Telemetry system and method using single shared address

A telemetry method of remotely reading and managing target devices, such as vending machines, water or gas meters, or watt-hour meters, using a telemetric server communicating with a master telemetric device and slave telemetric devices attached to the target devices, respectively, via a two-way communication network, the method comprising;

• a step 1 at which at least one of the master telemetric device and the slave telemetric devices transmits an transmission request command providing notification of transmission of a message to the communication network using a shared address in advance, and transmits the message containing certain information to the communication network in RF signal form as a transmission approval command approving the transmission of the message to the shared address is received from the communication network in response to the transmission request command;
• a step 2 at which at least one of the master telemetric device and the slave telemetric devices transmits a normal response command providing notification of normal reception of the message to the communication network in RF signal form as the communication network transmits a message termination command providing notification of termination of reception of the message using the shared address in response to the transmission request command;
• a step 3 at which the master telemetric device transmits a reception response command providing notification of reception of a message request command to the telemetric server via the communication network in RF signal form as the telemetric server transmits the message request command requesting information using the shared address and a sub-ID of at least one of the master telemetric device and the slave telemetric devices via the communication network;
• and
• a step 4 at which one of the master telemetric device and the slave telemetric devices, which has a sub-ID coinciding with the sub-ID transmitted from the telemetric server, executes the message request command transmitted by the telemetric server.

A telemetric device attached to a target device, such as a vending machine, water or gas meter, or a watt-hour meter, and configured to manage and control the target device and exchange messages and various commands with a telemetric server via a two-way communication network, the telemetric device comprising:

• storage means for storing a shared address, information about the target device, a sub-ID for identification thereof, frame information for prevention of collisions between transmitted data, a flag for distinguishing between a master and a slave and frequency information for communication with the communication network;
• control means for performing control using the frequency information stored in the storage means so that the telemetric device and the communication network communicates in synchronization with each other, storing information, which is provided via the communication network, in the storage means, collecting information about the target device and storing the information about the target device in the storage means, providing the information stored in the storage means and controlling the target device in compliance with a command of the telemetric server received via the communication network, and transmitting information via the frames stored in the storage means;
• and
• Radio Frequency (RF) transmission and reception means for converting an RF signal, which is received from the communication network, into a digital baseband signal and transferring the digital baseband signal to the control means, and converting a digital baseband signal, which is transferred from the control means, into an analog RF signal and transmitting the analog RF signal to the communication network, under control of the control means.

A telemetry system for managing and controlling a plurality of target devices, such as vending machines, water meters, gas meters and watt-hour meters, having:

• a group of telemetric devices attached to the target devices, respectively and assigned a single shared address;
• a telemetric server configured to remotely manage and control the group of telemetric devices;
• and
• a two-way communication network configured to perform data communication between the group of telemetric devices and the telemetric server;
• wherein the telemetric devices are assigned unique sub-IDs, frames to be transmitted are distinguished according to the assigned sub-IDs, and the telemetric devices and the communication network are newly synchronized and then transmit data whenever they transmit the data.