JP2017157092A - Alarm - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent battery exchange from being performed in response to unexpected battery voltage drop while enabling a warning about battery residual power reduction to be issued before a cumulative drive time of a battery becomes equal to or longer than a preset cumulative time by changing an output style relating to a notification about the battery residual power reduction before and after the cumulative drive time of the battery becomes equal to or longer than the preset cumulative time and, on the other hand, to surely perform the battery exchange in response to the battery voltage drop after the cumulative drive time of the battery is equal to or longer than the preset cumulative time.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to an alarm in which a warning about abnormality in a monitored area is issued by driving a battery. Before a cumulative drive time of the battery becomes equal to or longer than a preset cumulative time, a warning about residual power reduction of the battery is issued when a voltage of the battery is reduced lower than a threshold. When the voltage of the battery becomes equal to or higher than the threshold thereafter, the warning about the residual power reduction of the battery is stopped and after the cumulative drive time of the battery becomes equal to or longer than the preset cumulative time, the alarm about the residual power reduction of the battery is issued when the voltage of the battery is reduced lower than the threshold. Even if the voltage of the battery becomes equal to or higher than the threshold thereafter, the alarm about the residual power reduction of the battery is not stopped.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an alarm device that warns of abnormalities in a monitoring area by battery driving.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an alarm device that detects and reports an alarm in a monitoring area, for example, a fire in a house, a gas leak, smoke, or the like, has become widespread. Such a home alarm device is capable of detecting fire and the like, and making a sound notification, and an automatic fire alarm facility for buildings to which a detector, a receiver, a bell, etc. are wired. Is different.

  In addition to the method of driving with an AC power supply so that the battery need not be replaced, there are some alarming devices for homes that are driven with batteries so that they can be easily installed in existing houses. The battery-powered alarm device is assumed to stop operating normally when the battery voltage drops (insufficiently), and thus is configured to notify that when the battery voltage falls below a predetermined voltage. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

JP 2004-54356 A (for example, 0041-0044)

  Even if an alarm device like patent document 1 detects the fall of a battery voltage, even if it returns to an appropriate battery voltage again, it may continue issuing the warning of a fall of a battery voltage. This is because, due to the characteristics of the battery, if a battery that has actually reached its limit of use is misunderstood as being sufficiently charged due to the influence of the ambient temperature, the alarm will not operate normally. This is due to the fact that the battery voltage drop alarm is continuously issued when a drop in battery voltage is detected. In the case of this specification, even if the battery voltage drops due to a temporary factor (for example, due to a sudden temperature change) and then becomes a detectable battery voltage, it must be replaced. When such a situation occurs, residents and others feel that it is necessary to replace the battery and feel annoyance of contacting the management company. In addition, the replacement cycle is accelerated and the economic burden is increased.

  On the other hand, the alarm device may be configured such that the accumulated drive time (expected replacement time) after the alarm device is turned on is stored in a memory, and a decrease in the remaining battery level is notified when the set accumulated time has elapsed. In other words, since the battery voltage decreases as the cumulative driving time becomes longer, the battery voltage decrease is notified based on the time instead of the battery voltage. With this configuration, false alarms due to the ambient temperature of the alarm device can be avoided. However, when the remaining battery level is reduced before the cumulative drive time has passed, no notification is given, and there may be a situation where the battery is not replaced even though the alarm device does not operate normally.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and provides an output form relating to notification of a remaining battery level before and after the cumulative driving time of the battery exceeds the set cumulative time. Before the set cumulative time is exceeded, it is possible to notify the battery remaining low, but to prevent the battery from being replaced due to a sudden battery voltage drop, while after the set cumulative time is exceeded An object of the present invention is to provide an alarm device capable of ensuring battery replacement due to a decrease in battery voltage.

  The alarm device according to the present invention is an alarm device for alarming an abnormality in a monitoring region by battery driving, and before the cumulative driving time of the battery exceeds a set cumulative time, the voltage of the battery has dropped below a threshold value. In this case, the battery remaining capacity decrease is notified, and when the battery voltage becomes equal to or higher than the threshold, the battery remaining capacity decrease notification is stopped, and the battery cumulative driving time is the set cumulative time. After the above, when the battery voltage drops below the threshold value, the battery level drop is notified, and even if the battery voltage becomes equal to or higher than the threshold value, the remaining battery level The notification of the decrease is not stopped.

  Further, in the alarm device according to the present invention, when it is determined that the voltage of the battery has decreased below the threshold value a predetermined number of times or more, it is determined that the voltage of the battery has decreased below the threshold value, and the battery In this case, different specified times can be set before and after the cumulative driving time of the battery becomes equal to or longer than the set cumulative time.

  According to the alarm device of the present invention, before and after the cumulative driving time of the battery is equal to or greater than the set cumulative time, the output mode relating to the notification of the remaining battery charge is changed, and before the cumulative cumulative time is equal to or greater than the set cumulative time, While notifying that the remaining battery level has been reduced, the battery level is not lowered due to the sudden drop in battery voltage, so that the battery is not replaced. After that, it is possible to ensure that the battery is replaced by continuously outputting a notification of the remaining battery level due to the battery voltage drop.

It is a perspective view of the alarm device which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of the alarm device which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the operation timing of the alarm device etc. which concern on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is an operation | movement flowchart of the alarm device which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of the control part of the alarm device which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is an operation | movement flowchart of the alarm device which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention.

Embodiment 1.
Hereinafter, embodiments of an alarm device will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an alarm device 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of alarm device 100 according to the first embodiment.

[Description of configuration]
The alarm device 100 is an alarm device that detects an abnormality in the monitoring area and alarms the abnormality. For example, the alarm device 100 is a smoke type fire alarm device that senses smoke and warns of a fire.
The alarm device 100 includes a cover 50 that forms an outer shell, and a fire detection unit 5 that is disposed in the center of the cover 50. An opening 52 is formed in the alarm device 100, and smoke is introduced into the fire detection unit 5. Although not shown, an alarm main body is arranged inside the cover 50. For example, a substrate having a control unit 1 and a power supply circuit 3 which will be described later is attached to the alarm body.

  The alarm device 100 includes a control unit 1, a battery 2, a power supply circuit 3, a voltage detection unit 4, a fire detection unit 5, a sound control unit 6, and a display control unit 7.

  The battery 2 supplies DC power to the power supply circuit 3. The power supply circuit 3 controls the voltage of the battery 2 to a predetermined voltage and supplies the predetermined voltage to the control unit 1, the fire detection unit 5, the sound control unit 6, and the display control unit 7. The notification unit of the present invention corresponds to at least one of the voice control unit 6 and the display control unit 7.

  The voltage detection unit 4 detects the voltage of the battery 2 applied to the power supply circuit 3 and outputs a voltage detection signal corresponding to the detected voltage to the control unit 1. The voltage detection part 4 can be comprised by the voltage detection circuit which detects the voltage of the battery 2, for example. Note that the voltage detection unit 4 may output a signal to the control unit 1 when detecting that the voltage of the battery 2 is less than the threshold value. The voltage detection unit 4 may be included in the control unit 1.

  The fire detection unit 5 is an example of an abnormality detection unit that detects an abnormality in the monitoring area, detects smoke based on the fire phenomenon, and outputs a signal corresponding to the detection content to the control unit 1. For example, the fire detection unit 5 can be configured by an LED (light emitting diode), a light receiving unit, a fire detection circuit, and the like. In addition, the fire detection part 5 is not restricted to the aspect which detects smoke, The aspect which detects heat may be sufficient. That is, the alarm device 100 may be a thermal fire alarm device. The voice control unit 6 includes an output mechanism such as a buzzer and a speaker, and a voice control circuit that controls the output mechanism. The display control unit 7 includes a light emitting unit such as an LED and a display control circuit that controls the lighting operation of the light emitting unit.

  The control unit 1 has a function of determining a fire state or the like based on a signal output by the fire detection unit 5. Moreover, when it determines with it being a fire state, the control part 1 controls at least one of the audio | voice control part 6 and the display control part 7, and performs the alarm by at least one of an audio | voice and an indicator lamp. The control unit 1 has a determination function related to the remaining amount of the battery 2 in addition to the function of determining the fire state.

  The control unit 1 outputs a detection voltage signal from the voltage detection unit 4. A detection voltage signal is output from the voltage detection unit 4 to the control unit 1 at least every time when a battery remaining amount monitoring routine control described later is performed. When the control unit 1 receives a signal corresponding to the voltage of the battery 2 being less than the threshold value from the voltage detection unit 4, the control unit 1 drives at least one of the audio control unit 6 and the display control unit 7, and at least the audio and display On the other hand, the battery 2 is notified of a decrease in the remaining amount. That is, when the battery 2 is low (including that the battery 2 is low), the control unit 1 notifies that the battery 2 is low in at least one of sound and display. Next, the configuration of the control unit 1 will be described in more detail.

  The control unit 1 includes a counter unit 1A, a timer unit 1B, an abnormality determination unit 1C, a determination unit 1D, a storage unit 1E, and an operation instruction unit 1F.

  When the determination unit 1D determines that the voltage of the battery 2 is less than the threshold based on the signal from the voltage detection unit 4, the counter unit 1A increases the counter value. When the determination unit 1D determines that the voltage of the battery 2 is equal to or higher than the threshold based on the signal from the voltage detection unit 4, the counter unit 1A clears the counter value.

  The timer unit 1 </ b> B has a function of measuring the cumulative driving time of the battery 2. The timer unit 1B increases the timer value every time the battery remaining amount monitoring routine control described later is performed once. The battery remaining amount monitoring routine control is performed every predetermined period. For this reason, the cumulative driving time of the battery 2 has a corresponding relationship with the timer value.

  If the counter value is equal to or greater than the specified number of times, abnormality determination unit 1C determines that there is an abnormality in the voltage of battery 2 and sets the determination flag to “1”. Further, the abnormality confirmation unit 1C sets the confirmation flag to “0” when the counter value is cleared.

The determination unit 1D determines whether or not the counter value is equal to or greater than the specified number. That is, the determination unit 1D performs a determination based on the number of times that the voltage of the battery 2 detected every predetermined period is determined to be less than the threshold value. If the determination unit 1D determines that the number of times is equal to or greater than the specified number, the abnormality determination unit 1C sets the flag to “1”. When the determination unit 1D determines that the counter value is cleared, the abnormality determination unit 1C sets the flag to “0”.
The determination unit 1D determines whether or not the timer value is greater than or equal to a specified value. Since the timer value corresponds to the cumulative driving time of the battery 2, if the timer value is equal to or greater than the specified value, it means that the cumulative driving time is correspondingly longer. That is, the determination unit 1D determines whether or not the cumulative drive time is equal to or greater than the set cumulative time.
The determination unit 1D determines whether the confirmation flag is “1” or “0”.

  The storage unit 1E can be configured by a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM, for example. The storage unit 1E stores programs executed by the control unit 1 and various data. The storage unit 1E stores the specified number of times, the specified value, and the like, and the control unit 1 issues a fire alarm and a notification of a decrease in the remaining amount of the battery 2 based on these data.

If the operation instruction unit 1F determines that the voltage of the battery 2 is less than the threshold value, the operation instruction unit 1F has a function of notifying at least one of the voice control unit 6 and the display control unit 7 that the remaining amount of the battery 2 is low. Specifically, when the determination unit 1D determines that the determination flag is “1”, the operation instruction unit 1F drives at least one of the audio control unit 6 and the display control unit 7, and at least one of audio and display To inform the battery 2 of a decrease in the remaining capacity.
In addition, the operation instruction unit 1F stops the notification of the remaining amount by the voice control unit 6 and the display control unit 7 when the voltage of the battery 2 becomes equal to or higher than the threshold value after notifying the remaining amount of the battery 2. It has a function. Specifically, when the determination unit 1D determines that the confirmation flag is “0”, the operation instruction unit 1F stops the notification of the remaining amount reduction by the voice control unit 6 and the display control unit 7.

[Explanation of notification timing accompanying battery 2 voltage drop]
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the operation timing of the alarm device 100 and the like according to the first embodiment. 3A shows a conventional system, and FIGS. 3B and 3C show a system of the alarm device 100 according to the first embodiment. 3 (a) to 3 (c), for convenience of explanation, the remaining detection amount (battery 2 voltage) is normal (battery 2 voltage is high) and abnormal (battery 2 voltage is low). Only two are shown. Further, the notifications shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C mean that notification is made when ON and notification is not made when OFF.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (a), conventionally, when the remaining battery detection level changes from the normal range to the abnormal range, the alarm device notifies the user. Here, the shift from the normal range to the abnormal range means that the detection error of the remaining battery level of the alarm device is increased due to a change in the ambient temperature of the alarm device or the like. In other words, in reality, the remaining battery level is sufficient, but it has been determined that the remaining battery level has not been reached due to a change in the ambient temperature of the alarm device, and this has been reported. Conventionally, the notification is continued even if the detection error of the remaining battery level becomes small thereafter. Therefore, even if the remaining amount of the battery is sufficient, for example, a resident or the like feels annoyed that he / she needs to replace the battery and contacts the management company. In addition, the replacement cycle is accelerated and the economic burden is increased.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the alarm device 100 is the same as the conventional one in that when the remaining battery detection level changes from the normal range to the abnormal range, a notification is given. However, the alarm device 100 can stop the notification when the detection error of the remaining battery level is reduced after the notification and the detected remaining amount returns to the normal range. For this reason, the troublesomeness mentioned above can be suppressed. Also, the replacement cycle is not accelerated.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 3B and FIG. 3C, the alarm device 100 has a case where the cumulative drive time is less than the set cumulative time (before the set cumulative time or more) and the set cumulative time or more. The operation is different in some cases (after the set cumulative time or more). Here, the set accumulated time corresponds to a predetermined timer value. When the accumulated drive time is less than the set accumulated time, the notification is stopped when the detected remaining amount returns to the normal range. As a result, before the set cumulative time is exceeded, it is possible to notify the battery remaining capacity decrease, but to prevent the battery remaining capacity notification from being output due to the sudden battery voltage decrease, Can be prevented.
On the other hand, when the cumulative drive time is equal to or longer than the set cumulative time, it is assumed that the remaining amount of the battery 2 is reduced. For example, there is a possibility that the actual remaining amount of the battery 2 may reach the boundary between the normal range and the abnormal range. For this reason, even if the detection remaining amount of the battery 2 returns to the normal range, the alarm device 100 continues the notification for safety. As a result, after the set cumulative time is exceeded, the battery replacement can be ensured by continuously outputting the notification of the remaining battery level due to the battery voltage drop.

[Operation Flowchart of Embodiment 1]
FIG. 4 is an operation flowchart of the alarm device 100 according to the first embodiment. The battery remaining amount monitoring routine control of the alarm device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. The battery remaining amount monitoring routine control is performed at a predetermined cycle.

  The control unit 1 starts the battery remaining amount monitoring routine control (S0). The control unit 1 receives a signal (voltage detection signal corresponding to the detected voltage) indicating the voltage of the battery 2 from the voltage detection unit 4 (S1). The timer unit 1B increases the timer value (S2).

  The determination unit 1D determines whether or not the timer value is greater than or equal to a specified value. If it is equal to or greater than the specified value, the process proceeds to S4, and otherwise, the process proceeds to S5 (S3). Note that S3 determines the magnitude of the cumulative driving time of the battery 2 by determining the magnitude of the timer value. This is because the battery remaining amount monitoring routine control is performed every predetermined time. Therefore, in S3, it corresponds to the determination unit 1D determining whether or not the cumulative drive time of the battery 2 is equal to or longer than the set cumulative time.

  In S4, the determination unit 1D determines whether or not the confirmation flag is “1”. If the confirmation flag is “1”, the process proceeds to S11, and if not, the process proceeds to S5. This S4 corresponds to the operation described in FIG. That is, the case of Yes in S4 is the case of Yes in S3 (when the cumulative drive time is equal to or longer than the set cumulative time) and the confirmation flag is “1” (informing state). It is. If it becomes Yes in S4, it will transfer to S11 and will alert | report. That is, if it is Yes in S4, even if it performs a battery remaining amount monitoring routine hereafter, it will not transfer to S10 and notification will not stop. Then, after S11, the process proceeds to S12.

  The determination unit 1D determines whether or not the voltage of the battery 2 is less than the threshold based on the signal in S1 (S5). If the voltage of the battery 2 is less than the threshold value, the process proceeds to S6, and if not, the process proceeds to S9. When the voltage of the battery 2 is less than the threshold value, the counter unit 1A increases the counter value (S6).

  The determination unit 1D determines (determines) whether the counter value is equal to or greater than the specified number of times (S7). If the counter value is equal to or greater than the specified number of times, the process proceeds to S8; In the first embodiment, for example, the specified number of times is 1 or more. By setting the specified number of times to 2 or more, it is avoided that the control unit 1 immediately determines that the voltage of the battery 2 is abnormal as soon as it is determined that the voltage of the battery 2 is less than the threshold value. it can. Thereby, it is possible to avoid the determination of the voltage abnormality until the detection voltage of the battery 2 suddenly decreases, and avoid the situation where the notification and the stop of the notification are continuously performed. can do.

  The abnormality confirmation unit 1C sets the confirmation flag to “1” (S8). In S11, when the determination unit 1D determines that the confirmation flag is “1”, the operation instruction unit 1F drives at least one of the audio control unit 6 and the display control unit 7 to perform audio and display. At least one of them is informed about the abnormality of the battery 2. Then, after S11, the process proceeds to S12.

When it is determined in S5 that the voltage of the battery 2 is not less than the threshold value, the counter unit 1A clears the counter value (S9). Then, when the counter value is clear, the abnormality confirmation unit 1C sets the confirmation flag to “0” (S10). Two situations are assumed in S9 and S10. One is a situation where the notification is not yet made, and the other is a situation where the notification is already made.
One situation is a situation in which no notification is made, but the number of erroneous detections of the voltage of the battery 2 is accumulated, and there is a possibility that a notification of a decrease in the remaining amount of the battery 2 may be erroneously performed. The other situation has already been notified, but it is based on erroneous detection of the voltage of the battery 2 and is therefore a situation where the notification is stopped. Assuming these situations, the counter value is cleared to prevent notification. Then, after S10, the process proceeds to S12.

  As described above, when the confirmation flag is “1”, the operation instruction unit 1F drives at least one of the voice control unit 6 and the display control unit 7 and notifies about abnormality of the battery 2 in at least one of voice and display. (S11). And after No of S11 and S7 and S10, the control part 1 complete | finishes battery remaining amount monitoring routine control (S12).

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the control unit 11 of the alarm device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is an operation flowchart of the alarm device according to the second embodiment. In this Embodiment 2, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the structure which is common in Embodiment 1, and the description which overlaps with Embodiment 1 is abbreviate | omitted. The control unit 11 of the second embodiment is different from the control unit 1 of the first embodiment in that the control unit 11 includes a specified number of times setting unit 1G.

  In the second embodiment, the specified number of counter values is set to be larger when the timer value is less than the specified value than when the timer value is equal to or greater than the specified value. When the cumulative driving time of the battery 2 is long (when the timer value is large), it is assumed that the voltage of the battery 2 is lowered. Therefore, for safety, the specified number of counter values is reduced. That is, the control unit 11 includes a specified number of times setting unit 1G that sets different specified number of times depending on whether the accumulated drive time is less than the set accumulated time or more than the set accumulated time.

As shown in FIG. 6, steps T1 and T2 are added in the battery remaining amount monitoring routine control of the second embodiment. If the determination unit 1D determines in S3 that the timer value is greater than or equal to the specified value, the specified number of times setting unit 1G sets the specified number of times to X (T1). If the determination unit 1D determines in S3 that the timer value is less than the specified value, the specified number of times setting unit 1G sets the specified number of times to Y (T2). Here, 1 ≦ X <Y. By doing in this way, the fall of the residual amount of the battery 2 can be determined more accurately.
In the above description, the specified number of times setting unit 1G has been described with respect to the specified number of times X and Y by setting 1 ≦ X <Y. However, other values may be set. That is, the specified times X and Y may be set to be the same or different at one or more.
In the above description, a fire alarm having a smoke type fire detection circuit has been described as an example, but a fire alarm having a thermal type fire detection circuit and an abnormality detection unit for detecting abnormalities in other monitoring areas such as gas leaks. The present invention can also be applied to an alarm device having the following. Moreover, it does not have an abnormality detection unit such as the above-mentioned fire alarm and gas leak alarm, and it is an alarm device that warns of abnormality by receiving abnormality information transmitted from these alarms by wireless communication etc. The present invention can also be applied.

  1 control unit, 1A counter unit, 1B timer unit, 1C abnormality determination unit, 1D determination unit, 1E storage unit, 1F operation instruction unit, 1G specified number of times setting unit, 2 battery, 3 power supply circuit, 4 voltage detection unit, 5 fire Detection unit, 6 Voice control unit, 7 Display control unit, 11 Control unit, 50 Cover, 51 Fire detection unit, 52 Opening, 100 Alarm.

Claims (2)

An alarm device that warns of abnormalities in the monitoring area by battery operation,
Before the cumulative driving time of the battery exceeds the set cumulative time, when the battery voltage drops below a threshold value, a notification of a decrease in the remaining battery level is given, and then the battery voltage exceeds the threshold value. When the battery is low,
After the cumulative driving time of the battery becomes equal to or longer than the set cumulative time, the battery voltage is lowered when the battery voltage falls below the threshold value, and then the battery voltage is reduced to the threshold value. Even if it becomes above, the alerting | reporting of the said battery remaining capacity fall is not stopped. When the alarm device determines that the voltage of the battery has decreased below the threshold value a predetermined number of times or more, the alarm device determines that the voltage of the battery has decreased below the threshold value, and notifies the low battery level. To do,
2. The alarm device according to claim 1, wherein a different specified number of times can be set before and after the cumulative driving time of the battery becomes equal to or longer than the set cumulative time.

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