JP2009211301A - Alarm device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide technology for surely warning persons around an alarm device, and for suppressing power consumption as much as possible, in an alarm device for detecting an abnormal state, and for outputting an alarm. <P>SOLUTION: This alarm device 100 is provided with: a power source 8 for supplying a driving power; a detection means 4 for detecting an abnormal state of a detection object; an alarm output means 5 for detecting the abnormal state, and for outputting an alarm; an output state switching means 6 for switching the output state of the alarm output means 5 between a standard power consumption state and a power consumption saving state whose power consumption is more reduced than that of the standard power consumption state; and a presence information detection means 7 for automatically detecting presence information indicating the presence of a person. The alarm output means 5 controls the operation of the output state switching means 6 based on the presence information detected by the presence information detection means 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an alarm device that detects an abnormal state of a detection target and outputs an alarm.

  A conventional alarm device detects an abnormal state of a detection target in a monitoring area, and when the abnormal state is detected, an alarm sound corresponding to the abnormal state such as a beep sound or a voice message is output by a speaker, by an LED It is configured to output an alarm in a form in which an alarm display corresponding to an abnormal state such as a message or icon is output by an LCD, such as lighting or blinking, or an external alarm signal corresponding to an abnormal state is output by wire or wireless. ing.

  In addition, as such an alarm device, for example, a gas leak alarm device that outputs a gas leak alarm for notifying the occurrence of a gas leak when the methane concentration exceeds the determination threshold value, the CO concentration exceeds the determination threshold value. An incomplete combustion alarm device that outputs an incomplete combustion alarm to notify the occurrence of incomplete combustion, sometimes to notify the occurrence of a fire when smoke occurs or when the room temperature exceeds a threshold for judgment There is a fire alarm device that outputs a fire alarm. In the present application, the gas leakage, the incomplete combustion, and the fire may be simply referred to as “abnormal”.

  As the gas leak alarm device, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a sensor unit that detects gas, a display unit that includes an LED that indicates power-on and gas detection, and alarms such as a buzzer sound and sound when gas is detected. An alarm unit that outputs a sound and a switch unit that changes the alarm sound when operated while the alarm sound is generated are disclosed.

JP 2005-234695 A

The gas leak alarm device consumes relatively large electric power at the time of alarm output. For this reason, in particular, a battery-driven alarm device may not be able to obtain a sufficiently long battery life in practice, and there is a problem that the replacement cycle of the built-in battery is shortened.
On the other hand, in the gas leak alarm device disclosed in Patent Document 1, when gas is detected by the sensor unit and a large volume alarm sound or the like is output as an alarm to a person existing in the vicinity, by operating the switch unit, It is configured to reduce discomfort by changing the alarm sound such as lowering the volume or making a different tone.
However, in this gas leak alarm device, the alarm sound cannot be changed (for example, the volume is reduced, etc.) unless a person operates the switch unit, and when there is no person around the gas leak alarm device, There is a problem in that excessive power is consumed by continuously outputting a loud alarm sound. That is, when gas is detected by the sensor unit, there is a problem that a similar alarm is output regardless of whether or not a person is present, and extra power is consumed.
Therefore, in alarm devices, especially battery-powered alarm devices, when an alarm is output, such as when a gas leak is detected, it is possible to reliably notify an alarm to people around the alarm device, and to reduce consumption as much as possible. It is necessary to use electric power.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a technology capable of reliably informing a person existing in the vicinity of an alarm device and suppressing power consumption as much as possible in an alarm device that detects an abnormal state and outputs an alarm. There is in point to do.

To achieve the above object, the present invention includes a power supply unit that supplies driving power according to the present invention, a detection unit that detects an abnormal state of a detection target, and an alarm output unit that detects the abnormal state and outputs an alarm. The first characteristic configuration of the alarm device is
An output state switching means capable of switching an output state of the alarm output means between a standard power consumption state and a power saving consumption state in which power consumption is suppressed compared to the standard power consumption state;
Presence / absence information detecting means for automatically detecting presence / absence information indicating the presence or absence of a person,
The alarm output means controls the operation of the output state switching means based on the presence / absence information detected by the presence / absence information detection means.

According to the first characteristic configuration, the output state of the alarm output unit is appropriately switched from the standard power consumption state to the power saving consumption state within a range in which the alarm can be surely notified by the output state switching unit. The power consumption in the alarm device can be reduced as much as possible. In particular, the switching between the standard power consumption state and the power saving consumption state by the output state switching unit is performed based on the presence / absence information automatically detected by the presence / absence information detection unit, which is appropriate for the presence or absence of a person. As appropriate, an alarm can be output in the power saving consumption state. In this case, naturally, presence / absence information is automatically detected in response to the detection of an abnormal state without the need for any operation (such as pressing a switch) to be performed by a person around the alarm device. Since the output state of the means is switched, the output state of the alarm output means can be reliably changed even when a person is absent.
Therefore, in an alarm device that detects an abnormal state and outputs an alarm, it is possible to reliably notify an alarm to a person existing around the alarm device, and it is possible to suppress power consumption as much as possible.

  The second characteristic configuration of the alarm device according to the present invention is that, in addition to the first characteristic configuration, the presence / absence information detecting means is a human sensor.

  According to the second feature configuration, since the presence / absence information detecting means is a human sensor, presence / absence information indicating the presence or absence of a person around the alarm device can be automatically detected quickly and accurately. It is possible to quickly and accurately switch the output state of the alarm output means based on the information.

  In the third feature configuration of the alarm device according to the present invention, in addition to the first or second feature configuration, the alarm output means changes the alarm between alarm display, alarm sound, and external signal. Thus, the operation of the output state switching means is controlled.

  According to the third characteristic configuration, the alarm output means can set the alarm to be an alarm display, an alarm sound, and an external signal as output states that are individually or in combination with each other. The alarm can be surely notified to the person existing in the vicinity through visual and auditory senses, and the alarm can be surely notified using an external device. Further, the alarm output means appropriately changes the output state of each alarm with different power consumption, thereby changing the alarm output state, for example, the standard power state for outputting the alarm sound, and for example, outputting the alarm sound. In addition, it is possible to switch between an alarm display with low power consumption and a power saving consumption state in which an external signal is output, and power saving can be achieved as appropriate.

According to a fourth feature configuration of the alarm device according to the present invention, in addition to the first or second feature configuration, the power saving consumption state is a state in which the alarm display is not displayed when the alarm is an alarm display. Alternatively, when the alarm is a warning sound in a state where the brightness of the warning display is darker than the brightness of the warning display in the standard power consumption state, the warning voice is not uttered or the utterance interval of the warning voice Is longer than the utterance interval of the warning sound in the standard power consumption state,
When the alarm output unit detects the absence of a person by the presence / absence information detection unit, the output state switching unit switches the output state to the power saving consumption state.

  According to the fourth characteristic configuration, when the absence information is detected by the presence / absence information detecting means, the output state is switched to the power saving consumption state. Therefore, if there is no person around the alarm device, the standard power consumption state Even when there is a high possibility that the alarm will be wasted, it is possible to reduce the power consumption by setting the alarm output state to the power saving consumption state. Specifically, when the alarm is an alarm display as the power saving consumption state, the alarm display is not displayed or the brightness of the alarm display is lower than the brightness of the alarm display in the standard power consumption state In addition, when the alarm is an alarm sound, the alarm sound is not generated or the interval between the alarm sounds is set longer than the alarm sound in the standard power consumption state. By switching the output state in the direction of reducing power consumption, it is possible to suppress power consumption as much as possible compared to the standard power consumption state even when no one is present.

A fifth characteristic configuration of the alarm device according to the present invention is such that, when the power saving consumption state is the alarm display, the brightness of the alarm display is higher than the brightness of the alarm display in the standard power consumption state. When the alarm is an alarm sound in a dark state, when the alarm is an external signal in a state where the volume of the alarm sound is lower than the volume of the alarm sound in the standard power consumption state, The external signal is not transmitted,
When the alarm output unit detects the presence of a person by the presence / absence information detection unit, the output state switching unit switches the output state to the power saving consumption state.

  According to the fifth feature means, when the presence / absence information detecting means detects the presence of a person, the output state is switched to the power saving consumption state. Therefore, if there is a person around the alarm device, an alarm in the standard power consumption state is issued. Even when there is a high possibility of being wasted, it is possible to save power by setting the alarm output state to the power saving consumption state. Specifically, when the alarm is an alarm display as the power saving consumption state, the brightness of the alarm display is set to be darker than the brightness of the alarm display in the standard power consumption state. If the alarm sound is an alarm signal, the alarm sound volume is set to be lower than the alarm sound volume in the standard power consumption state. If the alarm is an external signal, the external signal is not transmitted. By doing so, it is possible to suppress the power consumption as much as possible as compared with the standard power consumption state even when there is a person by switching the output state in a direction to reduce the power consumption.

  The sixth feature of the alarm device according to the present invention is such that, in addition to any one of the first to fifth features, the power supply unit supplies drive power from a built-in battery. It is in.

  According to the sixth characteristic configuration, the alarm device is driven by a built-in battery, so that it is possible to switch the output state of the alarm output means based on the presence / absence information as described above to enter the power saving consumption state. In addition, the same battery can be used for a long time by extending the usable period of the battery, and there is no need to replace the battery, thereby improving convenience. Therefore, an alarm device that can be driven by a battery for a long period of time can be obtained, and the installation location of the alarm device can be prevented from being limited.

An embodiment of an alarm device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an elevation view of the alarm device 100, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the alarm device 100, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing processing in the abnormality monitoring mode of the alarm device 100.

  The alarm device 100 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 notifies the user that an abnormality such as gas leakage, incomplete combustion, or fire has occurred. The alarm device 100 includes a detection unit 4 that detects an abnormal state to be detected, an alarm output unit 5 that detects an abnormal state and outputs an alarm, and an output state switching unit 6 that can switch an output state of the alarm output unit. Presence / absence information detection means 7 for automatically detecting presence / absence information indicating the presence or absence of a person, a built-in battery 8a for supplying driving power, a CPU 9 functioning as the alarm output means 5 and the output state switching means 7, and storage And a nonvolatile memory (EEPROM) 20 as a unit.

  The detection means 4 is provided inside a ventilation hole 2 formed in the front surface of the housing 1 and detects a methane concentration. The methane sensor 4a is provided inside the ventilation hole 2 and detects the concentration of CO (carbon monoxide). The sensor includes a CO sensor 4b to detect and a thermal sensor 4c that is provided inside a protruding vent 3 formed on the front surface of the housing 1 and detects a room temperature.

Although not shown, the methane sensor 4a includes a known semiconductor sensor element and a control circuit for controlling the sensor element, and a signal corresponding to the ambient methane concentration in response to a signal from the alarm output means 5 Is transmitted to the alarm output means 5.
Although not shown, the CO sensor 4b has a known semiconductor sensor element and a control circuit for controlling the sensor element, and a signal corresponding to the ambient CO concentration in response to a signal from the alarm output means 5 Is transmitted to the alarm output means 5.
The thermal sensor 4 c is made of a known thermocouple and transmits a signal corresponding to the room temperature to the alarm output means 5.
The detection of the abnormal state by the methane sensor 4a, the CO sensor 4b, and the heat sensor 4c is configured to be executed at a predetermined detection interval such as an interval of 30 seconds.
As will be described later, since the alarm device 100 according to the present application is driven by electric power from the built-in battery 8a, the semiconductor sensor element is energized in pulses, and the electric power of the sensor elements in the state where the pulses are energized. The presence and concentration of the detection target gas can be detected based on the target signal.

The alarm output means 5 in which the CPU 9 functions is configured so that the methane concentration detected by the methane sensor 4a, the CO sensor 4b, or the heat sensor 4c, the CO concentration, or the room temperature is continuously determined for a predetermined delay time. The state exceeding the threshold for use is determined as an abnormal state, and an alarm is output when it is determined as an abnormal state. The alarm output means 5 receives presence / absence information detected by the human sensor 7a, and switches the output state switching means 6 between the standard power consumption state and the power saving consumption state based on the presence / absence information. A possible control command is configured to be output to the output state switching means 6.
The alarm output means 5 includes a display unit 10 that displays an alarm display when the output state is an alarm display, and an audio output unit 11 that outputs an alarm sound when the output state is an alarm sound. And an external signal output unit 12 that outputs an external signal to the external device 18 when the output state is an external signal.
The display unit 10 converts the alarm display whose output state has been switched by the output state switching means 6 as a signal that can be displayed on the LCD 14 and outputs the signal, and signals from the display circuit 13 as various alarm displays. It is comprised by LCD14 which displays actually. As the alarm display, characters such as “gas leak occurrence / danger” and “fire occurrence / danger” are displayed, the background of the LCD 14 (light source such as a backlight) is lit brightly, the LCD 14 is displayed in a specific color, Etc. Note that the LCD 14 is an abbreviation that means a liquid crystal display (Liquid Crystal Display).
The audio output unit 11 converts the alarm sound whose output state has been switched by the output state switching unit 6 as a signal that can be uttered by the speaker 16 and outputs the signal, and the signal from the audio circuit 15 outputs various alarms. The speaker 16 actually utters as sound. Examples of warning sounds include guidance sounds such as “gas leak, please ventilate”, “fire, please blame”, sounds of a certain frequency, and sounds with a changed frequency.
The external signal output unit 12 converts the external signal whose output state has been switched by the output state switching unit 6 into an external signal that enables the external device 18 to execute various operations (the alarm display, the alarm sound, etc.), and wirelessly converts the external signal. The external signal output circuit 17 is configured to output. The external device 18 is a device installed outside the alarm device 100 according to the present application, and is configured to be able to communicate with the external output circuit 17 wirelessly. For example, examples of the external device 18 include a centralized monitoring panel, an interphone master unit, an interphone slave unit, and the like that can wirelessly communicate with the alarm device 100 and include a display and speakers. The external signal is a signal for operating the external device 18.

The output state switching means 6 that the CPU 9 functions is configured to be able to switch the alarm output state between the standard power consumption state and the power saving consumption state under the control of the alarm output means 5.
The alarm output state includes an alarm display, an alarm sound, and an external signal, and these can be set individually or in combination. Specifically, it is possible to obtain an output state in which the alarm display and the alarm sound are combined, or an output state with the alarm display alone. Further, the alarm display itself can be brightened or darkened, or the alarm display itself can be omitted. The output state can be appropriately selected according to presence / absence information described later.
As described above, after switching the output state of the alarm, when the output state is an alarm display, from the display unit 10 (LCD 14), and when the output state is an alarm sound, from the audio output unit 11 (speaker 16). In the case of an external signal, an alarm is output from the external signal output unit 12 (external signal output circuit 17).

  Presence / absence information detection means 7 is configured to be able to automatically detect presence / absence information indicating the presence or absence of a person around alarm device 100, and configured to transmit the presence / absence information to alarm output means 5. . Specifically, the presence / absence information detecting means 7 is configured by a known human sensor 7a using infrared rays or a CCD camera, and is present around the alarm device 100 if the presence of a person is sensed within a predetermined time, The presence / absence information can be automatically detected so that it is determined that the person is absent if the presence of a person is not sensed continuously within a predetermined time. At this time, it is preferable that the presence / absence information is automatically detected by the human sensor 7a only when the detection result is determined by the alarm output unit 5 from the detection result of the detection unit 4 to be abnormal. In this way, the human sensor 7a is operated only in an abnormal state that rarely occurs, and the power consumption of the human sensor 7a can be reduced as much as possible to save power. .

  As the built-in battery 8a as the power supply unit 8, a known dry battery can be used. However, since the power supply supplies all of the driving power consumed by the alarm device 100, for example, a high-performance lithium battery with a small volume is used. Use. Further, a replaceable battery 8a may be used.

  The EEPROM 20 stores determination threshold values for a gas leak determination threshold value, an incomplete combustion determination threshold value, and a fire determination threshold value that are used in the determination of an abnormal state by the alarm output means 5. For example, in the case of the methane sensor 4a, the gas leak determination threshold is set to, for example, the output value of the methane sensor 4a when the methane concentration is 5000 ppm. In the case of the CO sensor 4b, the threshold for incomplete combustion determination is set. For example, the output value of the CO sensor 4b when the CO concentration is 500 ppm is set, and in the case of the heat sensor 4c, the fire determination threshold is set to the output value of the heat sensor 4c when the room temperature is 65 ° C., for example. .

  Next, operation | movement of the alarm device 100 which concerns on this application provided with the above structures is demonstrated below.

  In the alarm device 100 according to the present application, when the energization drive by the battery 8a is started and the methane sensor 4a, the CO sensor 4b, and the heat sensor 4c are in a state in which an abnormality can be detected, the abnormality monitoring mode described below is repeatedly executed. .

As shown in FIG. 3, in the abnormality monitoring mode, when any of the signals according to the methane concentration, the CO concentration, and the room temperature from the methane sensor 4a, the CO sensor 4b, and the heat sensor 4c exceeds the determination thresholds. Then, the alarm output means 5 determines that the state is abnormal (step # 1).
As a result of the determination, when it is not determined as an abnormal state (step # 1: No), the state returns to the initial state of the abnormality monitoring mode, and the signal from the methane sensor 4a or the like exceeds the determination threshold after a predetermined time has elapsed. It is determined again whether or not it is in a state. Therefore, the alarm output means 5 determines the abnormal state at a predetermined cycle.
On the other hand, when it is determined as an abnormal state as a result of the determination (step # 1: Yes), the presence sensor 7a detects presence / absence information indicating the presence or absence of a person around the alarm device 100. Therefore, only when it is determined as an abnormal state, the human sensor 7a is operated, and power consumption for driving the human sensor 7a can be suppressed.
Next, when the presence / absence information indicates the presence of a person (step # 2: No), the alarm output means 5 controls the output state switching means 6 to switch the alarm output state to the standard power consumption state ( On the other hand, if the presence / absence information indicates the absence of a person (step # 2: Yes), the alarm output state is similarly switched to the power saving consumption state (step # 4). As a result, when outputting a warning, if a person is present, the power consumption is relatively high, but the warning can be reliably notified, and if a person is absent, power consumption can be suppressed as much as possible. .
Here, as shown in Table 1, the alarm output means 5 makes an output state in which a warning can be reliably notified to a person in the standard power consumption state and an output state in which the power consumption can be suppressed as much as possible in the power saving consumption state. Switching of the output state switching means 6 is controlled.

Specifically, the alarm output means 5 displays an alarm display or alarm sound as an alarm on the LCD 14 in a relatively bright state without particularly considering power consumption when the standard power consumption state is set ( In Table 1, “switched” and “bright” are described), and the speaker 16 is uttered at a relatively short repetition interval (in Table 1, “sound is present” and “short”). Based on this switching, after the output state switching means 6 switches the output state, for example, “gas leak danger” is actually displayed on the LCD 14 in a relatively bright state, or “pip, beep, beep, gas leaks”. “Isn't it?”, The voice guidance is given from the speaker 16 at relatively short repetition intervals (step # 5).
On the other hand, when the alarm output means 5 is in the power saving consumption state, the alarm display as an alarm is set to a state in which the brightness of the LCD 14 is made darker than the brightness of the LCD 14 in the standard power consumption state (Table 1). In the description, “dark”), the warning voice as the warning is a state in which the repetition interval of the voice guidance uttered from the speaker 16 is longer than the repetition interval in the case of the standard power consumption state (in Table 1, “ The power consumption can be relatively reduced as compared with the case of the standard power consumption state (step # 5). For example, after outputting an alarm display or alarm sound in a power saving state, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed. If not, the process returns to step # 5 and the output is continued. On the other hand, when a predetermined time has elapsed, the output can be stopped and the abnormality monitoring mode can be repeated from the beginning. In this case, it is possible to save power by notifying the alarm only within a predetermined time and not thereafter.

  Accordingly, when the absence of a person is detected by the human sensor 7a, the output state is switched to the power-saving consumption state, so that there is no person around the alarm device 100 and an alarm such as an alarm display or an alarm sound is wasted. In the case where there is a high possibility that the alarm will occur, the output state of alarm display, alarm sound, or the like can be set to the power saving consumption state to save power consumption.

  Further, in the case of the power saving consumption state, it is possible to save power by omitting the alarm display and the warning sound. That is, in the power saving consumption state, an alarm display is not displayed on the LCD 14 (described as “no display” in Table 1) to suppress power consumption, and no alarm sound is uttered from the speaker 16 (Table 1). In the middle, it is described as “no sound”). If there is no person around the alarm device 100, there is a high possibility that the alarm display and the alarm sound will be wasted, so in such a case (when a person is absent around the alarm device 100) It will be omitted without providing guidance or the like, and power consumption will be reduced. In this case, in FIG. 3, the alarm display or the like is omitted by switching to the power saving display state in step # 4, so that step # 5 need not be performed.

[Another embodiment]
(1) In the above embodiment, when the presence / absence information indicates the absence of a person, the alarm output means controls the output state switching means to switch to the power saving consumption state, but power saving can be achieved. If it is a structure, when presence information shows presence of a person, it can also be set as the structure switched to a power saving consumption state. Although the configuration will be described below, the basic configuration of the alarm device according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the above embodiment, and the details are omitted.

  In the alarm device 200 of another embodiment according to the present application, when the energization driving by the battery 8a is started and the methane sensor 4a, the CO sensor 4b, and the heat sensor 4c are in a state in which an abnormality can be detected, the abnormality monitoring mode is repeatedly executed. .

As shown in FIG. 4, the abnormality monitoring mode is performed when any of the signals corresponding to the methane concentration, the CO concentration, and the room temperature from the methane sensor 4a, the CO sensor 4b, and the heat sensor 4c exceeds the determination thresholds. Then, the alarm output means 5 determines that the state is abnormal (step # 11).
As a result of the determination, if it is not determined as an abnormal state (step # 11: No), the state returns to the initial state of the abnormality monitoring mode, and the signal from the methane sensor 4a or the like exceeds the determination threshold after a predetermined time has elapsed. It is determined again whether or not it is in a state. Therefore, an abnormal state is detected at a predetermined cycle.
On the other hand, when it is determined as an abnormal state as a result of the determination (step # 11: Yes), the presence sensor 7a detects presence / absence information indicating the presence or absence of a person around the alarm device 100. Therefore, only when it is determined as an abnormal state, the human sensor 7a is operated, and power consumption for driving the human sensor 7a can be suppressed.
Next, if this presence / absence information indicates the absence of a person (step # 12: No), the alarm output means 5 controls the output state switching means 6 to switch the alarm output state to the standard power consumption state ( On the other hand, if the presence / absence information indicates the presence of a person (step # 12: Yes), the alarm output state is similarly switched to the power saving state (step # 14). Thus, when outputting an alarm, even if there is a high possibility that the alarm in the standard power consumption state will be wasted if there is a person around the alarm device, the alarm output state is set as a power saving consumption state, Power consumption can be reduced, and when a person is absent, the same amount of power is consumed as normal, but an abnormal state is present as much as possible (not present around the alarm device 200, but indoors It is possible to notify a person who is far from the alarm device 200 such as an entrance or a person outside.
Here, as shown in Table 2, in a standard power consumption state, a person (a person who is not in the vicinity of the alarm device 200 but is far from the alarm device 200 such as an indoor entrance or an outdoor person) The alarm output unit 5 controls the switching of the output state switching unit 6 so that the output state can reliably notify the alarm and the output state can suppress the power consumption as much as possible in the power saving state.

Specifically, the alarm output means 5 displays an alarm display and alarm sound as an alarm when the standard power consumption state is set, on the LCD 14 in a relatively bright state without particularly considering the power consumption (Table). 2 is described as “bright”), and the speaker 16 is switched at a relatively high volume (described as “large” in Table 2). Based on this switching, after the output state switching means 6 switches the output state, for example, “gas leak danger” is actually displayed on the LCD 14 in a relatively bright state, or “pip, beep, beep, gas leaks”. "Isn't it?", The voice guidance is made from the speaker 16 at a relatively large volume (step # 15).
On the other hand, when the alarm output means 5 is in the power saving consumption state, the alarm display as an alarm is set so that the brightness of the LCD 14 is darker than the brightness of the LCD 14 in the standard power consumption state (Table 2). In the inside, it is described as “dark”), and the state of the alarm sound as an alarm is that the volume of the voice guidance uttered from the speaker 16 is smaller than the volume in the case of the standard power consumption state (in Table 2, “small”). In comparison with the standard power consumption state, the power consumption can be relatively reduced (step # 15). For example, after outputting an alarm display or alarm sound in a power saving state, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed. If not, the process returns to step # 15 to continue the output. On the other hand, when a predetermined time has elapsed, the output can be stopped and the abnormality monitoring mode can be repeated from the beginning. In this case, it is possible to save power by notifying the alarm only within a predetermined time and not thereafter.

  Therefore, even if there is a high possibility that the alarm in the standard power consumption state will be wasted if there is a person around the alarm device, the alarm output state is switched to the power saving consumption state, so that power consumption can be reduced. If the person is absent, it consumes the same amount of power as usual, but the person is in an abnormal state as much as possible (it is absent around the alarm device 200, but an indoor entrance, a person outside the room, etc. A person who is far from the alarm device 200) can be notified.

Further, in the case of the power saving consumption state, it is possible to save power by omitting an external signal. That is, in the case of the standard power consumption state, an external signal capable of executing an alarm operation (alarm display, alarm sound, etc.) is wirelessly output to an interphone main unit or the like as the external device 18 (in Table 2, “There is a signal” ”), The interphone main unit displays“ Gas leak alarm ”and the alarm action“ Pip, beep, pit, gas is not leaking ”is executed. In the case of a consumption state, an external signal is not wirelessly transmitted to the external device 18 in order to suppress power consumption (described as “no signal” in Table 2), and switching is performed so that an alarm display or the like is not executed from the external device 18. . Even in this case, in the power saving state, it is possible to save power by omitting wireless transmission. In this case, since the wireless transmission (warning display or the like) is omitted by switching to the power saving display state in step # 14 in FIG. 4, there is no need to perform step # 15.
In the case of the standard power consumption state, an external signal (sounding signal) that can execute an alarm operation (alarm display, alarm sound, etc.) is wirelessly output to the intercom slave as the external device 18 and the interphone You can also call the beeper with a beep sound from the slave unit, and when you make a call in response to the call by the intercom, it will sound an alarm sound such as `` gas leak, please ventilate '' An alarm can also be notified.

(2) In the above embodiment, the alarm output means 5 controls the output state switching means 6 so that the output state of the alarm display itself and the alarm sound itself can be switched between the standard power consumption state and the power saving consumption state. However, it is not limited to this as long as it can achieve power saving, and the output state is changed between the standard power consumption state and the power saving consumption state by changing between alarm display, alarm sound and external signal. It is also possible to control the operation so as to switch between the two. In other words, when an alarm is output, power consumption is reduced by setting an output state with relatively low power consumption to a power saving consumption state and setting an output state with relatively large power consumption to a standard power consumption state according to presence / absence information. Can be achieved.
Specifically, for example, an alarm sound output state with relatively high power consumption is set as a standard power consumption state, an alarm display output state with relatively low power consumption is set as a power saving consumption state, and these are set according to presence / absence information. By appropriately switching, the power consumption when outputting an alarm can be reduced as much as possible. Similarly, an alarm display output state with relatively high power consumption can be set as a standard power consumption state, and an external signal output state with relatively low power consumption can be set into a power saving consumption state. It is also possible to set the output state of an alarm sound with high power as a standard power consumption state and the output state of an external signal with relatively low power consumption as a power saving consumption state.

(3) In the above embodiment, the alarm device supplies driving power from the built-in battery 8a. However, when the installation property is not particularly problematic, for example, when an AC power source is present in the vicinity of the alarm device. The AC power supply may be used as a power supply unit to supply driving power.

(4) In the above embodiment, the LCD is used as a device that actually displays an alarm display on the display unit. However, if the device can appropriately notify the alarm and is a device with low power consumption, For example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) can be used. When an alarm is displayed on the LED, for example, an alarm can be displayed by lighting a green light in a non-abnormal state and a red light in an abnormal state.
A plurality of LEDs can be used, and an LED and an LCD can be used in combination.
Specifically, when the LED and the LCD are used together, an alarm display (such as the above-mentioned red lighting) is displayed by the LED in the power saving consumption state, and in the standard power consumption state, the LCD is displayed. By displaying an alarm (such as the above-mentioned character display), power saving can be achieved as appropriate.

(5) In the above embodiment, methane gas and CO gas are detected using a semiconductor sensor element as the methane sensor and CO sensor. However, a thin film semiconductor sensor element can also be used. In the case of detecting methane gas or the like using a thin film type semiconductor sensor element, since the heat capacity of the semiconductor which is the gas sensitive part is small, the temperature of the semiconductor is set to an optimal temperature (about 200 ° C. to 500 ° C.). Heating with low power consumption is effective, and particularly in an alarm device driven by a battery, it is effective in that power consumption can be suppressed.

(6) In the above-described embodiment, the methane sensor, the CO sensor, and the heat sensor are provided. However, a known smoke sensor may be further provided to detect a fire.

  The present invention can be used effectively as an alarm device capable of notifying a person existing in the vicinity of the alarm device of the alarm and detecting power consumption as much as possible when detecting an abnormal state and outputting the alarm. It is.

Elevation view of alarm device Block diagram showing the configuration of the alarm device Flow chart showing processing of abnormality monitoring mode of alarm device according to the present application The flowchart which shows the process of the abnormality monitoring mode of the alarm device which concerns on another embodiment of this application

Explanation of symbols

4 Detection means 5 Alarm output means 6 Output state switching means 7 Presence / absence information detection means 7a Human sensor (presence / absence information detection means)
8 Power supply unit 8a Built-in battery (power supply unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Display part 11 Audio | voice output part 12 External signal output part 100,200 Alarm device

Claims (6)

A power supply for supplying drive power;
Detection means for detecting an abnormal state of the detection target;
An alarm device comprising an alarm output means for detecting the abnormal state and outputting an alarm,
An output state switching means capable of switching an output state of the alarm output means between a standard power consumption state and a power saving consumption state in which power consumption is suppressed compared to the standard power consumption state;
Presence / absence information detecting means for automatically detecting presence / absence information indicating the presence or absence of a person,
An alarm device in which the alarm output means controls the output state switching means based on presence / absence information detected by the presence / absence information detection means.   The alarm device according to claim 1, wherein the presence / absence information detecting means is a human sensor.   3. The alarm device according to claim 1, wherein the alarm output unit controls the operation of the output state switching unit in a form in which the alarm is changed between an alarm display, an alarm sound, and an external signal. When the alarm is an alarm display, the power saving consumption state is a state in which the alarm display is not displayed or a state in which the brightness of the alarm display is darker than the brightness of the alarm display in the standard power consumption state, When the alarm is an alarm sound, the alarm sound is not uttered, or the utterance interval of the alarm sound is longer than the utterance interval of the alarm sound in the standard power consumption state,
3. The alarm device according to claim 1, wherein when the alarm output unit detects the absence of a person by the presence / absence information detection unit, the output state switching unit switches the output state to the power saving state. When the alarm is an alarm display in the power saving consumption state, the alarm is an alarm sound in a state where the brightness of the alarm display is darker than the brightness of the alarm display in the standard power consumption state In the state where the volume of the alarm sound is lower than the volume of the alarm sound in the standard power consumption state, and the alarm is an external signal, the external signal is not transmitted,
The alarm device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the alarm output unit detects the presence of a person by the presence / absence information detection unit, the output state switching unit switches the output state to the power saving state.   The alarm device according to claim 1, wherein the power supply unit is configured to supply driving power from a built-in battery.

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