JPH08115485A - Automatic reporting method and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To enable a user to execute a proper countermeasure and also to evade the loss of reliability due to errorneous countermeasure of the user, etc., by detecting a fault in communication, adding data specifying the fault contents to monitor data and retransmitting it. CONSTITUTION: When monitor data is received from a monitor device 1, a data transmission processing part 2b converts generation information into a prescribed ID code and corresponding monitor data, registers them in a memory circuit 2e, reads a telephone number at a registered monitor center 4 side and starts a line control circuit 2. Then, when a communication fault detecting part 2b detects the calling of the same monitor data specific times within a fixed time, it is discriminated that the fault is a continuous communication fault and a retransmission control part 2c adds the trouble code of the effect to a prescribed data block of monitor data, reregisters it in the memory circuit 2e, restarts a line control part (the data transmission processing part 2b and the line control circuit 2f) and retransmits monitor data. When communication is normally completed, the retransmission control part 2c stores data of the effect in the memory circuit 2e and prevents the line control parts 2b and 2f from being restarted after retransmission.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic notification method that is activated when monitor data is received from a monitor device and notifies the monitor data to the monitoring center via a line, and the reception of the monitor data from the monitor device. The present invention relates to an automatic reporting device equipped with a line control unit that is activated at times and automatically reports the monitor data to a monitoring center via a line, for example, an LP gas centralized monitoring system for performing security management and device management using a public line. The present invention relates to an automatic notification method and an automatic notification device used in such cases.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the above-described LP gas centralized monitoring system and the like, promptness and most appropriate response are indispensable, so that the immediacy of information is important. Therefore, the conventional automatic notification device is equipped with a line control unit which is activated when monitor data is received from the monitor device and automatically notifies the management center of the monitor data via a line. In the case where it is not possible, there has been proposed a device provided with a retransmission control unit for automatically retransmitting (actual fairness 3-4
2771 publication).

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, when a communication failure such as a communication failure or a device failure occurs, the immediacy of the data cannot be guaranteed, and the delay data due to such a failure is not guaranteed. On the side of the monitoring center that received the information, it is not possible to respond promptly because the time of occurrence of the monitor data is unknown, and as a result, various inconveniences may occur, such as incorrect user response and loss of user confidence.

For example, when the monitor device is a gas leak alarm, when a gas leak is detected, the shutoff valve of the equipment is operated to stop the gas supply, and monitor data indicating the gas leak is sent to the automatic notification device. Then, the staff at the monitoring center who referred to the data received from the automatic notification device calls the user's house by telephone to prompt appropriate measures for restart and confirm the situation. If the monitoring center receives the monitor data with a considerable delay in time, or if the monitor data cannot be received, the user response may be incorrect and the user's credibility may be impaired. There is also the inconvenience that the user's feelings are offended because of unknown.

For example, when monitor data indicating an abnormality is continuously input to the automatic notification device due to a short circuit of the monitor device side or an abnormal call by a voltage alarm device, the line control is performed each time. As a result of the activation of the department, there is a disadvantage that the line is congested and important monitor data cannot be received from other automatic notification devices.

An object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks and to take more appropriate measures on the monitor center side even when the monitor data from the monitor device is received after being delayed by the monitor center. Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic notification method and an automatic notification device capable of avoiding the loss of trust on the user side due to an error in handling the user.

[0007]

To achieve this object, the automatic notification method according to the present invention is characterized in that the monitor data is data for detecting a communication failure and specifying the detected failure content. The point is to add and retransmit. In the above-mentioned configuration, it is preferable that when the failure content is a continuous communication failure in which the same monitor data is repeatedly reported, the second notification is blocked after the retransmission.

The automatic notification apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that a communication failure detecting section for detecting a communication failure is provided, and the data for specifying the failure content detected by the communication failure detecting section is the monitor data. In addition to the above, a retransmission control unit for activating the line control unit is provided. In the above-mentioned configuration, when the failure content detected by the communication failure detection unit is a continuous communication failure in which the same monitor data is repeatedly and automatically reported, the retransmission control unit retransmits the line control unit again after the retransmission. It is preferable to prevent activation.

[0009]

The operation of the automatic notification device will be described below as a representative. When a communication failure is detected by the communication failure detection unit,
The retransmission control unit sends the data specifying the detected failure content to
The transmission data is reconstructed by adding it to the monitor data to be transmitted to the monitoring center, and the line control unit is activated. The line control unit reports the reconstructed transmission data to the monitoring center and terminates. At this time, the same as when the communication fault is detected again by the communication fault detection unit because the fault has not been resolved. The operation of is repeated.

In the above-mentioned configuration, when the fault content detected by the communication fault detection unit is a continuous communication fault in which the same monitor data is repeatedly automatically reported, for example,
In the case where monitor data indicating an abnormality is continuously input to the automatic notification device due to a short circuit on the monitor device side or an abnormal call by a voltage alarm device, the retransmission control unit is the line control unit. It is possible to prevent the line control unit from being activated again after being retransmitted, and avoid meaningless line monopolization.

[0011]

As described above, according to the present invention, even when the monitor data from the monitor device is received by the monitoring center with a delay, the monitoring center side is more appropriate based on the data specifying the failure content. It has become possible to provide an automatic notification method and an automatic notification device capable of coping with each other and avoiding the loss of trust on the user side due to an error in handling the user.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The case where the automatic notification method and the automatic notification device of the present invention are used in an LP gas centralized monitoring system will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 2, an LP gas centralized monitoring system using a general public line connects monitor data from a monitor device 1 arranged on the user side of a general home or business office to an automatic notification device 2. , Is connected to the automatic receiving device 5 on the monitoring center 4 side via the telephone line 3, and when the monitor data is input from the monitor device 1, the automatic notification device 2 transmits the monitor data to a predetermined area. It is configured so that it is converted into notification information having a format and automatically called to the automatic reception device 5.

The monitoring device 1 includes a meter reading circuit for monitoring the amount of gas used in a gas facility installed in a general household or business, a residual gas management circuit for monitoring the amount of gas accumulated in the cylinder, and a gas leak. In order to avoid the risk of a serious accident occurring due to, for example, the gas supply plug is automatically turned on when the gas leak signal is input from the gas leak alarm 1b, which is described later, and the set conditions such as continuous consumption of gas for a long time are satisfied. A gas leak detector 1b for providing an alarm when a gas leak is detected. Security monitoring equipment 1 for detecting abnormalities in gas heat pumps and vaporizers as gas related equipment
c) and the like, each of which is provided with a data transmission circuit for outputting the detected monitor data to the automatic notification device 2 when the event occurs.

As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic notification device 2 transmits an external interface circuit 2h for inputting monitor data from the monitor device 1 and the input monitor data to an automatic receiving device 5 on the monitoring center 4 side. It is composed of a line control circuit 2f for processing, a line disconnector 2g for separating monitor data transmission and a line with the indoor telephone 6, a communication control section 2a for controlling the entire device, and the like.

The communication control section 2a is composed of a CPU and a memory circuit 2e and the like. More specifically, the communication control section 2a checks the monitor data input via the external interface circuit 2h and transmits the data to the monitoring center 4. Convert to
A data transmission processing unit 2b that activates the line control unit 2f to transmit the data, a communication failure detection unit 2d that detects a communication failure, and a failure content detected by the communication failure detection unit 2d are specified. Retransmission control unit 2 that adds data to the monitor data and activates the line control unit 2f
It is composed of c. Each of the constituent blocks of the communication control unit 2a is appropriately constructed by a known circuit construction technique such as a logic circuit.

The operation of the CPU operated by the program stored in the memory circuit 2e, that is, the operation of the automatic notification device 2 will be described below with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. When the monitor data is received from the monitor device 1, the data transmission processing unit 2b causes the data transmission processing unit 2b shown in FIG.
As shown in, the generated information is converted into a predetermined ID code and corresponding monitor data and registered in the memory circuit 2e, and the telephone number of the monitoring center 4 side registered in the memory circuit 2e is read out. The line control circuit 2
Start f <#A>. That is, the data transmission processing unit 2b and the line control circuit 2f are activated when receiving the monitor data from the monitor device 1, and serve as a line control unit that automatically reports the monitor data to the monitoring center 4 via the line 3.

When the communication failure detection unit 2d detects the calling of the same monitor data a predetermined number of times within a fixed time, it is determined to be a continuous communication failure which is one of the communication failures <#B>. , <#C>, the retransmission control unit 2c
As shown in (b), a trouble code indicating a continuous communication failure is added to a predetermined data block of the monitor data and re-registered in the memory circuit 2e, and the line control unit is restarted to monitor. Resend data <
#D>, <#E>. The predetermined data block is I
A data block other than D code and monitor data.
Usually, this is a block into which time data at the time of data transmission is inserted. When the communication ends normally, the retransmission control unit 2c stores data to that effect in the memory circuit 2e, and prevents the line control unit from being restarted after retransmission <#F
>. That is, when the data transmission processing unit 2b receives monitor data from the monitor device 1, a continuous communication failure occurs from the data stored in the memory circuit 2e,
When it is judged that the transmission has already been completed, the line control circuit 2f is not activated and it stands by <#G>.

In this way, it is possible to avoid occupying the line by transmitting the same monitor data a plurality of times. Here, the continuous communication failure means that the automatic notification device 2 is the monitor device 1.
Is a state in which transmission processing to the monitoring center 4 is continuously performed by receiving a continuous monitor signal (false alarm) caused by a failure such as a short circuit of the terminal of the terminal, and is predetermined within a certain time (for example, 1 hour). When the number of times (for example, 10) continues, it is recognized as a continuous communication failure.

If there is no continuous communication failure,
As shown in FIG. 4 (a), the data transmission processing unit 2b converts the generated information into a predetermined ID code and monitor data corresponding to the generated ID code and registers it in the memory circuit 2e and also in the memory circuit 2e. The telephone number of the monitored center 4 thus read is read and the line control circuit 2f is activated <#H>. When the communication failure detection unit 2d detects a communication failure other than continuous communication failure <#I>, the retransmission control unit 2c causes the predetermined value of the monitor data to be detected as shown in FIG. A different trouble code depending on the type of communication failure is added to the block of No. 1 and re-registered in the memory circuit 2e, and the line control unit is restarted to retransmit the monitor code <#K>, <#L>, <
#M>, <#N>, and waits for the next notification when the notification is completed <#O>.

Communication failure other than continuous communication failure means the type of dial selection signal (dial method / push method)
Mismatch, busy line subscriber, busy on monitoring center 4 side, temporary failure of communication line (disconnection, unused state), line subscriber telephone error (automatic setting of mute function, etc.) .

The above steps <#L> and <#M> will be described in detail. Type of dial selection signal (dial method /
In the case of the (push method) mismatch, the line failure of either the dial method or the push method proves to be the other method, so the communication failure detection unit 2d detects the mismatch. The line control unit, which is restarted later, makes it possible to transmit the monitor data by recalling in the correct method. When the line contractor is busy or the monitoring center 4 side is busy, monitor data can be transmitted by the line controller re-calling after a certain period of time. When the telephone of the line contractor is abnormal, especially when the mute function is automatically set, the line control unit operates the line disconnector 2g to forcibly disconnect the line from the telephone 6. By this, it becomes possible to transmit the monitor data. On the other hand, in the case of a communication failure caused by a disconnection or the like that makes it difficult to recover the communication failure by itself, the line control unit repeats the operation of re-calling after a predetermined time, so that the transmission is completed when the failure is recovered. . That is, the line control unit has a communication failure automatic recovery function and a redial function for recovering a communication failure by itself.

In this way, the monitoring center 4 side that has received the monitor data can take appropriate action based on the added trouble code. For example, in the case of a continuous communication failure, it is possible to call the customer who is the source of the abnormality indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the monitor device 1 to call attention and prepare necessary maintenance parts for a visit. If the trouble code is not added to the monitor data indicating a gas leak, it is determined that it is a report immediately after that and the caller's customer is called to take an emergency action such as checking the plug of the gas equipment. When a request is made and a trouble code is added to the monitor data indicating a gas leak, the status of the gas equipment is notified while calling the customer who made the call and receiving it after a lapse of time due to a communication failure. That is how I checked.

The monitor data by the monitor device 1 is not particularly limited, and accordingly, the generation information can be set appropriately. The data block to which the trouble code is assigned may be null data when there is no communication failure, but time data may be inserted instead of null data.
Furthermore, the type of communication failure is not limited to the above, and may include other communication failures.

It should be noted that reference numerals are given in the claims for convenience of comparison with the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the accompanying drawings by the entry.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram of an automatic notification device.

[Fig. 2] Overall configuration of centralized monitoring system

FIG. 3 Flow chart

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a monitor data structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 monitor device 2b, 2f line control unit 2c retransmission control unit 2d communication failure detection unit 3 line 4 monitoring center

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An automatic reporting method, which is activated when monitor data is received from a monitor device (1) and reports the monitor data to a monitoring center (4) via a line (3), which is a communication fault. An automatic notification method of detecting a failure, adding data specifying the detected failure content to the monitor data, and retransmitting the data. 2. The automatic notification method according to claim 1, wherein when the failure content is a continuous communication failure in which the same monitor data is repeatedly reported, the notification is prevented again after the retransmission. 3. A line control unit (2) which is activated when monitor data is received from a monitor device (1) and automatically reports the monitor data to a monitoring center (4) via a line (3).
An automatic notification device including b) and (2f), wherein a communication failure detection unit (2d) for detecting a communication failure is provided, and the failure content detected by the communication failure detection unit (2d) is specified. An automatic notification device provided with a retransmission control unit (2c) for adding data to the monitor data and activating the line control units (2b) and (2f). 4. The re-transmission control unit (2c), when the fault content detected by the communication fault detection unit (2d) is a continuous communication fault in which the same monitor data is repeatedly and automatically notified, the re-transmission control unit performs the re-transmission after the retransmission. Line control unit (2b), (2f)
The automatic notification device according to claim 3, which prevents the re-starting of the device.