JP7134249B2 - Wireless communication mobile terminal, wireless communication system, work support method, and work support program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a wireless communication mobile terminal, wireless communication system, work support method, and work support program.

In order to calculate electricity bills, water bills, gas bills, etc., meter reading is the work of checking the amount of electricity, water, gas, etc. used in customer facilities measured by meters such as electricity meters, water meters, or gas meters. It is done. Meters display the measured amount of usage as indicated values, and meter reading was carried out by a meter reader visually reading the indicated value of each meter and manually writing it down on paper. In such a method, the meter reader may misread the reading of the meter or write down the reading of the meter.

Therefore, in recent years, a method has been used in which a wireless communication device is attached to a meter, and a meter reader uses a wireless communication portable terminal to acquire information including the indicated value of the meter from the wireless communication device. A meter reader prepares a paper or electronic data list of meters to be read, and reads the meters in a predetermined order using a wireless communication portable terminal. The meter reader reads the meter based on the maximum communicable distance indicated in the specifications of the wireless communication device at the meter reading site, assuming the position where communication is possible.

However, the maximum communication distance is only a guide, and communication may fail even within the maximum communication distance due to obstacles between the wireless communication device and the wireless communication mobile terminal, the surrounding radio wave environment, etc. Communication may be successful even if the distance is out of range. Therefore, it is difficult for the meter reader to appropriately determine the communicable position. In view of this, Patent Document 1 discloses wireless communication in which success or failure of wireless communication is determined from the state of wireless communication with a wireless communication device, and positions where communication with the wireless communication device is possible are displayed on a map based on the determination result. A mobile terminal has been proposed.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-290318

However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, since the position where communication with the wireless communication device is possible is determined based on the success or failure of wireless communication with the wireless communication device, wireless communication with the wireless communication device is performed. Depending on the position, the meter reader may not be able to move efficiently during the meter reading work.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a wireless communication portable terminal capable of providing a meter reader with information for efficient movement of the meter reader.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the wireless communication mobile terminal of the present invention includes a wireless communication unit, a reception intensity acquisition unit, a coordinate acquisition unit, a reception intensity estimation unit, a processing unit, a communication and a control unit . The wireless communication unit performs wireless communication with a plurality of wireless communication devices installed in each of the plurality of facilities. The reception intensity acquisition unit acquires reception intensity information including information on the intensity of radio waves received by the wireless communication unit from each of the plurality of wireless communication devices. The coordinate acquisition unit acquires coordinate information including information on the coordinate position of the wireless communication portable terminal when the radio communication unit receives the radio wave. The reception intensity estimation unit estimates the reception intensity of radio waves at a plurality of coordinate positions in an area including a plurality of wireless communication devices based on the reception intensity information and the coordinate information. The processing unit displays an image in which support information for supporting communication with a plurality of wireless communication devices is superimposed on a map, based on estimated reception strength information including information on the reception strength of radio waves estimated by the reception strength estimation unit. display in the The communication control unit controls communication between each of the plurality of wireless communication devices and the wireless communication unit. The communication control unit includes a first intermediate processing unit and a second intermediate processing unit that perform communication processing different from each other in different communication layers, and identifies each communication processing method from broadcasts transmitted from a plurality of wireless communication devices. and a method identification unit that causes an intermediate processing unit of a communication processing method identified among the first intermediate processing unit and the second intermediate processing unit to execute communication processing.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it is effective in the ability to provide a meter reader with the information for a meter reader to move efficiently.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an information collection system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an information collection processing sequence in the information collection system according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a work support processing sequence by the wireless communication mobile terminal according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a support image displayed on the wireless communication mobile terminal according to the first embodiment; 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a wireless communication mobile terminal according to a first embodiment; FIG. A diagram showing an example of a measured reception strength table including measurement reception strength information according to the first embodiment A diagram showing an example of a communication target table including communication target information according to the first embodiment A diagram showing an example of a communication result table including communication success/failure information according to the first embodiment A diagram showing an example of an estimated received signal strength table including estimated received signal strength information according to the first embodiment FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the display unit of the wireless communication mobile terminal according to the first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the display unit of the wireless communication mobile terminal according to the first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the display unit of the wireless communication mobile terminal according to the first embodiment; 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the wireless communication mobile terminal according to the first embodiment; 3 is a flowchart showing an example of communication quality calculation processing according to the first embodiment; 1 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a wireless communication mobile terminal according to a first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a wireless communication mobile terminal according to a second embodiment of the present invention; A diagram showing an example of a group table containing group information according to the second embodiment Flowchart showing an example of communication time calculation processing of the wireless communication mobile terminal according to the second embodiment Flowchart showing an example of recommended moving route calculation processing of the wireless communication mobile terminal according to the second embodiment FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a wireless communication unit and a communication control unit according to a second embodiment; 8 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of a connection control unit according to a second embodiment; FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of a lower intermediate processing unit according to the second embodiment; FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of an upper intermediate processing unit according to the second embodiment; FIG. Flowchart showing an example of processing of a method identification unit according to the second embodiment

A wireless communication mobile terminal, a wireless communication system, a work support method, and a work support program according to embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by this embodiment.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an information collection system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the information collection system 10 according to the first embodiment includes a _plurality of meters 1 ₁ , 1 ₂ , . including.

The meters 1 ₁ , 1 ₂ , . . . , 1 _n are meters such as electric meters, water meters, or gas meters, and measure the usage amounts of electricity, water, gas, or the like in customer facilities. In addition, the _meters 1 ₁ , 1 ₂ , . . . , _1n may be referred to as meter ₁ hereinafter when _they are individually indicated without distinguishing between them. n is an integer of 3 or more.

The computer 2 is, for example, a computer arranged in a cloud computing system, and via the wireless communication system 3 and the network 4, meter reading including information on the indicated values of the meters 1 ₁ , 1 ₂ , . . . , 1 _n Collect information. The network 4 includes, for example, a mobile phone communication network or a wireless WAN (Wide Area Network). The computer 2 may be a terminal device such as a personal computer, or may be a server. Also, the computer 2 does not have to be located in a cloud computing system.

The wireless communication system 3 can collect meter reading information including information on indicated values of the _meters 1 ₁ , 1 ₂ , . . The radio communication system 3 includes a radio communication mobile terminal 5 and radio communication devices 6 ₁ , 6 ₂ , . . . , 6 _n . n is an integer of 3 or more.

The wireless communication portable terminal 5 is carried by a meter reader and acquires meter reading information including information on the indicated value of the meter 1 through communication with the wireless communication devices 6 ₁ , 6 ₂ , . . . , 6 _n . 1 meter reading. The wireless communication portable terminal 5 is communicatively connected to the computer 2 via the network 4 by wireless communication. Also, the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 transmits and receives information to and from the wireless communication device 6 by wireless communication.

The wireless communication devices 6 ₁ , 6 ₂ , . . . , 6 _n are attached to the corresponding meters ₁ of the meters 1 ₁ , 1 ₂ , . For example, radio 6 ₁ is attached to meter 1 ₁ , radio 6 ₂ is attached to meter 1 ₂ , and radio 6 _n is attached to meter 1 _n . . . , _6n may be referred to as a wireless communication device ₆ hereinafter when _they are individually indicated without being distinguished from each other.

The wireless communication device 6 communicates with the meter 1 and acquires information on indicated values from the meter 1 . The wireless communication device 6 also transmits meter reading information including information on the indicated value acquired from the meter 1 to the wireless communication portable terminal 5 by wireless communication. The wireless communication between the wireless communication device 6 and the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 is, for example, short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy).

Here, the sequence of information collection processing in the information collection system 10 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram depicting an information collection processing sequence in the information collection system according to the first embodiment;

As shown in FIG. 2, the computer 2 transmits meter reading target information to the wireless communication portable terminal 5 via the network 4 (step S1). The meter reading target information includes, for example, information such as the meter ID that is the ID of the meter 1 that is the meter reading target, the wireless device ID that is the ID of the wireless communication device 6, and the authentication code of the wireless communication device 6. Instead of being transmitted from the computer 2 to the wireless communication mobile terminal 5, the meter reading target information can be directly input to the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 by a meter reader.

Next, communication establishment and authentication between the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 and the wireless communication device 6 are performed (step S2). In the process of step S2, the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 requests communication connection to the wireless communication device 6 having the wireless device ID included in the meter reading target information, and then performs authentication including the authentication code included in the meter reading target information. A request is made to the wireless communication device 6 . As a result, communication is established between the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 and the wireless communication device 6 , and the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 is authenticated by the wireless communication device 6 .

Next, the wireless communication portable terminal 5 transmits a meter reading request requesting the indicated value of the meter 1 to the wireless communication device 6 (step S3). Upon receiving the meter reading request from the wireless communication portable terminal 5, the wireless communication device 6 transmits the meter reading request to the meter 1 (step S4). When the meter reading request is received from the wireless communication device 6, the meter 1 transmits a meter reading response including information on the indicated value to the wireless communication device 6 (step S5). Note that the meter 1 can also transmit information on the indicated value to the wireless communication device 6 without receiving a meter reading request from the wireless communication device 6 .

Next, the wireless communication device 6 transmits a meter reading response including information on the indicated value to the wireless communication portable terminal 5 (step S6). Note that the wireless communication device 6 can also transmit the information of the indicated value to the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 without receiving the meter reading request from the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 . When the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 receives the meter reading response from the wireless communication device 6, it disconnects communication with the wireless communication device 6 (step S7), and the information on the indicated value acquired from the wireless communication device 6 and the indicated value Meter reading information including information on the date and time of acquisition, which is the date and time of acquisition of the information, is transmitted to the computer 2 (step S8).

The wireless communication portable terminal 5 performs the processing of steps S2, S3, S6, and S7 with each of the plurality of wireless communication devices 6, thereby collecting information on indicated values measured by the plurality of meters 1. can be done. Also, the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 does not have to transmit the meter reading information to the computer 2 .

Next, work support processing in the wireless communication portable terminal 5 according to the first embodiment will be described. 3 is a diagram depicting a work support processing sequence by the wireless communication portable terminal according to the first embodiment; FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of radio communication devices 6 ₁ , 6 ₂ , . . . , 6 _n transmit radio waves by broadcasting ₍ steps S11 ₁ , S11 ₂ , . The wireless communication mobile terminal 5 measures the reception intensity of radio waves broadcasted from a plurality of _wireless communication devices 6 ₁ , 6 ₂ , . It is stored in association with the coordinate position of the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 (steps S12 ₁ , S12 ₂ , . . . , S12 _n ). For example, when the meter reader moves through a region including _a plurality of _wireless communication devices _{6 1} , 6 ₂ , . _n processes can be performed.

Next, the wireless communication portable terminal 5 selects _{a plurality of wireless communication devices 6 1 , 6 2 ,} . , _6n , the received strength of the radio wave from the wireless communication device 6 is estimated at a plurality of coordinate positions in the area including the region (step S13).

Next, the wireless communication portable terminal 5 generates support information for supporting communication with the wireless communication device 6 based on the reception intensity of each coordinate estimated in step S13 (step S14), and maps the generated support information to the map. A support image, which is the image displayed above, is displayed (step S15). For example, based on the reception intensity at each coordinate position estimated in step S13, the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 determines the communication range of the wireless communication device 6, and the recommended moving route and recommended communication coordinates in the area including the wireless communication device 6. etc., and an image based on the calculation result is displayed as a support image. The recommended travel route is calculated so that the travel distance of the meter reader is short. The recommended communication coordinates are the coordinate positions of the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 that are recommended when communicating with the wireless communication device 6 .

4 is a diagram of an example of a support image displayed on the wireless communication mobile terminal according to the first embodiment; FIG. As shown in FIG. 4 , the support image 105 is an image in which support information 120 is superimposed on a map 110 . The map 110 includes an image showing buildings 111 ₁ and 111 ₂ of each consumer, an image showing a road 112 between the buildings of the consumer, and an image showing a fence 113 installed in the center of the road 112 . The map 110 also includes an image showing the coordinate position _114-1 of the meter _1-1 to which the wireless communication device 6-1 is attached, and _an image showing the coordinate position _114-2 of the meter _1-2 to which the wireless communication device _6-2 is attached. is included.

The support information 120 includes an image showing the communication range 121-1 of the wireless communication device _6-1 , _an image showing the communication range _121-2 of the wireless communication device 6-2, _an image showing the current location 123 of the wireless communication mobile terminal 5, and recommended movement. An image showing the route 124, an image showing the recommended communication coordinates 126-1 of the wireless communication device _6-1 , and _an image showing the recommended communication coordinates _126-2 of the wireless communication device _6-2 are included. The communication range 121 ₁ of the wireless communication device 6 ₁ includes an image showing a range 122 ₁ with high communication quality, and the communication range 121 ₂ of the wireless communication device 6 ₂ has high communication quality. An image showing area ₁₂₂₂ is included.

The communication ranges 121 ₁ and 121 ₂ are, for example, the maximum ranges in which the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 is assumed to be able to communicate with the wireless communication devices 6 ₁ and 6 ₂ , and the estimated radio field strength is It is a range that is equal to or greater than 1 threshold. Ranges 122 ₁ and 122 ₂ are estimated maximum ranges in which high-quality communication is possible between wireless communication mobile terminal 5 and wireless communication devices 6 ₁ and 6 ₂ . It is in the range of two or more thresholds. The second threshold is a value higher than the first threshold, and is changed, for example, based on the past communication results between the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 and the wireless communication devices 6 ₁ and 6 ₂ .

The support information 120 may be, for example, information including only part of the image showing the communication range of the wireless communication device 6, the image showing the recommended movement route, and the image of the recommended communication coordinates. If the support information 120 is an image that is obtained from the estimated reception strength of the wireless communication device 6 and supports communication with the wireless communication device 6, it indicates an image indicating the communication range of the wireless communication device 6 and a recommended moving route. Not limited to images.

As described above, the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 displays the support information 120 indicating the communication range of the wireless communication device 6 and the recommended moving route based on the estimated reception strength of each wireless communication device 6. Compared to the case where the coordinate position where communication with 6 was successful is displayed on the map, it is possible to provide the meter reader with information for efficient movement.

The configuration of the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 according to the first embodiment will be specifically described below. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a wireless communication mobile terminal according to the first embodiment; As shown in FIG. 5, the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 according to the first embodiment includes a position measurement unit 11, wireless communication units 12 and 13, an input unit 14, a display unit 15, a storage unit 16, a control a portion 17;

The position measurement unit 11 measures the coordinate position indicating the current position of the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 . The position measurement unit 11 outputs the measured coordinate position of the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 to the control unit 17 . The position measurement unit 11 is a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, but may be an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) or the like. The position measurement unit 11 measures, for example, the coordinate position of the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 in the GPS coordinate system, which is an absolute coordinate system. Hereinafter, for convenience, latitude is represented by coordinates on the X-axis, and longitude is represented by coordinates on the Y-axis.

The wireless communication unit 12 performs short-range wireless communication with the wireless communication device 6 . Near field communication is, for example, Bluetooth or BLE. The wireless communication unit 12 measures the reception intensity, which is the intensity of the radio wave received from the wireless communication device 6 , and outputs reception intensity information indicating the measured reception intensity to the control unit 17 . Note that the wireless communication unit 12 may be configured to perform wireless LAN (Local Area Network) communication instead of short-range wireless communication.

The wireless communication unit 13 performs wireless LAN communication, wireless WAN (Wide Area Network) communication, mobile phone communication, or the like, and can transmit and receive various information to and from the computer 2 via the network 4 .

The input unit 14 is an input device that receives input from a meter reader, such as a touch panel. Note that the input unit 14 may be a keyboard, a mouse, or the like. The display unit 15 is a display device for displaying various information. For example, the display unit 15 is realized by a liquid crystal display or the like. Note that when the input unit 14 is a touch panel, the input unit 14 and the display unit 15 are integrated.

The storage unit 16 stores various types of information such as measured reception intensity information, communication target information, communication success/failure information, estimated reception intensity information, meter reading information, and map information. The control unit 17 includes a coordinate acquisition unit 21 , a reception intensity acquisition unit 22 , a communication control unit 23 , a communication management unit 24 , a reception intensity estimation unit 25 , a map creation unit 26 and a processing unit 27 .

The coordinate acquisition unit 21 acquires coordinate information including information on the coordinate position of the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 measured by the position measurement unit 11 . The reception intensity acquisition unit 22 acquires measured intensity information indicating the reception intensity of the wireless communication device 6 measured by the wireless communication unit 12 and acquires measurement coordinate information from the coordinate acquisition unit 21 . The measurement coordinate information is information indicating the coordinate position of the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 when the wireless communication unit 12 measures the reception intensity of the wireless communication device 6 .

The reception intensity acquisition unit 22 stores the measured reception intensity information, which is information in which the acquired measurement intensity information and the measurement coordinate information are associated, in the storage unit 16 . 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a measured reception strength table including measured reception strength information according to the first embodiment; FIG. The measured reception intensity table shown in FIG. 6 includes measured reception intensity information, which is information in which "measurement intensity" and "measurement coordinates" are associated. "Measured intensity" is the above-described measured intensity information. "Measurement coordinates" is the measurement coordinate information described above.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, it is determined that the strength of the radio wave of the wireless communication device 6 received by the wireless communication portable terminal 5 located at the coordinate position of latitude "X1" and longitude "Y1" is "-70 dB". showing. It also indicates that the strength of the radio wave of the wireless communication device 6 received by the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 located at the coordinate position of latitude "X2" and longitude "Y2" is "-69 dB".

Returning to FIG. 5, the description of the control unit 17 is continued. The communication control unit 23 controls the wireless communication unit 12, establishes communication between the wireless communication unit 12 and the wireless communication device 6, authenticates and encrypts the communication, and performs operations such as acquisition of instruction value information from the wireless communication device 6. process. Also, the communication control unit 23 controls the wireless communication unit 13 to transmit and receive various information to and from the computer 2 via the wireless communication unit 13 .

The communication management unit 24 acquires communication target information including information on the wireless communication device 6 to be communicated from the storage unit 16 and outputs the acquired communication target information to the communication control unit 23 . Further, the communication management unit 24 requests the communication control unit 23 to start the meter reading work when the meter reader performs a meter reading work start operation on the input unit 14 .

7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication target table including communication target information according to the first embodiment; FIG. The communication target table shown in FIG. 7 includes information indicating "wireless device ID", "coordinate position", "authentication code", "encryption key", and "meter ID". “Wireless device ID” is identification information unique to each wireless communication device 6 . "Coordinate position" is information indicating the coordinate position of the meter 1 to which the wireless communication device 6 is attached. “Authentication code” is information used for authentication of communication with the wireless communication device 6 . The “encryption key” is secret key information for encrypting and decrypting data transmitted and received with the wireless communication device 6 . “Meter ID” is identification information unique to each meter 1 .

In FIG. 7, the wireless communication device 6 with the wireless device ID “R0001” is attached to the meter 1 with the meter ID “M0001”, and the coordinate position of the meter 1 with the meter ID “M0001” is at latitude “X10” and longitude “Y10”. It shows that In FIG. 7, the authentication code of the wireless communication device 6 with the wireless device ID "R0001" is "92827", and the encryption key of the wireless communication device 6 with the wireless device ID "R0001" is "iSs9d76fdZ3".

7, the wireless communication device 6 with the wireless device ID "R0002" is attached to the meter 1 with the meter ID "M0002", and the coordinate position of the meter 1 with the meter ID "M0002" is at latitude "X11" and longitude "Y11". In FIG. 7, the authentication code of the wireless communication device 6 with the wireless device ID "R0002" is "28762", and the encryption key of the wireless communication device 6 with the wireless device ID "R0002" is "2yu457Shde". In the following description, the wireless communication device 6 with the wireless device ID "R0001" is the wireless communication device 6-1, and the wireless communication device ₆ with the wireless device ID " _R0002 " is the wireless communication device 6-2.

Returning to FIG. 5, the description of the control unit 17 is continued. The communication control unit 23 acquires communication target information from the communication management unit 24, and when the communication management unit 24 requests the start of meter reading work, establishes communication with the wireless communication device 6 based on the communication target information, Meter reading information including the indicated value of the meter 1 is acquired from the wireless communication device 6 . The meter reading information is information included in the meter reading response described above, and includes a meter ID, a wireless device ID, an indicated value, and the like. The communication control unit 23 stores the acquired meter reading information in the storage unit 16 , and disconnects the communication with the wireless communication device 6 when the meter reading information is acquired from the wireless communication device 6 .

Here, it is assumed that the wireless device IDs included in the communication target information acquired by the communication control unit 23 from the communication management unit 24 are "R0001" and "R0002". In this case, when the radio communication unit ₁₂ receives radio waves from the wireless communication device 6-1, the communication control unit 23 establishes communication with the wireless communication device 6-1 and acquires _meter reading information from the wireless communication device _6-1 . do. Further, when the radio communication unit ₁₂ receives radio waves from the wireless communication device _6-2 , the communication control unit 23 establishes communication with the wireless communication device 6-2 and acquires meter reading information from the wireless communication device _6-2 . .

A header of communication data obtained from radio waves from the wireless communication device 6 includes a wireless device ID. Communication can be established with a wireless communication device 6 that transmits communication data to be transmitted.

After establishing communication with the wireless communication device 6 , the communication control unit 23 transmits authentication data including the authentication code to the wireless communication device 6 . After being authenticated by the wireless communication device 6 based on the authentication data, the communication control unit 23 performs encrypted communication with the wireless communication device 6 . Specifically, the communication control unit 23 transmits a meter reading request for requesting the meter reading information of the meter 1 to the wireless communication device 6 by encrypted communication. The communication control unit 23 performs encrypted communication using the encryption key included in the communication target information. For example, when performing encrypted communication with the wireless communication device 61, the communication control unit 23 encrypts and decrypts data with the encryption key “ _iSs9d76fdZ3 ” associated with the wireless device ID “R0001”.

The communication control unit 23 receives a meter-reading response transmitted from the wireless communication device 6 in response to the meter-reading request, and extracts meter-reading information from the meter-reading response. The communication control unit 23 stores the extracted meter reading information in the storage unit 16 in association with the date and time of communication with the wireless communication device 6 . After storing the meter reading information in the storage unit 16 , the communication control unit 23 disconnects the communication with the wireless communication device 6 .

Further, when the communication control unit 23 completes from the start of communication establishment with the wireless communication device 6 to the acquisition of the meter reading information and the storage in the storage unit 16, communication including success information indicating that the communication has succeeded The success/failure information is stored in the storage unit 16 . In addition, after starting communication processing with the wireless communication device 6, the communication control unit 23 fails to establish connection, fails authentication, fails to receive meter reading information, communication timeout, or other causes. 16 is not completed, communication success/failure information including failure information indicating that communication has failed is stored in the storage unit 16 .

8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication result table including communication success/failure information according to the first embodiment; FIG. The communication result table shown in FIG. 8 includes information indicating "wireless device ID", "communication date and time", "coordinate position", and "communication result". “Wireless device ID” is identification information unique to each wireless communication device 6 . “Communication date and time” is information indicating the date and time when the wireless communication portable terminal 5 started communicating with the wireless communication device 6 . “Coordinate position” is information indicating the coordinate position of the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 that has started communication with the wireless communication device 6 . "Communication result" is success information indicating that communication was successful or failure information indicating that communication was unsuccessful.

In the example shown in FIG. ₈ , it is shown that communication with the wireless communication device 61 with the wireless device ID “R0001” at the coordinate position of latitude “X11” and longitude “Y10” has succeeded, and the coordinate position is at the latitude “X12”. and the longitude "Y12" indicates that the communication with the wireless communication device 62 with the wireless device ID " _R0002 " has failed. Also, in the example shown in _FIG . 8, it is shown that the communication with the wireless communication device 62 with the wireless device ID “R0002” at the coordinate position of latitude “X11” and longitude “Y12” was successful.

Returning to FIG. 5, the description of the control unit 17 is continued. The reception intensity estimation unit 25 estimates the reception intensity at a plurality of coordinate positions around each wireless communication device 6 based on the measured reception intensity information stored in the storage unit 16 . For example, the reception intensity estimation unit 25 stores the coordinate position of the meter 1 stored in the storage unit 16 and the measured intensity and the measurement coordinates included in the measured reception intensity information according to a law that attenuates in proportion to the square of the distance. A certain attenuation law is applied to estimate the received strength at each coordinate.

For example, the reception intensity estimation unit 25 applies the attenuation law to the distance between the coordinate position of the meter 1 and each measurement coordinate, estimates the reception intensity at the coordinate position of the meter 1, By applying the law of attenuation from the estimated reception intensity at , the reception intensity at each coordinate around the wireless communication device 6 can be estimated. The coordinate position of meter 1 is substantially the same as the coordinate position of wireless communication device 6 .

Note that the reception intensity estimation unit 25 estimates the reception intensity at the coordinate position not included in the measured reception intensity information. can also be inferred using

Further, when the reception intensity estimation unit 25 determines that there is an obstacle around the wireless communication device 6 based on the map information stored in the storage unit 16, The received strength of each surrounding coordinate can be estimated. For example, the reception strength estimator 25 estimates the reception strength of each coordinate around the wireless communication device 6, taking into account radio wave characteristics such as not passing through obstacles made entirely of metal and passing through gaps. can do.

In addition, the reception intensity estimator 25 can estimate the reception intensity of each coordinate around the wireless communication device 6 by considering the weather and the like. For example, when it is raining, the reception intensity estimating unit 25 can estimate the reception intensity of each coordinate by calculation with a higher radio wave attenuation coefficient than when it is sunny.

The reception intensity estimation unit 25 stores estimated reception intensity information, which is information associated with the estimated reception intensity and the coordinate position, in the storage unit 16 . 9 is a diagram showing an example of an estimated reception strength table including estimated reception strength information according to Embodiment 1. FIG. The estimated reception strength table shown in FIG. 9 includes estimated reception strength information, which is information in which "coordinate positions" and "estimated reception strengths" are associated. The “coordinate position” is information indicating the coordinate position of the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 when it is assumed that the radio wave from the wireless communication device 6 is received by the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 . “Estimated reception strength” is information indicating the reception strength of the wireless communication device 6 estimated by the reception strength estimation unit 25 .

In the example shown in FIG. 9, when the coordinate position of the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 is latitude "X10" and longitude "Y11", the radio wave from the wireless communication device 6 estimated to be received by the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 is It indicates that the intensity is "-65 dB". In the example shown in FIG. 9, when the coordinate position of the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 is latitude "X10" and longitude "Y12", the radio communication device 6 estimated to be received by the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 is It indicates that the strength of the radio wave is "-68 dB".

Returning to FIG. 5, the description of the control unit 17 is continued. The map creation unit 26 creates or updates map information, which is information of a map 110 for an area including a plurality of wireless communication devices 6 ₁ , 6 ₂ , . . . , 6 _n . The map creation unit 26 can generate map information, for example, based on the operation of the input unit 14 by the meter reader and the information stored in the storage unit 16 .

For example, based on the operation of the input unit 14 from the meter reader, the map creation unit 26 provides information indicating obstacles, information indicating coordinate positions through which the meter reader can pass, information indicating coordinate positions through which the meter reader cannot pass, In addition, it is possible to add to the map information the coordinate positions of stairs and the like that impose a burden on the passage of the meter reader. Information indicating an obstacle includes information such as the coordinate position, shape, and material of the obstacle.

In addition, based on the communication target information stored in the storage unit 16, the map creation unit 26 adds information indicating the coordinate positions of the plurality of wireless communication devices 6 ₁ , 6 ₂ , . . . , 6 _n to the map information. You can also Also, the map information stored in the storage unit 16 may be information obtained by the communication control unit 23 from the computer 2 via the network 4 .

The processing unit 27 superimposes support information 120 for supporting communication with each wireless communication device 6 on the map 110 based on the estimated reception intensity information including the information on the reception intensity estimated by the reception intensity estimation unit 25. is displayed on the display unit 15 . For example, the processing unit 27 displays an image superimposed on the map 110 as the support information 120 indicating the communication range of each wireless communication device 6 on the display unit 15, or displays an image in an area including a plurality of wireless communication devices 6. An image superimposed on the map 110 as the support information 120 indicating the recommended travel route can be displayed on the display unit 15 .

The processing unit 27 includes a communication quality calculation unit 31 , a recommended moving route calculation unit 32 and a display processing unit 33 . Based on the measured reception strength information, the estimated reception strength information, and the communication success/failure information stored in the storage unit 16, the communication quality calculation unit 31 calculates the wireless communication device 6 at a plurality of coordinate positions around each wireless communication device 6. Calculate the quality of communication with

For example, the communication quality calculation unit 31 performs calculation to estimate that the quality of communication between the wireless communication portable terminal 5 and the wireless communication device 6 at coordinate positions where the reception intensity is equal to or greater than the reference intensity is "high quality". The communication quality being “high quality” means, for example, that the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 is expected to stably and successfully communicate with the wireless communication device 6 . The reference strength used in the communication quality calculator 31 is, for example, -70 dB. Such a reference intensity is, for example, the above-described second threshold. Hereinafter, high communication quality may be referred to as high communication quality.

The communication quality calculator 31 can increase the reference strength when the reception strength at the coordinate position where the communication fails is greater than or equal to the reference strength. In addition, the communication quality calculation unit 31 can also lower the reference strength when the lowest value of the reception strength at the coordinate position where communication is successful is lower than the reference strength by a threshold value or more. When the reference strength is changed, the communication quality calculation unit 31 recalculates the communication quality with the wireless communication device 6 at a plurality of coordinate positions around each wireless communication device 6 . Note that the communication quality calculation unit 31 can also provide a reference strength for each wireless communication device 6 or for each type of wireless communication device 6 .

The recommended moving route calculation unit 32 uses the communication quality information including the communication quality information calculated by the communication quality calculating unit 31 to calculate the recommended moving route and recommended communication coordinates in the area including each wireless communication device 6. . Further, when the communication quality information is updated by the communication quality calculation unit 31, the recommended movement route calculation unit 32 recalculates the recommended movement route and the recommended communication coordinates.

The recommended moving route is a moving route recommended to the meter reader carrying the wireless communication mobile terminal 5. For example, among the moving routes from which the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 can acquire the meter reading information from each wireless communication device 6, It is the route that meter readers can travel in the shortest distance or time. The recommended communication coordinates are the coordinate positions of the wireless communication mobile terminals 5 recommended to communicate with the wireless communication device 6 for meter reading, and are calculated for each wireless communication device 6 . For example, among the routes that connect a plurality of recommended communication coordinates, the route along which the meter reader can travel in the shortest distance or time is the recommended movement route.

In addition, the recommended movement route calculation unit 32 can also calculate a recommended movement route and recommended communication coordinates that are easy for the meter reader to pass, based on the communication quality information and the map information. For example, the recommended movement route calculator 32 can calculate a recommended movement route and recommended communication coordinates avoiding obstacles such as walls and fences.

Further, the recommended movement route calculation unit 32 may calculate the distance of the route by multiplying the difficulty of passage. For example, the recommended travel route calculation unit 32 may apply a large coefficient to make the route less likely to be selected as the recommended travel route, since going up the stairs is burdensome. The recommended movement route calculation unit 32 calculates the distance of the route by setting the coefficient of the flat surface to k1, the coefficient of the slope to k2, and the coefficient of the stairs to k3. can be Note that k1<k2<k3.

In addition, the recommended movement route calculation unit 32 can also calculate a recommended movement route and recommended communication coordinates in an area including each wireless communication device 6 using the estimated reception strength information calculated by the reception strength estimation unit 25. . For example, the recommended moving route calculation unit 32 determines the communication range of each wireless communication device 6 based on the estimated reception strength information calculated by the reception strength estimation unit 25 . The communication range of each wireless communication device 6 is, for example, a range in which the estimated reception strength is equal to or greater than the above-described first threshold. The recommended moving route calculation unit 32 can calculate the shortest time or shortest distance route among the determined routes passing through the communication range of each wireless communication device 6 as the recommended moving route. In addition, the reception intensity estimation unit 25 can set the coordinate position common to the communication range of each wireless communication device 6 and the recommended movement route as the recommended communication coordinate.

Based on the communication success/failure information stored in the storage unit 16, the recommended movement route calculation unit 32 sets the coordinate positions at which the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 successfully communicated with each wireless communication device 6 in the past as recommended communication coordinates, Of the routes connecting the recommended communication coordinates, the route with the shortest time or shortest distance can be calculated as the recommended movement route.

The display processing unit 33 displays an image in which the information indicating the communication range of each wireless communication device 6 and the information on the recommended moving route are superimposed on the map 110 as the support information 120 based on the operation of the input unit 14 by the meter reader. Displayed in section 15.

10 to 12 are diagrams showing examples of display screens of the display unit of the wireless communication portable terminal according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10 , selection boxes 101 , 102 , 103 and support images 104 , 105 are displayed on a display screen 100 displayed on the display unit 15 of the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 .

A selection box 101 is a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for selecting whether or not to display an actually measured travel route, which is a recommended travel route based on actually measured reception strength. When the meter reader operates the input unit 14 to turn on the shortest route in the selection box 101, the display processing unit 33 displays an image superimposed on the map 110 with the support information 120 including the information on the actual measurement value movement route. is displayed on the display unit 15 . Note that the measured travel route is a recommended travel route calculated based on the communication success/failure information.

A selection box 102 is a GUI for selecting whether or not to display an estimated travel route, which is a recommended travel route based on the reception strength estimated by the reception strength estimation unit 25 . The types of recommended movement routes based on the reception intensity estimated by the reception intensity estimation unit 25 include the shortest route and the high quality route. The shortest route is a route through which the meter reader can move within the communication range of each wireless communication device 6 obtained from the reception strength estimated by the reception strength estimation unit 25 in the shortest distance or time. A high-quality route is a route through which a meter reader can travel in the shortest distance or in the shortest time within the range of high communication quality estimated by the communication quality calculation unit 31 .

When the meter reader operates the input unit 14 to turn on the shortest route in the selection box 102, the display processing unit 33 displays the support information 120 including information on the shortest route among the routes based on the estimated reception intensity. The image superimposed on the map 110 is displayed on the display unit 15 . In addition, when the meter reader operates the input unit 14 to turn on the high-quality route in the selection box 102, the display processing unit 33 includes information on the high-quality route among the routes based on the estimated reception intensity. An image in which the support information 120 is superimposed on the map 110 is displayed on the display unit 15 .

A selection box 103 is a GUI for selecting whether to display two support images or one support image on the display screen 100 . The display processing unit 33 displays two support images on the display screen 100 and selects "single screen display" when the meter reader selects "dual screen display" in the selection box 103 by operating the input unit 14. If so, one support image is displayed on the display screen 100 .

In the example shown in FIG. 10, the shortest path in the selection box 101 is set to "ON", the shortest path in the selection box 102 is set to "ON", and the "dual screen display" in the selection box 103 is selected. there is

The support image 104 is an image in which the support information ₁₂₀₁ is superimposed on the map 110 . Also, the support image 105 is an image in which the support information ₁₂₀₂ is superimposed on the map 110 . The map 110 is the same as the map 110 shown in FIG. The fence 113 does not allow people to pass through it, but allows radio waves to pass through it.

The support information 120-1 includes _an image showing a measured value movement path 124-1 in addition to the same image as the support information ₁₂₀ shown in FIG. Further, the support information 120-1 includes _an image indicating the coordinate position _125-1 of the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 when the wireless communication mobile terminal ₅ communicated with the wireless communication device 6-1 in the past, and and an image showing the coordinate position 125-2 of the wireless communication portable terminal ₅ when communicating with the communication device _6-2 .

The support information 1202 is an image similar to the support information 120 shown in _FIG . Note that the shortest route 1242 is the same as the recommended moving route 124 shown in _FIG . _{The shortest} path 124 ₂ shown in _FIG . The coordinate position of the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 that can be used is included. Therefore, the processing unit 27 can present an efficient moving route that does not bypass the fence 113 as the shortest route ₁₂₄₂ to the meter reader.

When the meter reader selects "single screen display" by operating the input unit 14 from the state shown in FIG. 10, the display screen 100 changes to the state shown in FIG. Only the support image 104 out of the support images 104 and 105 is displayed on the display screen 100 shown in FIG. The support image 104 shown in FIG. 11 includes, in addition to the support image 104 shown in FIG. 10, an image showing the shortest route 124 ₂ of the estimated value movement routes and an image showing recommended communication coordinates 126 ₁ and 126 ₂ .

Further, from the state shown in FIG. 11, when the meter reader operates the input unit 14 to turn off the shortest route in the selection box 101 and turn on the high-quality route in the selection box 102, the display The screen 100 will be in the state shown in FIG.

On the display screen 100 shown in FIG. 12, only the support image 104 out of the support images 104 and 105 is displayed. _The support image _{104 shown} in FIG. ₂ contains an image showing the recommended communication coordinates 1272 for communicating with ₂ . In addition, the support image 104 includes an image showing _a range 122-1 in which the communication quality is high within the communication range 121-1 of the wireless communication device 6-1, and _an image showing _a range 122-1 in which the communication quality is _high within the communication range _121-2 of the wireless communication device 6-2. and an image showing the range ₁₂₂₂ that is quality.

In this way, the display processing unit 33 displays one or more moving routes selected from among a plurality of types of moving routes each calculated as a recommended moving route using at least one of the communication quality information and the estimated reception strength information. The support images 104 and 105 superimposed on 110 can be displayed on the display unit 15 . Therefore, the meter reader can perform the meter reading work while confirming the desired recommended movement route. Hereinafter, when the shortest route 124 ₂ and the high quality route 124 ₃ are shown without distinguishing between them, they may be referred to as a recommended moving route 124 .

Next, the operation of the wireless communication portable terminal 5 will be explained using a flow chart. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of the wireless communication mobile terminal according to the first embodiment; FIG.

As shown in FIG. 13, the communication control unit 23 in the control unit 17 of the wireless communication portable terminal 5 determines whether or not the wireless communication unit 12 has received radio waves from the wireless communication device 6 (step S20). When the communication control unit 23 determines that it has received radio waves (step S20: Yes), the reception intensity acquisition unit 22 acquires the measurement coordinate information from the coordinate acquisition unit 21 and acquires the measurement intensity information from the wireless communication unit 12. , the measured reception intensity information in which the acquired measurement coordinate information and the measurement intensity information are associated is stored in the storage unit 16 (step S21).

When the process of step S21 is finished, or when it is determined that the radio wave has not been received (step S20: No), the communication control section 23 determines whether or not the communication timing has come (step S22). In step S22, the communication control unit 23, for example, if the coordinate position of the wireless communication device 6 matches the recommended communication coordinates or is within a preset range from the recommended communication coordinates, or if the operation of the communication instruction to the input unit 14 , it can be determined that the communication timing has come. The communication control unit 23 can also determine that the communication timing has come, for example, when the radio communication unit 12 receives radio waves from the radio communication device 6 having the radio device ID included in the communication target information.

When the communication control unit 23 determines that the communication timing has come (step S22: Yes), it performs communication processing (step S23). This communication processing is processing from the start of establishment of communication with the wireless communication device 6 to the acquisition of meter reading information and the storage of the information in the storage unit 16 . When the process of step S23 is finished, or when the communication control unit 23 determines that the communication timing has not come (step S22: No), the reception strength estimation unit 25 of the control unit 17 determines that the reception strength estimation timing has come. (step S24). In the processing of step S24, the reception strength estimation unit 25 can set, for example, the timing at which the measured reception strength information is updated or the timing that occurs every preset period as the reception strength estimation timing.

When the reception intensity estimation unit 25 determines that the reception intensity estimation timing has come (step S24: Yes), based on the measured reception intensity information stored in the storage unit 16, a plurality of coordinates around each wireless communication device 6 are calculated. A reception intensity estimation process for estimating the reception intensity at the position is performed (step S25). When the processing of step S25 is completed, or when the reception strength estimation unit 25 determines that the reception strength estimation timing has not come (step S24: No), the processing unit 27 of the control unit 17 determines the communication quality calculation timing. (step S26). In the process of step S26, the processing unit 27 can set, for example, the timing at which the estimated reception strength information is updated or the timing that occurs every preset period as the communication quality calculation timing.

When the processing unit 27 determines that the communication quality calculation timing has come (step S26: Yes), the processing unit 27 performs communication quality calculation processing for calculating communication quality (step S27). Such communication quality calculation processing is the processing of steps S40 to S44 shown in FIG. 14, and will be described in detail later.

When the processing of step S27 is completed, or when it is determined that the communication quality calculation timing has not come (step S26: No), the processing unit 27 determines whether or not the recommended information calculation timing has come (step S28). . In the process of step S28, the processing unit 27 sets the timing at which the measured reception strength information is updated, the timing at which the estimated reception strength information is updated, or the timing that occurs every preset period as the recommended information calculation timing. can be done. When the processing unit 27 determines that the recommended information calculation timing has come (step S28: Yes), the processing unit 27 performs recommended information calculation processing for calculating the recommended movement distance and the recommended communication coordinates (step S29).

When the processing of step S29 is finished, or when it is determined that the recommended information calculation timing has not come (step S28: No), the processing unit 27 determines whether or not the support image display timing has come (step S30). . In the process of step S<b>30 , the processing unit 27 can determine that the support image display timing has come when the meter reader performs a specific operation on the input unit 14 . Also, the processing unit 27 can set the timing that occurs every preset period as the support image display timing.

When the control unit 17 determines that the timing for displaying the support image has come (step S30: Yes), the control unit 17 executes support image display processing for displaying the support images 104 and 105 on the display unit 15 (step S31). When the process of step S31 ends, or when it is determined that the support image display timing has not come (step S30: No), the control part 17 ends the process shown in FIG.

14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of communication quality calculation processing according to the first embodiment; FIG. As shown in FIG. 14, the processing unit 27 determines whether the communication quality has been calculated (step S40). If the processing unit 27 determines that the communication quality has not been calculated (step S40: No), the processing unit 27 calculates the communication quality at each coordinate position based on the measured reception strength information, the estimated reception strength information, and the communication success/failure information ( step S41). In the process of step S41, the processing unit 27 can also determine the range in which the reception strength is equal to or greater than the reference strength as the coordinate position of high communication quality without using the communication success/failure information.

When the processing of step S41 is completed, or when it is determined that the communication quality has been calculated (step S40: Yes), the processing unit 27 determines whether or not the communication success/failure information has been updated (step S42). When the processing unit 27 determines that the communication success/failure information has been updated (step S42: Yes), based on the updated communication success/failure information, it determines whether communication has failed at the coordinate position of high communication quality. (Step S43).

If the processing unit 27 determines that the communication has failed at the coordinate position of high communication quality (step S43: Yes), it increases the reference strength and recalculates the communication quality (step S44). When the processing unit 27 determines that the communication success/failure information has not been updated (step S42: No), or determines that the communication has not failed at the coordinate position of the high communication quality (step S43: No), the process shown in FIG. 14 is terminated.

15 is a diagram of an example of a hardware configuration of a wireless communication mobile terminal according to the first embodiment; FIG. As shown in FIG. 15, wireless communication mobile terminal 5 includes a computer having processor 201 , memory 202 , input device 203 , display 204 and interface circuit 205 .

Processor 201 , memory 202 , input device 203 , display 204 and interface circuit 205 can transmit and receive data to and from each other via bus 206 . Storage unit 16 is implemented by memory 202 . The input unit 14 is implemented by the input device 203 . The display unit 15 is implemented by the display 204 . Wireless communication units 12 and 13 are implemented by interface circuit 205 . The processor 201 reads and executes the programs stored in the memory 202 to obtain the coordinate acquisition unit 21, the reception intensity acquisition unit 22, the communication control unit 23, the communication management unit 24, the reception intensity estimation unit 25, and the map creation unit 26. , and the functions of the processing unit 27 . The processor 201 is an example of a processing circuit, and includes one or more of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), and a system LSI (Large Scale Integration).

The memory 202 includes one or more of RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), and EEPROM (Registered Trademark) (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). include. The memory 202 also includes a recording medium in which a computer-readable program is recorded. Such recording media include one or more of nonvolatile or volatile semiconductor memories, magnetic disks, flexible memories, optical disks, compact disks, and DVDs (Digital Versatile Disks). The wireless communication mobile terminal 5 may include integrated circuits such as ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) and FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

As described above, the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 according to the first embodiment includes the wireless communication unit 12, the reception intensity acquisition unit 22, the coordinate acquisition unit 21, the reception intensity estimation unit 25, and the processing unit 27. Prepare. The radio communication unit 12 performs radio communication with a plurality of radio communication devices 6 installed in each of a plurality of facilities. The reception intensity acquisition unit 22 acquires reception intensity information including information on the intensity of radio waves from each of the plurality of wireless communication devices 6 received by the wireless communication unit 12 . The coordinate acquisition unit 21 acquires coordinate information including information on the coordinate position of the wireless communication portable terminal 5 when the radio communication unit 12 receives radio waves. The reception intensity estimation unit 25 estimates the reception intensity of radio waves at a plurality of coordinate positions in an area including a plurality of wireless communication devices 6 based on the reception intensity information and the coordinate information. The processing unit 27 generates support information 120 ₁ and 120 ₂ for supporting communication with the plurality of wireless communication devices 6 based on the estimated reception intensity information including the information on the reception intensity of the radio waves estimated by the reception intensity estimation unit 25. The support images 104 and 105 superimposed on the map 110 are displayed on the display unit 15 . In this way, the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 superimposes the support information 120 ₁ and 120 ₂ for assisting communication with the plurality of wireless communication devices 6 on the map 110 based on the estimated reception strength of each wireless communication device 6. In order to display the supporting images 104 and 105, the meter reader is provided with information for efficiently moving the meter reader, compared to the case where the coordinate position where the communication with the wireless communication device 6 is successful is displayed on the map. be able to.

Based on the estimated reception strength information, the processing unit 27 superimposes the support images 104 and 105 on the map 110 as support information 120 ₁ and 120 ₂ indicating the communication range of each of the plurality of wireless communication devices 6 . Displayed on the display unit 15 . Thereby, the meter reader can grasp the communication range of the wireless communication device 6 and can move efficiently.

The processing unit 27 also includes a communication quality calculation unit 31 and a display processing unit 33 . Based on the estimated reception strength information, the communication quality calculation unit 31 performs communication including information on positions where communication with the wireless communication devices 6 is possible while satisfying a communication quality standard set in advance in an area including the plurality of wireless communication devices 6. Calculate quality information. Based on the communication quality information, the display processing unit 33 displays information indicating ranges 122 ₁ and 122 ₂ in which communication with the wireless communication device 6 is possible in a state that satisfies a preset communication quality standard as support information 120 on the map 110. The superimposed support image 104 is displayed on the display unit 15 . Thereby, the meter reader can move to a position where communication with the wireless communication device 6 can be performed with high accuracy. The state in which the preset communication quality standard is satisfied is, for example, a state in which the estimated reception strength is equal to or higher than the above-described reference strength. Further, the state in which the communication quality standard is satisfied may be, for example, a state in which the number of times of retransmission processing due to a communication error is less than or equal to the standard value. In this case, the communication success/failure information can include information indicating the number of times of retransmission processing output from the communication control unit 23 . Based on the communication success/failure information, the communication quality calculation unit 31 can increase the reference strength when the reception strength estimated at the coordinate position where the number of retransmissions due to communication errors exceeds the reference value is equal to or greater than the reference strength. .

Based on the estimated reception strength information, the processing unit 27 also superimposes the support images 104 and 105 on the map 110 as the support information 120 indicating the recommended moving route 124 in the area including the plurality of wireless communication devices 6. Displayed on the display unit 15 . This allows the meter reader to move efficiently.

The processing unit 27 also includes a communication quality calculation unit 31 , a recommended moving route calculation unit 32 , and a display processing unit 33 . Based on the estimated reception strength information, the communication quality calculation unit 31 calculates communication quality information including information on positions where communication with the wireless communication devices 6 is possible in a state that satisfies the communication quality standard in an area including the plurality of wireless communication devices 6. do. The recommended moving route calculation unit 32 calculates a recommended moving route 124 in an area including a plurality of wireless communication devices 6 using communication quality information or estimated reception strength information. The display processing unit 33 displays on the display unit 15 the support images 104 and 105 in which the information indicating the recommended moving route 124 is superimposed on the map 110 . As a result, the meter reader can communicate with the wireless communication device 6 with high accuracy, and can move efficiently.

In addition, the display processing unit 33 superimposes one or more recommended travel routes selected from the plurality of types of recommended travel routes 124 on the map 110 using at least one of the estimated reception strength information and the communication quality information. 104 and 105 are displayed on the display unit 15 . This allows the meter reader to grasp a desired recommended route of movement.

The wireless communication portable terminal 5 also includes a storage unit 16 that stores communication success/failure information indicating success or failure of communication with each of the plurality of wireless communication devices 6 by the wireless communication unit 12 . The communication quality calculator 31 calculates communication quality information based on the communication success/failure information in addition to the estimated reception strength information. As a result, it is possible to move to a coordinate position where communication with the wireless communication device 6 can be performed with higher accuracy.

The storage unit 16 also stores map information indicating a map 110 of an area including a plurality of wireless communication devices 6 . The communication quality calculation unit 31 calculates communication quality information based on map information in addition to the estimated reception strength information and communication success/failure information. As a result, it is possible to move to a coordinate position where communication with the wireless communication device 6 can be performed with higher accuracy.

The wireless communication mobile terminal 5 also includes an input unit 14 and a map creation unit 26 that creates or updates map information based on input from the input unit 14 . As a result, for example, even if an obstacle or the like newly appears in the communication range of the wireless communication device 6, the coordinate position at which communication with the wireless communication device 6 is possible can be accurately determined while satisfying the communication quality condition set in advance. can judge well.

In addition, when the communication control unit 23 acquires the meter reading information from the wireless communication device 6, the display processing unit 33 erases the image indicating the communication range of the wireless communication device 6 that transmitted the meter reading information, or changes the color of the image. You can change it. This also applies to the range where the communication quality is high. As a result, the meter reader can easily grasp the communication range of the wireless communication devices 6 that have not yet communicated in a place where the wireless communication devices 6 are concentrated. In addition, the display processing unit 33 determines the communication range and communication range of the wireless communication device 6 attached to the next meter reading target meter 1 among the ranges in which the communication range and communication quality of the plurality of wireless communication devices 6 are high. It is possible to display only the ranges where the quality is of high quality or to highlight these ranges.

In addition, the recommended moving route calculation unit 32 may calculate the distance of the route by multiplying the road weather and the traffic difficulty level according to the time zone. For example, the recommended moving route calculation unit 32 may calculate the route by applying a large coefficient because traffic is burdensome during busy hours or when it rains.

Embodiment 2.
The wireless communication mobile terminal according to the second embodiment calculates a recommended moving route in consideration of the moving speed of the meter reader and the communication time with the wireless communication device, groups one or more facilities, and It differs from the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 according to the first embodiment in that the recommended moving route and the recommended communication coordinates are calculated.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a wireless communication mobile terminal according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 16, a wireless communication mobile terminal 5A according to the second embodiment includes a storage section 16A and a control section 17A instead of the storage section 16 and control section 17 shown in FIG. The storage unit 16A differs from the storage unit 16 in that in addition to the information stored in the storage unit 16, group information, moving speed information, and communication time information are stored.

17 is a diagram of an example of a group table including group information according to the second embodiment; FIG. The group table shown in FIG. 17 includes group information in which "group ID", "wireless device ID", and "coordinate range" are associated with each other. “Group ID” is identification information of a group of wireless communication devices 6 that perform meter reading work. "Wireless device ID" is identification information of the wireless communication device 6 belonging to the group indicated by the group ID, and is the same as the wireless device ID shown in FIG.

In the example shown in FIG. 17, the group with the group ID "G0001" indicates that the wireless communication devices 6 with the wireless device IDs "R0001" to "R0005" belong to the group with the group ID "G0002". This indicates that the wireless communication devices 6 with IDs "R0006" to "R0012" belong to it.

"Coordinate range" is information indicating the coordinate range of a group of wireless communication devices 6, and is information indicating the coordinate range including the communication range of all wireless communication devices 6 belonging to the same group. In the example shown in FIG. 17, "AR1" is the coordinate range of the group with the group ID "G0001", and "AR2" is the coordinate range of the group with the group ID "G0002".

As shown in FIG. 16, the control unit 17A includes a group information acquisition unit 28, a communication time calculation unit 29, and a moving speed information acquisition unit 30. It differs from the control section 17 in that it includes a section 23A and a processing section 27A.

In addition to the functions of the communication control unit 23, the communication control unit 23A stores information indicating the timing of starting connection processing for communication with the wireless communication device 6 and information indicating the timing of disconnecting communication with the wireless communication device 6 as a communication time. Output to the calculation unit 29 . Further, the communication control unit 23A identifies the communication processing method of the wireless communication device 6, and performs communication processing corresponding to the communication processing method of the wireless communication device 6 among different communication processing in mutually different communication layers. Such communication processing will be described in detail later.

The group information acquisition unit 28 acquires and acquires group information, which is information in which wireless communication devices 6 attached to one or more meters 1 grouped as management units and groups indicating management units are associated with each other. The group information obtained is stored in the storage unit 16A. For example, the group information acquisition unit 28 can acquire group information input by a meter reader's operation on the input unit 14, and store the acquired group information in the storage unit 16A.

The communication time calculator 29 measures the communication time required for communication with each wireless communication device 6 for meter reading, and calculates the communication time required for meter reading for each wireless communication device 6 . Specifically, the communication time calculation unit 29 measures the time from the start of communication with the wireless communication device 6 to the disconnection of the communication as the communication time based on the information output from the communication control unit 23A. The communication time calculation unit 29 stores communication time information, which is information on the measured communication time, in the storage unit 16A. The communication time calculation unit 29 can also store information on the maximum value of the measured communication time in the storage unit 16A as communication time information.

The moving speed information acquisition unit 30 acquires moving speed information indicating the moving speed of the meter reader who moves while carrying the wireless communication mobile terminal 5A, and stores the acquired moving speed information in the storage unit 16A. For example, the moving speed information acquiring unit 30 can acquire moving speed information input by a meter reader's operation to the input unit 14, and store the acquired moving speed information in the storage unit 16A. Further, the moving speed information acquiring unit 30 calculates the moving speed of the meter reader based on the coordinate information repeatedly acquired by the coordinate acquiring unit 21 while the meter reader is moving, and stores the information indicating the calculation result as the moving speed information. , can also be stored in the storage unit 16A.

The processing unit 27A includes a communication quality calculation unit 31, a recommended moving route calculation unit 32A, and a display processing unit 33. The recommended moving route calculation unit 32A can calculate a recommended moving route for each group. For example, assume that the group table stored in the storage unit 16A is in the state shown in FIG. In this case, the recommended movement route calculation unit 32A calculates a recommended movement route for acquiring meter reading information from the wireless communication devices 6 with the wireless device IDs “R0001” to “R0005” for the group “G0001”. Further, the recommended movement route calculation unit 32A calculates a recommended movement route for acquiring meter reading information from the wireless communication devices 6 with the wireless device IDs “R0006” to “R0012” for the group “G0002”.

In addition, the recommended moving route calculation unit 32A calculates, as a recommended moving route, a route on which meter reading information can be obtained from each wireless communication device 6 simply by passing without stopping and waiting for communication time. For example, the recommended moving route calculation unit 32A extracts the coordinate range of high communication quality in each wireless communication device 6 for each group, and calculates the coordinate range of high communication quality in each wireless communication device 6 as the communication time, which is the time required for communication. Calculates a passing route, which is a route to move by applying . Then, the recommended moving route calculation unit 32A calculates a route obtained by connecting the calculated passing routes as a recommended moving route.

Here, it is assumed that the movement speed of the meter reader is 2 m/sec and the communication time is 3 seconds. In this case, the recommended moving route calculation unit 32A can calculate a route obtained by connecting passage routes moving 6 m in continuous high communication quality communication ranges of the respective wireless communication devices 6 as the recommended moving route. Note that the recommended movement route calculation unit 32A extracts the communication range of each wireless communication device 6 for each group, and recommends a route to move over the communication range of each wireless communication device 6 over the communication time, which is the time required for communication. It can also be calculated as a moving route.

Next, the operation of the wireless communication mobile terminal 5A will be explained using a flow chart. 18 is a flowchart of an example of communication time calculation processing of the wireless communication portable terminal according to the second embodiment; FIG. As shown in FIG. 18, the communication time calculation unit 29 in the control unit 17A of the wireless communication portable terminal 5A determines whether communication time information is stored in the storage unit 16A (step S32).

When the communication time calculation unit 29 determines that the communication time information is not stored (step S32: No), it sets the communication time information to the initial value (step S33). The initial value is, for example, 4 seconds. When the process of step S33 is completed, or when it is determined that the communication time information is stored (step S32: Yes), the communication time calculation unit 29 determines whether communication connection with the wireless communication device 6 has started. is determined (step S34).

When it is determined that the communication connection with the wireless communication device 6 has started (step S34: Yes), the communication time calculation unit 29 counts the time from the communication connection (step S35), and the communication with the wireless communication device 6 is It is determined whether or not it is completed (step S36). In the process of step S36, the communication time calculation unit 29, for example, when the meter reading information is acquired from the wireless communication device 6, or when the meter reading information acquired from the wireless communication device 6 is stored in the storage unit 16A, the wireless communication device 6 is completed.

If the communication time calculator 29 determines that the communication with the wireless communication device 6 is not completed (step S36: No), it continues counting the time from the communication connection in step S35. When the communication time calculation unit 29 determines that the communication with the wireless communication device 6 is completed (step S36: Yes), it stops counting the time from the communication connection, sets the counted time as the communication time, and uses the communication time information as the communication time. is updated (step S37). The communication time calculation unit 29 can also update the communication time information when the communication time indicated by the communication time information stored in the storage unit 16A is less than the counted time.

When the process of step S37 is finished, or when it is determined that the communication connection with the wireless communication device 6 has not been started (step S34: No), the communication time calculator 29 finishes the process shown in FIG.

19 is a flowchart of an example of recommended moving route calculation processing of the wireless communication portable terminal according to the second embodiment; FIG. As shown in FIG. 19, the recommended moving route calculation unit 32A of the control unit 17A determines whether or not the recommended moving route calculation timing has come (step S50). In the processing of step S50, the recommended moving route calculation unit 32A determines that the recommended moving route calculation timing has come when any of the communication quality information, group information, moving speed information, and communication time information is generated or updated. can do.

When it is determined that the recommended movement route calculation timing has come (step S50: Yes), the recommended movement route calculation unit 32A acquires the communication quality information of each coordinate in the coordinate range for each group from the communication quality calculation unit 31 (step S51 ). The recommended moving route calculating unit 32A calculates a moving route over a communication time while communicating with each wireless communication device 6 belonging to the same group with high communication quality (step S52). Then, the recommended movement route calculation unit 32A calculates a route obtained by connecting the routes calculated in step S52 as a recommended movement route for each group (step S53).

32 A of recommended movement path|route calculation parts complete|finish the process shown in FIG. 19, when the process of step S53 is complete|finished, or when it determines with it not being the recommended movement path|route calculation timing (step S50: No).

Next, the communication processing of the communication control unit 23A shown in FIG. 16 will be specifically described. 20 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a wireless communication unit and a communication control unit according to a second embodiment; FIG. As shown in FIG. 20 , the wireless communication section 12 includes a radio wave transmission/reception section 41 and a data conversion section 42 .

The radio wave transmitting/receiving unit 41 receives radio waves from the wireless communication device 6 with an antenna, converts them into analog signals, demodulates the analog signals, and converts them into digital signals. Further, the radio wave transmission/reception unit 41 modulates the digital signal output from the data conversion unit 42 into an analog signal, and outputs the modulated analog signal to the antenna. As a result, a radio wave corresponding to the digital signal is output from the antenna.

The data conversion unit 42 extracts a lower layer frame from the digital signal output from the radio wave transmission/reception unit 41, and outputs the extracted lower layer frame to the communication control unit 23A. A lower layer frame is a frame of a lower layer among a plurality of communication layers. The data converter 42 also converts the lower layer frame output from the communication controller 23A into a digital signal, and outputs the converted digital signal to the radio wave transmitter/receiver 41 .

The lower layer frame includes communication control data used by the connection control unit 52 for connection and disconnection of communication, and data used in the upper layer. The data used in the upper layer includes, for example, authentication data used for authentication processing and data used for meter reading processing by an application.

The communication control unit 23A includes a connection control unit 52, switching processing units 53 and 56, a lower intermediate processing unit 54, a data transmission unit 55, an upper intermediate processing unit 57, a data processing unit 58, and a system identification unit 59. and The connection control unit 52, the switching processing unit 53, and the lower intermediate processing unit 54 perform processing of the lower layer, and the switching processing unit 56, the upper intermediate processing unit 57, and the data processing unit 58 perform processing of the upper communication layer, which is the upper communication layer. Do layer processing. Also, the data transmission unit 55 performs data transmission between the lower layer and the upper layer. The communication layer is divided into communication stages, and the communication control unit 23A processes the stage of communication connection processing in the lower layer, and processes the stage of application data processing in the upper layer.

The connection control unit 52 establishes communication connection between the wireless communication unit 12 and the wireless communication device 6 and disconnects communication between the wireless communication unit 12 and the wireless communication device 6 . The lower intermediate processing unit 54 performs authentication processing and encryption processing in the lower layer. The authentication processing is processing for authentication with the wireless communication device 6, and the encryption processing is processing for encrypting and decrypting data transmitted and received with the wireless communication device 6, and is included in the communication target information. It is done with a cryptographic key.

The data transmission unit 55 outputs data from the lower layer to the upper layer, and outputs data from the upper layer to the lower layer. The upper intermediate processing unit 57 performs authentication processing and encryption processing in the upper layer.

The data processing unit 58 receives data output from the data transmission unit 55 via the switching processing unit 56 or data output from the higher-level intermediate processing unit 57, and the meter reading information including the meter ID, the wireless device ID, and the indicated value. is read, and the read meter reading information is stored in the storage unit 16A. The data processing unit 58 also generates data to be transmitted to the wireless communication device 6 and outputs the data to the data transmission unit 55 or the switching processing unit 56 .

The method identification unit 59 identifies the communication processing method of the wireless communication device 6 based on the data output from the data conversion unit 42, and determines the switching state of the switching processing units 53 and 56 based on the identified communication processing method. change. The communication processing methods include a first communication processing method that performs authentication processing and encryption processing in a lower layer, and a second communication processing method that performs authentication processing and encryption processing in an upper layer.

When the communication processing method of the wireless communication device 6 is the first communication processing method, the method identification unit 59 causes the connection control unit 52 and the lower intermediate processing unit 54 to be connected by the switching processing unit 53, and the lower intermediate processing unit 54 Executes authentication processing and encryption processing in the lower layer. Further, when the communication processing method of the wireless communication device 6 is the first communication processing method, the method identification unit 59 causes the switching processing unit 56 to connect the data transmission unit 55 and the data processing unit 58 .

Further, when the communication processing method of the wireless communication device 6 is the second communication processing method, the method identification unit 59 connects the data transmission unit 55 and the upper intermediate processing unit 57 by the switching processing unit 56, and the upper intermediate processing unit 57 executes authentication processing and encryption processing in the upper layer. Further, when the communication processing method of the wireless communication device 6 is the second communication processing method, the method identification unit 59 causes the switching processing unit 53 to connect the connection control unit 52 and the data transmission unit 55 .

In this way, the communication control unit 23A supports a plurality of communication processing methods that perform authentication processing and encryption processing in mutually different communication layers. can be processed. Further, since the communication control unit 23A can perform authentication processing and encryption processing in a higher layer in addition to authentication processing and encryption processing in a lower layer, even if new authentication processing and encryption processing are required, Even if there is, a new communication processing method for authentication processing and encryption processing can be applied without changing the lower layer.

Next, the operations of the connection control section 52, the lower intermediate processing section 54, the upper intermediate processing section 57, and the method identification section 59 in the communication control section 23A will be described using flowcharts. First, the operation of the connection control unit 52 will be described. 21 is a flowchart of an example of processing of a connection control unit according to the second embodiment; FIG.

As shown in FIG. 21, the connection control unit 52 determines whether or not a broadcast has been received from the wireless communication device 6 to be connected (step S60). When the connection control unit 52 determines that the broadcast has been received (step S60: Yes), the connection control unit 52 outputs to the data conversion unit 42 a lower layer frame including data requesting communication connection to the wireless communication device 6 that has received the broadcast. This causes the wireless communication unit 12 to transmit a communication connection request to the wireless communication device 6 (step S61), and determines whether or not communication connection with the wireless communication device 6 has succeeded (step S62).

When the connection control unit 52 determines that the communication connection with the wireless communication device 6 has succeeded (step S62: Yes), it determines whether data has been acquired from the wireless communication unit 12 (step S63). In the processing of step S<b>63 , the connection control unit 52 determines that the data from the wireless communication unit 12 has been acquired when the lower layer frame is acquired from the data conversion unit 42 . If the connection control unit 52 determines that it has acquired data from the wireless communication unit 12 (step S63: Yes), it outputs the acquired data to the lower intermediate processing unit 54 and the switching processing unit 53 (step S64).

When the process of step S64 is finished, or when it is determined that the data from the wireless communication unit 12 has not been obtained (step S63: No), the connection control unit 52 determines whether the data to the wireless communication unit 12 has been obtained. It is determined whether or not (step S65). In the processing of step S65, the connection control unit 52 determines that the data for the wireless communication unit 12 has been acquired when the data from the lower intermediate processing unit 54 or the data transmission unit 55 has been acquired.

When the connection control unit 52 determines that the data for the wireless communication unit 12 has been acquired (step S65: Yes), the connection control unit 52 outputs the acquired data to the data conversion unit 42 (step S66). When the process of step S66 is completed, or when it is determined that data for the wireless communication unit 12 has not been obtained (step S65: No), the connection control unit 52 determines whether there is a disconnection request from the wireless communication device 6. It is determined whether or not (step S67). The connection control unit 52 determines that there is a disconnection request when acquiring data indicating a disconnection request from the wireless communication device 6 in the process of step S67.

When the connection control unit 52 determines that there is no disconnection request (step S67: No), the process proceeds to step S63. When the connection control unit 52 determines that the broadcast has not been received (step S60: No), and determines that the communication connection with the wireless communication device 6 has not succeeded (step S62: No), Alternatively, if it is determined that there is a disconnection request (step S67: Yes), the process shown in FIG. 21 is terminated.

Next, the operation of the lower intermediate processing section 54 will be described. 22 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of a lower intermediate processing unit according to the second embodiment; FIG. As shown in FIG. 22, the lower intermediate processing unit 54 determines whether authentication data including an authentication code has been obtained (step S70). If the lower intermediate processing unit 54 determines that the authentication data has been acquired (step S70: Yes), the lower intermediate processing unit 54 performs authentication processing with the wireless communication device 6 using the authentication code included in the acquired authentication data (step S71). It is determined whether or not the authentication with the communication device 6 has succeeded (step S72).

When the lower intermediate processing unit 54 determines that the authentication has succeeded (step S72: Yes), it determines whether or not meter reading data has been acquired from the connection control unit 52 (step S73). The meter reading data acquired from the connection control unit 52 is the meter reading information described above, and includes information such as the meter ID, the wireless device ID, and the indicated value.

When the lower intermediate processing unit 54 determines that the meter reading data has been acquired from the connection control unit 52 (step S73: Yes), the lower intermediate processing unit 54 executes a decryption process for decrypting the acquired meter reading data, and stores the decrypted meter reading data as data. It outputs to the transmission unit 55 (step S74).

When the process of step S74 is completed, or when it is determined that the meter reading data has not been acquired from the connection control section 52 (step S73: No), the lower intermediate processing section 54 sends the meter reading request data to the connection control section 52. It is determined whether or not it has been acquired (step S75). Note that the meter reading request data is data for the meter reading request described above.

When the lower intermediate processing unit 54 determines that the meter reading request data to the connection control unit 52 has been acquired (step S75: Yes), the encrypted meter reading is performed by executing an encryption process for encrypting the acquired meter reading request data. The request data is output to the connection control unit 52 (step S76). When the processing of step S76 is completed, or when it is determined that the meter reading request data has not been acquired (step S75: No), the lower intermediate processing unit 54 determines whether or not there is a disconnection request from the wireless communication device 6. Determine (step S77). The lower intermediate processing unit 54 determines that there is a disconnection request when acquiring data indicating a disconnection request from the wireless communication device 6 in the process of step S77.

When the lower intermediate processing unit 54 determines that there is no disconnection request (step S77: No), the process proceeds to step S73. Further, if the lower intermediate processing unit 54 determines that the authentication data has not been acquired (step S70: No), if it determines that the authentication has not succeeded (step S72: No), or if there is a disconnection request, If so (step S77: Yes), the process shown in FIG. 22 is terminated.

The lower intermediate processing unit 54 acquires the authentication code of the wireless communication device 6 to be communicated from among the authentication codes stored in the storage unit 16A, and outputs authentication request data including the acquired authentication code to the connection control unit 52. You can also

Next, the operation of the upper intermediate processing section 57 will be described. FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by an upper intermediate processing unit according to the second embodiment; As shown in FIG. 23, the upper intermediate processing unit 57 determines whether or not authentication data including an authentication code has been acquired (step S80). When determining that the authentication data has been acquired (step S80: Yes), the upper intermediate processing unit 57 performs authentication processing with the wireless communication device 6 using the authentication code included in the acquired authentication data (step S81). It is determined whether or not authentication with the communication device 6 has succeeded (step S82).

When the upper intermediate processing unit 57 determines that the authentication has succeeded (step S82: Yes), it determines whether or not meter reading data has been acquired from the data transmission unit 55 (step S83). If the upper intermediate processing unit 57 determines that the meter reading data has been acquired from the data transmission unit 55 (step S83: Yes), the upper intermediate processing unit 57 executes a decryption process for decrypting the acquired meter reading data, and transmits the decrypted meter reading data as data. It outputs to the processing unit 58 (step S84).

When the process of step S84 is completed, or when it is determined that the meter reading data has not been acquired from the data transmission section 55 (step S83: No), the upper intermediate processing section 57 transmits the meter reading request data to the data transmission section 55. It is determined whether or not it has been acquired (step S85).

If the upper intermediate processing unit 57 determines that the meter-reading request data to the data transmission unit 55 has been acquired (step S85: Yes), the encrypted meter-reading request data is encrypted by executing an encryption process for encrypting the acquired meter-reading request data. The requested data is output to the data transmission unit 55 (step S86). When the process of step S86 is completed, or when it is determined that the meter reading request data has not been acquired (step S85: No), the upper intermediate processing unit 57 determines whether or not there is a disconnection request from the wireless communication device 6. Determine (step S87). The upper intermediate processing unit 57 determines that there is a disconnection request when acquiring data indicating a disconnection request from the wireless communication device 6 in the process of step S87.

If the upper intermediate processing unit 57 determines that there is no disconnection request (step S87: No), the process proceeds to step S83. If the upper intermediate processing unit 57 determines that the authentication data has not been acquired (step S80: No), or if it determines that the authentication has not succeeded (step S82: No), it determines that there is a disconnection request. If so (step S87: Yes), the process shown in FIG. 23 is terminated.

Note that the upper intermediate processing unit 57 acquires the authentication code of the wireless communication device 6 to be communicated from among the authentication codes stored in the storage unit 16A, and outputs the authentication request data including the acquired authentication code to the data transmission unit 55. You can also

Next, the operation of the system identifying section 59 will be described. 24 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of a scheme identifying unit according to the second embodiment; FIG. As shown in FIG. 24, the method identification unit 59 determines whether or not a broadcast has been received from the wireless communication device 6 to be connected (step S90).

When determining that the broadcast has been received (step S90: Yes), the method identifying unit 59 determines whether or not the encryption method character of the broadcast data is pattern 1 (step S91). When the encryption method character is pattern 1, the communication processing method of the wireless communication device 6 is the first communication processing method. When the encryption method character is not pattern 1, the communication processing method of the wireless communication device 6 is the second communication processing method. The case where the encryption method character is not pattern 1 is, for example, the case where the encryption method character is pattern 2. FIG.

If the system identification unit 59 determines that the encryption system character is pattern 1 (step S91: Yes), the system identification unit 59 controls the switching processing units 53 and 56 to use the lower intermediate processing unit 54 and the upper intermediate processing unit 57. is not used (step S92). If the system identifier 59 determines that the encryption system character is not pattern 1 (step S91: No), it controls the switching processors 53 and 56 so that the upper intermediate processor 57 is used and the lower intermediate processor is used. The part 54 is not used (step S93). The method identification unit 59 ends the process shown in FIG. 24 when the process of step S92 ends or when the process of step S93 ends.

A hardware configuration example of the wireless communication mobile terminal 5A according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the wireless communication mobile terminal 5 shown in FIG. The processor 201 can perform the functions of the control unit 17A by reading and executing a program stored in the memory 202 functioning as the storage unit 16A.

As described above, the wireless communication mobile terminal 5A according to the second embodiment includes the moving speed information acquisition unit 30 that acquires information indicating the moving speed of the meter reader who moves while carrying the wireless communication mobile terminal 5A, and the wireless communication A communication time calculator 29 for calculating a communication time, which is the time required for communication with the machine 6 . The recommended moving route calculation unit 32A calculates a recommended moving route based on the information indicating the moving speed and the information indicating the communication time. As a result, the recommended moving route calculation unit 32A can calculate, as a recommended moving route, a route on which meter reading information can be obtained from each wireless communication device 6 simply by passing without stopping and waiting for communication time.

The wireless communication mobile terminal 5A also includes a storage unit 16A that stores group information indicating groups to which each of the plurality of facilities belongs among the plurality of groups. The processing unit 27A calculates the recommended moving route 124 for each group based on the group information. As a result, for example, by grouping facilities whose meters are to be read collectively, it is possible to easily prevent calculation of a recommended movement route including facilities whose meters are not scheduled to be read. Meter reading is often performed periodically, such as once a month. Therefore, by grouping the meters 1 into units that are determined in advance and reading the meters 1 of the same unit on a fixed date and time each time, consumers and administrators can monitor the size and increase/decrease of the amount of energy used. It can be accurately grasped, and the administrator can also reflect it in the fee service.

In addition, the storage unit 16A stores communication success/failure information indicating success or failure of communication with each of the plurality of wireless communication devices 6 by the wireless communication unit 12 . The communication quality calculator 31 calculates communication quality information based on the communication success/failure information in addition to the estimated reception strength information. This allows the meter reader to perform high-quality communication with a high probability of successful communication.

The wireless communication mobile terminal 5A also includes a communication control section 23A that controls communication between the wireless communication device 6 and the wireless communication section 12 . The communication control unit 23</b>A includes a lower intermediate processing unit 54 , an upper intermediate processing unit 57 and a system identification unit 59 . The lower intermediate processing section 54 is an example of a first intermediate processing section, and the upper intermediate processing section 57 is an example of a second intermediate processing section. The lower intermediate processing unit 54 and the upper intermediate processing unit 57 perform different communication processes on different communication layers. The method identification unit 59 identifies the communication processing method of the wireless communication device 6, and causes the intermediate processing unit of the identified communication processing method among the lower intermediate processing unit 54 and the upper intermediate processing unit 57 to execute communication processing. As a result, even when new communication processing is required, for example, a new communication processing method for authentication processing and encryption processing can be applied without changing the lower layer. The meter 1 generally has an expiration date, and wireless communication devices 6 of a plurality of communication systems may be installed at the same time due to replacement of the meter 1 . Even if it is such a case, meter-reading work can be performed appropriately.

The configuration shown in the above embodiment shows an example of the content of the present invention, and it is possible to combine it with another known technology, and one configuration can be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is also possible to omit or change the part.

₁ , _{1 1} , _{1 2 ,} . Communication device 10 Information collection system 11 Position measurement unit 12, 13 Wireless communication unit 14 Input unit 15 Display unit 16, 16A Storage unit 17, 17A Control unit 21 Coordinate acquisition unit 22 Reception intensity acquisition unit , 23, 23A communication control unit, 24 communication management unit, 25 reception strength estimation unit, 26 map creation unit, 27, 27A processing unit, 28 group information acquisition unit, 29 communication time calculation unit, 30 movement speed information acquisition unit, 31 Communication quality calculation unit 32, 32A Recommended movement route calculation unit 33 Display processing unit 41 Radio wave transmission/reception unit 42 Data conversion unit 52 Connection control unit 53, 56 Switching processing unit 54 Lower intermediate processing unit 55 Data transmission Section 57 Upper Intermediate Processing Section 58 Data Processing Section 59 Method Identification Section 100 Display Screen 101, 102, 103 Selection Box 104, 105 Support Image 110 Map 112 Road 113 Fence 120, 120 ₁ , 120 ₂ support information, 123 current location, 124 recommended moving route, 111 ₁ , 111 ₂ building, 114 ₁ , 114 ₂ , 125 ₁ , 125 ₂ coordinate position, 121 ₁ , 121 ₂ communication range, 122 ₁ , 122 ₂ range, 124 ₁ measured travel path, 124 ₂ shortest path, 124 ₃ high quality path, 126 ₁ , 126 ₂ , 127 ₁ , 127 ₂ recommended communication coordinates.

Claims (14)

A wireless communication mobile terminal,
a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with a plurality of wireless communication devices installed in each of the plurality of facilities;
a reception intensity acquisition unit that acquires reception intensity information including information on the intensity of radio waves from each of the plurality of wireless communication devices received by the wireless communication unit;
a coordinate acquisition unit for acquiring coordinate information including coordinate position information of the wireless communication mobile terminal when the radio communication unit receives the radio wave;
a reception intensity estimation unit for estimating the reception intensity of the radio waves at a plurality of coordinate positions in an area including the plurality of wireless communication devices based on the reception intensity information and the coordinate information;
A display unit for displaying an image in which support information for supporting communication with the plurality of wireless communication devices is superimposed on a map based on the estimated reception strength information including information on the reception strength of the radio wave estimated by the reception strength estimation unit. a processing unit for displaying in
a communication control unit that controls communication between each of the plurality of wireless communication devices and the wireless communication unit;
with
The communication control unit
a first intermediate processing unit and a second intermediate processing unit that perform communication processing different from each other in communication layers different from each other;
each of the communication processing methods is identified by broadcasting transmitted from the plurality of wireless communication devices, and the intermediate processing unit of the identified communication processing method is sent to the intermediate processing unit of the first intermediate processing unit and the second intermediate processing unit. A wireless communication mobile terminal , comprising: a method identification unit for executing communication processing . The processing unit is
2. An image superimposed on the map is displayed on the display unit as the support information based on the estimated reception strength information, and information indicating the communication range of each of the plurality of wireless communication devices is used as the support information. The wireless communication mobile terminal described in . The processing unit is
Communication quality including information on coordinate positions at which communication with each of the plurality of wireless communication devices is possible while satisfying a communication quality standard set in advance in an area including the plurality of wireless communication devices based on the estimated reception strength information. a communication quality calculation unit that calculates information;
Based on the communication quality information, an image superimposed on the map is displayed on the display unit as the support information, which indicates a range in which communication with each of the plurality of wireless communication devices is possible while satisfying the communication quality standard. 3. The mobile terminal for wireless communication according to claim 1, further comprising a display processing unit for displaying. The processing unit is
An image superimposed on the map is displayed on the display unit as the support information, based on the estimated reception strength information, and information indicating a recommended movement route in an area including the plurality of wireless communication devices is used as the support information. The wireless communication mobile terminal according to claim 1 or 2. The processing unit is
Communication quality including information on coordinate positions at which communication with each of the plurality of wireless communication devices is possible while satisfying a communication quality standard set in advance in an area including the plurality of wireless communication devices based on the estimated reception strength information. a communication quality calculation unit that calculates information;
a recommended movement route calculation unit that calculates the recommended movement route using the communication quality information or the estimated reception strength information;
5. The mobile terminal for wireless communication according to claim 4, further comprising a display processing unit that displays an image in which the information indicating the recommended moving route is superimposed on the map on the display unit. The display processing unit
an image in which one or more travel routes selected from a plurality of types of travel routes each calculated as the recommended travel route using at least one of the estimated reception strength information and the communication quality information are superimposed on the map; 6. The wireless communication mobile terminal according to claim 5, wherein the display unit displays. a moving speed information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the moving speed of a user who moves while carrying the wireless communication mobile terminal;
A communication time calculation unit that calculates a communication time that is the time required for communication with the wireless communication device,
The recommended moving route calculation unit,
7. The wireless communication mobile terminal according to claim 5, wherein the recommended moving route is calculated based on the information indicating the moving speed and the information indicating the communication time. A storage unit that stores group information indicating a group to which each of the plurality of facilities belongs among a plurality of groups,
The processing unit is
The wireless communication mobile terminal according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the recommended moving route is calculated for each group based on the group information. a storage unit that stores communication success/failure information indicating success or failure of communication with each of the plurality of wireless communication devices by the wireless communication unit;
The communication quality calculation unit is
6. The wireless communication mobile terminal according to claim 3, wherein the communication quality information is calculated based on the communication success/failure information in addition to the estimated reception strength information. The storage unit
storing map information indicating a map of the area;
The communication quality calculation unit is
10. The wireless communication mobile terminal according to claim 9, wherein said communication quality information is calculated based on said map information in addition to said estimated reception strength information and said communication success/failure information. an input unit;
11. The mobile terminal for wireless communication according to claim 10, further comprising a map creation unit that creates or updates the map information based on the input from the input unit. A wireless communication mobile terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 11 ;
and the plurality of wireless communicators,
each of the plurality of facilities,
A wireless communication system characterized by including a meter for measuring water, gas or electricity. Acquiring reception strength information including strength information of radio waves from each of the plurality of wireless communication devices received by a wireless communication mobile terminal that performs wireless communication with the plurality of wireless communication devices installed in each of the plurality of facilities a reception strength acquisition step;
a coordinate acquisition step of acquiring coordinate information including information on the coordinate position of the wireless communication mobile terminal when the radio communication mobile terminal receives the radio wave;
a reception intensity estimation step of estimating the reception intensity of the radio wave at a plurality of coordinate positions in an area including the plurality of wireless communication devices based on the reception intensity information and the coordinate information;
a display unit displaying an image in which support information for supporting communication with the plurality of wireless communication devices is superimposed on a map based on the estimated reception strength information including information on the reception strength of the radio wave estimated by the reception strength estimation step; the processing steps displayed in the
The identification of the first intermediate processing unit and the second intermediate processing unit that identifies each communication processing method by broadcasting transmitted from the plurality of wireless communication devices, and performs different communication processing in different communication layers. and a method identification step of causing an intermediate processing unit of the communication processing method selected to execute the communication processing . Acquiring reception strength information including strength information of radio waves from each of the plurality of wireless communication devices received by a wireless communication mobile terminal that performs wireless communication with the plurality of wireless communication devices installed in each of the plurality of facilities a reception strength acquisition step;
a coordinate acquisition step of acquiring coordinate information including information on the coordinate position of the wireless communication mobile terminal when the radio communication mobile terminal receives the radio wave;
a reception intensity estimation step of estimating the reception intensity of the radio wave at a plurality of coordinate positions in an area including the plurality of wireless communication devices based on the reception intensity information and the coordinate information;
a display unit displaying an image in which support information for supporting communication with the plurality of wireless communication devices is superimposed on a map based on the estimated reception strength information including information on the reception strength of the radio wave estimated by the reception strength estimation step; the processing steps displayed in the
The identification of the first intermediate processing unit and the second intermediate processing unit that identifies each communication processing method by broadcasting transmitted from the plurality of wireless communication devices, and performs different communication processing in different communication layers. and a method identification step of causing an intermediate processing unit of the communication processing method to execute the communication processing .

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