 21 receives a signal from the handy terminal 30, the transmitter / receiver 22, the serial communication converter 24, the storage unit 23, and the sequence unit 26 are driven by the induced power. Then, the unique data such as the management number and replacement date of the microcomputer meter 10 stored in the storage unit 23 and the previous integrated value data stored in the storage unit 23 are read out, and the sequence unit 26 is read out. Then, the data is transmitted from the transmission / reception unit 22 to the handy terminal 30.

  Further, when the data transmission / reception device 20 receives a request signal from the handy terminal 30, the signal is converted into a communication protocol with the microcomputer meter 10 by the serial communication conversion unit 24, and the microcomputer meter passes through the communication interface unit 25. 10 is transmitted.

  When the microcomputer 11 of the microcomputer meter 10 receives the request signal, the integrated value data stored in the internal memory is transmitted to the data transmitter / receiver 20 via the communication interface 14. The data transmission / reception device 20 that has input this through the communication interface unit 25 sends it to the storage unit 23 via the serial communication conversion unit 24, stores it as a previous integrated value in this storage unit 23, and sends it to the handy terminal 30. Is transmitted by the transmission / reception unit 22 as current integrated value data.

The previous integrated value data and the current integrated value data transmitted from the data transmitting / receiving device 20 to the handy terminal 30 as described above are calculated by the microcomputer unit 34 of the handy terminal 30 and are displayed as, for example, monthly usage . 35. In addition, unique data such as the management number and replacement date of the microcomputer meter 10 transmitted from the data transmitter / receiver 20 as described above is also displayed.

  FIG. 2 is an external view of the microcomputer meter 10, and the data transmitting / receiving device 20 according to the present invention is integrated in a plastic terminal lid (case) 41 of the terminal box 40 a of the meter body 40. In this example, the data transmission / reception device 20 is attached to the meter body 40 by closing the terminal box 40a. In this case, the data transmitter / receiver 20 is roughly divided into an antenna unit and other electric circuit units, and two signal lines 25a from the communication interface unit 25 included in the electric circuit unit are connected to a terminal box of the meter main body 40. It is connected to communication terminals DT / SG provided in 40a.

  Therefore, the data transmitter / receiver 20 can be easily attached to the existing microcomputer meter 10 only by replacing the terminal lid 41.

  FIG. 3 shows that the data transmitting / receiving device 20 is incorporated in a resin transmission box (case) 50 instead of the terminal lid 41, and the transmission box 50 is directly or indirectly attached to the meter body 40 or is installed nearby. The two signal lines 25a from the communication interface unit 25 of the data transmitting / receiving device 20 are connected to the communication terminals DT / SG on the meter body 40 side.

The internal structure of the data transmitting and receiving apparatus, a block diagram showing the structure of a system for reading in a non-contact integrated value data and the like of the microcomputer meter in a handy terminal using the same. An example of attaching a data transmitting and receiving apparatus to the meter body of the microcomputer meter is an external perspective view of a. It is a perspective view which shows another example of attachment.

Explanation of symbols

10 microcomputer meter 14 communication interface of microcomputer meter 20 data transmitter / receiver 21 antenna coil (antenna)
22 Transmission / Reception Unit 23 Storage Unit 24 Serial Communication Conversion Unit 25 Communication Interface Unit 26 Sequence Unit 30 Handy Terminal 32 Handy Terminal Transmission / Reception Unit 34 Handy Terminal Microcomputer Unit
35 Display 41 Terminal cover (case)
50 Transmission box (case)

Claims (2)

A meter, a data transmission / reception device attached to an existing or newly installed meter with a communication function, and a handy terminal;
The data transmission / reception device receives a request signal issued from the handy terminal, and a storage unit that stores data read from the meter as previous data when a request signal issued from the handy terminal is received. The handy terminal comprises a transmission / reception unit that transmits the previous data stored in the storage unit and the current data read from the meter in a contactless manner,
The metering system according to claim 1, wherein the handy terminal includes a microcomputer unit that calculates a usage amount based on previous integrated value data and current integrated value data from the storage unit.   The meter reading system according to claim 1, wherein the handy terminal includes a display unit that displays a usage amount calculated by the microcomputer unit.

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