JPH09139761A - Alarm device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow the device to surely inform the arrival of a call to a carrying person of a portable telephone set even without making the portable telephone set small. SOLUTION: In this device, a transmission section 13 is placed in a portable telephone set 11 and an alarm section 16 is inserted to an ear 20 of a carrying person. When a telephone circuit 12 detects the arrival of a call, the transmission section 13 sends a request signal in a very weak radio wave to space via an antenna 15. The alarm section 16 is configured to be independent of the portable telephone set 11 and provides an output of a call signal by means of an electronic buzzer in the vicinity of an ear hole 22. Even when the portable telephone set 11 is contained in a bag or a call tone signal is set to a very weak tone volume so as not to be perceived by surrounding persons, the carrying person does not miss the arrival of a call.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an alarm device for surely notifying a wearer of an incoming call to a mobile phone without disturbing the surroundings.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A portable communication device such as a mobile phone or pager outputs a call signal by using an intermittent sound of an electronic buzzer or a vibration of a vibrator in order to notify a wearer of an incoming call to the communication device. On the other hand, in a portable wireless device or a transceiver, it is common to notify a caller of an incoming call by blinking a warning lamp. The portable communication device is
It's relatively lightweight and compact, so you can exchange calls and receive messages with specific parties while you're away from your office or home or on the move.

On the other hand, recently, an ultra-compact and lightweight timer has been put into practical use, which is attached to the ear and operates independently, and detects the elapse of the set time and outputs the intermittent sound of the electronic buzzer at the ear.

[0004]

When a mobile phone receives an incoming call in a crowded train, the sudden intermittent sound of the electronic buzzer that informs the incoming call draws the attention of the people around it and the mobile phone Not a little embarrassed. Therefore, if the volume of the electronic buzzer is lowered in order to avoid such a situation, it becomes easier to miss the call signal due to the noise of the train, and if the electronic buzzer is turned off, the incoming call is not noticed. In addition, when multiple people who are present have mobile phones, if the call signals of the electronic buzzer that notifies the incoming call are similar, you may misunderstand the call signals of other people's mobile phones as those of your own mobile phone. . At this time, it is unpleasant to take out my mobile phone and confirm that it is not receiving a call. However, when the alarm signal of the electronic buzzer sounds, it is judged that it is not my mobile phone's incoming from the beginning, and after ignoring it for a while, it is possible to check my mobile phone again and find that it is receiving In the meantime, the nuisance of the people around is not small.

On the other hand, in the case of notifying an incoming call by vibrating the vibrator, the incoming call is not noticed by the surrounding people or confused with the incoming call of other mobile phones, and even if ignored, it is annoying to the surrounding people. Do not apply. However, if you do not hold your mobile phone literally, you will not notice the vibration. Especially when carrying a cell phone or pager in a thick coat pocket or bag, not only the vibration but also the ringing signal with a considerably high volume may not be noticed.

By the way, the fact that it is carried in a pocket or a bag means that the present mobile phone and pager are not small and light enough to be carried and carried at all times. Therefore, if a mobile phone or pager is made compact and lightweight to the level of the current wristwatch or the above-mentioned ultra-compact timer so that it can be directly carried on the arm or ear, it can vibrate or weakly call the electronic buzzer. Even a signal can call the wearer's attention. However, at the current state of the art, it is impossible to fit many functions of mobile phones and pagers into such a small volume, and considering the layout of switches and the operation with fingertips, practicality and operation From the viewpoint of sex, it can be judged that the current size is close to the limit of miniaturization.

An object of the present invention is to provide an alarm device which can surely call the attention of a necessary person at a necessary time without downsizing a main body device such as a mobile phone or a pager.

[0008]

An alarm device according to a first aspect of the present invention is an alarm device for detecting a predetermined electric signal to generate an alarm for an ear, wherein the predetermined electric signal is detected to generate an inaudible sound or an infrared ray. A transmitter that forms a request signal of light or radio waves and emits it to the space, and a transmitter that is attached to the ear and operates independently from the transmitter, and detects the request signal propagated in the space to detect an audible sound or vibration. And an alarm unit for issuing an alarm to the ear.

According to another aspect of the alarm device of the present invention, the transmitter of the alarm device of claim 1 is incorporated in a telephone set or pager, and an electric signal indicating an incoming call to the specific telephone set or pager is detected to request a signal. Is formed.

An alarm device according to a third aspect of the present invention includes an identification circuit for identifying a specific request signal input from the outside and requesting the output of an alarm, and an alarm for the ear which is activated when the identification circuit identifies the request signal. An alarm device having an alarm output circuit for outputting, a battery and a power supply circuit for supplying power to the identification circuit and the alarm output circuit, wherein the housing for storing the identification circuit, the alarm output circuit, the battery and the power supply,
It is provided with a support mechanism that is supported by the ear by sandwiching the thickness of the auricle.

[0011]

In the alarm device of the first aspect, the transmitter is incorporated in the main device side, and the alarm part attached to the ear is
It is operated remotely via the transmitter according to the convenience of the main device. Since the alarm unit outputs sound or vibration directly to the ear, even a small volume or amplitude can surely call the attention of the person who wears it. And by setting the volume and amplitude to a low level, it is possible to eliminate the annoyance and attention of people around. The alarm unit constitutes one device independent of the main device, and identifies the request signal sent from the transmitter to start a necessary alarm. If the alarm part is attached to the ear by sandwiching the ear shell like an earring, and the electronic buzzer is located in the immediate vicinity of the ear canal, the mounting mechanism will be small, and there will be no discomfort when mounting, and it will be worn for a long time. Also no itching due to sweat or pain due to pressing. It may be a structure to be worn on the ear like a temple of glasses or a hearing aid.

In the alarm device according to the second aspect of the present invention, the transmitting unit incorporated in the mobile phone or pager notifies the wearer of the fact of the incoming call through the alarm unit attached to the ear.

In the alarm device of claim 3, an identification circuit,
The housing that stores the alarm output circuit, the battery, and the power supply circuit, including its support mechanism, is lightweight and small enough to be supported by the ear. The support mechanism sandwiches the wall thickness of the auricle so that the ear supports the total weight of the device including the housing. The alarm output circuit is
An audible alarm is generated near the ear canal or an alarm that directly vibrates the thickness of the auricle is generated. The identification circuit detects a specific request signal by identifying the frequency, for example.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION First Embodiment Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.
The mobile phone of the embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the mobile phone according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a transmission unit, and FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of an alarm unit. As shown in FIG.
The transmitter 13 and the antenna 15 are incorporated in the ordinary mobile phone 11 that performs bidirectional communication by radio waves through the telephone circuit 12. The transmission unit 13 includes the telephone circuit 12
When the incoming signal output when the incoming call is received, the antenna 1
A request signal by a weak electric wave is radiated to the space through 5. On the other hand, the alarm unit 16 stores in the head 17 an electronic circuit, a battery, an electronic buzzer, etc. for identifying a specific request signal and outputting an audible alarm signal. The alarm unit 16 is mounted on the ear 20 by the mounting mechanism 18 and positions the head 17 in the immediate vicinity of the ear canal 22.

The mounting mechanism 18 rotatably attaches a clip piece to the tip of an arm continuously provided on the head 17,
It has a structure in which the arm and the clip piece are urged by a spring in the sandwiching direction, and the unevenness of the auricle 21 is restrained while the thickness of the auricle 21 is loosely sandwiched in a clip shape. And the ear shell 21
The weight of the alarm unit 16 is supported by hooking the protrusion of the head portion 17 on the recess of the ear shell 21 rather than by sandwiching. The alarm unit 16 is the transmission unit 13 of the mobile phone 11.
The request signal sent from the device is identified, the electronic buzzer of the head 17 is activated, and a calling signal with a weak volume is output in the immediate vicinity of the ear canal 22.

As shown in FIG. 2, the transmitter 13 is composed of a request signal circuit 13A and an oscillator circuit 13B for generating an RF signal. When the incoming signal is input, the request signal circuit 13A operates the oscillation circuit 13A for only 1 second. The oscillating circuit 13A generates a high frequency (RF) signal having a very weak amplitude at a predetermined specific frequency and supplies it to the antenna 15. The antenna 15 converts this high frequency signal into a radio wave to form a request signal having a weak amplitude at a specific frequency, and emits it to the space in a non-directional manner.

As shown in FIG. 3, the alarm unit 16 includes an antenna 23, an amplifier circuit 24, a bandpass filter 25, an identification circuit 26, a drive circuit 27, an electronic buzzer 28, and a battery in a housing 17. The power supply circuit 29 is included, and a specific request signal is identified by the bandpass filter 25 and the identification circuit 26. The high frequency signal received through the antenna 23 is amplified by the amplifier circuit 24 and then band-selected by the band pass filter 25 to extract a frequency component in a very narrow band including the oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit 13B of the transmitter 13.

The discrimination circuit 26 activates the drive circuit 27 if the amplitude of this frequency component exceeds a predetermined threshold value. In addition to the weak request signal output from the transmitter 13,
Since the discrimination circuit 26 determines (cuts off) the amplitude, the possible communication range of the transmission unit 13 and the alarm unit 16 is several meters or less.
As a result, even if mobile phones that use request signals of frequencies belonging to the same frequency band exist in the surroundings, interference does not occur unless the mutual distances approach several meters.

When the identification circuit 26 identifies the request signal, the drive circuit 27 forms an AC signal having an audible frequency every 2 seconds for 5 seconds, and intermittently operates the electronic buzzer 28. The electronic buzzer 28 outputs an audible call signal (alarm) with a weak volume near the ear canal 22,
The mobile phone 11 is notified of an incoming call to the mobile phone 11.

According to the mobile phone of the first embodiment, when the mobile phone 11 receives an incoming call, the alarm unit 16 is activated to activate the ear canal 22.
Since the electronic buzzer can be sounded in the immediate vicinity of, even if the ringing signal of a low volume that does not attract the attention of the people around it can surely call the attention of the wearer. And even in a noisy train or factory, or in the buzz of a stadium or a concert venue, you don't have to worry about missing the calling signal. In addition, even if the mobile phone 11 is stored in a thick coat pocket or in a bag placed on a net rack, or if the user forgets to return it with the call signal of the incoming call turned off, the incoming call to the owning mobile phone 11 can be received. A situation in which it is possible to make a reliable judgment and misunderstand that an incoming call to another person's mobile phone is an incoming call to his / her mobile phone 11 or to misunderstand an incoming call to his / her mobile phone 11 as an incoming call to another person's mobile phone and continue to ignore the call signal Is avoided.

Further, the mobile phone 11 can be operated without impairing the original functions and operability of the mobile phone since it is sufficient to incorporate the transmitter 13 having a simple circuit structure and the small antenna 15 for high frequency. There is no need to make an unreasonable miniaturization that impairs performance, and there is no fear of deviating from the scope of conventional circuit design, elements used, or assembly technology. On the other hand, the communication function between the transmission unit 13 and the alarm unit 16 is simply turned on / off through a radio wave having a weak amplitude in a narrow range of several meters.
It is enough to be able to identify. Therefore, the frequency band of the request signal may be pinpoint, and the reception band determined by the bandpass filter 25 may be a narrow band of about the total error range between the transmission side and the reception side. As a result, a large number of natural frequencies can be set within the allocated radio band, and the possibility of interference can be kept low even if the density of mobile phones increases.

Since the communication is a simple ON-OFF signal, both the transmission unit 13 and the alarm unit 16 have complicated circuit configurations and high-performance elements as in the case of performing data communication or analog communication. It is unnecessary and consumes little power. Therefore, it is possible to easily realize the practical alarm unit 16 in which the number of parts is reduced, the assembling cost is low, the weight is small and the battery life is long. Then, there is no concern that the transmission unit 13 will increase the size of the mobile phone 11, and the power consumption of the transmission unit 13 will not expedite the battery consumption of the mobile phone 11.

Further, the function of the alarm section 16 is narrowed down to a necessary minimum to make it compact and lightweight, and the irregularity of the ear shell 21 is restrained while the thickness of the ear shell 21 is loosely sandwiched so that the alarm section 16 can be heard. Since it is supported by 20, the strong support is achieved even if the pinching force is loose, and even if the alarm unit 16 is worn for a long period of time, there is no fear of causing congestion or pain in the ear 20. Despite being as compact and lightweight as an earring, it does not have the discomfort or pain associated with wearing as much as an earring. In addition, since the transmission unit 13 and the alarm unit 16 are wirelessly connected to each other, there is no need for an intrusive cord, and the alarm unit 16 can be worn on the ears for intense sports involving physical contact or a full-face helmet. It is also possible to put on a bed or wear a thick futon to the head to sleep.

In the first embodiment, an example in which the alarm device of the present invention is applied to the mobile phone 11 is shown, but other portable communication devices such as a pager and a mobile radio also have a main device side. By incorporating the transmitting unit 13 and mounting the alarm unit 16 on the ear, it is possible to achieve the function of reliably notifying the wearer of the incoming call. The present invention further incorporates the transmitter 13 into the intercom to notify the visitor, incorporates the transmitter 13 into the machine tool controller to notify the end of machining or the occurrence of an abnormality, and incorporates the transmitter 13 into the microwave oven. It can be used for various purposes such as calling the attention of a specific person in charge such as reporting the completion of cooking or calling.

In the first embodiment, the transmission section 13 and the alarm section 16 are connected by radio waves, but the radio waves may be replaced with infrared light or ultrasonic waves. For example, an electronic buzzer using a piezoelectric element resonates with ultrasonic waves of a specific frequency to form a weak peak of the generated voltage, so that the transmitting unit 13 emits ultrasonic waves of such a specific frequency and the alarm unit 16 If a peak detection circuit for the generated voltage of the piezoelectric element is provided in, wireless communication can be executed with a simple circuit configuration in which the electronic buzzer for output also serves as the receiving element. Further, even when using radio waves, a specific request signal may be identified by using a resonance circuit tuned to a specific frequency to be used. The signal component extracted by the bandpass filter 25 may be detected and integrated to remove the influence of noise.

By the way, in the first embodiment, the mobile phone 11 is used.
Although all the incoming calls to the mobile phone are indiscriminately reported to the mobile phone, it is also possible to select only specific communication and report the mobile phone to the mobile phone. For example, the mobile phone 11 is provided with an answering machine function, each time an incoming call is requested to enter a personal identification number code in an answering machine state, and an incoming signal is sent to the transmission unit 13 only when an appropriate password is entered from the other party. The telephone circuit 12 may be configured to be input.

In the first embodiment, the electronic buzzer is operated to output the audible ringing signal in the immediate vicinity of the ear canal 22. However, the electronic buzzer may be replaced with a vibrator to use the vibration ringing signal. Good. By vibrating the exposed auricle 21 directly by operating the vibrator, even a slight vibration can surely call the wearer's attention beyond the audible sound.

The telephone system of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the system configuration of the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that two telephones 31A and 31B are arranged in the same room, a person 33A in charge of the telephone 31A and a person 33B in charge of the telephone 31B. The telephone 31A has a telephone 31
A transmitter 32A that detects an incoming call to A and emits a request signal by radio waves to the space is provided.
Wears an alarm unit 34A that identifies a request signal from the transmission unit 32A and generates a calling signal in the immediate vicinity of the ear canal. On the other hand, the telephone 31B is provided with a transmitter 32B that detects an incoming call to the telephone 31B and emits a request signal by radio waves into the space, and the person in charge 33B identifies the request signal from the transmitter 32B to identify the ear canal. The alarm unit 34B that generates a calling signal in the immediate vicinity of is attached to the ear.

The transmitting unit 32A and the transmitting unit 32B basically have the arrangement and configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and output a request signal of a radio wave having a common natural frequency, but the time pattern of the request signal. Is different in both. Then, the alarm unit 34A and the alarm unit 34B identify the time pattern difference of the request signal by the identification circuit 26 shown in FIG.
And the function of activating the drive circuit 27 only for one of the corresponding request signals from the transmitter 32B. As a result, the person in charge 33A, 33B can surely recognize only the incoming call of the telephone 31A, 31B in charge at each position in the room.

Specifically, the transmitter 32A shown in FIG.
The oscillation circuit 13B is intermittently operated to form an amplitude change pattern of the request signal in which the output for 10 msec is repeated 3 times every 30 msec, and the signal is rested for 100 msec. On the other hand, the transmitter 32
B intermittently activates the oscillation circuit 13B to form an amplitude change pattern of the request signal in which the output of 10 msec is repeated twice every 30 msec and a rest of 100 msec is taken. Then, in the alarm units 34A and 34B, a detection circuit and a timer circuit are provided in the identification circuit 26 shown in FIG. 3, the timer circuit is activated at each rise of the amplitude, and the rise of 100 msec interval or more is specified. 65m after 35m from the cliff
The amplitude change patterns of the transmission unit 32A and the transmission unit 32B are identified by sampling the amplitude after 95 seconds after the second.

According to the telephone system of the second embodiment, the persons in charge 33A, 33B are in charge of their telephones 31A, 3B.
Since the incoming call to 1B can be surely identified, the work is not interrupted by the incoming calls of the telephones 31A and 31B which are not in charge of the user. Further, since the call signals of the telephones 31A and 31B themselves can be turned off, the room can be kept quiet and work efficiency can be improved. No need to carry a bulky cordless phone. The transmission unit 32A,
A plurality of alarm units may be individually managed by one integrated transmission unit, such as a configuration in which 32B is integrated and connected to the telephones 31A and 32A by wiring. Further, the transmitting unit may be placed in the hand of the agent of the representative telephone, and a specific alarm unit may be activated by a push button for each person in charge arranged on the operation surface of the transmitting unit.

[0032]

According to the alarm device of the first aspect of the present invention, even if the output is small, the user's great attention can be called, and there is no fear of missing the calling signal even in the subway, the roller coaster, or the storm. Since the alarm unit is attached to the ear, it is unlikely to be lost due to its small size and light weight. There is no need for annoying cables like when using earphones pulled out from the main unit. Battery volume is extended because the volume and amplitude of the call signal are small.
The main body device provided with the transmission unit can secure specifications with high degree of perfection as in the past, and the alarm unit is small and lightweight, so there is no inconvenience to carry even when not in use.

According to the alarm device of the second aspect, it is not necessary to worry about the surroundings regarding the incoming call of the mobile phone or the pager, and it is confused with the incoming call of the other person's mobile phone or listens to the incoming call by the carelessness. There is no worry to escape.

According to the alarm device of the third aspect, since the alarm is output near the ear, the user can be warned with a small output. Also, since it is worn on the ear, there is no sense of inconvenience when it is worn all the time, and it is unlikely to be lost due to its location even though it is small and lightweight.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of a mobile phone according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a transmitter.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of an alarm unit.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a telephone system according to a second embodiment.

[Description of sign]

 11 Mobile Phone 12 Telephone Circuit 13, 32A 32B Transmitting Section 14, 15, 23 Antenna 16, 34A, 34B Alarm Section 17 Head (Case) 18 Attachment Mechanism 20 Ear 21 Earshell 22 Ear Pore 24 Amplifying Circuit 25 Bandpass Filter 26 Identification circuit 27 Drive circuit 28 Electronic buzzer 29 Power supply circuit (including battery) 13A Request signal circuit 13B Oscillation circuit 31A, 31B Telephone 33A, 33B Person in charge

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An alarm device for detecting a predetermined electric signal to generate an alarm for the ear, wherein the predetermined electric signal is detected to form a request signal for inaudible sound, infrared light, or radio waves to create a space. And a transmitter that is radiated to the ear and operates independently from the transmitter to detect the request signal propagated in space and generate an audible sound or vibration to alert the ear. An alarm device having an alarm unit. 2. The alarm device according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting unit is incorporated in a telephone or pager, and detects a request signal by detecting an electric signal indicating an incoming call to the specific telephone or pager. An alarm device characterized by being formed. 3. An identification circuit for identifying a specific request signal input from the outside and requesting the output of an alarm, and an alarm output circuit that is activated when the identification circuit identifies the request signal and outputs an alarm to the ear. An alarm device having a battery and a power supply circuit for supplying power to the identification circuit and the alarm output circuit, wherein the thickness of the ear shell is provided in a housing that stores the identification circuit, the alarm output circuit, the battery, and the power supply. An alarm device characterized by having a support mechanism that is sandwiched and supported by the ear.