JP2002312866A - Sound volume adjustment system and home terminal equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a system which cooperatively adjusts the sound volume in an apartment house, and terminal equipment which automatically acquires transmission noise. SOLUTION: A home terminal is installed in each room, and a lot of home terminals cooperate with one another to examine the way of noise transmission between rooms by sounds of everyday life. Home terminals gradually learn which degrees of sounds are transmitted to which rooms with which sound volumes, from sound volumes of everyday life, and the results are stored in sound emitting home terminals respectively. Each home terminal not only automatically adjusts the sound volume of a device in the room where this home terminal is installed but also adjusts the sound volume on the basis of presence/ absence of residents in peripheral rooms.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a home network system and a home terminal device in a house such as an apartment house where a plurality of rooms are adjacent to each other. The present invention relates to a system that automatically adjusts the volume so as not to bother residents, and a home terminal device installed in each house for that purpose.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an apartment house, since each dwelling unit is adjacent to each other with a wall or a floor therebetween, the sound of daily life may give discomfort to neighboring residents as noise. For this reason, the residents of each dwelling unit
A perpetrator who gives noise to nearby dwelling units and a victim who is annoyed by noise from neighboring dwelling units.

[0003] In order to prevent the noise generated from one's own dwelling unit from disturbing nearby dwelling units as noise, it is necessary to know how large the sound generated at the dwelling unit is actually transmitted to the nearby dwelling unit. Residents can take measures to prevent loud noises based on the information. For example, switch off the device that is generating the sound,
Countermeasures are taken by taking measures such as lowering the volume of the device.

[0004] As a prior art for knowing how large a sound generated in one's dwelling unit is transmitted to a neighboring dwelling unit, the sound is transmitted to an adjacent room as disclosed in JP-A-08-233648. There is a noise monitor device that issues an alarm when a sound is generated. This device is expected to be observed in the adjacent room from the measurement result of actually measuring the sound and vibration generated in the own room and the numerical value of the sound insulation performance of the wall or floor that is the boundary between the own room and the adjacent room The loudness of the sound and the vibration is calculated, and when this value exceeds the allowable value in the adjacent room, an alarm is issued to the resident of the room where the sound is generated by light or sound.

In this device, the value of the sound insulation performance of the wall or floor of the dwelling unit must be checked in advance by some method and input to the device.

As a technique for knowing how loud the sound generated in one's dwelling unit is transmitted to neighboring dwelling units, for example, a terminal capable of measuring the loudness of a sound is placed in each unit and connected to a network. It is easy to imagine a method in which each terminal measures the loudness of the sound in the room and reads out the measurement result of the sound via a network.

[0007]

The above-mentioned prior art has the following problems.

[0008] In the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 08-233648, the value of the sound insulation performance must be checked in advance and input. This is a value that depends on the material of the floor and walls, and does not take into account the sound quality of the sound source, so that it is not possible to know exactly how large the sound is actually transmitted.

The method of actually measuring and knowing this value has been described above as a technique that can be easily imagined, but this also has the following problems. When a plurality of sounds are generated simultaneously when measuring the sound, it cannot be distinguished whether the sounds are generated in the own room or in other rooms. In addition, even in the sound generated in another room, it is not known which sound is generated in which room. Therefore, even if the sound volume can be measured, the person reading the sound cannot distinguish between the sound emitted by the user and the sound emitted by another person, and may or may not have to reduce the sound. Can't judge.

Therefore, the present invention has an object to specify a room that is a source of a plurality of sounds on a sound measurement side.
That is, an object of the present invention is to solve the problem that the sound generator knows exactly how much the sound emitted by the sound is transmitted to another house, separately from the sound of another room.

According to the present invention, sounds generated in a room such as a sound generated by an audio device such as a television or an audio device or an operation sound generated by a white goods such as a vacuum cleaner or a washing machine are generated by a nearby resident. It is an object of the present invention to provide a system for checking at what volume the sound is transmitted to the inhabitants, and informing the resident of the sound of the sound and a home terminal device for realizing this. Furthermore, it aims at providing the following functions to this. (1) Automatically limit the volume of equipment in the room that is generating the annoying sound. (2) To provide a system that determines whether or not the volume is annoying according to the state of the residents of the entire apartment complex. For example,
In accordance with the presence / absence state of a nearby resident, the loudness of the volume that can be output is determined, and based on this, a warning is issued to the resident or the volume control of the device is controlled.

[0012]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention employs the following means.

A home terminal is installed in each room, and a plurality of home terminals cooperate to check the transmission of noise between the rooms from the sound of everyday life. That is, the user gradually learns from the volume of daily life how much sound he or she should be able to transmit to which room and at what volume, and the home terminal on the sound transmission side stores it. Then, the home terminal automatically adjusts the volume of the device in the own room, and adjusts the volume based on the presence / absence of the resident in the surrounding room.

Specifically, each room is provided with the following means in the home terminal. (1) means for communicating with another home terminal device, means for measuring sound volume, means for obtaining sound characteristic information by which a sound source can identify sound, and measurement point information, sound volume, and sound characteristic information Means for broadcasting a message including the message, means for receiving and holding the setting of the allowable volume from the user, and means for receiving an allowable volume obtaining request from another home terminal device and responding with the allowable volume. (2) In addition to (1), means for detecting the presence / absence of a resident and means for changing the allowable volume according to the presence / absence state. (3) means for referring to and controlling the volume setting of the home electric appliance via the home network, means for storing sound characteristics and the volume setting for a certain period, and means for receiving a message sent from another home terminal. , Determine the volume setting of the corresponding home appliance from the sound characteristic information included in the message,
Means for learning the volume setting allowed by the measurement point information;
Means for detecting a change in the volume setting of the home appliance, and determining whether or not the volume setting is within a range permitted by other home terminal devices in the vicinity. Means for controlling the volume setting of the device to be within the allowable range

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a four-story apartment house 100 including rooms 11 to 44. In addition,
For simplicity of explanation, it is assumed that each unit of the apartment house is a so-called one-room type.

FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram of the volume control system of the present invention installed in the apartment house 100 shown in FIG. Each dwelling unit has a home terminal 11-14, 21-24,
It is assumed that 31 to 34 and 41 to 44 are installed, and these home terminals are mutually connected via a network 201. It is assumed that these home terminals are installed in rooms 11 to 14, rooms 21 to 24, rooms 31 to 34, and rooms 41 to 44, respectively.

The network 201 includes a power line, wireless, Ethernet (registered trademark), telephone line, optical cable, IEEE
It is formed by one network such as the E1394 standard network or a network based on a combination thereof. Each home terminal device is connected to this network 20
1 to communicate with each other.

Also, each home terminal is located in each room,
Home networks are connected to home appliances such as televisions, stereos, washing machines, air conditioners, and vacuum cleaners, and sensors such as human body detection sensors and temperature sensors. In the figure, a configuration example is shown by taking Room 23 as a representative. The home terminal 23 is connected to a home electric appliance at home via a home network 210, and in FIG. 2, the home electric appliance and the television 211 which is a computer on the control side are mutually connected. From the home terminal 23, it is possible to monitor and control the status of home electric appliances and sensors via a home network.

The home network 210 is formed by an arbitrary network such as a power line, wireless, infrared, Ethernet, telephone line, optical cable, IEEE 1394 standard network, or a combination thereof.

FIG. 3 shows a network 20 between home terminals.
1 is an example of a format of a telegram transmitted and received via the Internet.

The HDR 301 is an area in which header information of a message is stored, and includes a destination home terminal address of a message, a source home terminal address, and the like. D
The AP 302 is an area in which information specifying a destination program operating on the destination home terminal is stored.

The SAP 303 is an area for storing information designating a source program operating on the source home terminal.

The data 304 is an area for storing data exchanged between a source program and a destination program.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the home terminal 23. Since other home terminals have the same configuration, the home terminal 23 will be described as a representative here. The home terminal 23 includes an external communication device 401, a central processing unit 402, a storage device 403, a human detection sensor 40
4, a user input / output device 405, a sound receiving device 406, and a home communication device 407.

The external communication device 401 is connected to the network 20
1 for transmitting / receiving a message to / from another home terminal.

The central processing unit 402 includes a storage device 40
3 is a so-called CPU for executing a program stored in the CPU 3.

The storage device 403 stores the central processing unit 40
Or memorize the program itself that runs on 2,
This is a memory for storing variables, table information, logs, and the like held by the running program.

The human detection sensor 404 detects a human motion and outputs a human detection signal. For example, the sensor operates based on a principle of recognizing the presence of a person by detecting a change in infrared rays emitted by the person. This makes it possible to determine whether the person is at home or absent.

The user input / output device 405 is an input / output device for receiving input of various setting information from a resident or displaying output information from the home terminal 23. For example, devices such as a touch panel type display device and a keyboard. Although only one user input / output device 405 is shown in the figure, a plurality of user input / output devices 405 may be used.

The sound receiving device 406 is a device for measuring the loudness of the sound observed in the house. In the present embodiment, the sound receiving device 406 measures the sound pressure corresponding to the loudness of the sound for each octave band using a microphone inside the device (for example, 125 Hz, 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1000 H).
6 with a center frequency of 2000 Hz, 4000 Hz
Band is measured), and each value is converted to a sound pressure level and output. In the present embodiment, the sound pressure level is output because the loudness of the sound is a sensory amount corresponding to the energy amount of the physical sound, but since the energy amount of the sound cannot be generally directly observed, This is because a sound pressure that has a corresponding relationship with the energy of the sound and can be measured by the microphone is used. The sound pressure is a pressure difference between the air pressure and the atmospheric pressure due to the formation of sound waves, and since the loudness of the sound is logarithmically proportional to the square of the sound pressure, the sound receiving device 406 determines the sound pressure value based on the measured sound pressure value. To
The sound pressure level is converted into a sound pressure level defined by the following calculation formula defined in JIS standards C1502 and C1505. Sound pressure level [dB] = 10 log (P / P ₀ ) ² = 20 l
og (P / P ₀ ) P ··· Sound pressure effective value [Pa] of a certain sound P ₀ ··· Reference value of sound pressure, 2 × 10 ^-5 [Pa] P ₀ is whether a person can or cannot hear. The sound pressure value is defined as a reference value of the sound pressure level in JIS standards C1502 and C1505.

The units used are shown below. [Pa] Pascal: Unit of pressure. [DB] decibel: A unit representing the loudness of sound.

The sound receiving device 406 is connected to the home terminal 23.
May be built-in, or may be externally connected by a serial cable or the like, but in any case, the measured value can be read from the home terminal.

The in-home communication device 407 communicates with home appliances such as a television, a stereo, a washing machine, an air conditioner, a vacuum cleaner, and sensors such as a human body detection sensor via the home network 210. .

While the internal configuration example of the home terminal 23 has been described above, the human detection sensor 404, the user input / output device 405, and the sound receiving device 406 are included in the home terminal 23 in the figure, It may be installed in another place in the house via 210. in this case,
The home terminal 23 reads out a human detection signal of the human detection sensor 404, delivers output information to the user input / output device 405, and performs user input / output by communication via the home network 210 using the function of the home communication device 407. The information input from the device 405 is read, and the sound pressure level measured by the sound receiving device 406 is read.

Next, a processing program stored in the storage device 403 of the home terminal 23 and executed and operated by the central processing unit 402 will be described.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the program configuration. The connection lines between the programs in FIG. 5 indicate the input / output relationship between the programs.

The processing program is executed by the external communication driver 50.
1, a noise level measurement program 502, a user input / output control driver 503, a device control program 504, a home communication driver 505, a noise influence learning program 506,
It is composed of a volume coordination control program 507.

The external communication driver 501 is a communication program that controls the external communication device 401 to perform data communication with another home terminal using a predetermined communication protocol (for example, TCP / IP, HTTP, or the like). The external communication driver 501 receives a data transmission request from another program, assembles a message, and executes the external communication device 401.
To perform transmission control processing. Further, it performs a reception control process to the external communication device 401 to receive a telegram, analyzes the telegram, performs a protocol process, and delivers the received data to another program.

The noise level measuring program 502 reads out the sound pressure level of each octave band in the house as a signal via the sound receiving device 406, calculates noise level data, and calculates the sound pressure level and noise level of each octave band. This is a program for storing data in the storage device 403. The noise level data is, for example, JIS standard Z
8731 is a representative value indicating the characteristic of noise as specified in 8731, and is an instantaneous value of a noise level at a fixed interval (for example, every 1 second) or an instantaneous value of a noise level for the past several seconds (for example, 10 seconds). , The maximum value, the minimum value, the hourly noise level, and the like.

The noise level is a value corrected so as to approach the auditory characteristics of a person who hears different sounds for each frequency even at the same sound pressure level. The calculation method is, for example, Article 6 of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry Measurement Unit Regulation or JIS C1502, C1505.
A value obtained by dividing the square of the effective value of the sound pressure weighted by the A characteristic as defined in (1) by the square of the reference sound pressure (2 × 10 ⁻⁵ [Pa]) is multiplied by 10 times the common logarithm.

Assuming that the octave band sound pressure level L _fi [dB] at the center frequency f _i [Hz] and the A-characteristic correction value C _fi are represented by the following equations. Noise level [dB] = 10 log [10 ^{(Lf1 + Cf1) / 10} +
10 ^{(Lf2 + Cf2) / 10} ＋ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ＋10
^{(Lfn + Cfn) / 10} ] Note that the center frequency fi is, for example, 125 Hz and 250H.
z, 500Hz, 1000Hz, 2000Hz, 400
When the frequency is 0 Hz, the A characteristic correction value C _fi of each frequency is
₁₂₅ = -16.1 dB, C ₂₅₀ = -8.6 dB, C ₅₀₀ =
-3.2 dB, C _{1 000} = 0 dB, C ₂₀₀₀ = + 1.2 d
B, C ₄₀₀₀ = + 1.0 dB.

The instantaneous value of the noise level is the instantaneous value of the noise level calculated as described above within a short time (for example, within one second).

The hourly noise level is based on the JIS standard.
As specified in Z8731, the noise level is a value for evaluating noise that changes remarkably irregularly and continuously, and the noise level is measured many times at regular time intervals.
This is a value calculated from the cumulative degree distribution. The ratio of the time when the noise level is equal to or higher than a certain level occupies x percent of the actually measured time, and that level is referred to as x percent time rate noise level.

The noise level measurement program 502 starts operating when the home terminal is started, constantly calculates noise level data, and stores, for example, 120 seconds in the storage device 403.

The user input / output control driver 503 is a driver (for example, a display driver or a keyboard driver) for controlling the user input / output device 405, and stores the operation status of a program operating on the home terminal 23 and the like. , And receives an input of user information or the like from the user input / output device 405.

The device control program 504 is a processing program for receiving a request from another program, controlling the operation of the home device via the home communication driver 505, and controlling the operation of the home device and referring to the device state. . Further, the state of the home appliance is periodically referred to, for example, every second, and the presence or absence of a change in the state is detected, and the noise influence learning program 506 and the volume cooperative control program 507 are detected.
Is notified of this state change. The status change of the home device is stored in the storage device 403 as a home device event log,
It is referred from the noise influence learning program 506. Here, the state change means, for example, switching ON / OFF of a switch of a television, a stereo, a washing machine, an air conditioner, and a vacuum cleaner, switching of a volume of a television and a stereo, and a change of the power of the vacuum cleaner.
Switching of weak, switching of the operating state of the washing machine (washing mode,
(Switching between rinsing mode and dehydration mode), switching between television channels, starting and ending television programs, and starting and ending commercials.

The home communication driver 505 controls the home communication device 407 to communicate a predetermined communication protocol (for example, TCP / IP or JEM1439 standard protocol) with the home device via the home network 210. This is a communication program for performing data communication used.

The noise impact learning program 506 has a noise detection function and a noise impact table creation function, and manages the noise impact table.

The noise impact table is a table that describes how much the volume of an in-house device, such as the volume of an audio device, or the operating sound of a white goods equipped with a motor affects each dwelling unit. It is created by executing a function, and is actually stored in the storage device 403. FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration.

The column headings of the noise influence table 600 are as follows:
A device type and a device level (for example, a sound volume level for an audio device, a power level for a white goods equipped with a motor, and the like).

The row header is composed of a home terminal address.

The cell where the row and column intersect stores the dB value of the noise level detected by another home terminal.

For example, the noise influence degree table 600 is 2
Vacuum cleaner 1 in the premises of room 3 (operation mode is "strong")
From room No. 22 is observed at 45 dB.

Note that the column heading is the home network 2
By accessing the in-home device via the device 10, the device type of the device installed in the house is checked, the setting item that can change the volume of each in-home device is checked, and the value range of the setting item is checked. I do. The line header is created by accessing another home terminal via the network 201 to check its address. Specifically, for example, a request for reading the address of the home terminal is broadcast and the response is collected to check the address.

The process of writing the numerical value stored in each cell of the noise impact table 600 will be described later in the noise impact table creation function.

Next, the noise detection function will be described.

The noise detection function is for performing processing for detecting noise observed in the house, and when detected, notifies the detected noise level value and sound characteristic information to other home terminals. FIG. 7 shows an example of the processing flow. (Step 701) The noise detection function determines whether the situation is suitable for performing the noise detection process.

The conditions suitable for performing the noise detection processing are as follows.
For example, the information from the human detection sensor 404 indicates that the resident is absent, and the device control program 504 indicates that all audio equipment in the house is stopped, the air conditioner and the washing machine are stopped, and the refrigerator is cooling. That's when you get it. Furthermore, there is no noise due to the effects of rainfall, snowfall, or strong wind, and the noise level measured by the noise level measurement program 502 is, for example, 38 dB or less and the noise level does not fluctuate significantly for 10 seconds or more (for example, within 3 dB vertically). ) It is assumed that a steady value is maintained.

Note that the measured value at this time is a comparison value with the noise generated from neighboring dwelling units as background noise.

The background noise is noise that is not the object of measurement as defined in JIS standard Z8731. In the present embodiment, for example, the noise of insects, the crowing of birds, It is noise such as noise, rain and wind. (Step 702) The noise detection function detects the occurrence of noise through the noise level measurement program 502. In the present embodiment, for example, when the maximum value and the minimum value of the noise level within 10 seconds are 5 dB or more, it is assumed that noise has occurred and the noise has been detected. (Step 703) The noise detection function acquires the noise level data at the time of noise generation from the noise level measurement program 502 and stores it in the storage device 403.

The data to be stored is, for example, until the noise level decreases or until 30 seconds after the noise is detected.

The noise detection function calculates the maximum value and the average value of the noise level during that period, and acquires sound characteristic information such as waveform characteristics and frequency characteristics.

The characteristics of the waveform are, for example, the types classified according to the state of change of the indicated value of the noise level indicated in JIS standard Z8731, and the indicated value from when the noise is generated until the end of the noise is obtained. Are small, and the noise is almost constant, and the variable noise is such that the indicated value from the generation of the noise to the end of the noise changes irregularly and continuously.

The frequency characteristic is a characteristic pattern for each sound frequency at the time of noise generation, such as a sound pressure level value for each octave band as described above, or a constant frequency interval (for example, 100 Hz).

The noise level at the time of noise increase and decrease is determined according to JIS.
The following correction as specified in the standard Z8731 is performed. That is, if the difference between the noise level of the detected noise and the noise level of the background noise is 10 dB or more, it is assumed that the influence of the background noise can be ignored, and the measured value of the detected noise is used as it is. If this difference is smaller than this, the correction is made in consideration of the influence of background noise, and the estimated noise level is used when the target sound is present alone. The correction method is, for example, 1 dB for 6 dB to 9 dB, 2 dB for 4 dB to 5 dB, and 3 dB for 3 dB, and subtracts each from the measured value to estimate the sound when there is only one. And However, if it is less than 3 dB, it cannot be estimated. (Step 70
4) When noise is generated, the noise detection function determines the maximum value and average value of the noise level, the increase / decrease time of the noise measured by using the timer function of the central processing unit 402, and the properties and frequency characteristics of the waveform. A message describing the indicated sound characteristic information is broadcast to the home terminal of each house. Thereafter, the process returns to step 701.

As described above, the noise detection function uses the information of the human sensor 404 and the device control program 504 to obtain the measured sound only in the numerical value acquired by the noise level measurement program 502. Or
It compensates for the drawback of not being able to identify sounds from outside the home. That is, it is possible to distinguish whether the measured sound is a sound generated from the own room or a sound generated from outside the house, except when the sound is generated from a device whose state cannot be obtained by the device control program.

Next, the function of creating a noise influence table will be described.

The noise impact table creation function collects information on noise observed at other home terminals, determines whether or not the noise emitted from the home equipment in the own room is affecting, and determines whether or not the noise is affected. Noise impact table 60 for storing the impact when it is determined that the
This is stored in 0. FIG. 8 shows an example of the processing flow. (Step 801) Via the external communication driver 501,
The electronic device receives a message in which a noise level measured by another home terminal, an increase / decrease time of the noise, and sound characteristic information indicating a waveform property, a frequency characteristic, and the like are described. (Step 802) A home device event log is searched based on the observed increase / decrease time of the noise to determine whether or not the relevant noise is generated from the home device of the dwelling unit where the home terminal is installed. In this search process, the received noise increase / decrease time is compared with the time of each event stored in the in-home device event log, a substantially matching event is checked, and the corresponding device type and the device setting at that time are read. That is, the O.D. of the home device stored in the home device event log
Like N / OFF or UP / DOWN of volume,
The time at which the device settings were changed to increase or decrease the noise,
If the time difference from the received increase / decrease time is within a certain error (for example, within 1000 milliseconds), it is determined that the noise is generated from the home appliance of the dwelling unit where the home terminal is installed.

As described above, the received noise level at this time is the noise level of the noise transmitted from the dwelling unit where the own home terminal is installed to the dwelling unit where another home terminal (source home terminal) is installed. Can be determined.

The noise observed at a dwelling unit transmitted from a neighboring dwelling unit along a wall, a window, or a floor is referred to as transmitted noise, and the present invention is based on actual measured values. You can know the value. (Step 803) The noise influence level table 600 is updated using the obtained transmitted noise level value. Specifically, the cell corresponding to the device type of the device that generated the noise, the device level, and the home terminal address at which the noise was measured are updated. For example, if the noise at the noise level of 50 dB detected in the room 22 matches when the volume of the TV 1 is set to 3, the device type in the column heading is TV 1, the volume is volume 3, and the home terminal address in the row heading is 2
The cell corresponding to 2 is updated. Then, step 801
Return to

The updating method includes not only a method of simply overwriting but also a method of obtaining an average by holding the total value of the number of times of noise measurement and the noise level (the value calculated by the following formula A is stored). Method) is also conceivable. Average transmitted noise level = (Σtransmitted noise level) / number of times of noise measurement ... Equation A Although not shown, a table associating the properties and frequency characteristics of the received waveform with the corresponding devices is stored in the storage device 40.
3 and used for the determination of the noise and the in-home device in step 801.

In this way, the noise impact table creation function saves the loudness of the noise observed at another home terminal, and gradually makes it possible to output the sound level from the sound of daily life. For example, it is possible to obtain a range of the degree of influence of noise, that is, how much sound volume is transmitted to which room.

The sound volume coordination control program 507 has a sound volume adjusting function and a permissible transmitted noise level notifying function.

The volume adjustment function is a function of adjusting the equipment level of the home equipment by acquiring the permissible transmitted noise level from each home terminal (for example, adjusting the volume of an audio equipment or notifying the influence to notify the appropriateness. FIG. 9 shows an example of the processing flow. Note that the permissible transmitted noise level is defined as an allowable noise level of the transmitted noise when the sound propagates from a dwelling unit that is the source of the noise to a certain dwelling unit. It is assumed that each resident has set in advance the home terminal of the room. (Step 901) For example, ON / OFF of a switch of an audio device such as a television via the device control program 504.
It receives notifications of device state changes such as OFF, volume UP / DOWN, air conditioning blower strength, and vacuum cleaner power strength, and recognizes the possibility of noise. It is assumed that the use or non-use of the headphone in the audio device can be determined, and that no change is detected during use. (Step 902) When such noise is generated, an inquiry is made on the permissible transmitted noise level of another home terminal in order to determine whether the noise may be generated (whether or not the operation may be performed with the setting). Create data and use the external communication driver 501
Broadcast notification to other home terminals via. (Step 903) The reply to the broadcast notification sent is
The data is received and collected via the external communication driver 501 to obtain an allowable transmitted noise level at another home terminal. (Step 904) The condition for terminating the process of step 903 is until reception from the home terminals of all the dwelling units in the apartment house or after elapse of a predetermined time. (Step 905) From the received permissible transmitted noise level and the noise influence degree table 600 stored in the storage device 403, the maximum permissible level of the home device in which the change in the device level is detected (for example, the maximum permissible volume level for audio devices) Look up). That is, the device level obtained here is a device level that can output the maximum volume within a range that does not bother the residents around the device. (Step 906) Via the home communication driver 505,
Automatically adjust the volume level of home equipment, for example, a television or a stereo. Alternatively, a request to display on the user input / output device 405 a message notifying the use of the vacuum cleaner is made to the user input / output control driver 503.

In this way, the sound volume coordination control program can automatically adjust the sound volume of the device, and on the other hand, can output a sound volume in a range that does not bother surrounding residents.

The permissible transmitted noise level notification function is a function of notifying the permissible transmitted noise level set by the resident in response to a request from another home terminal, and FIG. 10 shows an example of the processing flow. (Step 1001) An inquiry about an allowable transmitted noise level is received. (Step 1002) The permissible transmitted noise level is returned to the requesting home terminal via the external communication driver.

In each home terminal, even if the observed noise has the same noise level, the noise level depends on the user's condition (whether it is awake and active or sleeping), the level of background noise, and the like. Since the way of feeling changes, for example, day, evening, night (for example, day (AM8: 00)
~ PM 6:00), Evening (PM 6:00 to PM 11:00)
0) and night (PM 11:00 to AM: 6:00)), the permissible transmitted noise level is finely set (for example, 80 dB when absent, 50 dB during the day when in the room, and 45 d in the evening when the room is in the room).
B, 35 dB at night when the person is in the room), and an allowable transmission noise level corresponding to the time when the inquiry is received may be returned. Further, since the permissible transmitted noise level differs depending on the difference between the presence / absence of the user, it is also possible to provide a division between when the user is at home and when the user is absent, and set the respective permissible transmitted noise levels. However, if an extremely large permissible transmitted noise level is set when the user is absent, the home terminal that has received it can presume that the resident is clearly absent, which is not desirable from the viewpoint of privacy protection. Therefore, the permissible transmitted noise level when absent is
It is desirable that the setting be within a range of common sense that can be tolerated at home. It should be noted that the determination as to whether to respond to the permissible transmitted noise level at home or absent may be made by checking the state of the human detection sensor 404 of the home terminal.

In this way, the permissible transmitted noise level notification function can notify the home terminal of each dwelling unit of the permissible transmitted noise level that changes based on the state of its own dwelling unit (for example, the presence or absence of a resident).

An example of the system configuration according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above. Hereinafter, an overall operation example of the present system will be described. The flow of the process of learning the noise impact table will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 shows the system configuration of only the rooms 11, 12, 13, 21, 22, and 23 of the apartment house shown in FIG. 1 for simplification of description. is there. Now
It is assumed that a resident is present in rooms 11, 12, 22 and 23. In Room 23, the description will be made on the assumption that the power of the television in the house is turned on and the volume level is set to “3”.

At this time, since the resident is absent in the rooms 13 and 21, the learning process of the noise influence table is performed only by the home terminals 13 and 21 in these rooms.

The home terminal 13 measures 60 dB, the home terminal 21 measures 40 dB, and it is assumed that noise is detected at each.

The home terminal 13 broadcasts a message in which the noise level of 60 dB, the increase / decrease time of the noise, and the sound characteristic information of the noise are recorded.
A message containing the noise level of 0 dB, the increase / decrease time of the noise, and the sound characteristic information of the noise is broadcast.

The other home terminals 11 and 1 receiving this
2, 13, 21, 22, and 23 search the home device event log held by each home terminal, and determine whether or not the corresponding noise is generated from the home device based on the noise increase / decrease time. Now, since the television connected to the home terminal 23 is a noise source, the home terminal 23 determines that the corresponding noise has occurred from inside the house, and updates the noise influence degree table 600.

This processing system is a system for automatically acquiring the degree of influence of noise outside the house, but can also be applied to a system inside the house. For example, each home appliance holds its own device event log, and a home terminal in the home broadcasts a message to the home home appliance by detecting an increase or decrease in noise, and the noise of the noise written in the broadcast message is transmitted. By matching the increase / decrease time with the event time in the event log, the home appliance can acquire the loudness of the sound generated by itself.

Further, in place of the sound receiving device and the noise level measurement program of the home terminal, the present invention can be applied to a program for measuring other sensors and fluctuations of the values of the sensors. For example, using a power meter and a power measurement program,
By connecting the power meter to the distribution board in the house, the telegram is broadcast by detecting the increase or decrease in the amount of power in the house, and the time of increase or decrease in the amount of power in the entire house described in the broadcasted message By matching the event time in the device event log, the home electric appliance can acquire the amount of power generated by itself.

Next, the overall flow of the volume adjustment process will be described with reference to FIG.

Now, as in the case of FIG.
It is assumed that a resident is present in rooms 12, 12, and 23. Similarly, the description will be made on the assumption that the power of the television in the house in the room 23 is turned on and the volume level is set to “3”.

The home terminal 23 obtains a change in the device state when the power of the television is turned on, and inquires whether the noise may be output, and inquires of the home terminals 11, 12 and 1 of the apartment houses.
Broadcasting is performed on 3, 21, and 22.

In response to this inquiry, each home terminal responds to the inquiry-source home terminal 23 with an allowable transmission noise level preset in each home terminal.

Next, the home terminal 23 receives and collects the permissible transmitted noise level.

For example, it is assumed that the permissible transmitted noise level from each home terminal is as follows from the reply message.

Home terminal 11: Allowable noise level 40 dB Home terminal 12: Allowable noise level 45 dB Home terminal 13: Allowable noise level 90 dB Home terminal 21: Allowable noise level 90 dB Home terminal 22: Allowable noise level 45 dB When turning on the TV based on the permissible transmitted noise level from each home terminal,
Find the effect of noise on each house. The effect of noise on each house
It is determined by referring to the table 600 in FIG.

Restrictions on the volume level obtained using the numerical values stored in FIG. 6 are as follows.

Maximum volume level not disturbing home terminal 11: 4 or less Maximum volume level not disturbing home terminal 12: 3 or less Maximum volume level not disturbing home terminal 13: 4 or more Disturbance to home terminal 21 12, the maximum volume level that does not bother the home terminal 22: 2 or less In other words, in the situation of FIG. When the highest volume level is desired, room 22 has the most restrictive condition, and the volume level is 2.

[0096] In response to this result, the home terminal 23 automatically adjusts the volume level of the television in the house to "2", or instructs the resident in the room 23 via the user input / output control driver 503. The user input / output device performs display such that the volume level is set to “2”.

[0097]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be expected.

The volume of the equipment is automatically adjusted so that the sound generated by audio equipment such as televisions and audios and the operation noise generated by white goods such as vacuum cleaners and washing machines do not disturb the residents around them. In a system that provides guidance to residents to limit noise to equipment or suppress the generation of equipment noise, the noise generated from a dwelling unit in an apartment complex can be accepted not only by adjacent dwelling units but also by residents of other non-adjacent dwelling units. This provides a means for accurately grasping the sound based on the actual volume. Furthermore, when the value exceeds the upper limit value, not only is the type of source device specified and the dweller is warned to reduce the sound of the source device, but also the loudness of the device is adjusted and limit control is performed. Thus, noise can be automatically reduced.

Further, the state of the inhabitants of the surrounding dwelling units can be accurately grasped, and the volume of the equipment in the room can be automatically adjusted according to this state so as not to cause trouble.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of an apartment house 100 as an example to which the system of the present invention is applied.

2 is a system configuration diagram of the apartment house 100. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a message format between home terminals.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a home terminal 23.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a program configuration for operating on a home terminal 23.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a noise influence table 600.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of a noise detection function.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of processing of a sound influence table creation function.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a volume adjustment function.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an allowable transmitted noise level notification function.

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a flow of a learning process of a noise influence table.

FIG. 12 is a schematic sectional view showing an example of the flow of a volume adjustment process.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 ... apartment house, 11-44 ... home terminal, 201 ...
Network, 210 ... home network, 211 ...
TV, 401: external communication device, 402: central processing unit, 403: storage device, 404: human detection sensor, 40
5: User input / output device, 406: Sound receiving device, 407: Home communication device, 501: External communication driver, 502: Noise level measurement program, 503: User input / output control driver, 504: Device control driver, 505: Home communication Driver, 506 ... Noise impact learning program, 507 ...
Volume coordination control program, 600: Noise impact table.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (72) Inventor Katsumi Kono 1099 Ozenji Temple, Aso-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside System Development Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd. 5C086 AA45 BA02 CA09 CB16 CB26 DA40 EA45 5K048 AA00 BA13

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A system in which a plurality of home terminal devices installed in each room are interconnected by a first network, and each home terminal device and home electric appliances in each room are connected by a second network. Means for measuring the time and examining the time and storing them as sound characteristic information; means for detecting a change in the state information of the household electric appliance via the second network and storing the change as time and own room sound state information; Based on the time difference between the sound characteristic information and the stored room sound state information, it is determined whether or not the sound measured in the room is a sound emitted from a home appliance in the room. A home terminal device. 2. A system in which a plurality of home terminal devices installed in each room are interconnected by a first network, and each home terminal device and home appliances in each room are connected by a second network. Means for communicating with the home terminal device of the room, means for measuring the volume and examining the time, storing these as sound characteristic information, and transmitting a message including its own installation location information and the sound characteristic information to another Means for broadcasting to the home terminal device in the room; means for referring to state information relating to the volume of the home electric appliance via the second network; Means for storing as state information; sound characteristic information included in the message transmitted and received from another home terminal device; Means for determining whether or not the sound measured in the other room is the sound emitted from the home electric appliance in the own room based on the time difference from the state information and the home terminal device. . 3. The home terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the time of the sound characteristic information is a time at which the volume has significantly changed. 4. The home terminal device according to claim 1, wherein waveform information of a sound is examined instead of time, and the waveform information is stored in the sound characteristic information. 3. The home terminal device according to claim 1, wherein said waveform information is stored in said own room sound state information, and said determination processing according to claim 1 or 2 is performed based on whether or not these waveform information are similar. 5. The home terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the message is broadcast when the measured volume exceeds an allowable volume set by a resident. A home terminal device characterized by the following. 6. The home terminal device according to claim 2, wherein a means for detecting the presence or absence of the resident, and whether or not to transmit the message according to the presence or absence state. A home terminal device comprising: 7. The home terminal device according to claim 2, wherein a means for storing a correlation between a state of home electric appliances in the own room and a sound volume measured in another room, Means for detecting a change in the state of the household electrical appliance and estimating a volume measured in another room from the state and the stored correlation, and determining whether or not this is within a range permitted by another home terminal device. A means for judging whether or not to exceed the limit, and issuing a warning to a resident of the own room. 8. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising means for controlling the setting of the household electric appliance via the second network so that the volume of the household electric appliance is within an allowable range, instead of the means for issuing a warning to the resident. A home terminal device characterized by the above-mentioned. 9. A sound volume adjustment system, wherein the home terminal devices according to claim 2 are connected to each other via a first network. 10. A system in which a plurality of home terminal devices installed in each room are interconnected by a first network, and each home terminal device and home appliances in each room are connected by a second network. Means for communicating with the home terminal device of the room, means for storing information observed in the own room and the time thereof as observation information, and transmitting a message including the location information of the own room and the observation information to the home terminal device of another room. Means for broadcasting, means for referring to the state information of the home appliance via the second network, means for detecting a change in the state information of the home appliance and storing this together with the time as own room state information, From the observation information included in the message transmitted and received from the terminal device and the stored own room state information, the information measured in the other room is Means for determining whether or not the information is attributable to a home appliance.