# US 2014/0154974 A1 · Communication system, and communication device

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- Number: US 2014/0154974 A1
- Document ID: US20140154974A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/117,268
- Filed: 2011-05-16
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Earliest claimed: 2011-05-16
- Assignees: MegaChips Corporation
- Inventors: Shigenori Motooka; Koji Ishio; Takashi Matsutani
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140154974A1

## CPC

- H04B 7/24: for communication between two or more posts (wireless communication networks H04W)
- G01D 4/004: {Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location}
- H04B 7/026: Co-operative diversity, e.g. using fixed or mobile stations as relays
- H04B 7/04: using two or more spaced independent antennas
- H04B 7/12: Frequency diversity
- G01D 2204/45: Utility meters networked together within a single building
- Y02B 90/20: Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector (smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00)
- Y04S 20/30: Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading
- H04B: TRANSMISSION
- G01D: MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVERED IN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
- Y04S: SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS

## Abstract

A communication system includes information acquisition devices having facility information and an information collection device for collecting the facility information from the information acquisition devices. The information collection device requests the information acquisition devices to send the facility information by using the first communication unit and the second communication unit of the information collection device. Each of the information acquisition devices includes a communication scheme specifying section for specifying which one of the first communication unit and the second communication unit in each of the information acquisition devices has first received the request to send from the information collection device, and a communication control section for making a reply to the request to send by using the communication unit specified by the communication scheme specifying section.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A communication system comprising:
at least one first communication device having predetermined information; and
a second communication device for collecting said predetermined information from said at least one first communication device,
each of said at least one first communication device and said second communication device including
a first communication means for performing radio communication, and
a second communication means for performing radio communication using a radio signal different in frequency band from that used by the radio communication performed by said first communication means,
said second communication device requesting said at least one first communication device to send said predetermined information by using said first communication means and said second communication means of said second communication device,
said at least one first communication device including
a specifying means for specifying which one of the first communication means and the second communication means in said at least one first communication device has first received said request to send, and
a communication control means for making a reply to said request to send by using the communication means specified by said specifying means.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The communication system according to claim 1, wherein
said at least one first communication device includes a plurality of first communication devices, and
upon receipt of said request to send, said at least one first communication device relays said request to send by using said first communication means and said second communication means of said at least one first communication device.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The communication system according to claim 2,
wherein, when relaying send data including said request to send, said at least one first communication device records the communication means specified by said specifying means and the relay of said at least one first communication device as transmission channel information of said send data in said send data,
said communication system transmitting reply data in response to said request to send to said second communication device through a transmission channel determined based on said transmission channel information.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The communication system according to claim 3,
wherein, when generating said reply data, said at least one first communication device records transmission channel information of the reply data in the reply data, based on the transmission channel information of said send data,
said communication system transmitting said reply data to said second communication device through a transmission channel that is the reverse to the transmission channel of said send data in accordance with the transmission channel information of said reply data.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The communication system according to claim 1,
wherein said first communication means and said second communication means in each of said at least one first communication device and said second communication device perform radio communication using modulation schemes different from each other.

### Claim 6

A communication device comprising:
a first communication means performing radio communication;
a second communication means for performing radio communication using a radio wave different in frequency band from that used by the radio communication performed by said first communication means;
a specifying means for specifying which one of said first communication means and said second communication means has first received a request to send predetermined information from another communication device; and
a communication control means for making a reply to said request to send by using the communication means specified by said specifying means.