JP2008217176A - Warning system, warning transmitter and warning output device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a warning system which can be brought into wide use, and a warning transmitter and a warning output device for use in the warning system. <P>SOLUTION: This warning system is organized by the warning transmitter configured to give an address data corresponding to a transmission area to a warning announcement data encoded by ADPCM system or the like, and deliver the same, and a warning output device configured to decode warning announcement data varied with every area, which is received based on the address data, and output the same as voice. The warning output device may be assembled in a fire alarm, a sprinkler, household electrical appliances, a telephone set, a facsimile device, a timepiece and the like. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an alarm system such as a natural disaster.

Known alarm systems for natural disasters include the installation of sirens and speakers that cover the town and patrol of publicity vehicles with speakers. However, recent improvements in soundproofing of houses such as condominiums have made it difficult for external alarms to reach the room. In addition, with the diversification of neighborhood relationships, it is difficult to expect that each other suddenly communicates to families who do not notice the alarm. On the other hand, not only while watching TV and watching broadcasts, even when the power is turned off, it can be turned on automatically to transmit emergency broadcasts, etc. Various proposals have been made.
JP 2004-289279 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-028591

However, the introduction cost of the conventional system is high, and when the existing system is used, the barrier is high, and it has not spread widely.

In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide an alarm system that can be widely used in general, and an alarm transmission device and an alarm output device used in the alarm system.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides an alarm transmission device that encodes alarm announcement data and distributes the encoded alarm announcement data by assigning address data corresponding to a transmission area, and receiving based on the address data. And an alarm output device that decodes the alarm announcement data and outputs it as sound.

  According to a particular feature of the invention, the alarm transmitter comprises an ADPCM encoder that encodes alarm announcement data. On the other hand, the alarm output device has an ADPCM decoder that decodes alarm announcement data.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, an encoder unit that encodes alarm announcement data, an address data addition unit that assigns address data corresponding to a transmission area to the encoded alarm announcement data, and an encoding announcement that provides address data There is provided an alarm transmission device having a distribution unit for distributing data to a communication line.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, an alarm announcement data receiving unit that receives based on address data, a decoder unit that decodes the received alarm announcement data, and an audio output unit that outputs the decoded alarm announcement as audio. An alarm output device is provided which has

According to another feature of the present invention, a detection unit that detects an abnormal situation, a voice output unit that outputs a warning announcement based on the detection of the detection unit, a reception unit that receives warning announcement data from the outside, There is provided an alarm output device including a control unit that outputs an alarm announcement as audio from the audio output unit based on the received alarm announcement data.
According to this feature, for example, it is possible to add a function of detecting and announcing an alarm announcement from the outside to an alarm device that detects an abnormal state such as a fire alarm and notifies the abnormal state.

According to another feature of the present invention, a function unit, a sound output unit that outputs a notification announcement as a sound based on a function state of the function unit, a receiving unit that receives alarm announcement data from the outside, and a received alarm announcement There is provided an alarm output device having a control unit for outputting an alarm announcement as audio from the audio output unit based on data.
According to this feature, for example, in a rice cooker, a refrigerator, etc., a function of receiving and announcing an alarm announcement from the outside is added to a home appliance that can announce and notify various states of those functional units. Can do.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a detection unit that detects an abnormal situation, a response function unit that activates a response function based on the detection of the detection unit, a reception unit that receives alarm announcement data from the outside, and There is provided an alarm output device having an audio output unit that outputs an alarm announcement as audio based on the alarm announcement data.
According to this feature, it is possible to add a function for receiving and announcing an external alarm announcement to a device that activates a corresponding function based on detection of an abnormal state such as a sprinkler.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a power supply unit, a clock display unit that functions by being supplied with power from the power supply unit, a receiving unit that is supplied with power from the power supply unit and receives alarm announcement data from the outside, and a received alarm There is provided an alarm output device having an audio output unit that outputs an alarm announcement as audio based on the announcement data.
According to this, it is possible to know that power is normally supplied to the alarm output device that is activated only at the time of abnormality by regularly checking that the clock display unit is operating.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a communication unit connected to a communication network for receiving alarm announcement data from the outside and transmitting / receiving communication data to / from the outside, a communication processing unit for processing the communication data, and the alarm announcement data And an audio output unit that outputs an alarm announcement as audio. Specifically, such an alarm output device can be realized by adding a function of receiving and announcing an alarm announcement from the outside to a telephone or a fax machine.
According to another specific feature, when the communication processing unit can process the voice, the voice output unit can also be used.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first example of an alarm system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the Japan Meteorological Agency 2 collects and analyzes disaster information from the first information source 4, the second information source 6,... . The first information source 4 or the like is composed of, for example, a seismometer. The Japan Meteorological Agency 2 issues an alarm from the area-specific alarm issuing unit 12 based on the analysis result from the information analyzing unit 10. The issued warning is announced through regular media such as television and radio broadcasts. The area-specific alarm issuing unit 12 further generates corresponding alarm announcement data based on the issued area-specific alarm. The warning announcement data to be created is, for example, “A tsunami warning has been issued. The expected arrival time of the tsunami on the Pacific coast of Hokkaido is 11:50.” “A tsunami warning has been issued. The predicted time of arrival of the tsunami is 11:55. ”“ The tsunami warning has been issued. The expected arrival time of the tsunami on the coast of Iwate is 12:30. ” The contents of each area are different. These warning announcement data are, for example, “Tsunami warning has been issued”, “Hokkaido Pacific coast”, “Tsunami arrival time”, “11:50”, etc. Unitized into multiple items.

Thus, the first reason for unitizing the announcement into a plurality of items is a measure against damage of data encoded by ADPCM (Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation). That is, if the ADPCM encoded data is damaged during communication or during decoding, decoding after the damaged portion cannot be performed. On the other hand, when a series of announcements are unitized into multiple items, even if such a situation occurs, it becomes impossible to play back in that unit, and it can be decoded from the next unit, and partly This is because the meaning of the announcement may be understood as a whole although there is a lack. For example, even if a part of “Hokkaido Pacific Coast” is missing due to damage, a series of announcements such as “A tsunami warning has been issued”, “The estimated arrival time of the tsunami”, “It is 11:50”. It is possible to understand the meaning of warnings and respond to emergencies.

The second reason for unitization into multiple items is that it is possible to handle announcements for each unitized item. For example, after repeating the “tsunami warning has been issued” several times on the receiving side, it is possible to move to the announcement after “Hokkaido Pacific Coast”. Also, in the present invention, as described later, when the same announcement is made at a plurality of positions within a short distance, there is a shift in the announcement due to a difference in the reach distance, and this is to avoid that the announcement content cannot be heard due to the overlap. The announcement at another position is made after the announcement at the position is completed. The ability to handle announcements for each unitized item is also useful in this case. In other words, if it is not unitized, all announcements at one position will be over and then the next position will be announced. The announcement at the next position will be delayed, but it will be unitized into multiple items. First, when the announcement of only the part of “Tsunami warning has been issued” at a certain position is completed, the part of “Tsunami warning has been issued” is made at the next position, Next, it is possible to set a detailed announcement order, such as making an announcement of the part of “Hokkaido Pacific Coast” in its original position. As a result, the announcement information can be shared at a plurality of positions almost simultaneously in the descending order of urgency, while avoiding overlapping voices.

As a third reason for unitization into multiple items, the data of items common to each area, such as “A tsunami warning has been issued”, is shared when encoding on the server side. Considering not having to make the same data every time.

The alarm announcement data created by the area-specific alarm issuing unit 12 is transmitted to the server 14. The server 14 belongs to a telephone station or an Internet provider, and can perform information communication through an optical line communication network such as an FTTH network (Fiber To The Home) or a broadband communication network such as ADSL. In the server 14, the area-specific IP address specifying unit 16 specifies the IP address of the designated area based on the alarm announcement data received from the area-specific alarm issuing unit 12. On the other hand, the area-specific announcement ADPCM encoder 18 encodes the announcement of the designated area according to the ADPCM for each unit based on the alarm announcement data received from the area-specific alarm issuing unit 12.
The alarm announcement data unit in which the IP address is specified and ADPCM encoded as described above is sent from an optical line terminal (OLT) 20 serving as an optical communication transmission unit of alarm announcement data to the FTTH network 22 for optical communication. The area-specific distribution of the alarm announcement data from the server 14 may be performed via the broadband internet instead of the information distribution OLT 20 and the FTTH network 22 as described above. In any case, since the existing system can be used, the introduction cost of the system is lowered.

In addition, the above-mentioned warning announcement data is prepared in a plurality of languages having the same contents for languages that may be used by residents living in the area, and the same area is given the same IP address and distributed. . These multilingual alarm announcement data are appropriately selected on the receiving side.

The alarm announcement data items sent to the FTTH network 22 can be captured in the first area 24, the second area 26, and the nth area 28, respectively, according to the IP address for each area. Naturally, the information captured in the first area 24, the second area 26, and the nth area 28 is, in the above example, “Hokkaido Pacific Coast” indicating the area name and “11:00” indicating the tsunami arrival time. 50 minutes "is different, and the others are common. In addition, the distribution of the announcement data item of the common part is created by copying the same data by the number of areas, and an IP address is assigned to each. Alternatively, one common announcement data item may be created and the IP addresses of all areas may be assigned thereto.

The first area 24 includes a first home 30, a second home 32, and an nth home 34, and these IP addresses are common to the first area 24. Accordingly, the first home 30, the second home 32, and the nth home 34 can all capture the same alarm announcement data item. The first home 30 captures an alarm announcement data item by an ONU (Optical Network Unit) unit 36 that is a terminating device of an optical line communication network such as an FTTH network. The ONU unit 36 includes an ONU 38 that is connected to the FTTH network, and a dedicated wireless module 40 that is connected to the ONU unit 36 and performs home communication by short-range wireless communication. Short-distance communication is performed by a wireless LAN such as WiFi (trademark) or Bluetooth (trademark).

The first chamber 42, the second chamber 44, the third chamber 46, and the fourth chamber 48 of the first home 30 have a normal outlet 52, an outlet 54, an outlet 56, and an outlet 58 connected to the power line 50, respectively. ing. An alarm unit 60, an alarm unit 62, an alarm unit 64, and an alarm unit 66 are inserted into each outlet. The fourth chamber 48 is further provided with a normal outlet 68. Each of the alarm unit 60, the alarm unit 62, the alarm unit 64, and the alarm unit 66 has a plug leg, and power is supplied to the alarm unit by inserting the plug leg into an outlet, and the alarm unit itself is mechanical. It is configured to be held in the outlet. Each of the alarm unit 60, the alarm unit 62, the alarm unit 64, and the alarm unit 66 includes a transmission / reception module for communicating with the dedicated wireless module 40 via a wireless LAN, thereby enabling the dedicated wireless data to be transmitted to the alarm announcement data item captured by the ONU 38. Receive from module 40. The alarm unit 60, the alarm unit 62, the alarm unit 64, and the alarm unit 66 can further decode the received alarm announcement data items and output them as voices. Will flow through all of the first chamber 42, the second chamber 44, the third chamber 46 and the fourth chamber 48 as announcements. The detailed configuration of these alarm units will be described later.

Since the first embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above, the installation is provided with the area-specific IP address specifying unit 16 and the area-specific announcement ADPCM encoder 18 on the existing server 14 side, and on the home side, a dedicated wireless It is only necessary to prepare the module 40 and each alarm unit 60, 62, 64, 66. Thus, the configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention is a system with a very low introduction cost, and contributes to the widespread use of alarm systems.

Since the outlet 52, outlet 54, outlet 56, outlet 58 and outlet 68 are ordinary outlets, the TV 70, personal computer 72, audio 74, refrigerator 76 and microwave oven 78 are connected by inserting ordinary plugs in each room. Has been. Each alarm unit has a socket port directly connected to the plug leg to avoid plugging one socket port by plugging it into an outlet. The vacuum cleaner 80 in the third chamber 46 is connected to the outlet 56 through the alarm unit 64 using such a socket port. The personal computer 72 can be connected to the FTTH network and the Internet via a router 82 connected to the ONU 38. The router 82 has an Ethernet (registered trademark) interface for forming a LAN.

The above is the outline of the configuration of the first home 30, but the second home 32 and the nth home 34 have the same configuration, and therefore the illustration of the contents is omitted in FIG. 1 for simplicity. Further, since the second area 26 and the nth area 28 have the same configuration as the first area 24, the illustration of the contents is omitted in FIG.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating details of the dedicated wireless module 40 of FIG. The dedicated wireless module 40 is controlled by the CPU 86 supplied with power from the power supply unit 84, and basically transmits an alarm announcement data item captured by the ONU from the transmission / reception module 88 to each alarm unit. The dedicated wireless module 40 performs various communication with each alarm unit in addition to the transmission of the alarm announcement data item, and the CPU 86 controls the communication with each alarm unit via the transmission / reception module 88. Is going. The audio memory 90 stores the ADPCM-encoded sound source data transmitted to the alarm unit by communication with each alarm unit as described above. The sound source data stored in the sound memory 90 includes test announcement data and abnormality announcement data prepared in advance. Further, the audio memory 90 can store audio data sampled by each alarm unit as will be described later.

The language setting unit 92 is for setting a language in an alarm announcement data item to be transmitted to each alarm unit. This setting can be made common to each dedicated wireless module 40, but can also be set finely for each alarm unit. An alarm announcement data item in a language corresponding to the setting of the language setting unit 92 is transmitted to each alarm unit. The age setting unit is for setting the age of the resident in the room where each alarm unit is installed for each alarm unit. In accordance with this age setting, volume and sound quality setting data is automatically created for the elderly. Note that sound quality setting data matching the language characteristics is automatically created even in accordance with the language setting. These volume and sound quality data are added to the alarm announcement data item and transmitted to each alarm unit.

The timing setting unit 96 sets the transmission timing of the alarm announcement data item to each alarm unit. Selection of simultaneous transmission or sequential transmission for each alarm unit, and priority of each alarm unit to be transmitted in the case of sequential transmission The order is set. The alarm announcement data item is transmitted to each alarm unit according to the setting of the timing setting unit 96.

It is the role of each alarm unit that decodes the alarm announcement data item and outputs it as sound, but the dedicated wireless module 40 itself also has this function. That is, the alarm announcement data item fetched by the CPU 86 is also sent to the ADPCM decoder 98 as needed under the control of the CPU 86. The alarm announcement data item decoded by the ADPCM decoder 98 is converted into an analog audio signal by the DA converter 100, amplified by the speaker amplifier 102, and output as audio from the speaker 104. The output of the ADPCM decoder 98 is also sent to an alarm display unit 106 made up of a liquid crystal display panel, an LED, etc., and the alarm content is also displayed by character display, blinking of a display lamp or the like. The alarm output by the dedicated wireless module 40 itself is, for example, when the home does not have to place a separate alarm unit in a studio apartment, or when the reception test of the dedicated wireless module 40 itself is performed during system installation. This is useful when, for example, outputting an alternative sound when there is an abnormality in each alarm unit, or when making an announcement regarding the entire system instead of individual alarm units. The memory 108 stores a program for the operation of the CPU 86 and temporarily stores various data necessary for the function of the CPU 86.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing details of the alarm unit of FIG. Although the alarm unit 60 is shown as a representative, the other alarm units have the same configuration. A plug 112 having a plug leg is fixed to the outer wall of the alarm unit 60, and the alarm unit 60 itself is mechanically held in the outlet by inserting the plug leg of the plug 112 into the outlet. become. A socket 114 having a socket port is further provided on the outer wall of the alarm unit 60, and the plug 112 is directly electrically connected to the socket 114. Accordingly, even if the socket unit of the outlet itself is closed by inserting the alarm unit 60, the socket 114 is exposed on the outer wall of the alarm unit 60, so that it is possible to receive power by inserting a plug of another electrical device. is there. The vacuum cleaner 80 in the third chamber 46 is connected using such a socket opening on the outer wall of the alarm unit 64.

The plug 112 further supplies power to the power supply unit 116 for the operation of the alarm unit 60. The power supply unit 116 converts the power from the plug 112 into a voltage necessary for the operation of each part of the alarm unit and supplies the converted voltage. In addition, a power supply display unit 118 is connected to the outer wall of the power supply unit 116, and displays whether power is supplied to the power supply unit 116. Further, an emergency storage battery 120 is connected to the power supply unit 116 and is charged by the power supply unit 116. When power supply from the plug 112 is interrupted, for example, a short enough to make a predetermined announcement several times. Power can be supplied to the power supply unit 116 only for the time. When power is supplied from the emergency storage battery 120, the power supply display unit 118 performs a display different from the normal power supply from the plug 112, for example, by blinking.

The CPU 122 receives power from the power supply unit 116 and sends the alarm announcement data item received by the transmission / reception module 124 to the ADPCM decoder 126. The alarm announcement data item decoded by the ADPCM decoder 126 is converted into an analog audio signal by the DA converter 128, amplified by the speaker amplifier 130, and output as audio from the speaker 130. The output of the ADPCM decoder 126 is also sent to an alarm display unit 134 made up of a liquid crystal display panel, LEDs, etc., and the alarm content is displayed by character display, blinking of a display lamp, or the like.

The memory 136 stores a program for the operation of the CPU 122 and temporarily stores various data necessary for the function of the CPU 122. The audio memory 138 is mainly used for temporarily storing alarm announcement data items received by the transmission / reception module 124. This is because the same alarm announcement is repeatedly output as a voice. The operation unit 140 is for accepting manual operation on the alarm unit 60 side, and is used when performing a test request or setting specific to each alarm unit on the alarm unit 60 side.

The insertion detecting means 142 is for electrically or mechanically detecting that the plug 112 has been inserted into the outlet, and notifies the CPU 122 of the detection result, and the CPU 122 transmits the detection result from the transmission / reception module 124 to the dedicated wireless module 40. To do. In response to this, the dedicated wireless module 40 returns predetermined test announcement data from the voice memory 90 to the alarm unit 60. With such a function, a test is automatically performed every time the alarm unit 60 is inserted into and removed from the plug. Therefore, even if the alarm unit is temporarily removed from the outlet when it becomes necessary to supply power to other home appliances, the reliability of the system is maintained.

The alarm unit 60 further includes a microphone 144, and samples a sound near the alarm unit according to an instruction from the CPU 122. The sampled sound is encoded by the ADPCM encoder 146 and stored in the audio memory 138 via the CPU 122. For this function, for example, any announcement or sound source other than an alarm is sampled and stored in the audio memory 138, and controlled by the CPU 122 via the ADPCM decoder 126, DA converter 128, speaker amplifier 130, and speaker 132 at a predetermined timing. This can be used when outputting audio with. Specifically, it can be used to output an alarm sound by one's own voice. Since the sampling operation in such a case is a function unique to the alarm unit, it is performed by operating the operation unit 140. The functions of the microphone 144 and the ADPCM encoder 146 can also be used as a security recording device. For example, when leaving the house, audio sampling by the microphone 144 is started under the control of the dedicated wireless module 40. As a result, sounds in the vicinity of the alarm unit 60 are always sampled and ADPCM encoded, and it is possible to record sounds and the like when a suspicious person enters. The audio data in this case is temporarily stored in the audio memory 138 and then appropriately transferred to the audio memory 90 of the dedicated wireless module 40 via the transmission / reception module 124.

The microphone 144 is also used for organizing sound overlap between a plurality of alarm units. When there are a plurality of alarm units nearby, the announcement cannot be heard if the sound of the same announcement is slightly shifted or if different announcements are output at the same time. In order to prevent this, as described above, the dedicated wireless module 40 adjusts the announcement data item transmission timing based on the setting in the timing setting unit 96 so that the sounds of a plurality of alarm units do not overlap. In addition to the above, the microphone 144 is used in order to prevent sound overlapping in the vicinity of each alarm unit independently. Specifically, when the alarm unit 60 receives the announcement data item, the CPU 122 instructs the microphone 144 to check whether sound is being output from a nearby alarm unit. If the sound from the nearby alarm unit is not being output, it immediately starts outputting its own sound. On the other hand, if sound is being output from a nearby alarm unit, its own sound output is suspended until the sound output is completed, and its sound output is started as soon as sound output from the nearby alarm unit is completed. By providing each alarm unit with such a function, it is possible to autonomously arrange audio outputs so that they do not overlap with the audio outputs of nearby alarm units. The use of the above-described independent voice output organizing function and the voice output organizing function based on the overall timing control from the central control unit such as a dedicated wireless module are not limited to the alarm device. For example, if the same function is applied to a plurality of home appliances such as a refrigerator, a pot, a rice cooker, etc. that are placed in the same room, different announcements can be made simultaneously regardless of the plurality of home appliances. It is possible to prevent the announcement from being lost.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the basic functions of the CPU 86 of the dedicated wireless module 40 of FIG. When power is supplied to the dedicated wireless module 40 and the flow starts, it is first checked in step S2 whether or not the alarm unit 60 is attached to the outlet. If the alarm unit 60 is attached, the process proceeds to step S4, where registration / test processing is performed and the process proceeds to step S6. In the registration / test process in step S4, a registration process such as assigning a unique address to the newly attached alarm unit 60 and a test of whether the alarm unit operates normally are performed. If the alarm unit that has already been assigned a unique address is temporarily removed from the outlet and then re-installed, only the test is performed. If no new alarm unit 60 is attached in step S2, the process directly proceeds to step S6.

In step S6, it is checked whether or not the setting of each alarm unit 60 has been changed in the dedicated wireless module 40. If the setting has been changed, an alarm unit setting process is performed in step S8, and the process proceeds to step S10. The setting is changed by the language setting unit 92, the age setting unit 94, or the timing setting unit 96 shown in FIG. If there is no change in the alarm unit settings, the process proceeds directly to step S10.

The dedicated wireless module 40 has a clock and checks whether or not a predetermined time has been reached in step S10. When the predetermined time is reached, the process proceeds to step S12 to perform a scheduled test process, and the process proceeds to step S14. In the scheduled test process in step S12, a test is performed to determine whether there is an abnormality in the operation of the dedicated wireless module 40. At the same time, the plurality of alarm units 60 are checked in order for any abnormality. About predetermined time, you may set the predetermined time once every several days instead of every day. If it is not the predetermined time, the process proceeds directly to step S14.

In step S14, it is confirmed whether or not there is a failure in the power source of the dedicated wireless module 40. If it is detected that there is a failure in the normal power supply, the process proceeds to step S16, the power supply is switched to the emergency power supply, and the power failure announcement data stored in the voice memory 90 after being ADPCM encoded is transmitted to each alarm unit. Then, the process proceeds to step S20. If there is no failure in the power supply, the process proceeds directly to step S20.

In step S20, it is checked whether or not there is a communication failure such as inability to access the server 14 shown in FIG. 1. If there is a communication failure, the process proceeds to step S22, and the power source is switched to the emergency power source. The communication failure announcement data stored after being ADPCM encoded is transmitted to each alarm unit, and the process proceeds to step S24. If there is no failure in the power source, the process proceeds directly to step S24. If there is no failure in communication, the process proceeds directly to step S24.

In step S24, it is checked whether or not an alarm specifying its own IP address is received from the server 14 shown in FIG. If there is an incoming call, an alarm process in step S26 described later is performed, and the process returns to step S2. If there is no incoming call, the process immediately returns to step S2. Thereafter, since the CPU 86 repeats the loop from step S2 to step S26, it can always respond to the yes result in step S2, step S6, step S10, step S14, step S20 and step S24.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing details of the alarm processing in step S26 of FIG. When the flow starts, first, a check process is performed to determine whether or not the alarm received in step S32 is false information. This check can be performed by various methods. For example, in FIG. 2, when all the data received from the ONU is decoded by the ADPCM decoder 98, if it cannot be decoded, the CPU 86 receives that fact and determines that it is false information. Can do. Next, the process proceeds to step S34, and the process proceeds to step S36 only when the result information of the false information check process in step S32 is genuine information. On the other hand, when the result information of the false information check process is not genuine information, the alarm process is immediately terminated and the process returns to step S2 in FIG. At this time, the fact that false information has been received may be recorded and displayed or notified by some means. Thus, the reliability of the alarm system is maintained by providing step S32 and step S34.

In step S36, each address assigned to each alarm unit is confirmed. Next, in step S38, the language set for each alarm unit is confirmed. Further, the age set for each alarm unit in step S40 is confirmed, and the process proceeds to step S42. In step S42, the language and sound quality of the announcement to be output for each alarm unit are determined according to the language and age confirmed in steps S38 and S40. Furthermore, in step S44, the transmission timing setting of the alarm announcement item to each alarm unit is confirmed, and the process proceeds to step S46.

In step S46, for example, the warning item is divided into a plurality of items such as “tsunami warning has been issued”, “on the Pacific coast of Hokkaido”, “estimated arrival time of tsunami”, “11:50”. Check if it is unitized. If it is over a plurality of items, the alarm announcement data item is handled for each item in step S48, and the process proceeds to step S50. On the other hand, if the alarm announcement data is not unitized into a plurality of items, the process directly proceeds to step S50. In step 50, the time required for the announcement is confirmed for each minimum unit of the alarm announcement. In other words, if the warning announcement is unitized into a plurality of items, the time required for the announcement is confirmed in the unit of the item, and if it is not unitized, the entire announcement is taken as the minimum unit. In step S52, the timing for transmitting alarm announcement data for each minimum unit is determined based on the time required for the announcement confirmed in step S50. For example, if it takes 5 seconds to say the minimum unit “tsunami warning has been issued.”, The next warning unit should be opened with an interval of 5 seconds or more so that it does not overlap. The timing is determined so as to transmit. If the transmission timing is set so that alarm announcement data is transmitted to all alarm units at the same time, the timing for simultaneous transmission is determined in step S52.

In step S54, it is confirmed whether or not there is announcement data that has arrived at the transmission timing. If there is no announcement data at which timing has arrived, step S54 is repeated to wait for timing to arrive. On the other hand, if there is timing arrival announcement data, the process proceeds to step S56, the minimum unit data is transmitted to the alarm unit specified by the IP address, and the process proceeds to step S58. In step S58, it is checked whether there is untransmitted minimum unit data. If not, the alarm processing is terminated and the process returns to step S2 in FIG. On the other hand, if there is untransmitted minimum unit data, the process returns to step S54, and thereafter, steps S54, 56, and 58 are repeated until there is no untransmitted minimum unit data.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the basic functions of the CPU 122 in the alarm unit 60 of FIG. The flow starts when the alarm unit 60 is plugged into the outlet. In step S102, it is confirmed whether the power supply start-up has been detected. When the alarm unit 60 is inserted, the power supply start-up is detected, so that the process proceeds to step S104, and it is confirmed whether or not the alarm unit inserted into the outlet has acquired an IP address. If the IP address has not been acquired, the process proceeds to step S106, a signal for requesting the IP address is added to the above power supply startup signal, and the process proceeds to step S108. If the alarm unit has already obtained an IP address, the process proceeds directly to step S108. In step S108, a power supply startup signal is transmitted from the alarm unit 60 to the dedicated wireless module 40. As described above, when the alarm unit has not acquired an IP address, an IP address request signal is also transmitted together with a power supply startup signal. If the IP address has already been acquired, only the power supply startup signal is transmitted.

Next, in step S110, it is confirmed whether or not the response from the dedicated wireless module 40 to the power supply startup signal transmission in step S108 has been received within a predetermined time. If the response can be received within the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S112, and it is checked whether or not the response from the dedicated wireless module 40 includes data for assigning an IP address. When the IP address request signal is added in step S106, this data is included in the response from the dedicated wireless module 40. If this data is included, the process proceeds to step S114, and the IP address is stored in the alarm unit. Thereby, the IP address assignment for the new alarm unit is completed. In step S116, the IP address assigned to the dedicated wireless module 40 is clearly specified, and test transmission is performed. Next, in step S118, it is checked whether or not “test OK” data has been received within a predetermined time in response to the test transmission. If it can be received, the received data is encoded in step S120, a “test OK” announcement is made, and the process proceeds to step S122. In this case, it means that all the tests relating to the transmission of the power supply startup signal and the IP address assignment are OK.

On the other hand, if the data for assigning the IP address is not included in step S112, this corresponds to the case where the IP address is not requested in step S106, and the alarm unit to which the IP address has already been assigned is temporarily disconnected. It means that it is inserted again after being removed, so the process proceeds directly to step S120, an “OK” announcement is made, and the process proceeds to step S122. The data for the “OK” announcement is included in the response received in step S110.

If it is not possible to receive from the dedicated wireless module 40 in response to the power supply start-up signal within a predetermined time in step S110, the process proceeds to step S124, an announcement of “communication failure” is performed based on the data in the voice memory 138, and the process proceeds to step S122. Transition. Further, even when the “test OK” signal cannot be received from the dedicated wireless module 40 within the predetermined time in step S118, the “test failure” announcement is made based on the data in the voice memory 138, and the process proceeds to step S122. If the power supply start-up is not detected in step S102, the alarm unit has already been inserted into the outlet, and the processing from step S102 to step S126 has been completed, and the process immediately proceeds to step S122.

In step S122, it is confirmed whether alarm announcement data is received from the dedicated wireless module 40 or not. When the alarm announcement data is received, the process proceeds to the alarm announcement execution process in step S128. Specifically, the transmitted alarm announcement data is decoded by the ADPCM decoder 126, and the announcement sound is output from the speaker 132 via the DA converter 128 and the speaker amplifier 130. In response to the signal from the ADPCM decoder 126, the alarm display unit 134 performs display. Next, in step S130, a report that an alarm announcement is performed in the alarm unit is transmitted to the dedicated wireless module 40, and the process returns to step S102. Thereafter, step S102 to step S130 are repeated, and whenever an alarm unit is inserted or removed from the outlet or alarm announcement data is received, this is dealt with.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing details of the alarm announcement execution process in step S128 of FIG. When the flow starts, first, the alarm announcement data item received in step S152 is ADPCM decoded, and in step S154, this is held in the buffer memory. Next, in step S156, it is checked whether the alarm unit 60 itself is being announced. If the announcement is in progress, step S156 is repeated to wait for the end of the announcement. What is announced at this time is not the announcement data newly held in the buffer memory in step S154 but the announcement data previously held. When the announcement of the alarm unit 60 is finished, the process proceeds to step S158, and it is checked whether another alarm unit is being announced. This check is performed by the microphone 144 of FIG. If the announcement is in progress, step S158 is repeated to wait for the end of the announcement, and if completed, the process proceeds to step S160.

In step S160, the oldest announcement item is selected from the decoded announcement data held in the buffer memory, and the announcement is started. In step S162, it is checked whether or not the announcement of the item has been completed. If it has not been completed, step S162 is repeated to wait for the end. When the announcement ends in step S162, the process proceeds to step S164, and it is checked whether or not a repeated announcement instruction is received from the dedicated wireless module 40 for the announcement item for which the announcement has been completed. If there is an instruction, the process proceeds to step S166, and repeat announcement of the data for which announcement has been completed in step S162 is started, and it is checked whether or not the designated number of announcement repetitions has been completed. And step S166 is repeated until those announcements are completed.

If it is confirmed in step S166 that the number of instructions has been repeated, the process proceeds to step S168. If no repeat instruction is received in step S164, the process directly proceeds to step S168. In step S168, it is checked whether or not the alarm unit 60 itself is not set to repeatedly announce the item that has been announced in step S166. If there is a setting, the process proceeds to step S170. In step S170, the number of repetitions already executed in step S166 is subtracted from the set number of repetitions, and the announcement is further repeated by the difference, and it is checked whether the announcement repetition of the number of differences has been completed. Step S170 is repeated until those announcements are completed, and if completed, the process proceeds to step S172. If the difference is zero or negative in step S170, the process immediately proceeds to step S172. Also, if the repetition is not set in step S168, the process proceeds directly to step S172. In step S172, it is checked whether there is decoded data that has not been announced yet in the buffer memory. If not, the alarm announcement processing is terminated. If unannounced decoded data exists in the buffer memory, the process returns to step S150. Then, if necessary, after waiting for the end of the announcement of the other unit, the process proceeds to step S160, where the announcement of the oldest data in the buffer memory is started. The loop from step S158 to step S172 is repeated until there is no unannounced decoded data in step S172.

FIG. 8 is a principal block diagram showing a second example of the alarm system according to the embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment of FIG. 8 has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment of FIG. 1 as the entire system, and only the configuration in the home is different. Therefore, only the first home 230 is illustrated, and other configurations are omitted. Further, the first home 230 has the same configuration as that of the first home 30 in FIG. 1, and the same reference numerals are assigned to the first home 230 and the description thereof is omitted. 8 is different from the FTTH network 22 of the first home 230 to the dedicated wireless module 240. In the first embodiment of FIG. 1, the dedicated wireless module 40 is configured as a part of the ONU unit 36. However, in the second embodiment of FIG. 8, the dedicated wireless module 240 is configured as a part of the router unit 202. . In contrast, the ONU 238 has a conventional configuration. The configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is suitable when an ONU is newly installed, and a system can be constructed in combination with a normal router 82. On the other hand, the second embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is suitable for constructing a system in a home where an ONU has already been installed. The system is constructed by providing the router unit 202 with a built-in dedicated wireless module 240. In the first and second embodiments, the wireless module has been described as dedicated to the alarm system. However, this may be configured as a general-purpose wireless module for a home wireless LAN.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a third example of the alarm system according to the embodiment of the present invention. The third embodiment of FIG. 9 has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment of FIG. 1 as the entire system, and only the configuration in the home is different. Further, the first home 330 has the same configuration as that of the first home 30 in FIG. 1, and the same reference numerals are given to the first homes 330 and the description thereof is omitted. In the first home 330, an alarm announcement data item is captured by a PLC (Power Line Communication) unit 336 serving as a terminating device of an optical line communication network such as an FTTH network. The PLC unit 336 includes an ONU 330 connected to the FTTH network 22 and a router 382 having an Ethernet (registered trademark) interface for forming a LAN, and various devices in the home having an Ethernet (registered trademark) interface. And a PLC master adapter 302 for converting an Ethernet (registered trademark) signal and a PLC signal between the power line 50 and the power line 50. In the distribution board 304, alarm announcement data (2M to 30 MHz) converted into a high frequency by the PLC master adapter 302 is output superimposed on power of several tens of Hz.

Alarm unit 360, alarm unit 362, alarm unit 364, and alarm unit 366 receive power from outlets 52, 54, 56, and 58, respectively, and communicate with PLC master adapter 302 via power line 50. For such communication, each alarm unit is provided with a demultiplexing / combining module for retrieving an alarm announcement data item from the power line 50. The alarm unit 360, the alarm unit 362, the alarm unit 364, and the alarm unit 366 can further decode the alarm announcement data extracted by demultiplexing and output it as sound. The alarms classified by area will flow as announcements in the first chamber 42, the second chamber 44, the third chamber 46, and the fourth chamber 48, respectively. The detailed configuration of these alarm units will be described later.

Since the third embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above, it is suitable for introduction into a home where a PLC is introduced. Note that the outlet 306 of the third embodiment itself has a function of an alarm unit, and details will be described later. Such an outlet with an alarm unit is suitable for introduction as a room of a one-room apartment. The personal computer 372 includes a demultiplexing / combining module, and communicates with the router 382 from the outlet 54 via the power line 50. The personal computer 372 may be connected to the router 382 with a dedicated cable as usual.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing details of the alarm unit in the third embodiment of FIG. Since most of the configuration is the same as that of the alarm unit in the first embodiment of FIG. 3, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. Although the alarm unit 360 is shown as a representative, the other alarm units have the same configuration. The demultiplexing / combining module 324 separates the alarm announcement data superimposed on the power supplied through the power line. The separated alarm announcement data is sent to the CPU 122. Further, the demultiplexing / combining module 324 combines the data sent from the CPU 122 with electric power, and transmits the electric power from the plug 112 to the PLC master adapter 302 through the power line 50.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing details of the outlet 306 in the third embodiment of FIG. The outlet 306 is obtained by adding a configuration of an alarm unit to a normal outlet, and most of the outlet 306 is common to the alarm unit of FIG. Therefore, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and only different portions from FIG. 10 will be described. First, since FIG. 11 is an outlet itself, there is no plug 112 as shown in FIG. Further, of course, there is no plug insertion detecting means 142.
Note that the demultiplexing / synthesis module 324 communicates with the PLC master adapter 302 through the power line 50 in the same manner as the alarm unit 360.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a fourth example of the alarm system according to the embodiment of the present invention. Since most of the configuration is the same as that of the alarm unit configured as an outlet in the third embodiment of FIG. 11, the same number is assigned to the same portion, and the description thereof is omitted. In the fourth embodiment of FIG. 12, an alarm unit is incorporated in a fire alarm. The fire alarm 400 has an abnormality detection unit 402, detects smoke or flame, and causes the sprinkler 404 to function according to the degree. On the other hand, the abnormality detection unit 402 outputs to the CPU 122 that smoke or flame has been detected. In response to this, the CPU 122 selects audio data to notify the fire encoded by the ADPCM method from the audio memory 438. The selected data is output to the ADPCM decoder 126, and the fire is notified as sound from the speaker 132 via the DAC 128 and the speaker amplifier 130. On the other hand, the alarm announcement data transmitted from the PLC master adapter is taken in through the power line 50 through the demultiplexing / combining module 122 together with the power, and the alarm announcement data separated from the demultiplexing / combining module 122 is the CPU 122 as in FIG. And further output to the ADPCM decoder. The function up to the subsequent announcements also serves as the fire notification route and the notification means.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a fifth example of the alarm system according to the embodiment of the present invention. Since most of the configuration is the same as that of the alarm unit of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. In the fifth embodiment of FIG. 13, an alarm unit is incorporated into a rice cooker with voice guidance. The rice cooker 500 includes a normal rice cooker function unit 502 and a state detection unit 504 that detects a cooked state of rice and the like. When the state detection unit detects the cooked state of the rice and the like, this is notified to the CPU 122, and the CPU 122 selects the sound data for notifying the cooked rice encoded by the ADPCM method from the sound memory 538 accordingly. The selected data is output to the ADPCM decoder 126, and the cooked rice is notified as sound from the speaker 132 via the DAC 128 and the speaker amplifier 130. On the other hand, the alarm announcement data transmitted from the dedicated wireless module is received by the transmission / reception module 124 and output to the CPU 122 as in FIG. The function up to the announcement after the ADPCM decoder also serves as the notification path of the rice cooker function and the notification means.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a sixth example of the alarm system according to the embodiment of the present invention. Since most of the configuration is the same as that of the alarm unit of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. In the sixth embodiment of FIG. 14, an alarm unit is incorporated in a fax telephone. The fax telephone 600 has a normal telephone / fax function unit 602, and a telephone line is branched and connected by a modem 604. The telephone / fax function unit 602 is connected to a normal handset 606. The fax phone 600 has a microphone 608 and a speaker 610 so that the user can talk while leaving the handset 606. On the other hand, in the sixth embodiment, the alarm announcement data is transmitted from the server 14 through a telephone line and is taken into the CPU 122 through the modem 604. The fetched alarm announcement data is decoded by the ADPCM decoder 126 and thereafter announced from the speaker 610 in the same manner as in the embodiment described above. As described above, in the sixth embodiment, the microphone of the telephone is also used for sampling sound data to the ADPCM encoder, and the speaker 610 of the telephone is also used as an alarm announcement speaker.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a seventh example of the alarm system according to the embodiment of the present invention. Since most of the configuration is the same as that of the alarm unit of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. In the seventh embodiment of FIG. 15, the alarm unit is incorporated in a battery-powered timepiece. The timepiece 700 has a normal timepiece function unit 702, and the timepiece function unit 702 performs normal time measurement and time display. Note that power is supplied to the clock unit 702 from a power source unit 706 connected to a battery 704 such as a dry battery. A telephone / fax function unit 602 is provided, and a telephone line is branched and connected by a modem 604. The power supply unit 706 also supplies power to the alarm function part. Further, the time signal or alarm sound from the clock function unit 702 is input to the speaker amplifier 130 and output from the speaker 732 as sound. If a time signal or an alarm sound is input to the CPU 122, the corresponding audio data can be extracted from the audio memory 138 and output to the speaker 732 from the ADPCM decoder 126 through the same route as the alarm. In the seventh embodiment, since the power is shared between the alarm function part and the clock part in this way, it is confirmed that the power is normally supplied to the alarm function part by confirming that the clock is not stopped. Can know. Further, since the speaker is shared for the time signal and the alarm sound, it is possible to know that the alarm function part from the CPU to the speaker is functioning normally when the clock function is normal.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing an eighth example of the alarm system according to the embodiment of the present invention. Since most of the configuration is the same as that of the alarm unit of the fifth embodiment of FIG. 13, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. In the seventh embodiment of FIG. 16, an alarm unit is incorporated in a refrigerator with voice guidance. The refrigerator 800 includes a normal refrigerator function unit 802 and a state detection unit 804 that detects a state such as a door being opened for a long time. When the state detection unit detects that the door is opened for a long time, the CPU 122 is notified of this, and the CPU 122 selects audio data for warning that the door is opened in the ADPCM method from the audio memory 838 accordingly. . The selected data is output to the ADPCM decoder 126, and the speaker 128 notifies the user that the door has been opened for a long time via the DAC 128 and the speaker amplifier 130. On the other hand, the alarm announcement data transmitted from the dedicated wireless module is received by the transmission / reception module 124 and output to the CPU 122 as in FIG. The function until the announcement after the ADPCM decoder serves as the above-mentioned refrigerator status notification path and notification means.

A feature of the eighth embodiment of FIG. 16 is that various announcements based on detection by the state detection unit 804 can be added in addition to those prepared in advance in the audio memory 838. That is, when the state detection unit 804 detects a specific state of the refrigerator, this is transmitted from the CPU 122 to the transmission / reception unit 808 of the personal computer 806 via the transmission / reception module 124, and the CPU 810 selects the ADPCM-encoded audio data 812 accordingly. To the transmission / reception module 124. The audio data 812 can be arbitrarily sampled by the microphone 814 of the personal computer 806, encoded by the ADPCM encoder 816, and stored as the audio data 812. As described above, the function of extracting audio data from the personal computer 806 is possible even when the power supply unit 818 of the personal computer 806 is turned off by the power operation unit 820 or the personal computer 806 is in the sleep mode.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a ninth example of the alarm system according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the ninth embodiment, the voice data can be taken out from the personal computer 806 similar to FIG. However, the refrigerator 902 in FIG. 17 does not have any alarm-related functions. The outlet 904 has the same configuration as the outlet 306 in FIG. The refrigerator 902 can cause the detection result of the state detection unit to flow from the demultiplexing / synthesis module 906 to the power line 50 via the socket 114. This state detection result is extracted by the demultiplexing / synthesis module 166 and sent to the CPU 122. As a result, the CPU 122 determines that the state detection unit is requesting an announcement corresponding to the detection result, and sends a voice data request signal from the demultiplexing / synthesis module 166 to the power line 50. This request signal is sent from the wireless router 908 to the personal computer 806, and the personal computer 806 sends the requested voice data from the wireless router 908 to the CPU 122 via the power line 50 in response thereto. The audio data received by the CPU 122 is decoded by the ADPCM decoder and output from the speaker 132 through the route already described. As described above, in the ninth embodiment, simply by providing the demultiplexing / synthesis module 906 in the refrigerator 902, an arbitrary announcement corresponding to the detection of the state detection unit can be prepared on the personal computer 806 and announced from the outlet 904. .

Here, a supplementary description will be given of the security recording function by sampling the sound from the microphone 144 or the microphone 608 in each of the above embodiments. As already described, the sampled audio data is temporarily stored in the audio memory 138 and then appropriately transferred to the audio memory 90 of the dedicated wireless module 40 via the transmission / reception module 124, so that the capacity of the audio memory 138 itself is stored. Even if there is a small amount, the sampling of sound by sampling the sound from the microphone 144 or the microphone 608 can be continued for a time sufficient to acquire an amount of encoded data exceeding the storage capacity. Such transfer from the audio memory 138 to the audio memory 90 may be performed in real time, or may be performed every predetermined time in which the capacity limit of the audio memory 138 is expected in advance. Further, the remaining capacity of the audio memory 138 may be monitored, and when the remaining capacity becomes a predetermined value or less, the transfer may be performed under the control of the CPU 122. Further, when the amount of encoded data exceeding the storage capacity of the audio memory 138 is acquired, the encoded data stored in the audio memory 138 may be deleted in order from the oldest.

Furthermore, in order to ensure the capacity of the audio memory 138 and perform crime prevention recording more efficiently, the following control may be performed for audio sampling or recording data deletion of the audio memory 138. First, with respect to audio sampling, it is possible to set the sampling start time and end time in advance for a time zone that is particularly desired to be wary. Further, sampling is started based on a detection signal from a security sensor that detects unlocking of a door or abnormal vibration of a window or an infrared sensor that detects the presence or movement of a suspicious person. On the other hand, the deletion of the recorded data in the voice memory 138 does not correspond to the continuously recorded security recording, leaving only a predetermined time before and after the time when the detection signal is generated from the security sensor or the infrared sensor. The part is configured to be deleted. According to this, it is possible to leave recorded data for the situation before the detection signal from the crime prevention sensor or the infrared sensor is generated, and to sort out unnecessary data.

It is a block diagram which shows the 1st Example of the alarm system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the detail of the exclusive wireless module 40 of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the detail of the alarm unit of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the basic function of CPU86 of the exclusive wireless module 40 of FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing details of the alarm processing in step S26 of FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the basic functions of the CPU 122 in the alarm unit 60 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the alarm announcement execution process in step S128 of FIG. It is a principal part block diagram which shows the 2nd Example of the alarm system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the 3rd Example of the alarm system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the detail of the alarm unit of FIG. 10 shows a third embodiment of the alarm unit of FIG. The 4th Example of an alarm unit is shown. 5 shows a fifth embodiment of an alarm unit. 6 shows a sixth embodiment of the alarm unit. 7 shows a seventh embodiment of the alarm unit. 8 shows an eighth embodiment of the alarm system. 9 shows a ninth embodiment of the alarm system.

Explanation of symbols

14 Alarm transmission device 36 Alarm reception device 60, 62, 64, 66 Alarm output device

Claims (15)

  The alarm transmission device that encodes the alarm announcement data, adds the address data corresponding to the transmission area to the encoded alarm announcement data, and distributes it, and decodes the alarm announcement data received based on the address data and outputs it as a sound An alarm system comprising an alarm output device.   The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein the alarm transmission device includes an ADPCM encoder that encodes alarm announcement data.   3. The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein the alarm output device includes an ADPCM decoder that decodes alarm announcement data.   An encoder unit that encodes alarm announcement data; an address data adding unit that adds address data corresponding to a transmission area to the encoded alarm announcement data; and a distribution unit that distributes encoded announcement data to which the address data is added to a communication line; An alarm transmission device comprising:   The alarm transmission device according to claim 4, wherein the encoding unit includes an ADPCM encoder.   An alarm output device comprising: an alarm announcement data receiving unit that receives based on address data; a decoder unit that decodes received alarm announcement data; and an audio output unit that outputs the decoded alarm announcement as audio.   The alarm output device according to claim 6, wherein the decoder unit includes an ADPCM decoder.   A detection unit that detects an abnormal situation, a voice output unit that outputs a warning announcement based on detection of the detection unit, a reception unit that receives warning announcement data from the outside, and the voice output based on the received warning announcement data A warning output device comprising: a control unit that outputs a warning announcement as a voice from the unit.   A function unit; a voice output unit that outputs a notification announcement as a voice based on the functional state of the function unit; a receiver unit that receives alarm announcement data from the outside; and an alarm announcement from the voice output unit based on the received alarm announcement data An alarm output device comprising: a control unit that outputs the sound as a sound.   A detection unit that detects an abnormal situation, a response function unit that activates a response function based on the detection of the detection unit, a reception unit that receives alarm announcement data from the outside, and an alarm announcement based on the received alarm announcement data as audio An alarm output device comprising: an audio output unit for outputting.   A power supply unit, a clock display unit that functions by being supplied with power from the power supply unit, a receiving unit that is supplied with power from the power supply unit and receives alarm announcement data from the outside, and outputs an alarm announcement as sound based on the received alarm announcement data And an audio output unit.   A communication unit connected to a communication network for receiving alarm announcement data from the outside and transmitting / receiving the communication data to / from the outside, a communication processing unit for processing the communication data, and a voice for outputting the alarm announcement based on the alarm announcement data An alarm output device comprising an output unit.   The alarm output device according to claim 12, wherein the communication processing unit includes a telephone function unit.   The alarm output device according to claim 12, wherein the communication processing unit includes a fax function unit.   15. The alarm output device according to claim 12, wherein the communication processing unit includes an audio processing unit, and outputs the processed audio data also using the audio output unit.