WO2003085615A1

WO2003085615A1 - Emergency communication device for personal use

Info

Publication number: WO2003085615A1
Application number: PCT/ES2003/000153
Authority: WO
Inventors: Juan José PRADES REBATO; Manuel Diaz-Mor Prieto
Original assignee: Prades Rebato Juan Jose; Manuel Diaz-Mor Prieto
Priority date: 2002-04-09
Filing date: 2003-04-04
Publication date: 2003-10-16
Also published as: AU2003226841A1

Abstract

The device comprises a single support body, a microprocessor associated with a configuration pushbutton, a radiofrequency signal receiver module, a voice modulator, a TMF call tone generator/receiver module, several LED indicators and a loudspeaker. The device is connected to a telephone line by means of a module adapted to the line assigned to the voice modulator and the TMF module and to a telephone line connection. The base body of the device also has a connection for a an external low voltage power supply.

Description

DTSPOSTTTVO PAR A COMÍ 1NT EMERGENCT A ACTON, DK T ISO PERSON AT,

MF. DESCRTPTTVA MORTAL

The present invention relates to a device for communicating emergency situations, for personal use.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a device capable of issuing an emergency message, possibly requesting help, to certain telephone numbers pre-recorded by the user himself through the telephone line.

Therefore, the present invention is intended to solve a communication problem in people who may find themselves in circumstances that make the demand for help precise or to communicate an emergency to another or other people or outside services under user conditions that may be precarious. . Thus, for example, a typical situation may be that of people living alone, to whom there may be, due to possible illnesses, domestic incidents or events of any kind, the need to communicate quickly with outside numbers with numbers phone numbers that may be of certain people who may be in a position to provide the desired help or assistance, or a medical center, police, etc. so that it is possible that the user, if necessary and even if he is eventually in personally limited conditions, can establish the desired emergency calls.

The intended operation for the device is that it will be controlled by a radio frequency remote control, easy and quick to operate, so that when the device receives an alarm signal from the remote control that has been operated by the user, which can now be found Unable to use a normal telephone device, the device itself dials automatically and sequentially! of the numbers previously recorded by the user, thus supplementing the calls that the user would eventually make using the normal telephone set. The device will have means that after having made the call to the first of the indicated numbers and after detecting the situation of off-hook at the end of the line, it will issue a message of Prerecorded help. After the message is issued, the device will wait for a prudential period of time to receive a recognition code from the person to whom the call was made and, if not received, will proceed to dial the next pre-recorded number, repeating sequence. If the recognition code is received, the system will automatically perform its own reset.

It is expected that when the device receives a signal from the remote control, in order to indicate that a distress message is being sent, it will begin to emit an audible signal, for example intermittent, which will cease at the time of the device replacement because some of the people called attend the request for help by dialing the security code.

The device consists of a remote control, an external power supply and the base box of the device itself. It will remain connected to the telephone line and will have an entry to place a telephone that will be necessary only for the configuration of the device, not being necessary later for normal use. The power supply will be carried out by means of an external power supply device that can be connected to the 220 volt network in alternating current and that will provide a current, for example 6 volts in direct current, for the operation of the apparatus. The base box will comprise a microprocessor associated with: a configuration button, a radio frequency receiver module, a loudspeaker, a voice modulator and a generator / receiver module for ring tones, as well as three lighting pilots, for example luminescent diodes ( LED). In the box itself, a line adapter module will be arranged for coupling to the telephone line, which in turn will be connected to a voice modulator and a DTMF module generator / receiver of ringtones.

In a second embodiment of the present invention, it is proposed to improve the control of the connection status of the device by checking said connection status from the microprocessor to improve reliability and, on the other hand, the association of a keyboard for direct access to the device is provided. microprocessor counting, for example, with a configuration key and ten numerical keys for programming telephone numbers and security code. A signaling LED is also added, as will be explained. In this embodiment, the device is composed of a radio frequency remote control, an external power supply and the base box. The base box must be connected to the telephone line through a telephone cord and has an input to connect, if desired, a telephone device.

The device will be powered by an external power supply that, connected to the 220 N a.c power supply, will supply an output voltage of 7.5 N. a.c. for the correct functioning of the device. The remote control in turn is powered by an easily replaceable 12 N battery.

The base box is composed of a microprocessor, associated with: a keypad, which has a configuration key and 10 numeric keys for programming telephone numbers and security code, a buzzer, which will indicate to the user that it is active the alarm status, a voice modulator, containing the pre-recorded alarm message, a DTMF code generator / receiver module for dialing telephone numbers and security code identification, a radio frequency receiver module to capture the signal of remote control alarm, a telephone line adapter module, with pick-up relay and interconnection of voice and DTMF modules to the telephone line, five indication pilots, four of them red to indicate telephone numbers and code and one green that indicates the correct functioning of the device at all times by means of a blink.

For their better understanding, some drawings corresponding to preferred embodiments of the present invention are attached for explanatory but not limitation.

Figure 1 shows a block diagram representative of the different elements that make up the device in a first execution.

Figure 2 shows a block diagram similar to Figure 1 corresponding to a second embodiment of the present invention.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, in the box base -1-, whose operation will be combined with a remote control and an external feeder from the network, which have not been represented, a microprocessor -15- will be provided that will be associated with: speaker -2-, a push-button -3-, an RF receiver module -4-, a voice modulator -5-, a DTMF module -6- generator / receiver of ringtones and the LED indicator lights normally indicated with the numbers -7-, -8-, and -9-. A line adapter module -10- is associated with the voice modulator and the DTMF module as well as the telephone line connection -11-, -12-.

A power input -13- will receive direct current, for example at 6 volts, from an external power supply not shown and, apart from feeding the elements of the base box itself described, will supply an LED indicator -14- to Show connection status.

The configuration of the numbers that should be called automatically in case of an alarm and the security code will be carried out by means of the configuration button -3-. There will be a variable number of warning numbers, for example three, and each of them with nine digits and a security code that, for example, may be three digits.

To record the warning numbers, press the configuration button -3- by dialing the corresponding nine digits from the telephone that will have been associated with the device via connections -11- and -12-. Pressing the configuration knob -3- will turn on the LED corresponding to the first number, that is, one of the LEDs -7-, -8- and -9-. If you press a second time, it will skip to the next one and so on.

When it is desired to record a number, the operation will be stopped on the corresponding LED and the desired telephone number will be dialed from the associated device (after picking it up) which must be nine digits. In case of less than nine digits, the device will not make any recording. If more than the predetermined time elapses, for example 10 seconds, without dialing a number, the system will be automatically reset and no recording will be made. The corresponding LED will turn on while recording the number, but when nine digits have been dialed it will go out being recorded the number and having the system reset.

To record the security code, the configuration command -3- will be pressed four times followed until the three LEDs -7-, -8-, -9- will light up simultaneously, proceeding to record the three security code numbers from the associated telephone, so that each time a digit is entered one of the LEDs will turn off and when the three are entered they will all be off and the code will be recorded.

As will be understood, the device object of the present invention solves the need to enable emergency calls by people who may need outside assistance at a given time, without the need to resort to any intermediate emergency service, that is, by enabling a simple manual operation of an RF control by the interested party, automatically start the device that will allow a certain number of successive calls to be made to predetermined persons who, upon receiving the signal, will know that an emergency situation has arisen and may act to facilitate the corresponding assistance.

In the second embodiment of the invention, represented in Figure 2, in the base box -101-, whose operation will be combined with the radio frequency remote control and an external feeder from the mains that have not been represented, a microprocessor will be provided - 115- that will be associated with the buzzer -102-, the keyboard -103-, the radio frequency receiver module -104-, the voice modulator -105- the DTMF module -106- and the LED indicator lights indicated with the numbers -107 -, -108-, -109-, -114- and -120-. The line adapter module -110-, with the relay and the line coil, is in turn associated with the voice modulator -105- and the DTMF module -106-, as well as the connections -111- and -112 - telephone line and telephone device respectively.

The power input -113- will receive the voltage of 7.5 N a.c. from the external feeder, not shown.

The recording of the numbers to which the device will automatically call, in case of an alarm will be carried out using the keypad -103-, 3 warning numbers will be available, each of them with 9 digits, as well as the code Security, two digits.

To record the warning numbers, press the keypad configuration key -103-, then dial the numbers corresponding to the telephone number. When you press the configuration key on the keypad -103-, the LED corresponding to the first number will appear. If pressed again, it will skip to the next one, and so on. When you want to record a number in a certain position, we must press the configuration key until the LED of the desired position appears, and then dial the 9 digits of the telephone number we wish to record. In case of less than 9 digits, the device will not make any recording. If an error occurred while recording the desired number, simply press the configuration key again until we return to the desired position and redial the telephone number. If more than a predetermined time elapses without dialing any number, the system will automatically reset without recording. The corresponding LED will remain on while a recording is being made, but once nine digits have been entered, it will turn off, skipping to the next one and recording the entered telephone number.

To record the security code, press the configuration key until the fourth LED, corresponding to the code, appears, then proceed to enter the two digits of the chosen security code. When you enter the two digits, the LED will turn off, the code will be saved and the system activated. The code "00" is recorded by default.

Claims

1.- Device for emergency communication, for personal use, characterized by comprising in a single support body a microprocessor associated with a configuration button, a radio frequency signal receiving module, a voice modulator, a TMF generator module / receiver of ringtones, several LED indicators and a loudspeaker, connecting to a telephone line through a module adapted to the line associated with the voice modulator and the TMF module, as well as a telephone line connection, also presenting the base body of the device, a connection for an external low voltage feeder.

2. Device for emergency communication, for personal use, according to claim 1, characterized by the incorporation of a keypad equipped with a configuration key and ten numeric keys for programming the telephone numbers and security code to which will automatically call the device in case of alarm.

3. Device for emergency communication, for personal use, according to claim 2, characterized in that the device will have three warning numbers, each of them with nine digits as well as the two-digit security code.

4. Device for emergency communication, for personal use, according to claim 2, characterized by the provision of a led indicating the correct operation of the device by means of flickering connected to the microprocessor.

5. Procedure for making automatic emergency calls, according to the device of claims 1 to 4, characterized by proceeding in a first phase to the configuration of numbers to be called automatically in case of alarm and a security code and in a second stage, to the emission of a radio frequency signal, directing it to the microprocessor and proceeding to automatically and sequentially dialing the previously recorded numbers, successively issuing help messages to said phones, through the connected telephone line to device.

6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that in order to dial the warning numbers, the configuration button will be pressed by dialing nine digits from a telephone temporarily associated with the device, said dialing operation being associated with the lighting of one of the indicator LEDs. Of the device.

7. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that to record the security code, a predetermined number of times will be pressed the configuration command, then recording the security code numbers from the provisionally associated telephone to the device, combining with the three LED indicators on and the successive switching off of one of the LEDS when entering a digit, until when entering all the digits of the security code, all the LED indicators will be off.

8. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that in order to emit the alarm signal after receiving a radio frequency activation signal from the user's radio frequency command, the sequential dialing of the previously recorded numbers will be automatically carried out by issuing, after the signal of pick-up of the receiving telephone the help message and proceeding after receiving the recognition code of the receiving line of the call to replace the device, proceeding to call the next number in case the recognition code is not received until the exhaustion of call numbers.