JP2006079311A - Information terminal and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information terminal capable of warning a user about detected information of high importance, such as an abnormality detection event (interruption accident of a gas meter or the like) during energy use or a sensor detection event as to a security system function in a manner that suits the user's lifestyle while increasing reliability. <P>SOLUTION: The information terminal 5, which either sounds an alarm upon receiving information about the detection of abnormalities with a security sensor 2 or a gas meter 4 or reports various events such as a service information reception event, is provided with an alarm sound setting means 301 and a warning sound setting means 302 and lets the user select a set value of sound volume depending on a set level of warning, so that the user can set the sound volume of warning to his liking to enhance the convenience of important warning. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an information terminal and a program for communicating with facility equipment, home appliances, and sensor devices to detect anomalies and to notify anomaly information generated in the home.

  There exists patent document 1 as a conventional this kind of abnormality notification system. The disaster prevention receivers described here are connected to fire detectors, gas leak detectors, etc., and the contents of abnormality detection receive fire warning signals as level 2 such as fire confirmation alarms and gas leak alarms as level 1. The warning alert when the alarm is made is reported in three levels as in the case of a failure alarm in the case of a line failure or the like as level 3 (the lower the level, the higher the priority).

When an abnormal event occurs from the connected fire detector and gas leak detector, and an abnormality detection signal is received by the disaster prevention receiver, an alarm sounds from the speaker. If two abnormal events of the same level occur simultaneously, one alarm is sounded for one cycle, and then another abnormal event is sounded. After that, the alarm is sounded alternately. If two abnormal events with different levels occur, for example, if a level 1 abnormal event occurs while the alarm is sounding due to a level 3 event, the level 3 alarm is immediately stopped and the content of the level 1 abnormal event Sound an alarm.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-67855

  However, in the conventional configuration, the volume of the notification sound is fixed regardless of the priority of the abnormality occurrence content, or there is no function that can be set individually for each abnormality event, and the reproduction of the abnormality notification sound Regardless, there was a problem of being notified at the same volume.

  In addition, in the case of an information terminal that has crime prevention / disaster prevention functions and informs service information used daily in daily life such as living information such as advertisement information and e-mail information, It is necessary to notify a wide range of alarm notifications that must be communicated to the user even in such situations / conditions, and the volume of the notification sound can be set by notifying abnormal events and various service events to meet the user's preference. There was a problem that it was necessary to make the notification form.

  The present invention addresses the above-described conventional problems. The notification volume when the abnormal event and the daily contact / notification event are received can be changed according to the priority of the event content. By providing alarm sound setting means for high events and notification sound setting means for lower priority events, and setting the notification sound volume according to each event, the user's preference In addition to enabling notifications according to the situation of the user, the status of the user's life is detected on the information terminal using highly sensitive detection information such as an abnormality detection event for energy use (such as a gas meter shut-off event) and a sensor detection event for the security system function. It is an object of the present invention to improve convenience and certainty in a form suitable for notification to the user.

  In order to solve the conventional problem, an information terminal according to the present invention includes an information terminal that communicates with an equipment device, a home appliance, or a sensor device, and notifies an alarm when the device detects an abnormality. An alarm sound setting means for setting an alarm sound volume when an abnormality is detected in the device, an alarm sound setting means for setting the volume of other alarm sounds, a sound alarm means for reproducing the alarm sound or the alarm sound, and a sound A notification level determining means for determining the notification level information and acquiring a volume setting value corresponding to the notification level, detecting an abnormality in the device and communicating to the information terminal, and setting the alarm volume according to the notification level By alerting the alarm sound with a value, the volume of the sound to be notified for the intention of the user or the service provider can be changed / set according to the notification content and the notification level. Usage of the or, in accordance with the living conditions, convenience, in which so as to increase the serviceability the sound for informing of the various events, including abnormal events.

  The information terminal, information terminal system, and program of the present invention provide an alarm sound and a notification sound according to the notification level, and the volume is set by the alarm sound setting means and the notification sound setting means which are the respective volume setting means. In an information terminal that performs various information notifications including abnormal events, the volume of important alarms that are abnormal events such as gas abnormalities and daily notifications that are service events such as notifications can be set according to user preferences. Thus, it is possible to arbitrarily set the alarm to be reproduced with a loud sound and the notification to be reproduced with a small sound, and there is an effect of improving the convenience of sound reproduction in an information terminal that handles various events.

  1st invention communicates with an equipment apparatus, household appliances, or a sensor apparatus, When the said apparatus detects abnormality, the information terminal which alert | reports an alarm is provided, When the abnormality is detected by the said apparatus in the said information terminal An alarm sound setting means for setting an alarm volume, an alarm sound setting means for setting the volume of other alarm sounds, a sound alarm means for reproducing the alarm sound or the alarm sound, and determining and notifying the alarm level of the sound Notification level determination means for acquiring a volume setting value according to the level, and when the notification of abnormality of the device or various events occurs and is notified to the information terminal, the notification level determination means determines the notification level of the event When the alarm sound is notified, the alarm sound setting means acquires the alarm sound volume setting value. When the alarm sound is notified, the alarm sound volume setting value is acquired from the alarm sound setting means and the sound is notified. Do It is obtained by configuring the broadcast terminal.

  And the setting value of the warning sound setting means or the setting value of the warning sound setting means is set separately and divided into warning sound and warning sound according to the warning level. It is possible to set the volume of the notification to be low, and to set the volume setting to be large for important notifications such as gas abnormality, so that the sound can be set according to the user's preference.

  Also, in information terminals that provide functions for monitoring and alarming abnormalities for disaster prevention and crime prevention, as well as service functions such as daily notices, security sensors for abnormal events such as crime prevention and disaster prevention events, and abnormal gas detection Sounds can be played by distinguishing between high-level events and low-importance service events such as notifications and advertisements, so that only important events are played at a high volume so that the user does not miss it. Low-severity events that occur frequently every day may be overlooked, so setting the volume to a low level will cause service event sounds to be played at night or when you are out of the office. It is possible to cope with the situation and provide both the certainty and convenience of sound reproduction of the alarm function and the service function.

  2nd invention is provided with the alerting | reporting form change means which acquires the operation mode of an information terminal, and changes an alerting | reporting form according to an alerting | reporting level, and when the priority of an alerting | reporting level is high, an alerting | reporting form change means changes an alerting | reporting form And in the alerting | reporting of an information, the information terminal made to alert | report with the alarm sound set by the alarm sound setting means is comprised.

  Then, by acquiring the operation mode and changing the notification mode, it is possible to change whether to notify at the notification level according to the operation state of the information terminal. Only the notification level event set in the alarm sound can be reproduced at the sound volume set by the alarm sound setting means in the operation state, and the convenience for the user is improved.

  In the third aspect of the invention, the operation mode includes at least an outing mode for determining whether the user has gone out. In the outing mode, the notification mode is changed by the notification mode changing unit, and the warning sound set by the warning sound setting unit is notified. Information terminal that does not.

  And when it is set to the outing mode, an alarm set for an event with a high notification level in a mode in which it is known that the user is outside the home by changing the notification mode by the notification mode changing means The sound can be prevented from being notified, and the notification sound is sounded, so that it is possible to prevent a nearby resident from being inconvenienced by misinformation or the like, and the convenience of the user is improved.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the set volume ranges of the alarm sound setting means and the notification sound setting means are provided with different set volume ranges, and the alarm volume to be changed by the alarm sound setting means is set within the set volume range of the alarm sound. An information terminal for changing the password is configured.

  And by providing the set sound volume range (range) separately for the alarm sound setting means and the alarm sound setting means, the volume level of the alarm volume for daily use is set to a sufficient volume setting range for daily life, and the alarm volume The volume level can be set so that a large volume can be set so that it can be heard anywhere in the place where it is set as an alarm sound, so that a more appropriate volume can be set according to the event content. become.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information terminal in which a lower limit value of sound is provided for a set volume range changed by an alarm sound setting means, and no setting for volume is provided.

  And, in the setting range of the volume that can be set by the alarm sound setting means, by setting a necessary and sufficient lower limit value as the alarm sound, it is possible to eliminate the volume setting from 0 (a state where no sound is emitted), Important abnormal event information such as gas abnormality can be prevented from being notified to the user by sound.

  A sixth invention includes a server connected to the information terminal via a network, and an information terminal including a setting means for setting the function of the information terminal, and includes a setting including an alarm event and a notification level set as an alarm sound by the server The information terminal is configured to change the alarm event to which the alarm sound setting is applied by acquiring information or changing the setting information including the alarm event and the notification level by the setting means of the information terminal.

  And since the setting of alarm sound information and notification level setting information can be changed by a server connected via a network or setting means of an information terminal, the service provider's service by the server changes or the user Therefore, it is possible to cope with a case where it is desired to change an alarm event that is reproduced with an alarm sound due to the above circumstances, and the convenience for the user is further enhanced.

  A seventh invention is a program for causing a computer to execute at least a part of the information terminal according to any one of the first to sixth inventions.

  Since it is a program, it is possible to easily realize at least a part of the information terminal of the present invention by cooperating hardware resources such as an electric / information device, a computer, and a server. In addition, the program can be distributed / updated and installed easily by recording on a recording medium or distributing the program using a communication line.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an information terminal system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, an air conditioner 1, a security sensor 2, an emergency call remote controller 3, and a gas meter 4 are network home appliances having a network connection function, and wireless devices 1 d, 2 d, 3 d, and 4 d are connected to communicate with the information terminal 5 wirelessly. It has a function to do.

  The wireless devices (1d, 2d, 3d, 4d) are configured by a wireless communication medium such as a wireless LAN, Bluetooth (R), or a specific low power wireless. In this embodiment, the air conditioner 1, the security sensor 2, and the emergency call remote controller 3 are equipped with the ECHONET (R) protocol, which is a standard for a specific low power radio (400 MHz band) and home network system, and the gas meter 4 is also the same. A system using a specific low power radio (400 MHz band) and implementing a gas communication protocol will be described.

  The security sensor 2 in FIG. 1 is an open / close sensor that detects the opening and closing of windows and doors, and a human sensor that detects the presence or absence of a person. The information terminal 5 communicates with a plurality of security sensors 2 (not shown). To provide security functions.

  Internet home appliances is a concept showing home appliances and equipment having a function of connecting to various networks including the Internet. In addition to the air conditioner 1, the security sensor 2, the emergency call remote control 3, and the gas meter 4, it is illustrated. There are no washing machines, refrigerators, microwave ovens, water heaters, dryers, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, gas tables, IH equipment, rice cookers, warm water toilet seats, electronic locks, various security sensors (human sensors, open / close sensors) ), Fuel cell system, cogeneration system, meter equipment (power meter, water meter), IP camera, home server, TV, video, DVD equipment, personal computer, PDA and other information terminals, mobile phone, FAX, telephone, audio equipment , And its remote control.

  When these network home appliances have a network communication function, the control state and maintenance information of the network home appliances are displayed on the central display controller or controlled by the communication means. In addition, new software for Internet home appliances, recipe information in a microwave oven, and a washing course program in a washing machine are downloaded from the server 6 that manages Internet home appliances.

  The information terminal 5 communicates the communication protocol of the message communicated on the Internet with the communication protocol (ECHONET (R) protocol) of the message communicated with the Internet home appliance and the gas communication protocol of the message communicated with the gas meter 4. Has the function of timely protocol conversion and transmission / reception each time. The communication message is control information for the network home appliance, a program downloaded to the network home appliance or the information terminal 5, content information, and the like.

  Further, it is possible to control the net home appliances and the gas meter 4 from the outside of the house via the Internet 7 or the information terminal 5 using a mobile phone 8, a PDA, or a personal computer.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the security sensor 2 includes a CPU 2a, a memory 2b, a switch for detecting opening / closing of a window / door, a heat ray detection sensor for detecting a person, a sensor 3c such as an infrared sensor, and a wireless device 2d. The necessary hardware resources such as the above are provided, and the control means 306, the information storage means 307, the sensor means 308, and the wireless communication means 309 as shown in FIG.

  Similarly, the gas meter 4 also includes necessary hardware resources such as a CPU 4a, a memory 4b, a sensor 4c, a wireless device 4d, and a shutoff valve 4e for opening and closing a gas flow path, and these are cooperated as shown in FIG. The control unit 310, the information storage unit 311, the gas usage measuring unit 312, the wireless communication unit 313, and the valve opening / closing unit 314 are functioned.

  FIG. 3 is a block configuration diagram illustrating functions of the information terminal, the security sensor, and the gas meter according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The components in FIG. 3 will be described in order.

  The control unit 306 of the security sensor 2 shifts to a warning setting state when a warning is set from the information terminal 5 or the mobile phone 8, and stores a state flag indicating the warning setting state in the information storage unit 307. . Further, when an abnormality is detected by the sensor unit 308 in the alert setting state, the abnormality detection information is created by the control unit 306, the wireless communication unit 309 is controlled, and the abnormality content is transmitted to the information terminal 5. Further, when receiving the notification stop information from the information terminal 5, the control unit 306 controls to stop the notification of the security sensor 2.

  The information storage unit 307 (memory 3b) stores state information and control information of the security sensor 2. In addition, ID information necessary for wireless communication is stored. Those that should not be erased even when the power is turned off are configured to store status information such as control status stored in the Flash memory and EEPROM of a nonvolatile medium in RAM.

  The sensor means 308 includes a contact type switch sensor when the security sensor 2 is an open / close sensor, a heat ray sensor that detects a heat ray emitted by a person, or an infrared sensor that emits an infrared beam when the sensor 2 is a human sensor. .

  The wireless communication means 309 (wireless device 2d) is installed within an effective transmission distance capable of wireless communication with the wireless device 5d of the information terminal 5. Although not shown, the wireless communication unit 309 (wireless device 2d) may be provided separately from the security sensor 2, or may be integrated. Further, when a control command or control information to be transmitted is acquired from the control means 306, it is processed into a data format for wireless communication, converted into a radio signal, and radiated as a radio wave to space. Although not shown in FIG. 3, an antenna is connected to the wireless communication unit 309.

  The control unit 310 of the gas meter 4 controls the gas usage measuring unit 312 and the valve opening / closing unit 314 provided in the gas meter 4 to function as the gas meter 4. The main functions of the gas meter 4 include a function of measuring the amount of gas used and recording it in the information storage means 311 and a function of monitoring the supply of gas detected by a sensor (not shown in FIG. 3). The control means 310 controls the constituent functions.

  When reporting the amount of gas used to the information terminal 5 and the server 6, the gas usage is periodically transmitted to the information terminal 5 via the wireless communication means 313. In the gas supply safety monitoring function, when an abnormality is detected by the sensor, the detected abnormality information is immediately transmitted to the wireless communication means 313 and transmitted to the information terminal 5.

  The information storage means 311 holds the gas usage measured by the gas meter 4 and abnormality information when a gas abnormality occurs.

  The gas usage measuring means 312 measures the gas usage at regular intervals and stores it in the information storage means 311.

  Similarly to the wireless communication unit 309 of the security sensor 2, the wireless communication unit 313 is installed within an effective transmission distance capable of wireless communication with the wireless device 5d of the information terminal 5 described below. Although not shown, the wireless communication unit 313 (wireless device 4d) may be provided separately from the gas meter 4, or may be integrated. Further, when a control command or control information to be transmitted is acquired from the control means 310, it is processed into a data format for wireless communication, converted into a radio signal, and radiated as a radio wave to space. Although not shown in FIG. 3, an antenna is connected to the wireless communication means 313.

  Although not shown, the valve opening / closing means 314 provides a function of opening and shutting off the gas flow in the gas pipe connected to the gas meter 4. When a shut-off command is transmitted from the information terminal 5, the server 6 (management center), or the mobile phone 8, it is wirelessly received by the wireless communication means 313, the valve opening / closing means 314 is controlled by the control means 310, and the valve of the gas pipe is controlled. Cut off. Similarly, return control for opening the valve is also performed.

  Although not shown in the present embodiment, the air conditioner 1 includes the necessary hardware resources for the compressor and heat exchanger for realizing the air conditioning function, and the emergency call remote controller 3. The emergency call remote controller 3 presses a switch provided in an emergency such as when the user is in a bad condition, and transmits emergency information to the information terminal 5 by the wireless device 3d. Then, the information is notified to the predetermined contact by telephone or e-mail under the control of the information terminal 5.

  Next, the information terminal 5 is connected to the ISP 6 and connected to the server 6 via the Internet using a communication medium constituted by PSTN, ISDN, ADSL, CATV network, optical cable, PHS, wireless communication network, and the like. In addition, as a function of the information terminal 5, the home appliance communication protocol (ECHONET® protocol) / gas communication protocol and a function used for Internet communication are mutually converted, and is necessary when connecting to the server 6. It holds ID, password, etc. for user authentication.

  Furthermore, ID information of a wireless device that communicates with the information terminal 5 is also held. In addition to the external storage device 5c such as the CPU 5a, the memory 5b, the Flash ROM, the ROM, and the HDD (Hard Disk Drive) as shown in FIG. 2, the information terminal 5 includes a wireless device 5d that communicates with the wireless device of the home appliance. , A hardware resource such as a communication interface 5e such as a modem or Ethernet (registered trademark), and the like, and in cooperation with them, an alarm sound setting unit 301, a notification sound setting unit 302, and a wireless communication unit 303 as shown in FIG. , Event information determination means 304, notification level determination means 305, notification control means 315, sound notification means 316, operation setting means 317, state detection means 318, notification form change means 319, display means 320, and out-of-home communication means 321 I am letting.

  The alarm sound setting means 301 generates important notification events that need to be immediately transmitted to the user, such as abnormality information (such as a blocking event) detected by the gas meter 4 and abnormality information detected by the security sensor 2 that provides a security function. Set the volume of the alarm sound to be notified when received. A user operates to set the volume of the alarm sound by operation setting means 317 described later. The set sound volume information is stored in the memory of the information terminal 5 by the alarm sound setting means 301 together with the notification level information.

  The notification sound setting means 302 sets the volume of event information other than the notification event set by the alarm sound. The notification sound is provided in the information terminal 5, the reception event when the notification information transmitted from the server 6 to the information terminal 5 or the advertisement information is received, the failure event that receives the failure information from the network home appliance or the security sensor 2, and so on. It is a sound that is notified by an alarm event or a control notification event that is received when the gas meter 4 is shut off or returned from the server 6. As with the alarm sound setting means 301, the sound volume information set by the user is stored in the memory of the information terminal 5 by the notification sound setting means 302 together with the notification level information.

  The wireless communication unit 303 includes a wireless device 5d, and wirelessly communicates a control message received from the server 6 and a control message transmitted to the network appliance, the security sensor 2, or the gas meter 4. A specific low power radio (400 MHz band) is used as the radio medium. As for the communication protocol, the security sensor 2 uses ECHONET (R), which is a standard for home networks, and a gas communication protocol to the gas meter 4. In addition, scramble code conversion is performed on data to be transmitted.

  The event information determination unit 304 is an event transmitted from the gas meter 4 or the security sensor 2 and received by the wireless communication unit 303, or the various abnormal events described above that are received events from the server 6 received by the outside communication unit 321. A notification event is received and analyzed, contents and notification level information are acquired, and passed to notification level determination means 305 described later.

  The notification level determination unit 305 acquires the notification content and notification level information acquired by the event information determination unit 304, and an event with a high notification level priority, in this embodiment, an abnormality detection event of a gas abnormality or a security sensor. Is received, the alarm volume managed by the alarm sound setting means 301 is read from the memory. When other low priority events, failure events, control notification events, etc. are received, the notification volume managed by the notification sound setting means 302 is read from the memory.

Then, a notification sound is sounded by the sound notification means 316 by the notification control means 315 with the acquired notification content and volume information. The notification content includes the type of alarm sound reproduced by the sound notification means 316, guidance voice information uttered in response to an abnormal event, and the like.
The sound notification means 316 is hardware such as a speaker or an electronic buzzer, and is configured by a device that can control the volume.

  The operation setting unit 317 is an input unit provided in the information terminal 5 and includes a hard switch and a touch panel. When the user operates the operation setting unit 317, the sound volume of the notification sound setting unit 302 and the alarm sound setting unit 301, setting change of notification level information described later, and status information for using the function of the information terminal 5 (Outing mode, home mode, details will be described later) are set.

  The state detection unit 318 reads out state information (stored in the memory at the time of setting) that is set when the user uses the information terminal 5 function by the operation setting unit 317, and notifies the state of the state information by the notification setting change unit 318. Pass to.

  The notification form changing unit 319 controls the notification control unit 315 based on the state information acquired by the state detection unit 318, and changes the content notified by the sound notification unit 316 and the display unit 320. Change control of sounding / non-ringing of notification sound and display / non-display of notification screen is performed.

  The display means 320 provides a display function of the information terminal 5 and is configured by a liquid crystal, an EL display, or the like. When a notification event is received, the notification control unit 315 displays a notification screen corresponding to the notification event.

  The outside communication means 321 connects the information terminal 5 to an external communication network such as the Internet 7 or a telephone line, and realizes a state where data can be transmitted and received with the server 6 as shown in FIG. Specifically, in FIG. 3, the out-of-home communication means 321 connects to an ISP (Internet Service Provider) via a protocol such as PPP, PPPoE, PPPoA through an NCU (Network Control Unit) or a router device (not shown). TCP / IP connection to the server 6 through the Internet.

  In this embodiment, although not shown, the ISP is an Internet service provider and provides a service for connecting to the Internet. Communication is performed using TCP / IP, HTTP, or the like generally used on the Internet as a communication protocol. As data to be communicated, HTML, XHTML, XML, Java (registered trademark) or the like generally used in a WWW (World Wide Web) server on the Internet is used. The image data and audio data may be any format generally used on the Internet and do not depend on the format.

  On the other hand, the server 6 determines the type of information terminal 5 authentication request, abnormality information notification, control response, etc. transmitted from the information terminal 5. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, hardware resources such as a CPU 6 a, a memory 6 b, an external storage device 6 c, and a communication interface 6 d are provided, and these are cooperated to transmit / receive means 501 and authentication / determination processing means 502 shown in FIG. 5. The user information database 503 and the transmission information creation means 504 are caused to function.

  The transmission / reception unit 501 performs transmission / reception with the information terminal 5 when there is a TCP / IP connection such as an authentication request from the information terminal 5 or anomaly information notification from the security sensor 2 or the gas meter 4 via the Internet 7. The state is established and information is transmitted and received.

  The authentication / judgment processing unit 502 performs processing for comparing and authenticating the terminal ID and password, which are authentication information of the information terminal 5 received from the information terminal 5 at the time of an authentication request, with the user information managed in the user information database 503. Further, the type of data is determined by the data identifier attached to the data. The received data of this embodiment includes abnormality information notification in addition to authentication information. When the abnormality information is received after the authentication process is completed, the user information database 503 is searched with the accompanying user information and recorded as the user communication history information.

  As described above, the user information database 503 stores the user's name, address, area code, telephone number, owned home appliance type, home appliance ID, notification history information of each home appliance, and the like.

  The transmission information creation means 504 creates a control message for control from the server 6 or creates a response message corresponding to the message broadcast from the user information terminal 5. When the user uses the mobile phone 8 from outside the home to set the warning of going out of the information terminal 5, the mobile phone 8 accesses the WEB page of the server 6 via the Internet 7, and the transmission information creation means of the server 6 In step 604, the prepared warning setting message is transmitted from the transmission / reception unit 501 to the information terminal 5 via the Internet 7 with respect to the IP address of the user acquired from the user information database by generating the warning setting message.

  In FIG. 5, the server 6 is illustrated as a single device, but there may be a plurality of server devices, and the user information database 503 may be in another device or in another location. The user information database 503 may also be used as management information for other services for the net home appliances and the gas meter 4.

  In this embodiment, the communication medium is connected via the Internet 7, but it can be configured to be connected by a dedicated line or a telephone line as necessary, and is not limited to the Internet 7.

  In this embodiment, communication is performed using TCP / IP, HTTP, or the like generally used on the Internet as a communication protocol with the server.

  The following operation | movement and effect | action are demonstrated about the information terminal system comprised as mentioned above, referring FIG.6, FIG.7, FIG.8. FIGS. 6 and 8 are sequence diagrams showing the operation of the information terminal system in the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. FIG. 7 is an example of display of a notification volume setting screen and an alarm volume setting screen of the information terminal system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 6, the gas meter 4 and the security sensor 2 notify the information terminal 5 of event information when a control result notification, failure occurrence, abnormality detection, or the like occurs in each device (step 601).

  The information terminal 5 that has received the event information notification uses the event information determination unit 304 to analyze the content of the event information and the notification level information (step 602).

  Then, it is determined whether the received event information has high or low priority of the notification level information. In the present embodiment, the notification level information is in three stages, 2 for gas abnormality, 2 for detection of abnormality of the security sensor, 1 for failure of the security sensor 2 and network appliances, reception of advertisement information and notification information, and control result event. 0. However, the volume setting is divided into two categories, and an event with the notification level information 2 is a warning sound, and an event with the notification levels 1 and 0 is a notification sound.

  The notification level determination unit 304 determines that the notification level information of the content analyzed by the event information determination unit 304 is 2 or 1 or less (step 603).

  If it is 2, it is read from the memory in which the alarm volume setting value is set (step 604). Then, the notification control unit 315 sets the volume based on the read alarm volume setting value, and the sound notification unit 316 rings with the notification content (sound type, guidance voice, notification time) corresponding to the content of the event information (step 605). ).

  On the contrary, when the notification level information is 1 or less, the notification level determination means 304 reads out the notification sound volume setting value from the memory (step 606). Then, the notification control unit 315 performs volume setting based on the read notification volume setting value, and the sound notification unit 316 similarly sounds with the notification content (sound type, guidance voice, notification time) according to the content of the event information ( Step 605).

  Note that the operation sequence processing does not necessarily have to be performed in this order, and the order may be switched within a range that does not hinder the processing.

  At this time, the read volume setting value is set by the user on the setting screen shown in FIG. FIG. 7A is a notification volume setting screen, and FIG. 7B is an alarm volume setting screen. As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the notification sound volume setting range (range) is 9 levels from 0 to 8 (volume level 701), and the alarm sound setting range (range) is 9 levels from 8 to 16. (Volume level 701). In this way, the notification sound and the warning sound have different set sound widths, and even if the setting is changed according to the user's preference, the warning sound is notified at a volume higher than the specified level (warning sound lower limit value 702). I am doing so. The notification sound can be changed from 0 (no sound setting) to 8 according to the user's preference.

  Note that the notification event and the notification level information can be changed by acquiring setting information (a combination of the notification event and the notification level) from the server 6 via the Internet 7 to the notification level determination unit 305. Further, a setting screen may be provided in the operation setting unit 317 so that the setting value can be changed by a user operation. In other words, the service provider and the user can change which notification content is notified at which volume setting value.

  Next, after step 602 in FIG. 6, a case where the notification form is changed depending on the operation mode will be described using the operation sequence in FIG. 8.

  FIG. 8 shows the operation when the gas meter 4 detects an abnormality and notifies the information terminal 5 of the abnormality.

  When a gas shut-off event occurs in the gas meter 4, the generated gas abnormal event is notified to the information terminal 5 by radio (step 801).

  The gas abnormality event notification received by the wireless communication means 303 is analyzed by the event information determination means 304 for the contents of the event and its notification level information (step 802).

  Next, when the operation mode is set in the information terminal 5, the operation mode setting value information set by the state detection unit 318 of the information terminal 5 is read by the state detection unit 318 (step 803). In the operation mode set value information, an operation mode, a notification method, presence / absence of sound notification, and presence / absence of screen notification are set. The set value information is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this.

  The mode information is stored in the memory, and various functions and operations of the information terminal 5 are changed depending on the operation mode. The operation mode is set by the user using the operation setting means 317, and is used in the out-of-home mode when going out and in the home mode when at home. By setting the outing mode, the security function provided by using the security sensor 2 becomes the outing warning mode. Conversely, when at home, the home alert mode is set.

  The notification mode changing unit 319 is notified of the operation mode read by the state detection unit 318, and the notification mode setting value information read by the notification control unit 315 is changed so that the notification mode according to the operation mode is obtained (step 804).

  When the outing mode is set, even if an abnormal event of notification level 2 occurs, the user is not at home, so there is no sound notification or screen notification at the information terminal, and external notification (report to server and mobile phone) Process) (step 805). Note that the notification process to the mobile phone may be a telephone call or an e-mail notification.

  When the home mode is set, the user is at home and is set to perform sound notification and screen notification on the information terminal 5, and the alarm volume setting value information set by the alarm sound setting means 301 is read from the memory (step 806).

Then, the sound notification means 316 is made to ring according to the content of the notification event based on the read volume value. Also, a notification screen display corresponding to the notification event content is performed (step 807).
In addition, the operation mode can be provided in addition to the out-of-home mode and the at-home mode, and a sleep mode (mode in which the user goes to bed) or the like is provided, so that only the notification of the abnormal event at the notification level 2 is performed. A mode for ringing can also be provided. In addition, the user can change the setting of the time zone set in the sleep mode by the operation setting unit 317. It is also possible to set so that the notification sound is sounded but the screen display is not performed.

  Note that the operation mode set value information in the notification mode of the outing mode and the home mode is an example in the present embodiment, and is not limited to this.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the specific low-power radio (400 MHz band) is used for the radio communication has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  Moreover, although operation | movement and an effect | action were demonstrated using the information terminal 5, the security sensor 2, and the gas meter 4, it is not limited to this combination, If it is a radio | wireless apparatus with which the function of this invention is mounted, it will be limited to apparatus. Not.

  Moreover, although demonstrated with the gas meter 4, even if it is an electric power meter and a water meter provided with the function which can perform communication control in order to ensure the safety | security in a house, it can comprise similarly.

  The information terminal 5 has been described as a device that converts the Internet protocol, the specific low-power radio ECHONET® protocol, and the gas communication protocol. However, the information terminal 5 may be an information terminal provided with a display unit or may not have a display unit.

  The information terminal 5 and the server 6 have been described as being connected via the Internet 7, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the connected communication line may be any medium that can communicate using the Internet communication protocol. That is, ADSL, CATV, FTTH (optical cable), wireless LAN, dedicated line, etc. may be used.

  The specific configuration of each part is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the setting value of the alarm sound setting unit 301 or the setting value of the notification sound setting unit 302 can be set separately, and the volume setting can be changed according to the notification level. Therefore, it is possible to set the volume setting for notification of service events such as notifications to be small, and to set the volume setting to be large for important notifications such as gas abnormalities. Can be set. Moreover, in the information terminal 5 that provides a function for monitoring an abnormality for disaster prevention / crime prevention and reporting an alarm, and a service event such as a daily use notice, an important event such as a gas abnormality is provided to the user. It will be possible to report both the certainty and the certainty.

  In addition, by acquiring the operation mode and changing the notification mode by the notification mode changing means 319, it is possible to change whether to notify at the notification level according to the state in which the information terminal 5 is operating. For example, during the set time period, only the event of the notification level set in the alarm sound can be notified at the volume set by the alarm sound setting means 301, and the convenience for the user is improved.

  Further, when the mode is set to the outing mode, an alarm set for an event with a high notification level in a mode in which it is known that the user is away from home by changing the notification mode by the notification mode changing means. The sound can be prevented from being notified, and the notification sound is sounded, so that it is possible to prevent inconveniences due to misinformation to neighboring residents, and the convenience for the user is improved.

  In addition, by providing the setting sound volume range (range) of the alarm sound setting unit 301 and the notification sound setting unit 302 separately, the volume level of the notification sound volume for daily use is set to a sufficient volume setting range for daily life. As for the volume level of the alarm volume, a volume setting range can be set so that a large volume can be set so that it can be heard anywhere in the place where the alarm sound is installed, and more appropriate volume setting can be set according to the event content. become able to.

  And, in the setting range of the volume that can be set by the alarm sound setting means, by setting a necessary and sufficient lower limit value as the alarm sound, it is possible to eliminate the volume setting from 0 (a state where no sound is emitted), Important abnormal event information such as gas abnormality can be prevented from being notified to the user by sound.

  In addition, the setting of alarm sound information and notification level setting information can be changed by a server connected via a network or operation means of an information terminal. This makes it possible to cope with a case where it is desired to change an alarm event notified by an alarm sound due to the above circumstances, and the convenience for the user is further enhanced.

  The means described in the present embodiment is a program for cooperating hardware resources such as a CPU (or microcomputer), a RAM, a ROM, a storage / recording device, an electric / information device including an I / O, a computer, a server, etc. You may implement with the form. Convenience and versatility are improved, making it easier to build a system. Also, in the form of a program, new functions can be easily distributed / updated and installed by recording them on a recording medium such as magnetic media or optical media or distributing them using a communication line such as the Internet.

  As described above, the information terminal and the program according to the present invention can change the sound volume setting according to the user's preference according to the notification level. The communication terminal can be applied to an information terminal other than a home, as well as a security system using a warning sound and a notification sound of an event notification, a watch-safe system, and the like.

Configuration diagram of information terminal system in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Block diagram of information terminal, security sensor, and gas meter in Embodiment 1 of the present invention The block block diagram which shows the function of the information terminal, security sensor, and gas meter in Embodiment 1 of this invention The block block diagram of the server in Embodiment 1 of this invention The block block diagram which shows the function of the server in Embodiment 1 of this invention The figure which shows the operation | movement sequence of the information terminal system in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the alarm sound setting / notification sound setting screen in Embodiment 1 of this invention The figure which shows the operation | movement sequence which changes a alerting | reporting form with the operation mode of the information terminal system in Embodiment 1 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

2 Security sensor (sensor equipment)
4 Gas meter (equipment)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 Information terminal 6 Server 301 Alarm sound setting means 302 Notification sound setting means 305 Notification level determination means 316 Sound notification means 317 Operation setting means (setting means)
319 Notification mode change means

Claims (7)

An alarm that communicates with equipment, home appliances, or sensor devices, and has an information terminal that notifies an alarm when the device detects an abnormality, and sets an alarm volume when the device detects an abnormality in the information terminal. A sound setting means, a notification sound setting means for setting the volume of the other notification sound, a sound notification means for reproducing the alarm sound or the notification sound, a volume setting according to the notification level by determining the notification level of the sound A notification level determining means for acquiring a value, and when an abnormality notification of the device or various events occur and notified to the information terminal, the notification level determination means determines the notification level of the event and notifies it as an alarm sound In the case where the alarm sound volume is set, the alarm sound volume setting value is acquired from the alarm sound setting means, and when the notification sound is notified, the notification sound volume setting value is acquired from the notification sound setting means and the sound is notified. . An information mode changing unit that acquires an operation mode of the information terminal and changes the notification mode according to the notification level is provided. When the priority of the notification level is high, the notification mode is changed by the notification mode changing unit, and sound notification is performed. The information terminal according to claim 1, wherein an alarm sound set by the alarm sound setting means is used for notification. The operation mode includes at least an outing mode for determining whether the user has gone out, and in the outing mode, the notification mode is changed by the notification mode changing unit, and the alarm sound set by the alarm sound setting unit is not notified. Information terminal described in 1. 2. The set sound volume ranges of the alarm sound setting means and the notification sound setting means are provided with different set sound volume widths, and the alarm sound volume changed by the alarm sound setting means is changed within the set sound sound volume range of the alarm sound. 2. The information terminal according to 2 or 3. 5. The information terminal according to claim 4, wherein a lower limit value of the sound is provided in the set sound volume range changed by the alarm sound setting means, and no sound volume setting is provided. Communicating with a server connected via a network, comprising an information terminal comprising setting means for setting the function of the information terminal, and obtaining setting information including an alarm event and a notification level set as an alarm sound from the server, The information terminal according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, wherein the alarm event to which the alarm sound setting is applied is changed by changing the setting information including the alarm event and the notification level by the setting means of the information terminal. . The program for making a computer perform at least one part of the information terminal of any one of Claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6.

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