JP2004054566A - Monitoring system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a monitoring system to immediately inform people at home or outside of such situation that, if a user carrying an emergency call button is in a state of emergency, such as being abducted. <P>SOLUTION: The monitoring system includes a terminal 2 and a central processing unit 1 in communication with the terminal 2. The central processing unit 1 periodically transmits response request signals to the terminal 2. The terminal 2 transmits a response signal to the central processing unit 1 in response to each response request signal, so that the central processing unit 1 is able to recognize at all times whether the terminal is within or out of reception range. When no response signal can be received from the terminal 2, an alarm is issued, or previously registered communication devices 5, 6, 7 are connected externally to report that the central processing unit 1 cannot receive data, thus it is made possible to know that there is a trouble even while the user is out. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a monitoring method in which a central processing unit periodically sends a response request signal to a terminal device, and when a response signal from the terminal device cannot be received, the central processing unit generates an alarm and automatically notifies a communication device. It is about the system.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The conventional monitoring system is a combination of a plurality of sensor terminals and a central processing unit that issues an alarm, and when a user presses a button on the terminal, it is determined that the central processing unit is unsteady. And the central processing unit issues an alarm.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional configuration, since the user must press the button of the terminal device, in situations where the user cannot press the button due to kidnapping, etc. There is a problem that even if a terminal is possessed, it is not possible to inform the family that the state is unsteady.
[0004]
The present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and issues an alarm in the central processing unit when the terminal device is in a non-receivable range with respect to the response request signal from the central processing unit. And a monitoring system for notifying a communication device.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
To solve the conventional problem, the monitoring system of the present invention, the central processing unit periodically transmits a response request signal to the terminal from the central processing unit, when the response signal from the terminal can not be received, The central processing unit generates an alarm and automatically notifies the communication device.
[0006]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
The invention according to claim 1 has a plurality of terminals for monitoring a steady or unsteady state, and a central processing unit capable of communicating with a preceding terminal, and the central processing unit periodically sends a response request to the terminal. By transmitting a signal and the terminal transmitting a response signal to the response request signal to the central processing unit, the central processing unit can always recognize that the terminal is in a receivable or non-receivable range. In addition, when the central processing unit cannot receive a response signal from the terminal in response to the response request signal, it is possible to notify that an abnormality has occurred by generating an alarm.
[0007]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the central processing unit cannot receive a response signal from the terminal in response to the response request signal, the central processing unit connects to a communication device registered in advance and the central processing unit cannot receive data in the communication device. By communicating the fact, it is possible to know that an abnormality has occurred even when going out.
[0008]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the terminal device cannot receive the response request signal from the central processing unit, the terminal device alerts the user having the terminal device by generating an alarm, or abnormally alerts the surrounding people. It is possible to inform that a problem has occurred.
[0009]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the central processing unit and the terminal are provided with a voice communication unit for transmitting or receiving a voice signal, a voice input unit for inputting a voice signal, and a voice output unit for outputting a voice signal. Thus, a call can be made between the central processing unit and the terminal device.
[0010]
The invention according to claim 5 has a terminal device by automatically transmitting an unsteady state when the response request signal from the central processing unit changes from an unreceivable range to a receivable range. Even if the user does not press the button, the button is pressed and the terminal unit can communicate with the central processing unit or the outside line telephone.
[0011]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer to execute at least one unit of the monitoring system according to the first aspect. Since it is a program, a part or all of the monitoring system of the present invention can be easily realized using a microcomputer or the like. Further, the program can be easily distributed by recording it on a recording medium or distributing the program using a communication line.
[0012]
【Example】
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0013]
(Example 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the monitoring system according to the first embodiment. In the figure, a solid line with an arrow indicates wired communication between the components, and a dotted line with an arrow indicates wireless communication between the components. 1 is a central processing unit and 2 is a terminal unit. In the first embodiment, an emergency call pendant is used. Communication between the central processing unit 1 and the terminal device 2 is performed by wireless communication means described later.
[0014]
Reference numeral 3 denotes a base unit of the cordless telephone, which can wirelessly communicate with the central processing unit 1. 4 is a public line, 5 and 6 are communication devices registered in advance by the central processing unit 1, for example, 5 is a relative fixed telephone, 6 is a family mobile telephone, and 7 is an emergency call center fixed telephone.
[0015]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the central processing unit 1. 8 is a data communication means, 9 is a voice communication means for performing communication by modulating and demodulating voice, 10 is receiving an output from the data communication means 8 and connecting to the base unit 3 of the cordless telephone, and via the base unit 3, a public line. , A transmission / reception unit 11 for wirelessly communicating with the master unit 3 and a setting unit 12 for setting the operation of the central processing unit 1 as a whole. Reference numeral 13 denotes an audio output unit for amplifying the audio output from the audio communication unit 9, and reference numeral 14 denotes an audio input unit for transmitting the audio from the central processing unit 1 to the terminal 2. Reference numeral 15 denotes an alarm generating means for issuing an alarm.
[0016]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the terminal device 2. An emergency call means 16 is a push button switch in the first embodiment. The user can notify the occurrence of an emergency by pressing the push button switch. Reference numeral 17 denotes a terminal control unit which transmits a non-stationary signal from the emergency call unit 16, that is, information that the user is in an emergency, to the central processing unit 1 together with its own terminal code and the data communication unit 18. And wirelessly transmitted. Reference numeral 19 denotes an audio communication unit which communicates an audio signal with the central processing unit 1. Reference numeral 20 denotes an audio output unit which loudspeaks the audio signal received by the audio communication unit 19. Reference numeral 21 denotes voice input means for transmitting voice of a user who carries the terminal 3 from the voice communication means 19 to the central processing unit 1. Reference numeral 22 denotes an alarm generating means for issuing an alarm.
[0017]
The operation of the present invention will be described based on the above configuration.
[0018]
First, when the central processing unit 1 is installed in a house, the central processing unit 1 and the base unit 3 can communicate with each other wirelessly, and can be connected to a communication device registered in advance via the base unit 3 via an outside line. Therefore, the central processing unit 1 can be installed anywhere in the house as long as the wireless communication can be reached.
[0019]
The operation related to an emergency call will be described. The user activates the emergency call means 16 of the terminal 2 when the intrusion occurs even at home and it is urgent, or when the user's physical condition changes suddenly and it is necessary to contact the outside. In the same manner, the address code of the terminal and the status code of the emergency occurrence are transmitted to the central processing unit 1, and based on this, the corresponding voice message is transmitted by the control unit 10 via the base unit 3 to the telephone registered in advance. A voice message notifying that the emergency call button has been pressed is reported to the fixed telephones 5, 7 or the mobile telephone 6 outside the house corresponding to the number. The contactee notified by the telephone outside the home can then transmit a predetermined tone signal from the telephone and operate the voice communication means 9 by the transmission / reception unit 11 via the base unit 3. In the terminal device 2 that has transmitted the unsteady signal, the voice communication means 19 is in a standby state by the terminal control unit 17, and receives a call signal from the voice communication means 9 of the central processing unit 1. 19 operates. As a result, the voice of the user carrying the terminal device 2 can be monitored on the telephone outside the home through the voice input means 13, and the status of the user can be confirmed. Also, if necessary, it is possible to call the user by the voice of the contactee from the voice output means 20 through the telephone.
[0020]
Further, in the case of not contacting the outside but contacting the cohabitant, the voice signal from the terminal is not transmitted to the outside line telephone depending on the setting, but the voice output means 13 of the central processing unit 1 is used. Will be voiced from. This allows the central processing unit 1 to confirm the status by voice of the user carrying the terminal device 2. In this case, an audio signal is output from the audio input means 14 of the central processing unit 1 to the terminal 2. This allows the central processing unit 1 to make a voice call to the user carrying the terminal device 2.
[0021]
Next, the operation when the terminal 2 is carried away from the central processing unit will be described. The control unit 10 controls the central processing unit 1 to transmit a response request signal to the terminal 2 from the data communication unit 8 every minute. In this embodiment, the response request signal is transmitted every minute. However, the time can be set by the setting unit 12 at any time. The terminal 2 transmits a response signal to the response request signal from the central processing unit 1 to the central processing unit 1 from the data communication unit 18. When the user is within the reception range of the response request signal from the central processing unit 1, the above operation is repeated. However, if the user is abducted or goes out of his own way and goes out of the receiving range of the response request signal, the central processing unit 1 cannot receive a response signal from the terminal 2 for the response request signal. The alarm is issued from the alarm generating means 15 for 20 seconds under the control of the unit 10. In this embodiment, the alarm issuance time is set to 20 seconds, but the time can be set by the setting unit 12 at any time. Then, the address code of the terminal device and the status code of the occurrence of the emergency are transmitted to the central processing unit 1, and based on this, the corresponding voice message is corresponded to the telephone number registered in advance by the control unit 10 via the base unit 3. A voice message notifying that an emergency has occurred is sent to the fixed telephones 5, 7 or the mobile phone 6 outside the home. Next, since the terminal 2 cannot receive the response request signal from the central processing unit 1, it is controlled by the terminal control unit 17 and the alarm is issued from the alarm generating means 22 for 20 seconds. In this embodiment, the alarm issuance time is set to 20 seconds. However, the alarm issuance time of the terminal 2 can be set at any time by the setting unit 12 of the central processing unit 1. In addition, the central processing unit transmits the response request signal even after the terminal device 2 has gone out of the reception range of the response request signal once. Therefore, when the terminal device 2 goes out of the reception range into the reception range. In the meantime, the terminal 2 is controlled by the terminal control section 17 and the emergency call means 16 is automatically operated, so that the operation described in the above description on the emergency call is executed.
[0022]
As described above, in the case where the user carrying the emergency call button in this embodiment falls into an emergency due to abduction or the like, an alarm is issued from the central processing unit or a voice message is sent to the communication device. As a result, it is possible to notify the person at home and the outside person quickly.
[0023]
In addition, when the terminal device goes out of the reception range of the response request signal of the central processing unit to within the reception range, the central processing unit automatically activates the emergency call means. And an external line is connected to a communication device registered in advance, and a control unit for performing voice communication between the communication device and the terminal device that has transmitted the unsteady state is provided. A voice call can be made from the communication device outside the home to the terminal that has been set up, so that a sense of security can be given to the emergency call originator.
[0024]
Further, although the emergency call means of the present embodiment is constituted by a push button switch, a type using other mechanical contact mechanism such as a type in which the contact is closed by grasping may be used, or a sphygmomanometer or a pulse meter may be used. A similar effect can be obtained even if the sudden change in state is transmitted as occurrence of an unsteady state automatically in conjunction with a sensor for measuring a physiological index.
[0025]
In this embodiment, the terminal is an emergency call button. However, a configuration in which the terminal is attached to a car may be used. In this case, there is no emergency call means and no call function, and it is only necessary to have an alarm function of the central processing unit and the terminal, and a function of notifying the outside line telephone. With this configuration, the central processing unit issues an alarm when a response signal from the terminal device to the response request signal cannot be received for a predetermined time or more. The terminal also issues an alarm when a response request signal cannot be received for a predetermined time or more. By the above operation, it is possible to detect that the car has been stolen more quickly, and it is possible to threaten by issuing an alarm from the terminal device. The terminal may be provided with a GPS receiving function to confirm the position of the vehicle when the terminal is stolen.
[0026]
Further, in this embodiment, wireless communication is used as a communication medium between the terminal device and the central processing unit, but all of the communication media such as wired communication using a dedicated line, power line communication, infrared communication, and optical fiber communication are used. Have the same effect.
[0027]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, even when an emergency occurs due to a kidnapping or the like of a user, an alarm is issued from the central processing unit, and a voice message is notified to the communication device, so that the occurrence of the emergency can be promptly notified. It becomes possible to inform. In addition, since an alarm is also issued from the terminal device 2, it is possible to inform a person around the terminal device that an emergency has occurred.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a system block diagram of Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an internal block diagram of a central processing unit of Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 3 is an internal block diagram of a terminal device of Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Explanation of code]
1 Central Processing Unit 2 Terminal (Emergency Call Pendant)
3 cordless telephone base unit (telephone)
4 Public line 5, 7 Communication device (fixed telephone)
6. Communication equipment (mobile phone)
8, 18 Data communication means 9, 19 Voice communication means 10 Control section 11 Transmission / reception section 12 Setting section 13, 20 Voice output means 14, 21 Voice input means 15, 22 Alarm generation means 16 Emergency call means 17 Terminal control section

Claims (6)

A terminal for monitoring a steady or unsteady state, and one central processing unit, wherein the terminal and the central processing unit transmit and receive data relating to the steady state or the unsteady state, respectively. Having communication means, the central processing unit transmits a response request signal to the terminal, the terminal transmits a response signal to the response request signal to the central processing unit, and the central processing unit A monitoring system having an alarm generating means for generating an alarm when a response signal from the terminal device to a request signal cannot be received for a predetermined time or more. When the response signal from the terminal device to the response request signal cannot be received for a predetermined time or more, the central processing unit connects to an external line with the communication device registered in advance, and the communication device does not allow the central processing device to receive the data. 2. The monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising a communication line connection means for transmitting the notification. 3. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the terminal has an alarm generating unit that generates an alarm when a response request signal from the central processing unit cannot be received for a predetermined time or more. 4. The central processing unit and the terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising: audio input means for inputting an audio signal, audio communication means for transmitting or receiving the audio signal, and audio output means for outputting the audio signal. The monitoring system according to claim 1. The terminal has an emergency call means for transmitting an unsteady state by a user's operation, and automatically responds when a response request signal from the central processing unit becomes a receivable range from an unreceivable range. The transmission of the unsteady state, the central processing unit or an external line is connected to a communication device registered in advance, and voice communication with the terminal device is possible. Monitoring system. A program for causing a computer to execute at least one unit of the monitoring device according to claim 1.

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