JP2020004075A - Alarm - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an alarm that can further contribute to energy reduction.SOLUTION: An alarm 10 includes a wireless communication part 15 and a CPU 11. The wireless communication part 15 receives information on energy transmitted from the outside. The CPU 11 determines whether the timing corresponds to the spontaneous presentation timing, and when determining that the timing corresponds to the spontaneous presentation timing, causes a sound output part 19 to output energy information, which is at least one of information on energy received from outside and calculation information calculated from the information on energy.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an alarm device.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in order to visualize the amount of electricity in a general household, a display device that calculates and displays the amount of electricity is sometimes installed. Further, the function of the display device may be mounted on a portable terminal (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2). However, devices such as a display device and a sensor installed for measuring electric power have high body costs and installation costs, and cannot be installed immediately. Regarding mobile terminals, many elderly people do not own mobile terminals because of the uneasiness of operation and the relationship between the frequency of use and communication costs. Therefore, there is a problem in visualizing the amount of electricity.

  On the other hand, power meters have been made smart meters (for example, see Patent Documents 3 and 4). As for this smart meter, devices that do not require construction work by receiving power information using a BC route or the like have been put on the market.

JP 2003-316922 A JP 2005-56249 A JP 2013-33322 A JP 2013-200727 A

  However, even when using the B / C route of the smart meter or the like, the cost of the display device and the mobile terminal is incurred. Furthermore, there are not many people who are environmentally conscious and are trying to conserve power by setting up a smartphone app on a mobile terminal and checking the amount of power.

  Therefore, although the awareness of the environment such as CO2 reduction is increasing, the installation rate of the equipment for visualizing the energy is low because of the above reasons, and not many users who installed the equipment check the energy amount every day. For this reason, the installed equipment has not contributed much to daily energy reduction.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an alarm which can further contribute to energy reduction.

  The alarm device of the present invention determines whether it corresponds to the spontaneous presentation timing, and when it determines that it corresponds to the spontaneous presentation timing, calculates from the information regarding the energy received from the outside and the information regarding the energy. Energy information, which is at least one of the calculated information, is presented from the presentation unit.

  According to the present invention, the alarm device receives information on energy transmitted from the outside, determines whether the timing corresponds to a spontaneous presentation timing, and determines energy information on at least one of the information on energy and the calculated information. Since the sound is output, there is no need to newly introduce a display device or a mobile terminal, and energy information can be provided using an alarm device installed in each home or the like. In addition, since the alarm outputs voice information of the energy when it corresponds to the spontaneous presentation timing, it is not necessary to look at the display device every day or start up the smartphone application of the portable terminal, and the energy information is confirmed. Therefore, it can further contribute to energy reduction.

It is a schematic structure figure of the energy information providing system containing the alarm concerning this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating details of an alarm device illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the alarm device which concerns on this embodiment, and shows processes, such as reception and calculation. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the alarm device which concerns on this embodiment, and shows the process regarding spontaneous speech. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the alarm device which concerns on this embodiment, and has shown the process based on user operation.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described along preferred embodiments. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In addition, in the embodiments described below, some components are not illustrated or described, but details of the omitted technologies are within a range that does not cause inconsistency with the content described below. Needless to say, a well-known or well-known technique is appropriately applied.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an energy information providing system including an alarm device according to the present embodiment. The energy information providing system 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes an alarm device 10, a smart meter 20, and a service providing server 30.

  The alarm 10 is a stationary gas alarm installed on a wall surface (an example of a predetermined location) of a kitchen or the like of each customer. When detecting a gas leak (an example of an abnormal state) in the kitchen (an example of a predetermined monitoring area), the alarm device 10 executes a sound alarm output process indicating a gas leak.

  The smart meter 20 is a power meter for integrating and displaying the power consumption of each customer. In the present embodiment, the alarm device 10 and the smart meter 20 are connected by wireless communication. Specifically, the two perform wireless communication by Wi-SUN (Wireless Smart Utility Network) (registered trademark), which can perform communication using radio waves in a frequency band of about 900 MHz called a sub-gigahertz band.

  The service providing server 30 is a server managed by an electric power company. In addition to information on the amount of electricity used for each customer (information on measured power values), information on power saving advice based on the electricity usage tendency of the customer, power shortage The information about the peak cut when it is likely to become, the community information, and the like are stored. The service providing server 30 is connected to the wireless device 5 (for example, a router) owned by the customer through the Internet line N. The wireless device 5 is connected to the alarm device 10 by wireless communication. Specifically, the wireless device 5 and the alarm device 10 are wirelessly connected by Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) (registered trademark).

  The connection between the alarm device 10 and the smart meter 20 is performed, for example, using the portable terminal 6 (for example, one equipped with BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy)) at the time of installation. The same applies to the connection between the alarm 10 and the wireless device 5.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing details of the alarm device 10 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the alarm 10 includes a CPU (control unit) 11, a gas sensor unit 12, a switch unit 13, a light emitting unit 14, a wireless communication unit 15, an illuminance sensor 16, and a human sensor 17. And an infrared receiving circuit (other device signal receiving unit) 18 and an audio output unit (presentation unit) 19.

  The CPU 11 has a storage unit 11a, and controls the entire alarm device 10 by executing a program stored in the storage unit 11a. Further, the CPU 11 includes a timer 11b. The timer 11b is a functional unit having a timekeeping function, and performs timekeeping based on time information transmitted from the outside or a clock signal from a crystal oscillator.

  The gas sensor unit 12 includes a gas sensor 12a that outputs a signal corresponding to the concentration of a gas to be detected, a drive circuit 12b that drives the gas sensor 12a, and an amplifier circuit 12c that amplifies a signal from the gas sensor 12a. The CPU 11 controls the audio output unit 19 to output an audio alarm when a gas leak can be determined based on a signal (a signal amplified by the amplifier circuit 12c) corresponding to the gas concentration output from the gas sensor 12a. .

  The switch unit 13 is an operation unit provided on the main body of the alarm device 10 and operable by a user. The user can stop the output of the voice alarm by operating the switch unit 13 when the voice alarm is being output from the alarm device 10.

  The light emitting unit 14 is configured by, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode). The light emitting unit 14 emits light of a different color or changes its light emitting state such as lighting or blinking to indicate to the user that the current state is the monitoring state or the alarm state.

  The wireless communication unit 15 includes a first wireless communication unit (wireless receiving unit) 15a, a second wireless communication unit (wireless receiving unit) 15b, and a third wireless communication unit 15c. The first wireless communication unit 15a performs wireless communication with the smart meter 20, and is specifically a wireless communication unit using Wi-SUN. The first wireless communication unit 15a receives information on power measurement values (information on energy) from the smart meter 20.

  The second wireless communication unit 15b performs wireless communication with the service providing server 30 through the wireless device 5 and the Internet line N, and is specifically a Wi-Fi wireless communication unit. The second wireless communication unit 15b receives from the service providing server 30 the information on the power measurement value (information on energy), the information on the power saving advice based on the electricity usage tendency of the customer (information on energy), and the power shortage. (Information about energy) and community information.

  Note that, as is clear from the above, the information on energy is a concept including information calculated based on a power value in addition to information on a measured power value when the energy is electricity.

  The third wireless communication unit 15c performs wireless communication with the mobile terminal 6, and is specifically a wireless communication unit using BLE. The third wireless communication unit 15c transmits and receives setting information and the like for wirelessly connecting the alarm device 10 and the smart meter 20. The third wireless communication unit 15c also transmits and receives setting information and the like for wirelessly connecting the alarm device 10 and the wireless device 5.

  The illuminance sensor 16 detects ambient illuminance, and is constituted by, for example, an analog sensor having a built-in photodiode and a current amplification circuit. The human sensor 17 is for detecting the presence of a living body in the surroundings, for example, detecting infrared rays from the living body to detect the presence of the living body. In addition, the human sensor 17 may detect a moving object by ultrasonic waves and determine that the moving object is a living body.

  The infrared receiving circuit 18 is for receiving an operation signal for operating another device, and for example, an infrared signal (operation signal) output from a TV remote control for operating a TV (an example of another device). This is a functional unit that receives an example of a signal.

  The sound output unit 19 outputs a warning sound, and includes a speaker 19a and an amplifier 19b. The audio output unit 19 causes the audio signal amplified by the amplifier 19b to be output from the speaker 19a as audio under the control of the CPU 11. Further, the audio output unit 19 includes a decoder 19c, and restores audio data received from the outside and outputs it from the speaker 19a.

  Further, the storage unit 11a stores calculation information. Here, the calculation information refers to information calculated from information on energy. In the present embodiment, upon receiving the information of the measured power value, the CPU 11 calculates, for example, the amount of electricity used and the electricity rate from 0:00 of the present day as calculation information based on the information. Further, the CPU 11 may calculate the amount of electricity used or the electricity rate this week or this month as calculation information.

  Further, the alarm device 10 according to the present embodiment is configured to output information about the energy received by the first and second wireless communication units 15a and 15b and calculation information as a sound. In particular, the alarm device 10 has a function of determining whether it is spontaneous utterance timing (presentation timing). If the alarm device 10 determines that it is spontaneous utterance timing, it does not depend on the user's operation or the like. Energy information comprising at least one of the information on the calculation and the calculation information is spontaneously output from the sound output unit 19.

  Here, when the rate of increase in illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 16 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the CPU 11 preferably determines that the timing corresponds to spontaneous utterance timing. Further, when the presence of a living body in the surroundings is detected by the human sensor 17, the CPU 11 preferably determines that the timing corresponds to spontaneous utterance timing. Thereby, energy information can be output at a timing when there is a high possibility that a person is present.

  In addition, when the above condition is satisfied and the current time measured by the timer 11b falls within a predetermined time range, the CPU 11 may determine that the time falls under spontaneous utterance timing. This is because it is possible to prevent energy information from being output, for example, when the user comes to the kitchen to drink a drink during midnight sleep.

  Further, even when the CPU 11 determines that the timing does not correspond to the spontaneous utterance timing, the CPU 11 performs a predetermined operation on the switch unit 13 provided in the main body (for example, a switch when an alarm sound is not output). The energy information may be output from the audio output unit 19 when it is determined that the unit 13 has been short-pressed. Thereby, the energy information can be provided when the user wants to know the energy information. Note that the CPU 11 may output the energy information from the sound output unit 19 when a predetermined operation is performed within a predetermined period after the alarm device 10 performs a predetermined operation (for example, an inspection operation).

  Further, there are cases where the operation of the switch unit 13 is not easy, such as when the alarm device 10 is installed at a high place. Therefore, even when the CPU 11 determines that the timing does not correspond to the spontaneous utterance timing, the energy information is output from the audio output unit 19 when the infrared receiving circuit 18 receives the operation signal of the TV remote controller. Thereby, energy information can be output without directly operating the alarm 10.

  Next, the operation of the alarm device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the alarm device 10 according to the present embodiment, and illustrates processes such as reception and calculation.

  First, the CPU 11 of the alarm device 10 determines whether or not information on power measurement values (information on energy) has been received (S1). This determination is made every time a predetermined time elapses. When determining that the received power measurement value has been received (S1: YES), the CPU 11 stores the information of the received power measurement value in the storage unit 11a (S2). Then, the process proceeds to step S3. On the other hand, when the CPU 11 determines that the information of the power measurement value has not been received (S1: NO), the process proceeds to step S3 without performing the storage process in the storage unit 11a.

  In the process of step S3, the CPU 11 calculates information (calculation information) on the amount of electricity used and the electricity rate from the information on the measured power value (S3). At this time, the CPU 11 calculates the amount of electricity used and the electricity rate from 0:00 of the present day, the amount of electricity used and the electricity rate from 0:00 on Sunday of this week, and the amount of electricity used and the electricity rate from 0:00 on the day of this month. calculate.

  Next, the CPU 11 causes the storage unit 11a to overwrite and store the information on the calculated electricity usage and electricity bill (S4). Thereafter, the CPU 11 determines whether the current time is 0:00 based on the information on the current time measured by the timer 11b (S5).

  If the CPU 11 determines that the current time is not 0:00 (S5: NO), the processing illustrated in FIG. 3 ends. On the other hand, when the CPU 11 determines that the current time is 0:00 (S5: YES), the information of the current electricity usage and the electricity rate stored in step S4 is used as the information of the previous day in the first storage area. (S6).

  Thereafter, the CPU 11 determines whether the current day is Sunday (S7). If the CPU 11 determines that the current day is not Sunday (S7: NO), the process proceeds to step S9. On the other hand, when determining that it is Sunday (S7: YES), the CPU 11 stores the information of the electricity usage and the electricity rate of this week stored in step S4 in the second storage area as information of the last week. (S8). Then, the process proceeds to step S9.

  In step S9, the CPU 11 determines whether the current day is one day (S9). If the CPU 11 determines that the current day is not one day (S9: NO), the processing illustrated in FIG. 3 ends. On the other hand, if the CPU 11 determines that it is one day (S9: YES), the CPU 11 stores the information of the current month's electricity usage and electricity rate stored in step S4 in the third storage area as last month's information. (S10). Thereafter, the process illustrated in FIG. 3 ends.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the alarm device 10 according to the present embodiment, and shows processing relating to spontaneous speech.

  First, as shown in FIG. 4, the CPU 11 determines whether the present time is within a predetermined time range (for example, 6:00 am to 9:00 am) based on information of the current time measured by the timer 11b (S11). . If the CPU 11 determines that the time is not within the predetermined time range (S11: NO), this processing is repeated until it is determined that the time is within the predetermined time range.

  On the other hand, when determining that the current time is within the predetermined time range (S11: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether the illuminance increase rate is equal to or more than a predetermined value based on a signal from the illuminance sensor 16 (S12).

  When determining that the illuminance increase rate is equal to or more than the predetermined value (S12: YES), the CPU 11 determines that it is a spontaneous utterance timing (S13). Then, the CPU 11 reads at least one storage content (calculation information) stored in the first to third storage areas in the storage unit 11a and causes the audio output unit 19 to output the content (S14). Thereafter, the process illustrated in FIG. 4 ends.

  When determining that the rate of increase in the illuminance is not equal to or greater than the predetermined value (S12: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether the presence of a living body is detected based on a signal from the human sensor 17 (S15).

  When determining that the presence of a living body is detected in the vicinity (S15: YES), the CPU 11 determines that it is a spontaneous utterance timing (S13). Then, the CPU 11 reads at least one storage content (calculation information) stored in the first to third storage areas and causes the audio output unit 19 to output the content (S14). Thereafter, the process illustrated in FIG. 4 ends.

  On the other hand, when the CPU 11 determines that the presence of the living body is not detected in the surroundings (S15: NO), it determines that it is not the spontaneous utterance timing, and the process illustrated in FIG. 4 ends.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the alarm device 10 according to the present embodiment, and illustrates a process based on a user operation. In the process shown in FIG. 5, information such as the manufacturer and model number of the television is input to the alarm device 10, and it is possible to determine which button on the remote controller has been operated based on an operation signal from the remote controller. It shall be.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5, the CPU 11 determines whether a predetermined operation has been performed on the switch unit 13 (S21). When determining that the predetermined operation has been performed (S21: YES), the CPU 11 reads at least one storage content (calculation information) stored in the first to third storage areas and causes the audio output unit 19 to output the content (calculation information) ( S22). Thereafter, the process illustrated in FIG. 5 ends.

  When determining that the predetermined operation has not been performed (S21: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether the infrared receiving circuit 18 has received an operation signal from the remote controller (S23). When the CPU 11 determines that the operation signal has not been received (S23: NO), the processing illustrated in FIG. 5 ends.

  When determining that the operation signal has been received (S23: YES), the CPU 11 determines the button operated based on the operation signal (S24). After that, the CPU 11 executes a process corresponding to the operated button (S25). In this process, the CPU 11 executes, for example, an alarm stop process when the numeral “1” is operated, and executes an inspection process when the numeral “2” is operated. Further, for example, when the numeral “3” is operated, the CPU 11 executes the utterance processing of the electricity usage amount of the previous day, and when the numeral “4” is operated, the CPU 11 executes the utterance processing of the electric bill of the previous day. Processing to be executed is similarly assigned to other buttons, and the CPU 11 executes the processing in accordance with the operated button. Thereafter, the process illustrated in FIG. 5 ends.

  As described above, according to the alarm 10 according to the present embodiment, the information about the energy transmitted from the outside is received, and whether the information corresponds to the spontaneous utterance timing is determined, and the information about the energy and the calculation information are calculated. Since at least one of the energy information is output as voice, there is no need to newly introduce a display device or a mobile terminal, and the energy information can be provided using the alarm device 10 installed in each home or the like. In addition, since the alarm device 10 outputs the energy information by voice when the spontaneous utterance timing is met, it is not necessary to look at the display device every day or start up the smartphone application of the portable terminal, and the energy information is confirmed. Therefore, it can further contribute to energy reduction.

  Furthermore, the alarm 10 rarely utters during normal times, and it is unclear whether or not it is functioning. Some users consider it unnecessary. However, the spontaneous voice output is performed to increase the frequency of use. Can be. Further, when the audio output unit 19 or the like breaks down or the battery runs out, the audio output is stopped, so that the user can easily notice this.

  Further, when the rate of increase in the illuminance is equal to or more than a predetermined value, it is determined that the timing corresponds to a spontaneous utterance timing. For example, a voice is output when the user turns on the kitchen, and energy information is output in an unattended state. The possibility of audio output can be reduced.

  Further, when the presence of a living body in the surroundings is detected, it is determined that the timing corresponds to the spontaneous utterance timing. For example, when the user approaches the alarm device 10, the sound is output, and the energy information is output in an unattended state. It is possible to reduce the possibility of output.

  In addition, when the current time measured by the timer 11b falls within a predetermined time range in addition to the above, it is determined that it corresponds to spontaneous utterance timing. For this reason, for example, when the user wakes up in the morning and turns on the kitchen, sound is output, and when the user comes to the kitchen to drink during midnight sleep, energy information may be output as sound. This prevents energy information from being output at a more appropriate timing.

  In addition, even when it is determined that the timing does not correspond to the spontaneous utterance timing, the energy information is output as a voice when a predetermined operation is performed on the switch unit 13, so that the energy information is provided when the user wants to know the energy information. can do.

  When an operation signal for operating another device such as a television is received, the energy information is output from the audio output unit 19. For example, an infrared signal from a television remote control is received and the energy information is output. In the case where the alarm 10 is provided at a high place, the energy information can be output as sound without directly operating the alarm 10.

  As described above, the present invention has been described based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention. May be combined.

  For example, the alarm device 10 according to the above-described embodiment receives the information about the energy, calculates the calculation information, and outputs the calculated information as a voice. However, the present invention is not limited to this. You may. For example, the alarm device 10 may receive information on power saving advice (information on energy and voice data) based on a customer's electricity usage tendency and output the voice as it is. At this time, streaming reproduction may be performed via the decoder 19c.

  In addition, the alarm device 10 may output both the received information about the energy and the calculated information by voice.

  In the present embodiment, the energy is described as electric power, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the energy may be gas, water, or the like.

  Further, the calculation information is not limited to information calculated from information of measured values such as power. For example, when the information on energy is information on a peak cut (for example, information on a peak time and how much cut is made), the calculation information may be, for example, information on which device should be refrained from using at the peak time. . In addition, the alarm device 10 may be configured to receive information on measured values such as power as information on energy and calculate information on power saving advice based on a customer's electricity usage tendency as calculation information.

  Further, in the above description, a television is mentioned as another device, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be an air conditioner or a DVD player.

  Further, the alarm device 10 determines that the spontaneous utterance timing is applicable when the rate of increase of the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 16 is equal to or more than a predetermined value. If the illuminance is equal to or more than a specific value, it may be determined that the timing corresponds to spontaneous utterance timing. This is because the same effect can be obtained also by this.

  In addition, when the alarm device 10 determines that it is a spontaneous utterance timing, the alarm information is output from the audio output unit 19 regardless of the operation of the user or the like. It may be configured to include a unit and display energy information on a display unit to present energy information to a user.

1: Energy information providing system 5: Radio 6: Mobile terminal 10: Alarm 11: CPU (control unit)
11a: storage unit 11b: timer 13: switch unit 15: wireless communication unit 15a: first wireless communication unit (wireless receiving unit)
15b: second wireless communication unit (wireless receiving unit)
16: Illuminance sensor 17: Human sensor 18: Infrared receiving circuit (other device signal receiving unit)
19: Voice output unit (presentation unit)
20: smart meter 30: service providing server

Claims (6)

An alarm device that is installed at a predetermined location and executes an output process of an audio alarm indicating an abnormal state when detecting an abnormal state in a predetermined monitoring area,
A wireless receiving unit that receives information about energy transmitted from the outside,
It is determined whether the timing corresponds to the spontaneous presentation timing, and when it is determined that the timing corresponds to the spontaneous presentation timing, the information regarding the energy received by the wireless receiving unit, and the information regarding the energy is calculated. A control unit that presents at least one of the calculation information from the presentation unit,
An alarm device comprising: It further includes an illuminance sensor that detects ambient illuminance,
The control unit, when the rate of increase of the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor is a predetermined value or more, or when the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor is a specific value or more, the spontaneous presentation timing The alarm device according to claim 1, wherein the alarm device is determined to be applicable. It further includes a human sensor that detects the presence of a living body in the surroundings,
The said control part judges that it corresponds to the said spontaneous presentation timing, when the presence of the living body in the surroundings is detected by the said human body sensor. The Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Alarm. It further includes a timer having a timing function,
4. The control unit according to claim 2, wherein the control unit further determines that the present time corresponds to the spontaneous presentation timing when the current time measured by the timer falls within a predetermined time range. 5. The alarm according to any one of the preceding claims. The control unit, even when it is determined that the spontaneous presentation timing does not correspond, when it is determined that a predetermined operation is performed on a switch unit provided in the main body, the energy information to the presentation unit The alarm device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the alarm device is presented. Further comprising another device signal receiving unit for receiving an operation signal for operating another device,
The control unit, even when it is determined that does not correspond to the spontaneous presentation timing, when receiving an operation signal for operating another device by the other device signal receiving unit, the energy information the The alarm according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the alarm is presented from a presentation unit.

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