JP2012079095A - Alarm method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely transmit the content of an alarm to a user, when allowing the user such as a hearing-impaired person to perceive the alarm by a temperature, by changing the temperature in a prescribed pattern and facilitating the perception of an occurrence of the alarm.SOLUTION: This alarm method receives an alarm signal A which is distinguishable for every type of alarm and sends an alarm recognizable with a tactile sense to a user. This alarm method receives the alarm and transmits a temperature stimulation that changes in a prescribed temperature change pattern to the user so as to make the user perceive the alarm.

Description

  This invention is an alarm that outputs an alarm so that it can be recognized by tactile sensation when an emergency alarm such as a fire alarm is issued, an intercom that informs a visitor sounds, or a telephone is received when sleeping. It relates to a method and an apparatus.

  When a fire alarm is activated while a hearing impaired person (deaf person) is sleeping or various alarms are issued, if these alarms cannot be heard, there is a risk that sufficient protection cannot be obtained. In addition, even if the visitor presses the intercom call button at the time of the visitor, the hearing impaired person may miss this call sound and cause trouble for the visitor. Also, when you have a call, you may miss the ringing tone of the phone and cause inconvenience to the other party. Such a condition is particularly serious inconvenience in hearing impaired people, but it can also be a problem in healthy people without hearing impairment. For example, a similar problem may arise when the house structure is difficult to hear intercom or telephone ringing sounds, or when the surroundings are noisy.

  Therefore, fire alarms have been proposed in the past that use sound signals instead of sound alarms for people with hearing impairments and healthy individuals who are difficult to hear alarms (hereinafter referred to as persons with hearing impairments). (Patent Document 1). In addition, it has been proposed to generate a tactile stimulus that wakes a person by a tactile stimulus and output an alarm that can be recognized by tactile sense. That is, a warning is given to a hearing impaired person by vibration.

  Patent Document 2 discloses such a tactile stimulation device that gives a mild sensation to the skin by a vibration lead, a wristwatch-shaped device, and the like. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228688 discloses a device in which when a predetermined living sound is generated from the living sound, it is identified and transmitted to a hearing impaired person by vibration or heat.

US Pat. No. 4,227,191 Special table 2008-522330 JP 2000-166961 A

  However, the visual warning device of Patent Document 1 has a serious drawback that it is completely powerless when a hearing impaired person or a healthy person who is difficult to hear an alarm is sleeping. Since Patent Document 2 gives a tactile stimulus by vibration, when the vibration suddenly occurs, the user may be uncomfortable or the user may be surprised. In addition, sudden vibrations may cause troubles to the surroundings.

  According to the method of Patent Document 3, a living sound is stored in advance as voice data, the occurrence of a predetermined living sound is identified, and the degree of tactile sensation (for example, heat) is determined according to the urgency of the identified living sound. Therefore, if the temperature change is slow, the user becomes accustomed to the temperature during the change, and it is difficult to notice the temperature change. In addition, the apparatus becomes complicated to identify living sounds.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances. When a user such as a hearing impaired person perceives a warning depending on the temperature, it is easy to perceive the occurrence of an alarm by changing the temperature in a predetermined pattern. It is a first object of the present invention to provide an alarm method that can reliably transmit the contents of a warning to a user. A second object is to provide an alarm device used for carrying out this method.

  According to the present invention, a first object is an alarm method for receiving an alarm signal distinguishable for each type of alarm and transmitting an alarm recognizable by tactile sensation to a user. This is achieved by an alarm method characterized in that an alarm is perceived by transmitting a temperature stimulus that changes in temperature in a predetermined temperature change pattern to the user.

  The second purpose is an alarm device that receives an alarm signal that can be distinguished for each type of alarm and sends an alarm that can be recognized by tactile sensation to the user. An alarm receiving unit that outputs a signal, a heat generation control unit that outputs a heat generation control signal of a predetermined temperature change pattern based on the operation start signal, a heat generation drive unit that outputs a drive signal corresponding to the temperature change pattern, It is achieved by an alarm device comprising: a heating element driven by the drive signal to generate heat and cause a user to perceive an alarm.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a user such as a hearing impaired person perceives a warning according to the temperature, the temperature is changed according to a predetermined temperature change pattern. Makes it easy to perceive the occurrence of an alarm. That is, various temperature change patterns are adopted, such as when the temperature simply rises or when it is held at a constant temperature, the temperature rises or falls, or depending on the case, it falls below the body temperature due to endotherm. Thus, the contents of the alarm can be reliably transmitted to the user. According to the invention of claim 5, an alarm device used for carrying out this method is obtained.

The figure which shows the use condition of one Example of this invention The perspective view of the subunit | mobile_unit used for the Example of FIG. Block diagram of alarm device Figure showing an example of temperature change pattern The perspective view which shows the wristwatch which is another Example The block diagram which shows the structure of the wristwatch of FIG.

  It is preferable that the temperature stimulus has a different temperature change pattern depending on different alarm types, so that the user can perceive the alarm type by the temperature stimulus (claims 2 and 6). The temperature stimulus can be set with a temperature change pattern in which at least one of the temperature and the period of temperature change differs according to the type of alarm received. It is preferable to include at least two changes in temperature or period. The temperature stimulus can also be set by a combination of heating and endotherm, and a Peltier element is suitable for the heating element used in this case (claims 4, 9, and 10).

    The alarm signal is preferably changed in accordance with the emergency level of the alarm (claim 7). That is, for a fire alarm with a high degree of urgency, the temperature change pattern changes drastically (for example, a pattern with a small change period and a large temperature change), so that an emergency signal is quickly perceived. Because it can.

  The heat generation control unit outputs a heat generation control signal having a heat generation change pattern in which at least one of the temperature and the temperature change period changes according to the type of alarm, and the heat generation drive unit outputs a drive signal that changes according to the temperature change pattern. By outputting, it is possible to identify the type of alarm.

   The heating element can change between heat generation and heat absorption, and if the temperature change pattern is a pattern that combines heat generation and heat absorption of the heat generation element, the number of types of temperature change patterns is greatly increased, and the types of alarms are further increased. It can be clearly distinguished (claim 9). As such a heating element, a Peltier element can be used. In this case, the surface on the user side can be easily changed to a heat generating surface and a heat absorbing surface by changing the energization polarity ( Claim 10). The heating element is more easily recognized by the user if the heating parts and the heat absorbing parts are arranged alternately, for example, in a stripe shape, and the heating parts and the heat absorbing parts are alternately changed.

   The heating element is preferably installed so that the heating surface faces the sleeping bed, for example, near the back where the weight of the user sleeping horizontally is added. . This is because the temperature change of the heating element can be sensed sensitively.

  The heating element can be mounted such that the heating surface faces the lower surface of the band worn by the user, for example, a wristwatch (the surface in contact with the wearer's skin) (claims 12 and 13). The alarm signal is output from a main unit installed in a room or the like, and if the alarm signal is transmitted to the alarm receiving unit by radio, the alarm device described in claim 5 can be downsized and moved. It is convenient for carrying around (claim 14). Instead of wireless, an alarm signal may be sent by wire.

  FIG. 1 shows an embodiment in which an alarm device according to the present invention is used in a bed. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 is a bed, 12 is a user lying on the bed 10, 14 is a pillow, and 16 is an alarm device according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the alarm device 16 is accommodated in a mat-like storage case 18 having appropriate flexibility. In the storage case 18, the members shown in FIG. 3 constituting the alarm device 16 are held on a substrate (not shown) having moderate flexibility.

  1 and 3, reference numeral 20 denotes an alarm signal output unit serving as a parent device, and a position where an alarm signal can be sent to an alarm device 16 serving as a child device by wire or wireless, such as in a room or a house where the bed 10 is installed. Installed. This alarm signal output unit 20 is input with a wired or wireless alarm output from an alarm generating device such as a fire alarm 22, door phone 24, or telephone 26, and can identify the type of alarm of these alarm generating devices. An alarm signal A is sent to the alarm device 16. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 28 denotes a radio transmission antenna provided in the alarm signal output unit 20, and 30 denotes a reception antenna provided on the alarm device 16 side.

  The alarm device 16 includes an alarm receiver 32, a heat generation control unit 34, a heat generation drive unit 36, a pair of heat generators 38, and a battery 40 serving as a power source for these. In this embodiment, a pair of vibration motors 42 that are driven together with the operation of the heating element 38 are provided. The alarm receiving unit 32 determines the type of alarm based on the alarm signal A received from the alarm signal output unit 20 that is the parent device, and outputs an operation start signal B that varies depending on the type of alarm.

  The heat generation control unit 34 outputs a heat generation control signal C indicating a heat generation change pattern corresponding to the type of alarm to the drive unit 36 based on the operation start signal B. That is, the heat generation control unit 34 stores a heat generation change pattern corresponding to the type of alarm in advance, and outputs a heat generation control signal C corresponding to the heat generation change pattern corresponding to the received operation start signal B.

  The drive unit 36 supplies a drive current D for driving the heating element 38 with a predetermined heat generation change pattern based on the heat generation control signal C. In this embodiment, a vibration motor 42 is provided, and the vibration motor 42 is also driven by a drive current E output from the drive unit 36. The vibration motor 42 may be controlled so that the rotation speed changes in accordance with the heat generation change pattern, or may be driven at a constant rotation speed during operation of the heating element 38. good.

  It is to be noted that the temperature sensor 44 (FIG. 3) is provided in the heating element 38, and the drive current is controlled so that the detected temperature is fed back to the driving unit 36 so that the temperature of the heating element 38 matches the temperature change pattern. desirable.

  Next, a temperature change pattern stored in the heat generation control unit 34 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4A, the surface temperature (the temperature of the surface in contact with the user's body or the surface facing the user's body) rises to a constant temperature at a predetermined cycle with respect to time (horizontal axis). By changing the temperature and cycle according to the type of alarm, the type of alarm can be determined.

  FIG. 4B changes the heat generation time, the heat generation cycle, and the heat generation temperature. By combining with the pattern of FIG. 4A, a temperature change pattern more varied can be created.

  FIG. 4C shows the case where the temperatures are alternately changed when a plurality of heating elements 38 are used. If a plurality of heating elements are arranged close to each other and the respective temperatures are changed alternately, it becomes difficult for the user to get used to the temperature change and to perceive it.

  FIG. 4D shows a combination of heat generation and heat absorption. If a Peltier element is used as the heating element 38, the heat generation and the heat absorption can be changed by changing the polarity of the drive current. In this case, the temperature change pattern can be formed by changing the heat generation and the heat absorption. FIG. 4E shows an example in which such a device is used to raise the surface temperature of one of the heating elements arranged close to each other and lower the other surface temperature by endotherm. Thus, it becomes easier to perceive the alarm by alternately increasing and cooling the surface temperature of the heating elements close to each other.

  FIG. 5 shows an embodiment in which the alarm device of the present invention is incorporated in a wristwatch 50. The display surface 54 of the case 52 is provided with a display unit 56 such as time and a display 58 that changes depending on the type of alarm. It has been. The display unit 56 and the display 58 are composed of, for example, a liquid crystal plate.

  In the wristwatch case 52, a mechanism that is substantially the same as the alarm device (slave device) 16 shown in FIG. Therefore, in FIG. 6, the same reference numerals are assigned to the corresponding parts in FIG. 3, and the description thereof will not be repeated. The difference from FIG. 3 is that the operation start signal B output from the alarm receiving unit 32 is guided to the light emission control unit 60 according to the type of alarm. In the light emission control unit 60, one or more of the displays 58 are selectively readable (identifiable) in accordance with the type of alarm based on the operation start signal B.

  Here, the heating element 38 is accommodated on the back side of the case 50, that is, on the side of the surface of the user's arm that contacts the skin, so that the temperature change of the heating element 38 can be easily perceived by the user. According to this embodiment, the user perceives the temperature change pattern due to the heating element 38 with the skin of the arm and knows that an alarm has been issued. By looking at the display surface 52 of the clock 50 and confirming the display state of the display 58, the type of alarm can be accurately known.

10 Beds 12 Users (Hearing impaired)
16 Alarm device (child unit)
20 Alarm signal output unit (master unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 22 Fire alarm 24 Door phone 26 Telephone 28 Transmitting antenna 30 Receiving antenna 32 Square receiving part 34 Heat generation control part 36 Drive part 38 Heating element 40 Battery 50 Wristwatch 58 Display indicating the type of alarm 60 Light emission control part A Alarm signal B Operation start signal C Heat generation control signal D Drive current

Claims (14)

An alarm method for receiving an alarm signal distinguishable for each type of alarm and sending an alarm recognizable by tactile sensation to a user,
An alarm method characterized in that an alarm is perceived by receiving a warning and transmitting a temperature stimulus that changes in temperature with a predetermined temperature change pattern to a user.   The alarm method according to claim 1, wherein a temperature stimulus having a different temperature change pattern corresponding to the type of alarm is transmitted to the user.   The alarm method according to claim 2, wherein the temperature stimulus is set with a temperature change pattern in which at least one of a temperature and a period of temperature change differs according to the type of alarm received.   The alarm method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature stimulus is set by a combination of heating and endotherm. An alarm device that receives an alarm signal distinguishable for each type of alarm and sends an alarm recognizable by tactile sensation to a user,
An alarm receiver for receiving an alarm signal and outputting an operation start signal;
A heat generation control unit that outputs a heat generation control signal of a predetermined temperature change pattern based on the operation start signal;
A heat generating drive unit that outputs a drive signal corresponding to the temperature change pattern;
A heating element driven by the drive signal to generate heat and cause the user to perceive an alarm;
An alarm device comprising:   6. The alarm device according to claim 5, wherein the heat generation control unit outputs a heat generation control signal having a different temperature change pattern corresponding to the type of alarm.   The alarm device according to claim 5, wherein the alarm reception unit receives different alarm signals according to an emergency level of the alarm.   The heat generation control unit outputs a heat generation control signal having a temperature change pattern in which at least one of the temperature and the temperature change period changes according to the type of alarm, and the heat generation drive unit outputs a drive signal that changes according to the temperature change pattern. The alarm device according to claim 5, which outputs the alarm device.   The alarm device according to claim 5, wherein the heating element can change between heat generation and heat absorption, and the temperature change pattern is a combination of heat generation and heat absorption of the heat generation element.   The alarm device according to claim 5, wherein the heating element is a Peltier element, and the surface on the user side is changed to a heat generation surface and a heat absorption surface by changing a conduction polarity thereof.   The alarm device according to claim 5, wherein the heating element is installed on the sleeping bed so as to face the body of the user.   The alarm device according to claim 5, wherein the heating element is attached to a band worn by a user.   The alarm device according to claim 12, wherein the band is a wristwatch, and a plurality of displays that can be identified according to the type of alarm are provided on a display surface thereof.   The alarm device according to claim 4, wherein the alarm signal is transmitted to an alarm receiver by radio.

Images