JP2012234351A - Fire alarm facility - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fire alarm facility including an external testing device which is capable of easily identifying a test object device.SOLUTION: A fire alarm facility comprises: sensors D for detecting a change in environment based on a fire phenomenon and transmitting/receiving wireless signals; a fire receiver A for monitoring and controlling the sensors D; and one or multiple relaying devices that are interposed between the sensor D and the fire receiver A and configure multiple communication layers to relay the wireless signals. The fire alarm facility includes an external testing device E that determines the sensor D or the relaying device to be a control object device and controls it. The external testing device E transmits a signal for determining the control object device to the sensor D or the relaying device, and when the sensor D or the relaying device receives the signal for determining the control object device, the sensor D or the relaying device transmits a response signal including its own device ID to the external testing device E. When the external testing device E receives the response signal, the external testing device E determines the sensor D or the relaying device of the maximum signal level to be the control object device.

Description

  The present invention relates to a fire alarm system equipped with a sensor, a fire receiver, and the like, and more particularly to a fire alarm system in which a part of various signals is converted into a radio signal.

  Conventionally, as an alarm simultaneous notification system for multiple alarm devices in which multiple fire gas leak alarm devices are arranged in multiple rooms in the home, the external tester has a transmission circuit unit, a control circuit unit, and an automatic test circuit unit, and each alarm There is one that operates a sensor test circuit to test each sensor of each alarm device (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-42285 (paragraph [0034], FIG. 3)

  In the conventional technology described above, for example, when an external tester performs a test of a parent dedicated alarm device and a child dedicated alarm device by wireless communication, the test is performed on a parent dedicated alarm device capable of wireless communication with all the child dedicated alarm devices. It is something to be made. However, when selecting a test target device from a plurality of parent-only alarm devices, it was difficult to specify the device.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a fire alarm facility having an external tester that can easily specify a test target device.

The fire alarm facility according to the present invention is a sensor that detects an environmental change based on a fire phenomenon and transmits and receives a radio signal;
A fire receiver that monitors and controls the sensor;
A fire alarm facility comprising one or a plurality of relays interposed between a sensor and a fire receiver and configured to configure a plurality of communication layers and relay radio signals,
Having an external tester that controls the sensors or repeaters after identifying them as controlled devices,
The external tester sends a signal to the sensor or repeater to identify the controlled device,
When the sensor or repeater receives a signal for specifying the controlled device, it sends a response signal including its own device ID to the external tester,
When the external tester receives the response signal, the external tester specifies the sensor or repeater having the maximum received signal level as the controlled device.

  According to the present invention, the external tester wirelessly transmits a device specific signal to the sensor or repeater, and the sensor or repeater self-detects when the device specific signal from the external tester is received. A response signal including the device ID of the device is wirelessly transmitted to the external tester, and the external tester controls the sensor or repeater having a high reception level when the response signal from the sensor or repeater is received. Identify as equipment. As a result, desired control can be quickly performed on a specified device from among wireless repeaters, repeater repeaters, and detectors installed in a large number of fire prevention objects.

It is a system configuration figure showing an example of fire alarm equipment concerning an embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the main structures of the sensor in embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the main structures of the repeater repeater in embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the main structures of the wireless relay device in embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the main structures of the external tester in embodiment. It is a figure explaining the communication message | telegram transmitted with respect to a wireless repeater or a repeater repeater in the state collection process and fire notification process of embodiment. It is a figure explaining the communication message | telegram transmitted to the sensor and the communication message | telegram which a sensor transmits in the state collection process of embodiment. It is a figure explaining the communication message | telegram which a repeater repeater transmits in the state collection process of embodiment. It is a figure explaining the state collection process which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure explaining the fire notification process which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the specific operation | movement of the radio | wireless repeater by an external tester in the fire alarm equipment which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the radio | wireless repeater specified by an external tester.

(overall structure)
FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating an example of a fire alarm facility according to an embodiment. The fire alarm facility shown in FIG. 1 is a system that is installed in a building to be monitored and notifies when an occurrence of a fire is detected.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the fire alarm system 100 according to the present embodiment transmits a fire receiver A, a wireless repeater B1 connected to the fire receiver A via a transmission line CL1, and a fire receiver A. A wireless repeater B2 connected by a line CL2, and wireless sensors D11, D12, D21, D22, D31, D32, D41, D42, D43 arranged on the ceiling of each room of the building to be monitored; A repeater relay C1 that relays a wireless signal interposed between the wireless relay B1 and the sensors D21 and D22, and a wireless signal interposed between the wireless relay B1 and the sensors D31 and D32. Repeater repeaters C2 and C3 are provided.

  As will be described later, the external tester E shown in FIG. 1 performs a remote test using wireless signals for the wireless repeaters B1 and B2, and also shows the state at the time of registration of the communication paths F1, F2, F3, and F4. It is a device used for confirmation.

  In the following, the wireless repeaters B1 and B2 are replaced with the wireless repeater B, the sensors D11, D12, D21, D22, D31, D32, D41, D42, and D43 are detected with the sensor D, and the repeater repeaters C2 and C3. May be collectively referred to as repeater repeater C.

  Here, a set of the wireless repeater B and the sensor D and the repeater repeater C that perform wireless communication with the wireless repeater B is referred to as a group. That is, one group is formed for each wireless repeater B. In the example of FIG. 1, a repeater repeater C1, C2, C3 and sensors D11, D12, D21, D22, D31, D32 that perform wireless communication with the wireless repeater B1 and the wireless repeater B1 are grouped. Called G1. Further, the wireless repeater B2 and the sensors D41, D42, and D43 that perform wireless transmission / reception with the wireless repeater B2 are referred to as a group G2.

  In each group, a plurality of communication paths starting from the wireless repeater B are established. In the example of the group G1 in FIG. 1, a communication path F1 is established between the wireless relay B1 and the sensors D11 and D12, and the wireless relay B1 and the repeater relay C1 and the repeater relay C1 and the sensor. A communication path F2 is established between D21 and D22. A communication path F3 is established between the wireless repeater B1 and repeater repeaters C2 and C3, and between the repeater repeater C3 and the sensors D31 and D32. Further, in the example of the group G2 in FIG. 1, a communication path F4 is established between the wireless repeater B2 and the sensors D41, D42, and D43.

(Sensor D)
The sensor D detects a physical quantity or a physical change of a detection target based on a fire phenomenon, and transmits a state signal corresponding to the detected content as a radio signal. As the sensor D, for example, a wireless smoke detector that outputs an analog value based on the detected smoke density or a fire signal as a wireless signal, or a wireless type that outputs an analog value or fire signal based on the detected ambient temperature as a wireless signal The heat sensor is used.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of the sensor in the embodiment. The sensor D includes a control circuit 1, a battery 2, a constant voltage circuit 3, a voltage detection circuit 4, a transmission / reception circuit 5, an antenna 6, a fire detection circuit 7, an indicator lamp circuit 8, and a registration switch 9.

  The battery 2 supplies a DC voltage to the constant voltage circuit 3. The constant voltage circuit 3 controls the DC voltage of the battery 2 to a predetermined voltage and supplies it to the control circuit 1, the transmission / reception circuit 5, the fire detection circuit 7, and the indicator lamp circuit 8.

  For example, the voltage detection circuit 4 detects a DC voltage of the battery 2 applied to the constant voltage circuit 3 and outputs a battery voltage detection signal corresponding to the detection voltage to the control circuit 1. When the voltage detection circuit 4 detects that the remaining battery level has dropped or has fallen below the threshold value for running out of the battery, the voltage detection circuit 4 outputs it to the control circuit 1 to operate the indicator lamp circuit 8 and to display the battery running out status information. The state signal including the signal is output from the transmission / reception circuit 5.

  The fire detection circuit 7 detects a physical quantity or a physical change of an object to be detected such as smoke or heat based on a fire phenomenon, and outputs a state signal corresponding to the detected content to the control circuit 1. The indicator lamp circuit 8 is a circuit that controls the lighting operation of the light emitting diode (LED). For example, when the battery is dead, the LED blinks, and when a fire is detected by the fire detection circuit 7, the cycle is different from the blinking. To blink the LED.

  The transmission / reception circuit 5 is connected to an antenna 6 for transmitting / receiving radio signals, and includes a transmission circuit 5a and a reception circuit 5b. The reception circuit 5b performs a reception sampling operation at a predetermined period to detect a radio signal received from the antenna 6, and when the radio signal is addressed to itself, performs a reception process according to the contents. Then, the reception circuit 5b outputs the signal subjected to the reception process to the control circuit 1. The transmission circuit 5a is controlled by the control circuit 1 to perform transmission processing of signals such as status signals. The registration switch 9 is a switch used when registering information such as a communication path necessary for transmitting and receiving a radio signal within a group.

  The control circuit 1 has a function as a state determination unit that determines a fire state and the like based on a signal output from the fire detection circuit 7. When the control circuit 1 determines that it is in a fire state, the control circuit 1 controls the indicator lamp circuit 8 and issues an alarm by blinking the LED. In addition, the control circuit 1 performs necessary processing based on the signal received by the transmission / reception circuit 5 and controls the transmission / reception circuit 5 as necessary to send a status signal to the wireless repeater B or the repeater repeater C. Send fire signals. The storage element 1a is composed of a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM, for example, and stores a program executed by the control circuit 1, various data, and its own address.

  As will be described later, the control circuit 1 transmits a registration request signal to another device when the registration switch 9 is turned on. When a registration signal indicating that the wireless relay B from the wireless relay B has registered the sensor D is received by the transmission of the registration request signal, for example, a communication path with the wireless relay B is established. Establish.

(Repeater repeater C)
The repeater repeater C is interposed between the wireless repeater B and the sensor D and relays wireless signals. The repeater repeater C is provided when radio waves do not reach each other between the wireless repeater B and the sensor D. Like the repeater repeaters C2 and C3 shown in the group G1 in FIG. 1, two or more repeater repeaters C may be provided between the wireless repeater B and the sensor D for relay.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of the repeater repeater in the embodiment.
The repeater repeater C includes a control circuit 11, a battery 2, a constant voltage circuit 3, a voltage detection circuit 4, a transmission / reception circuit 5, an antenna 6, an indicator lamp circuit 8, and a registration switch 9. Unlike the above-mentioned sensor D, the repeater repeater C does not include the fire detection circuit 7 and the operation content of the control circuit 11 is different, but the other configurations are basically the same as the sensor D. . Note that the repeater repeater C may be provided with a fire detection circuit 7 such as the sensor D shown in FIG. 2 or a sensor that senses smoke, heat, or the like, and the repeater repeater C may have a fire detection function.

  The control circuit 11 transmits a registration request signal to another device when the registration switch 10 is operated. When a registration signal indicating that the wireless repeater B from the wireless repeater B has registered the repeater repeater C is received by the transmission of the registration request signal, communication is performed with the wireless repeater B. Establish a route.

(Wireless repeater B)
The wireless repeater B has a function of transmitting and receiving a wireless signal between the sensor D and the repeater repeater C and transferring the wireless signal from the sensor D or the repeater repeater C to the fire receiver A. Yes. A storage element (not shown) stores a program for executing the function of the repeater B, various data, group ID, registered device address, communication path information (described later), and the like.

  When the registration request signal is received when the registration switch 9 is in the ON state, the wireless repeater B registers that it has been registered in the sensor D or the repeater repeater C that has issued the registration request signal. A signal is transmitted to establish a communication path. The wireless repeater B changes the communication route to the sensor D to the repeater repeater C when a route change signal is received from the repeater repeater C after establishing the communication route.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of the wireless repeater in the embodiment.
The wireless repeater B includes a control circuit 21, a constant voltage circuit 3, a voltage detection circuit 4, a transmission / reception circuit 5, an antenna 6, an indicator lamp circuit 8, a registration switch 9, a receiver I / F circuit 22, and a power line terminal 20a. And a signal line terminal 20b. The wireless repeater B is not battery-driven like the above-described sensor D and repeater repeater C, but is connected to the DC from the fire receiver A via the power line connecting the fire receiver A and the power line terminal 20a. Powered. Further, the fire receiver A and the signal line terminal 20b are connected by a signal line (transmission line CL), and the wireless repeater B transmits a signal to the fire receiver A via the receiver I / F circuit 22. Send and receive. Although the operation contents of the control circuit 21 and the information stored in the storage element 21a are partially different, other configurations are basically the same as those of the sensor D and the repeater repeater C.

(External tester E)
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of the external tester in the embodiment.
The external tester E is a process of selecting execution of the control circuit 31, the battery 2, the constant voltage circuit 3, the voltage detection circuit 4, the transmission / reception circuit 5, the antenna 6, the indicator lamp circuit 8, and the display unit 8a, for example, a test function. A selection switch 39 and a buzzer 10 are provided.
The battery 2 supplies a DC voltage to the constant voltage circuit 3. The constant voltage circuit 3 controls the DC voltage of the battery 2 to a predetermined voltage and supplies it to the control circuit 31, the transmission / reception circuit 5, the indicator lamp circuit 8, the buzzer 10, and the like. For example, the voltage detection circuit 4 detects a DC voltage of the battery 2 applied to the constant voltage circuit 3 and outputs a battery voltage detection signal corresponding to the detection voltage to the control circuit 31. When the voltage detection circuit 4 detects that the remaining battery level has dropped or has fallen below the threshold value for running out of the battery, the voltage detection circuit 4 outputs it to the control circuit 31 to cause the indicator lamp circuit 8 to operate.

  The transmission / reception circuit 5 is connected to an antenna 6 for transmitting / receiving a radio signal, and includes a transmission circuit 5a and a reception circuit 5b. The reception circuit 5 b performs a reception sampling operation at a predetermined period to detect a radio signal received from the antenna 6, and outputs the received signal to the control circuit 31. Further, the transmission circuit 5a is controlled by the control circuit 31, and performs a transmission process such as a device specifying signal for specifying the wireless repeater B, the repeater repeater C, and the sensor D as controlled devices, for example. The process selection switch 9 is a switch used when selecting to execute various functions of the external tester E. The storage element 31a is composed of a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM, for example, and stores a program executed by the control circuit 31 and various data such as a common ID. The display unit 8a includes an LED display, an LCD, and the like, and displays various test results and the like.

  The external tester E performs, for example, a fire test, registration information collection, and status information collection for each device constituting the fire alarm facility 100. However, in order to exert the function, it is necessary to specify in advance the devices (for example, the wireless repeater B, the repeater repeater C, and the sensor D) controlled by the external tester E.

For example, the control circuit 31 of the external tester E first specifies a device identification signal with all the wireless relay devices B belonging to the fire alarm system 100 as transmission destinations in order to specify the wireless relay device B to be remotely controlled. Are transmitted all at once by radio.
When the wireless repeater B receives the device specifying signal from the external tester E, it determines whether or not the received signal level is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. A response signal is wirelessly transmitted to the external tester E. This response signal includes a device ID unique to the device previously stored in the storage element 21a at the time of factory shipment as a transmission source.
Next, when the external tester E receives the response signal from the wireless repeater B, the external tester E transmits a device identification confirmation signal with the device ID of the wireless repeater B included in the response signal as a transmission destination.
At this time, when the external tester E receives response signals from the plurality of wireless repeaters B, it selects a response signal having a high received signal level and sets its device ID as a transmission destination.
When the wireless repeater B receives the device identification confirmation signal from the external tester E, the wireless repeater B transmits a response signal to the external tester E and, for example, indicates that the device identification is completed by blinking an LED as a display unit. Inform.

  For example, the operation of the external tester E when specifying the wireless repeater B by the external tester E and the operation of the wireless repeater B responding according to the operation of the external tester E are shown in FIG. 11 and the flowchart of FIG. 12 will be described later.

(Overview of fire alarm equipment operation)
The first major operation of the fire alarm system 100 is fire monitoring. Specifically, each sensor D monitors the presence or absence of a fire in its own monitoring area. When the sensor D detects a change in the environment such as smoke or heat due to a fire, this detection information is transmitted to the wireless repeater B through a wireless signal via the repeater repeater C or directly. Further, detection information is transmitted from the wireless repeater B to the fire receiver A. Upon receiving the fire detection information, the fire receiver A controls a sound alarm device (not shown) to notify the fire, and activates a fire door, a smoke exhauster, a shutter (not shown) and the like to prevent the spread of fire.
The second main operation of the fire alarm system 100 is a state collection process. In the fire alarm system 100, if a battery runs out or a wireless communication failure occurs in each device constituting the fire alarm facility 100, the fire notification cannot be performed. In order to prevent such a problem from occurring, a state collection process is performed in which the state of each device (battery state, wireless communication function state, etc.) is collected at a predetermined period.

(Outline of send / receive processing)
Next, an outline of transmission / reception processing in the fire alarm facility 100 will be described.
The main transmission / reception processes of radio signals in the fire alarm system 100 are (1) state collection process and (2) fire notification process.

(1) State collection process In the state collection process, the wireless relay B collects state information (for example, battery state) of devices (repeater repeater C, sensor D) that transmit and receive wireless signals to and from itself. It is processing. The wireless repeater B transmits a status request signal for requesting its subordinate device to transmit the status information of the device itself, and the device that has received the status request signal further transmits to the subordinate device thereof. To send a status request signal. This state request signal is relayed to the end of the communication path, and the sensor D, which is the terminal device, transmits a signal including its own state information as a state information signal to the host device. The host device that has received this state information signal adds a signal including its own state information to the received signal, and transmits the signal as a state information signal to the host device. This state information signal is transmitted in sequence until reaching the wireless repeater B which is the highest-level device in the communication path. Then, the wireless repeater B determines the state of the state information signal collected from the lower device, and transmits the information included in the state information signal to the fire receiver A if necessary.

  The state collection process is performed for each wireless communication path. That is, in the example of FIG. 1, first, the wireless repeater B1 performs state collection processing between the sensors D11 and D12 (communication path F1), and when this is completed, the wireless repeater B1 becomes the repeater repeater C1. And the state collection processing is performed between the sensors D21 and D22 (communication path F2) that perform transmission and reception with this, and when this is completed, the wireless relay B1 repeaters repeaters C2 and C3 and the sensors that perform transmission and reception with the repeaters A state collection process is performed between D31 and D32 (communication path F3). The state collection processing may be performed at a predetermined cycle (for example, a 24-hour cycle), or the cycle of performing the state collection processing may be changed according to the situation such as the installation years of the fire alarm facility 100.

(2) Fire Notification Processing This is processing for transmitting a wireless signal based on the fire information detected by the sensor D to the fire receiver A via the wireless repeater B. The signal flow is in the order from the lower order device to the higher order device of the communication path: sensor D, repeater repeater C (only when intervening), wireless repeater B, and fire receiver A.

In addition, when transmitting a radio signal, it is necessary to transmit within the range of the transmission time set by the standard etc. In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which the transmission period is 3 seconds or shorter and the transmission pause time is 2 seconds or longer in accordance with the standard RCR STD-30.
In addition, the wireless repeater B, the repeater repeater C, and the sensor D basically perform intermittent reception of receiving wireless signals from other devices at predetermined intervals. In the present embodiment, the intermittent reception interval of the wireless repeater B is TB, the intermittent reception interval of the repeater repeater C is TC, and the intermittent reception interval of the sensor D is TD.
In the above-described fire monitoring and status collection transmission / reception processing, communication is performed using radio signals.
The wireless repeater B and the repeater repeater C are interposed between the fire receiver A and the sensor D, and function as a repeater that relays wireless communication to be performed between them.

Moreover, in each device constituting the fire alarm facility 100, information necessary for transmitting and receiving signals is stored in the storage element of each device. Information stored in the storage element includes at least a group ID, a self address, a higher device address, a lower device address, a device number, a common ID, and a device ID.
The group ID is an ID uniquely assigned to each group shown in FIG. This group ID is set for all devices of the wireless repeater B, the repeater repeater C, and the sensor D.
The self address is a communication address uniquely assigned to each device, and is set for all devices of the wireless repeater B, the repeater repeater C, and the sensor D.

The upper device address is an address of a device located immediately above itself in the communication hierarchy. Here, the upper level means a side closer to the fire receiver A with respect to each device. For example, in the group G1 in FIG. 1, the upper device of the repeater relay C1 is the wireless relay device B1, and the higher devices of the sensors D21 and D22 are the repeater relay C1. This higher device address is set for the repeater repeater C and the sensor D.
The lower device address is an address of a device located immediately below itself in the communication hierarchy. Here, the low order means the side far from the fire receiver A with respect to each device. For example, in the group G1 of FIG. 1, the low-order device of the repeater repeater C2 is the repeater repeater C3, and the low-order devices of the repeater repeater C3 are the sensors D31 and D32. The lower device address is set for the wireless repeater B and the repeater repeater C.

The device number is a number uniquely assigned to each terminal in the same type of device belonging to one group. For example, in the present embodiment, the maximum number of repeater repeaters C that can be connected to one group is six, and each repeater repeater C is assigned a device number of 01 to 06. In the present embodiment, the maximum number of sensors D that can be connected to one group is 30, and each sensor D is assigned a device number of 01 to 30. In this embodiment, an example in which a self address and a device number are provided separately is shown, but a self address that is information unique to each device can also be used as a device number.
The common ID designates all the same models (for example, the wireless repeater B, the repeater repeater C, or the sensor D) in each device constituting the fire alarm system 100 as the transmission destination of the wireless signal.
The device ID is a unique number assigned based on a production number or the like. It may be common to various addresses and device numbers.

Here, an outline of a registration process for registering information such as a communication path necessary for transmitting and receiving a radio signal in a group in each device will be described.
First, the wireless repeater B and the repeater repeater C, which are host devices, have a mode called a registration mode as an operation mode for registering a communication path. Further, the repeater repeater C and the sensor D, which are lower devices, can transmit a registration request signal for requesting registration of a communication path.
In such a configuration, a registration request signal including its own address is transmitted from the lower device (repeater repeater C or sensor D) to the upper device (wireless repeater B or repeater repeater C) in the registration mode state. Then, the upper device sets the address included in the registration request signal as its lower device address, and transmits a registration signal including the self address to the lower device. The lower device (repeater repeater C or sensor D) that has received this registration signal sets the address included in the registration signal as its upper device address. By performing such processing for each device constituting the communication path, the communication path is established. The transition to the registration mode and the transmission of the registration request signal are executed by operating the registration switch 9 by the user. Further, this registration process can be performed when newly installing the fire alarm facility 100, or when adding equipment after the fire alarm facility 100 is installed.

(Communication telegram)
Next, a communication message used in the fire alarm facility 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. The communication message described here is a communication message used in the above-described (1) state collection processing and (2) fire notification processing.
In the fire alarm system 100 according to the embodiment, the communication message to be used depends on the type of transmission / reception processing ((1) state collection processing or (2) fire notification processing), the type of the transmission source device, and the type of the reception source device. Is stipulated. First, each communication message will be specifically described.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a communication message transmitted to the wireless repeater or the repeater repeater in the state collection process and the fire notification process according to the embodiment.
The communication slot 110 shown in FIG. 65 is from the transmission source (wireless repeater B or repeater repeater C) to repeater repeater C, or from the transmission source (repeater repeater C or sensor D) to wireless repeater B or A transmission slot 111 for transmitting a signal to the repeater repeater C and a continuous reception slot 112 for receiving a signal from another device.

The transmission slot 111 is composed of a plurality of (60 in this embodiment) basic frames 101 that are continuous. That is, in the transmission slot 111, the basic frame 101 is continuously transmitted a plurality of times. The basic frame 101 includes, for example, a synchronization signal, a group ID for identifying a transmission source, a transmission source address, a frame number, data, and the like.
The length of the transmission slot 111 is set to be longer than the length of the intermittent reception interval TB of the wireless repeater B and the intermittent reception interval TC of the repeater repeater C, and the wireless repeater B and the repeater repeater C Can receive any one of the basic frames 101 in the transmission slot 111.
Before starting transmission using the transmission slot 111, CS before transmission (carrier sense before transmission) is performed, and transmission is started after confirming that no other device is transmitting a radio signal.

  The continuous reception slot 112 is a transmission suspension period in which no radio signal is transmitted, and is a time period in which the reception circuit is activated to perform a radio signal reception process. The continuous reception slot 112 includes a fire transfer signal area 113, a fire notification signal area 114, and other signal areas 115. A fire transfer signal area 113 is an area for receiving a fire transfer signal transferred from another device, a fire notification signal area 114 is an area for receiving a fire notification signal transmitted from the sensor D, and other signals. The area 115 is an area for receiving a control request signal or status information signal other than the fire transfer signal and the fire notification signal. Other devices can transmit corresponding signals to the fire transfer signal area 113, the fire notification signal area 114, and the other signal area 115. In the present embodiment, areas are provided in the order of the fire transfer signal area 113, the fire notification signal area 114, and the other signal areas 115 in order of increasing importance of the radio signal.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a communication message transmitted to the sensor and a communication message transmitted by the sensor in the state collection process of the embodiment. 7A shows a communication message transmitted from the wireless repeater B or repeater repeater C to the sensor D, and FIG. 7B shows a communication message transmitted from the sensor D. . FIG. 7B shows an example of transmission / reception operations of a plurality of sensors D having different intermittent reception timings.

  The block communication 120 shown in FIG. 7A includes a transmission slot 121, a continuous reception slot 122, a transmission slot 123, a continuous reception slot 124, a transmission slot 125, and a continuous reception slot 126. The transmission slots 121, 123, and 125 are composed of a plurality of continuous basic frames 101. That is, in the transmission slots 121, 123, and 125, the basic frame 101 is continuously transmitted a plurality of times. Before starting transmission by the transmission slot 121, CS before transmission (carrier sense before transmission) is performed, and transmission is started after confirming that no other device is transmitting a radio signal.

The continuous reception slots 122, 124, and 126 are transmission suspension periods during which no radio signal is transmitted, and the reception circuit is activated to perform radio signal reception processing.
In the block communication 120, a transmission period (transmission slot 121, 123, 125) for transmitting a radio signal and a transmission suspension period (continuous reception slot 122, 124, 126) for not transmitting a radio signal are alternately repeated.

Here, the time of each slot constituting the block communication 120 will be described. First, the radio signal transmission processing needs to be set in accordance with the standard as described above so that the transmission period is 3 seconds or less and the transmission pause time is 2 seconds or more. On the other hand, the sensor D on the receiving side performs intermittent reception every intermittent reception interval TD (7 seconds in the present embodiment), and the timing of intermittent reception of each sensor D may be different. Therefore, in order for each sensor D to receive a radio signal in intermittent reception, the timing of intermittent reception of each sensor D needs to be included in one of the transmission slots 121, 123, 125 of the signal transmission source. There is.
Therefore, in the block communication 120 of the present embodiment, the total time of the transmission slot 121, the continuous reception slot 122, and the transmission slot 123 is equal to or shorter than the intermittent reception interval TD (7 seconds) of the sensor D, and the continuous reception slot 122 ( 7 seconds after the section T1) in FIG. In this way, all the detectors D can receive the radio signal transmitted in any one of the transmission slots 121, 123, and 125. That is, for example, even when the intermittent reception timing of a certain sensor D is included in the continuous reception slot 122, the sensor D receives the radio signal transmitted in the transmission slot 125 at the next intermittent reception timing. be able to.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, when the sensor D receives a radio signal from the wireless repeater B or the repeater repeater C, the sensor D transmits a shortened frame 102. The shortened frame 102 includes, for example, a synchronization signal, a group ID for identifying a transmission source, a transmission source address, data, and the like.

Here, the timing at which the sensor D transmits the shortened frame 102 as a response signal will be described. First, the continuous reception slot 122 will be further described. As shown in FIG. 7A, the continuous reception slot 122 includes a sensor return slot 129 divided into areas for receiving radio signals from the respective sensors D. The sensor return slot 129 is divided into areas corresponding to the number of sensors D that can be connected to the group (in this embodiment, 30 areas).
When each sensor D receives any of the basic frames 101 transmitted in the transmission slots 121, 123, and 125, based on the frame number included in the received basic frame 101, each sensor D (transmission slots 121, 123). , 125) is completed. Based on the information regarding the timing of each area of the sensor return slot 129 stored in the storage element 1a of each sensor D in advance, the sensor D is assigned to itself among the areas of the sensor return slot 129. A radio signal is transmitted to the area (time zone) corresponding to the device number. For example, the sensor D having the device number 5 transmits a radio signal to the fifth area of the sensor return slot 129. In this way, by setting the reception time zone (the transmission time zone of the sensor D) by the sensor D, it is possible to suppress the destruction of the telegram due to the simultaneous transmission of signals by the plurality of sensors D. can do. Further, since radio signals from a plurality of sensors D can be received by one block communication 120, the time required for reception can be shortened.

Next, an operation example of the sensor D having different intermittent reception timing will be described with reference to FIG. First, the sensor D having the device number 01 receives the 45th basic frame 101 of the transmission slot 123 by intermittent reception, and sends a shortened frame 102 as a response to the basic frame 101 of the sensor return slot 129 of the continuous reception slot 124. Transmit to the first area. The sensor D with the device number 02 receives the 48th basic frame 101 of the transmission slot 121 by intermittent reception, and sends a shortened frame 102 as a response to this to the sensor return slot 129 of the continuous reception slot 122. Transmit to the second area. The sensor D number 03 receives the 55th basic frame 101 of the transmission slot 125 by intermittent reception, and sends the shortened frame 102 as a response thereto to the sensor return slot 129 3 of the continuous reception slot 126. Send to the second area.
In this way, each sensor D transmits a shortened frame in a continuous reception slot (any of the continuous reception slots 122, 124, 126) following the transmission slot (any of the transmission slots 121, 123, 125) that received the signal. 102 is transmitted.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a communication message transmitted by the repeater repeater in the state collection processing according to the embodiment. More specifically, the communication telegram shown in FIG. 8 is transmitted by the repeater repeater C to the wireless repeater B or the repeater repeater C in the state collection process.
The communication slot 130 shown in FIG. 8 includes a transmission slot 131 that transmits a signal from the repeater repeater C to another repeater repeater C or the wireless repeater B, and a continuous reception slot that receives signals from other devices. 132.

The transmission slot 131 includes a plurality of continuous transmission frames 103 (10 in the present embodiment). That is, in the transmission slot 131, the continuous transmission frame 103 is continuously transmitted a plurality of times.
The transmission slot 131 is used to transmit a radio signal to the wireless repeater B or the repeater repeater C. Accordingly, the length of the transmission slot 131 is set to be longer than the length of the intermittent reception interval TB of the wireless repeater B and the intermittent reception interval TC of the repeater repeater C. The device C can receive any one of the continuous transmission frames 103 in the transmission slot 131.
Before starting transmission using the transmission slot 131, CS before transmission (carrier sense before transmission) is performed, and transmission is started after confirming that other devices are not transmitting radio signals.

  The continuous transmission frame 103 includes sensor information 201 and repeater repeater information 202. The sensor information 201 is composed of data areas corresponding to the number of sensors D (30 in this embodiment) that can communicate with one wireless repeater B. The repeater repeater information 202 includes data areas corresponding to the number of repeater repeaters C that can communicate with one wireless repeater B (6 in the present embodiment).

  The continuous reception slot 132 is a time zone in which a radio signal is not transmitted and reception of a signal from another device is waited for. A fire transfer signal area 133, a fire notification signal area 134, and other signal areas 135 Is provided. The continuous reception slot 132, the fire transfer signal area 133, the fire notification signal area 134, and the other signal area 135 are respectively the continuous reception slot 112, the fire transfer signal area 113, and the fire notification signal shown in FIG. The configuration is the same as the area 114 and the other signal area 115.

(Details of send / receive processing)
Next, (1) status collection processing and (2) fire notification processing will be further described including communication telegrams used in these processing.

(1) Status Collection Processing FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining status collection processing according to the embodiment. In FIG. 9, among the communication paths for performing wireless communication with the wireless relay B1 shown in FIG. 1, the communication path F1 (communication path of the sensors D11 and D12) and the communication path F3 (repeater repeaters C2, C3) The communication path of the sensors D31 and D) will be described as an example.

First, it is assumed that the wireless repeater B1 has received a status request signal from the fire receiver A.
(S301) The wireless repeater B1 transmits a status request signal to the lower device address stored in the storage element among the devices belonging to the communication path F1. In this example, since the subordinate devices in the communication path F1 of the wireless repeater B1 are the sensors D11 and D12, the wireless repeater B1 sends a status request signal to the block communication 120 (FIG. 7A). Send.
On the other hand, the detectors D11 and D12 perform intermittent reception at the intermittent reception interval TD, and receive the state request signal transmitted by the wireless repeater B1 in any of the transmission slots 121, 123, and 125 of the block communication 120. . In this example, it is assumed that the sensor D12 receives the status request signal transmitted in the transmission slot 123, and the sensor D11 receives the status request signal transmitted in the transmission slot 125.

(S302) Upon receiving the state request signal, the sensor D12 transmits a state information signal including its own state information by the shortened frame 102. More specifically, the status information signal is transmitted in the area corresponding to the device number of the sensor return slot 129 of the continuous reception slot 124 of the wireless repeater B1 (FIG. 7).
(S303) Upon receiving the state request signal, the sensor D11 transmits a state information signal including its own state information by the shortened frame 102. More specifically, the state information signal is transmitted in the area corresponding to the device number of the sensor return slot 129 of the continuous reception slot 126 of the wireless repeater B1 (FIG. 7).

The state collection process of the communication path F1 is completed by steps S301 to S303, and the wireless relay device B1 has collected the state information of the sensor D11 and the sensor D12.
In the example of FIG. 1, the state collection process of the communication path F2 is performed after the state collection process of the communication path F1 is completed. However, the processing content in the communication path F2 is included in the processing content of the communication path F3. The description is omitted here, and the state collection processing of the communication path F3 will be described below.

(S304) The wireless repeater B1 transmits a status request signal to the lower device address stored in the storage element among the devices belonging to the communication path F3. In this example, since the lower-order device in the communication path F3 of the wireless repeater B1 is the repeater repeater C2, the wireless repeater B1 sends a status request signal to the transmission slot 111 (FIG. 6) of the communication slot 110. Send. After transmitting the status request signal through the transmission slot 111, the wireless repeater B1 activates the reception function and shifts to the reception standby state of the continuous reception slot 112.
On the other hand, the repeater repeater C2 performs intermittent reception at the intermittent reception interval TC, and receives the state request signal transmitted by the wireless repeater B1 in the transmission slot 111.

  (S305) When the repeater repeater C2 receives the state request signal transmitted by the wireless repeater B1, the repeater repeater C2 relays and transmits the state request signal to the lower device address stored in its own storage element. In this example, since the lower-order device of the repeater repeater C2 is the repeater repeater C3, the repeater repeater C2 transmits a status request signal in the transmission slot 111 (FIG. 6) of the communication slot 110.

Here, at the timing when the repeater repeater C2 transmits the state request signal, the wireless repeater B1 is in the reception standby state of the continuous reception slot 112 (S304). The wireless repeater B1 receives the state request signal transmitted from the repeater repeater C2 to the repeater repeater C3 in the continuous reception slot 112 (see the broken line in S304), and the state request signal is normally transmitted to the other party. Recognize that it has been received. Although not shown, when the status request signal transmitted by the repeater repeater C2 cannot be received in the continuous reception slot 112 in step S304, the wireless repeater B1 has an error such as a communication error. And the status request signal is retransmitted.
On the other hand, the repeater repeater C3 performs intermittent reception at the intermittent reception interval TC, and receives the state request signal transmitted by the repeater repeater C2 in step S305.

  (S306) When the repeater repeater C3 receives the state request signal transmitted by the repeater repeater C2, the repeater repeater C3 transmits a state request signal to the lower device address stored in its own storage element. In this example, since the subordinate devices of the repeater repeater C3 are the sensors D31 and D32, the repeater repeater C3 sends the status request signal to the transmission slots 121, 123, and 125 of the block communication 120 (FIG. 7A). Send in.

Here, at the timing when the repeater repeater C3 transmits the state request signal, the repeater repeater C2 is in the reception standby state of the continuous reception slot 112 (S305). The repeater repeater C2 receives the status request signal transmitted by the repeater repeater C3 in the continuous reception slot 112 (see the broken line in S305), and thereby recognizes that the status request signal has been normally received by the other party. . Although not shown, if the status request signal transmitted by the repeater repeater C3 cannot be received in the continuous reception slot 112 in step S305, the repeater repeater C2 is assumed to have some abnormality such as a communication abnormality. Determine and retransmit the status request signal.
On the other hand, the sensors D31 and D32 perform intermittent reception at the intermittent reception interval TD, and receive the state request signal transmitted by the repeater repeater C3 in any of the transmission slots 121, 123, and 125. In this example, it is assumed that the sensor D32 receives the status request signal transmitted in the transmission slot 123, and the sensor D31 receives the status request signal transmitted in the transmission slot 125.

(S307) Upon receiving the state request signal, the sensor D32 transmits a state information signal including its own state information through the shortened frame 102. More specifically, the status information signal is transmitted in the area corresponding to the device number of the sensor return slot 129 of the continuous reception slot 124 of the wireless repeater B1 (FIG. 7).
(S308) Upon receiving the state request signal, the sensor D31 transmits a state information signal including its own state information by the shortened frame 102. More specifically, the state information signal is transmitted in the area corresponding to the device number of the sensor return slot 129 of the continuous reception slot 126 of the wireless repeater B1 (FIG. 7).

  Through these steps S306, 307, and 308, the repeater repeater C3 has collected the state information of its own lower devices (sensors D31 and D32).

(S309) The repeater repeater C3 transmits a status information signal to the upper device address stored in its own storage element. In this example, since the higher-level device of the repeater repeater C3 is the repeater repeater C2, the repeater repeater C3 transmits the other of the communication slot 130 transmitted by the repeater repeater C3 through the transmission slot 131 (FIG. 8) of the communication slot 130. A status information signal is transmitted at the timing of the signal area 135. The continuous transmission frame 103 transmitted at this time includes the state information included in the state information signal from the sensors D31 and D32 received in step S306 in the sensor information 201, and also repeats the state information of the repeater relay C3 itself. It is included in the vessel information 202. That is, the state information signal transmitted from the repeater repeater C3 includes the state information of the sensors D31 and D32 and the repeater repeater C3, which are lower devices of the repeater repeater C3.
On the other hand, the repeater repeater C2 performs intermittent reception at the intermittent reception interval TC, and receives the status information signal transmitted by the repeater repeater C3 in step S309.

  (S310) When the repeater repeater C2 receives the state information signal transmitted by the repeater repeater C3, the repeater repeater C2 transmits a state information signal to the higher-level device address stored in its own storage element. In this example, since the host device of the repeater repeater C2 is the wireless repeater B1, the repeater repeater C2 transmits the status information signal through the transmission slot 131 (FIG. 8) of the communication slot 130. The sensor information 201 of the continuous transmission frame 103 transmitted at this time includes state information of the sensors D31 and D32, and the repeater repeater information 202 includes state information of the repeater repeaters C3 and C2. That is, the repeater repeater C2 transmits a signal obtained by adding its own state information to the state information signal received from the lower device as a state information signal.

Here, at the timing when the repeater repeater C2 transmits the state information signal, the repeater repeater C3 is in the reception standby state of the continuous reception slot 132 (S309). The repeater repeater C3 receives the status information signal transmitted to the wireless repeater B1 by the repeater repeater C2 in the continuous reception slot 132 (see the broken line in S309), and the status information signal is normally transmitted to the other party. Recognize that it has been received. Although not shown, if the status information signal transmitted by the repeater repeater C2 cannot be received in the continuous reception slot 132 in step S309, the repeater repeater C3 is assumed to have some abnormality such as a communication abnormality. Determine and retransmit the status information signal.
On the other hand, the wireless repeater B1 performs intermittent reception at the intermittent reception interval TB, and receives the state request signal transmitted by the repeater repeater C2 in step S310.

(S311) When the wireless repeater B1 receives the status information signal transmitted by the repeater repeater C2, the timing of the other signal area 135 of the communication slot 130 transmitted by the repeater repeater C2 to the transmission source device. A reception response signal that is a signal indicating that the signal has been received is transmitted.
The repeater repeater C2 receives the reception response signal transmitted by the wireless repeater B1 in the continuous reception slot 132 in step S310, and thereby recognizes that the status information signal has been normally received by the other party. Although not shown, when the reception response signal transmitted from the wireless repeater B1 cannot be received in the continuous reception slot 132 in step S310, the repeater repeater C2 has some abnormality such as a communication abnormality. And the state information signal is retransmitted.

  Although not shown, when the state collection processing of all communication paths of its own group is completed, the wireless repeater B1 determines the state of the signal including the collected state information, and if necessary, the state information. The information contained in the signal is transmitted to the fire receiver A. In step S311, the wireless repeater B1 transmits a reception response signal to the repeater repeater C2. However, wireless communication is performed between the wireless repeater B1 and the fire receiver A. If it is a structure, you may replace the signal containing the status information transmitted with respect to the fire receiver A from the radio | wireless repeater B1 with the reception response signal with respect to the repeater repeater C2.

  As described above, in the fire alarm system 100 according to the present embodiment, as shown in steps S305, S306, and S310 in FIG. 9, the status information signal transmitted from the repeater repeater C to the relay destination device is relayed. It also serves as a response signal indicating that it has been received by the original device. For this reason, compared with the case where the response signal which shows having received the signal normally is separately transmitted with respect to a relay origin apparatus, the frequency | count of signal transmission can be reduced, current consumption can be reduced, and communication traffic can be suppressed.

In the block communication 120, not all slots (transmission slot 121, continuous reception slot 122, transmission slot 123, continuous reception slot 124, transmission slot 125, and continuous reception slot 126) need to be provided. When the status information signals from all the detectors D belonging to are received, the transmission of the signals can be stopped. For example, when the status information signals from all the sensors D are received in the continuous reception slot 122, the repeater repeater C or the wireless repeater B that is the transmission source of the block communication 120 Do not process. In this way, it is not necessary to perform useless communication processing, current consumption can be reduced, and delay in information transmission can be prevented.
Also, in any of the continuous reception slots 122, 124, 126, when the status information signal cannot be received from the sensor D belonging to its own communication path, the repeater repeater C or the wireless repeater B The area of the sensor return slot 129 assigned to D is determined as “no response”, and is transmitted to a higher-level device as a state information signal including this area.
Note that the repeater repeater C does not transmit a status information signal including its own “no response”, and the wireless repeater B makes a determination based on the lower device address (device number) stored in the storage element 21a. May be.

(2) Fire Notification Processing FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining fire notification processing. 10A shows a communication path F1 (communication path of the sensors D11 and D12) among the communication paths for performing wireless communication with the wireless repeater B1 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. , Communication path F3 (communication path of repeater repeaters C2, C3 and sensors D31, 32). Hereinafter, the fire notification process will be described with reference to FIG. 10 and the above-described FIGS. The processing content of the communication path F2 in FIG. 1 is omitted here because the same processing is included in the communication path F3 and the processing content.

FIG. 10A shows an example where a fire has occurred in the monitoring area of the sensor D12.
(S401) Upon detecting the occurrence of a fire, the sensor D12 transmits a fire signal including fire detection information to the upper device address stored in the storage element 1a through the transmission slot 111 (FIG. 6) of the communication slot 110. . In this example, since the host device of the sensor D12 is the wireless relay B1, the sensor D12 transmits a fire signal to the wireless relay B1. After transmitting the fire signal through the transmission slot 111, the sensor D12 activates the reception function and shifts to the reception standby state of the continuous reception slot 112.
On the other hand, the wireless repeater B1 performs intermittent reception at the intermittent reception interval TB, and receives the fire signal transmitted by the sensor D12 in step S401.

(S402) Upon receiving the fire signal from the sensor D12, the wireless repeater B1 transmits to the sensor D12, which is the transmission source device, the other signal area 115 of the communication slot 110 transmitted by the sensor D12. A reception response signal that is a signal indicating that the signal has been received at the timing is transmitted.
The sensor D12 receives the reception response signal transmitted by the wireless repeater B1 in the continuous reception slot 112 in step S401, and thereby recognizes that the fire signal has been normally received by the other party. Although not shown, if the reception response signal transmitted by the wireless repeater B1 cannot be received in the continuous reception slot 112 in step S401, the sensor D12 has assumed that some abnormality such as a communication abnormality has occurred. Determine and resend the fire signal.

FIG. 10B shows an example where a fire has occurred in the monitoring area of the sensor D31.
(S501) Upon detecting the occurrence of a fire, the sensor D31 transmits a fire signal to the upper device address stored in the storage element 1a through the transmission slot 111 (FIG. 6) of the communication slot 110. In this example, since the host device of the sensor D31 is the repeater repeater C3, the sensor D31 transmits a fire signal to the repeater repeater C3. After transmitting the fire signal through the transmission slot 111, the sensor D31 activates the reception function and shifts to the reception standby state of the continuous reception slot 112.
On the other hand, the repeater repeater C3 performs intermittent reception at the intermittent reception interval TC, and receives the fire signal transmitted by the sensor D31 in step S501.

(S502) When the repeater repeater C3 receives the fire signal from the sensor D31, the communication transmitted by the sensor D31 to the host device address (here, the address of the repeater repeater C2) stored in the storage element 11a. A fire transfer signal is transmitted at the timing of the fire transfer signal area 113 in the slot 110. After transmitting the fire transfer signal, the repeater repeater C3 activates the reception function and shifts to the reception standby state of the continuous reception slot 112.
The fire transfer signal transmitted by the repeater repeater C3 is received by the sensor D31 in the continuous reception slot 112 (see the broken line in S501), and the sensor D31 receives the fire transfer signal and receives the fire signal transmitted by itself. Is normally received by the repeater repeater C3.
On the other hand, the repeater repeater C2 that performs intermittent reception at the intermittent reception interval TC also receives the fire transfer signal transmitted by the repeater repeater C3.

(S503) When the repeater repeater C2 receives the fire transfer signal from the repeater repeater C3, the fire transfer signal is transmitted from the transmission slot 111 (FIG. 6) to the communication slot 110 transmitted by the repeater repeater C3. It transmits with respect to the high-order apparatus address (here address of wireless relay device B1) memorize | stored in the memory element 11a at the timing of the service area 113. After transmitting the fire transfer signal, the repeater repeater C2 activates the reception function and shifts to the reception standby state of the continuous reception slot 112.
The fire transfer signal transmitted by the repeater repeater C2 is received by the repeater repeater C3 at the continuous reception slot 112 (see the broken line in S502), and the repeater repeater C3 transmits the fire transfer signal by receiving the fire transfer signal. It recognizes that the fire signal has been normally received by the repeater repeater C2.
On the other hand, the wireless repeater B1 that performs intermittent reception at the intermittent reception interval TB also receives the fire transfer signal transmitted by the repeater repeater C2.

(S504) When the wireless repeater B1 receives the fire transfer signal from the repeater repeater C2, the repeater repeater C2 transmits the fire transfer signal to the repeater repeater C2 that is the transmission source of the fire transfer signal. A reception response signal is transmitted at the timing of the other signal area 115.
The repeater repeater C2 receives the reception response signal from the wireless repeater B1 in the continuous reception slot 112, and thereby recognizes that the fire transfer signal transmitted by itself is normally received by the wireless repeater B1. can do.

  Even if the repeater repeater C is interposed between the wireless repeater B and the sensor D, as shown in the example of FIG. In some cases, the wireless repeater B can directly receive the fire signal transmitted from the device D. In such a case, the wireless repeater B recognizes that a fire has occurred due to the fire signal transmitted from the sensor D even if the fire transfer signal from the repeater repeater C has not arrived, and fires the fire signal. Transmit to receiver A. For this reason, a fire signal can be transmitted from the sensor D to the fire receiver A at an early stage.

(Identification of wireless repeater B by external tester E)
Next, the operation when the wireless repeater B is specified by the external tester E will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a specific operation of the wireless repeater by the external tester in the fire alarm facility according to the embodiment.
When the control circuit 31 of the external tester E (hereinafter simply referred to as “external tester E”) is turned on by a power switch (not shown) (S1), until an operation input by the process selection switch 39 is detected. A standby state is entered (S2). When the external tester E detects an operation input for specifying the device (wireless repeater B) by operating the process selection switch 39 (S3), the display indicating that the device specifying process is in progress is turned on on the display unit 8a (S4). ), A repeater identification signal including a common ID for all wireless repeaters B belonging to the fire alarm system 100 is transmitted to the wireless repeater B all at once (S5), and the first response signal is received. It waits for a certain period of time (S6).

  The external tester E determines whether or not the first response signal from the wireless repeater B is received within the predetermined time (S7), and displays when the first response signal is not received within the predetermined time. An error is displayed on the unit 8a (S18), and the process returns to S2 and enters a standby state until an operation input by the process selection switch 39 is detected. Further, when the first response signal is received within a predetermined time, the external tester E stores the device ID indicating the transmission source included in the first response signal in the storage element 31a. When there are a plurality of transmission sources (wireless repeaters B) of the first response signal, the device IDs of the transmission sources are stored in the storage element 31a in descending order of signal level (RSSI) (S8). Then, the device ID having the highest signal level of the first response signal is designated as the transmission destination, and the device identification confirmation signal is transmitted (S9).

  Thereafter, the external tester E again enters a standby state for a predetermined time until the second response signal is received (S10), and determines whether or not the second response signal has been received within the predetermined time (S11). When the second response signal is not received within a predetermined time, the external tester E displays an error on the display unit 8a (S19), and returns to S2 as described above. Further, the external tester E turns on the display indicating that the communication destination exists when the second response signal is received within a predetermined time (S12), and the communication destination is OK (selected) or NG (non-selected). Wait until there is an input (S13). This is because the user of the external tester E inputs either OK / NG from the lighting state of the LED provided in the wireless repeater B by a switch operation.

When either the communication destination is OK (selected) or NG (non-selected) is input by the operation of the processing selection switch 9 (S14), the external tester E indicates that the communication destination exists. The display shown is turned off (S15). Then, the external tester E determines whether or not the communication destination is OK (selection) from the operation input (S16), and when the communication destination is determined to be OK (selection), the device identification of the wireless relay B is specified on the display unit 8a. Completion is displayed (S17).
Thereby, it becomes possible to output, for example, a control signal for causing the wireless repeater B to execute a fire test on each of the communication paths F1 to F4 by a switch operation input (not shown) to the external tester E.

  When the external tester E determines in S16 that the communication destination is NG (non-selected) from the operation input, the device ID having the highest signal level (RSSI) is stored in the storage order (for example, second). It is determined whether it is stored in 31a (S20). When the external tester E determines that the device ID is not stored, the external tester E displays an error on the display unit 8a (S21), and returns to S2. When the external tester E determines in S20 that the device ID having the highest signal level (RSSI) is stored in the storage element 31a in the stored order (for example, second), the wireless tester E having the device ID is stored. A device identification confirmation signal is transmitted to the repeater B (S22), and the process returns to S10 and waits for a predetermined time. The order in which the device IDs having the large signal level (RSSI) are selected is not limited to the above.

Next, the operation of the wireless repeater B will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the wireless repeater specified by the external tester.
The control circuit 21 of the wireless repeater B (hereinafter simply referred to as “wireless repeater B”) starts an intermittent reception timer for taking intermittent reception timing when the power is turned on (S31, S32). The intermittent reception timer is started repeatedly every predetermined time period. Thereafter, the wireless repeater B determines whether or not the intermittent reception timer has been counted up (S33), and performs reception confirmation when the intermittent reception timer has been counted up (S34).

  When the wireless repeater B confirms reception, the wireless repeater B determines whether a signal with a matching group ID is received (S35). When a signal that does not match the group ID is received, the process proceeds to S37. However, when a signal that matches the group ID is detected, it is determined that the wireless communication is normal (for example, a status information signal from a lower device) and the received signal is received. The process is executed (S36), and the process returns to S33 to determine whether or not the intermittent reception timer has counted up again.

  When it is determined in S35 that a signal whose group ID does not match is received, the wireless repeater B determines whether a common ID signal (relayer specifying signal) is received (S37). When the wireless repeater B determines that the signal is not a common ID signal, the process proceeds to S44. However, when the signal of the common ID is detected, it determines whether the signal level is equal to or higher than a predetermined value (S38), and the signal level is predetermined. When the signal level is less than the value, the process returns to S33, but when the signal level is equal to or higher than the predetermined value, the process waits for a predetermined time (S39).

  Then, when the predetermined time has elapsed, the wireless repeater B performs pre-transmission carrier sense at a random timing to determine whether a signal is received (S40, S41). When the signal is not received, the wireless repeater B transmits a first response signal including its own device ID (S42). When the signal is received, the wireless repeater B determines whether the carrier sense before transmission is retried. (S43). When the wireless repeater B is retrying, the process returns to S33 to determine whether or not the intermittent reception timer has been counted up, but when it is determined that the pre-transmission carrier sense is not retried, the pre-transmission carrier is again transmitted. In order to perform sensing, the process returns to S39 and waits for a predetermined time.

  In S37, when the common ID signal is not received, the wireless repeater B determines whether or not a device identification confirmation signal that matches the device ID of the wireless relay device B is received (S44). The wireless repeater B returns to S33 when the device identification confirmation signal that matches its own device ID has not been received, but when the device identification confirmation signal that matches its own device ID has been received, While blinking the LED, a second response signal is transmitted to the external tester E (S46), and the process returns to S33 to determine whether or not the intermittent reception timer has been counted up.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the external tester E wirelessly transmits a device identification signal to the wireless repeater B, and the first response signal from the wireless repeater B is received. The device ID is designated with the wireless repeater B having a high reception level as the transmission destination of the device identification confirmation signal. Further, the external tester E wirelessly transmits a device identification confirmation signal for confirming whether or not the wireless repeater B having designated the device ID is ready as a controlled device. When the second response signal including the device ID from the device B is received, the wireless repeater B is specified. Thereby, it is possible to easily identify the wireless repeater B that belongs to the fire alarm system 100 and is to be controlled by the external tester E.

In the present embodiment, the case where the wireless repeater B is specified and controlled by the external tester E is shown as an example, but the repeater repeater C or the sensor D may be specified.
As a result, device identification, device status collection, registration information, and the like can be performed quickly.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Control circuit, 1a Memory element, 2 Battery, 3 Constant voltage circuit, 4 Voltage detection circuit, 5 Transmission / reception circuit, 5a Transmission circuit, 5b Reception circuit, 6 Antenna, 7 Fire detection circuit, 8 Indicator light circuit, 8a Display part, 9 registration switch, 10 buzzer, 11 control circuit, 11a storage element, 20a power line terminal, 20b signal line terminal, 21 control circuit, 21a storage element, 22 receiver I / F circuit, 31 control circuit, 31a storage element 39 processing selection switch, 100 fire alarm equipment, 101 basic frame, 102 shortened frame, 103 continuous transmission frame, 110 communication slot, 111 transmission slot, 112 continuous reception slot, 113 fire transfer signal area, 114 fire notification signal area 115 Other signal area, 120 block communication, 121 transmission Lot, 122 continuous reception slot, 123 transmission slot, 124 continuous reception slot, 125 transmission slot, 126 continuous reception slot, 129 sensor return slot, 130 communication slot, 131 transmission slot, 132 continuous reception slot, 133 area for fire transfer signal 134 Fire notification signal area, 135 Other signal area, 201 Sensor information, 202 Repeater repeater information, A Fire receiver, B Wireless repeater, C Repeater repeater, D sensor, E External tester, F1-F4 communication path.

Claims (5)

A sensor that detects environmental changes based on fire phenomena and transmits and receives wireless signals;
A fire receiver for monitoring and controlling the sensor;
A fire alarm facility comprising one or a plurality of relays interposed between the sensor and the fire receiver and constituting a plurality of communication layers and relaying radio signals,
An external tester for controlling the sensor or the repeater after identifying the controlled device as a controlled device;
The external tester transmits a signal for specifying a controlled device to the sensor or the repeater,
When the sensor or the relay receives a signal for specifying the controlled device, it transmits a response signal including its own device ID to the external tester,
When the external tester receives the response signal, the external alarm device identifies the sensor or the repeater having the maximum received signal level as a controlled device. A sensor that detects environmental changes based on fire phenomena and transmits and receives wireless signals;
A fire receiver for monitoring and controlling the sensor;
A fire alarm facility comprising one or a plurality of relays interposed between the sensor and the fire receiver and constituting a plurality of communication layers and relaying radio signals,
The external tester transmits device specific signals all at once to all sensors or all repeaters,
When the sensor or repeater receives the device identification signal, it transmits a first response signal including its own device ID to the external tester,
The external tester transmits a device identification confirmation signal including the device ID to the sensor or the repeater having the maximum received signal level of the first response signal,
Upon receiving the device identification confirmation signal, the sensor or repeater transmits a second response signal including its own device ID to the external tester,
When the external tester receives the second response signal, the external tester identifies the sensor or the repeater as a controlled device.   The fire alarm equipment according to claim 2, wherein the external tester is stored in a storage element in descending order of the reception level of the first response signal. The external tester includes a display unit,
The sensor or repeater includes an indicator light circuit,
When the external tester identifies the sensor or the repeater as a controlled device, the external tester notifies the display unit, and when the external tester identifies the controlled device as the controlled device, 4. The fire alarm system according to claim 1, wherein the indicator lamp circuit is driven.   The external tester indicates the device ID of the first response signal having a large signal level based on the order stored in the storage element when the operation of the indicator lamp circuit and the notification of the display unit do not coincide with each other by an operation input. The fire alarm system according to claim 4, wherein a device identification confirmation signal is transmitted to a transmission source.

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