JP7507270B2 - Wireless disaster prevention system setting device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a setting device for a wireless disaster prevention system that transmits messages wirelessly from sensor nodes such as wireless detectors to a receiver via a repeater node to issue an alarm.

Conventionally, in wireless disaster prevention monitoring systems that monitor for fires, multiple wireless sensors that function as sensor nodes are installed in alert areas such as each floor of a building or the occupied areas of an apartment building, and when a fire is detected by a wireless sensor, a message indicating the fire is wirelessly transmitted to a receiving repeater that functions as a repeater node installed on a floor-by-floor basis. In addition, radio wave repeaters are installed as necessary, and the message from the wireless sensor is relayed by the radio wave repeater before being transmitted to the receiving repeater.

The receiving repeater is connected to the detector line from the receiver, and when it receives a message indicating a fire, it turns on the relay contacts or switching element to send an alarm current to the detector line and transmits a fire alarm signal to the receiver. When the receiver receives this fire alarm signal, it issues a fire alarm by means of sound, display, etc.

This type of wireless disaster prevention system can eliminate some of the sensor lines that are typically installed in the ceiling, simplifying wiring work and allowing the installation locations of sensors to be determined without being restricted by wiring, etc. Also, system changes such as adding more sensors can be easily accommodated.

In conventional wireless disaster prevention systems, unique node IDs (device IDs) are stored in the wireless sensors and receiving repeaters during the manufacturing process. Based on the parent-child relationship between the receiving repeater and multiple wireless sensors installed on the same floor, etc., addresses to be used in the system are assigned in advance to the wireless sensors that are child nodes of the receiving repeater. Prior to operation of the system, the node IDs of the multiple wireless sensors that are in a parent-child relationship with the receiving repeater are registered in the receiving repeater as combinations of node IDs and addresses.

The node ID of the wireless sensor is registered to this receiving repeater by operating the receiving repeater and the wireless sensor to set the registration mode. When the receiving repeater is set to registration mode, it specifies the address of the wireless sensor on the management table and enters a state of waiting for registration. When the registration mode is set to the wireless sensor in this state, the wireless sensor sends a message for ID registration. When the receiving repeater receives the registration message sent by the wireless sensor, it extracts the sender ID included in the received message and registers it as a node ID in the management table. This process is repeated for all wireless sensors in the parent-child relationship, automatically registering the correspondence between addresses and node IDs.

As a result, when the receiving repeater receives a message from a wireless sensor, it compares the sender ID contained in the message with a pre-registered node ID, and if the two match, it processes the message as a valid message.

JP 2008-004033 A JP 2010-114632 A JP 2013-009149 A JP 2012-234351 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-272171

Conventional receiving repeaters are provided with an antenna terminal to allow the receiving antenna to be replaced depending on the installation site, and the receiving antenna is connected to the antenna terminal via a coaxial cable. However, due to the Radio Law, it is not possible to transmit using the receiving antenna, and it is only for receiving. However, recent amendments to the Radio Law have made it possible to transmit using an antenna that can be attached and detached from the antenna terminal, and therefore it is possible to provide receiving repeaters with transmitting and receiving functions.

If it is possible to provide a receiving repeater with a transmitting/receiving function in this way, it is desirable to use a setting device to wirelessly read and confirm the correspondence between, for example, sensor nodes and addresses registered in the receiving repeaters for multiple receiving repeaters whose IDs are unknown when the disaster prevention monitoring system begins operation or during system operation, and to perform editing operations including addition, modification, and deletion as necessary.

However, if a message such as a read command is sent from the setting device without specifying the ID of the receiving repeater, all receiving repeaters within the range of effective reception of the transmitted radio waves will respond, and if the communication timing for the responses overlaps, communication may not be established. For example, a situation may arise in which all radio waves cannot be received due to collision, or only messages from the receiving repeater with the strongest radio waves can be effectively received, and messages from receiving repeaters with weaker radio waves cannot be received.

In addition, writing data by sending a write command message to a receiving repeater without specifying an ID in this way is dangerous if the message is expected to be received by multiple receiving repeaters, as it is not possible to identify the write destination.

The present invention aims to provide a setting device for a wireless disaster prevention system that can wirelessly obtain the IDs of repeater nodes within the range of radio waves using a setting device and enable reading and writing of data that specifies the ID.

(Setting device )
The present invention is a setting device for a wireless disaster prevention system in which a repeater node is connected to each of a plurality of sensor lines connected to a receiver, the repeater node relaying communication between the wireless sensor node and the receiver via the sensor lines, the setting device comprising:
The device is carried by an attendant and is capable of direct wireless communication with any of a plurality of repeater nodes. Through this direct wireless communication, the repeater node collects, via wireless communication, historical information including the reception of messages from the sensor node and the results of processing the messages, which is stored when the repeater node detects a specified event .

The setting device of the present invention is capable of selecting a channel frequency for wireless communication with the repeater node by direct wireless communication with the repeater node, and collects by wireless communication at least one of the reception status history of the repeater node and the radio wave strength of the wireless communication between the repeater node and the sensor node during operation of the wireless disaster prevention system .

The setting device of the present invention does not communicate wirelessly with the receiver.

(Effects of Wireless Disaster Prevention System 1)
The present invention relates to a wireless disaster prevention system that is comprised of one or more sensor nodes, a repeater node, and a receiver, and is provided with a setting device that receives and processes a message wirelessly transmitted from the sensor node at the repeater node, transmits the processed result to a receiver connected by a signal line, and further specifies the ID of the repeater node to read and write information. The setting device sequentially transmits to the repeater nodes a call message without ID specification, which is set to a predetermined response reception strength that is gradually decreased from a predetermined initial value, and when a response message to the call message is received from the repeater node, the setting device has a setting control unit that obtains and registers the ID of the repeater node contained in the response message, transmits to the repeater node a sleep request message specifying the registered ID, and transmits a recovery message to the repeater node when the ID registration of the repeater node is completed. The repeater node receives the call message from the setting device. The relay control unit is provided which sends a response message including its own ID to the setting device when the strength is equal to or greater than the response reception strength specified in the call message, pauses the message sending operation when a sleep request message is received from the setting device after sending the response message, and resumes the pause when a recovery message is received from the setting device while the message sending operation is paused.Therefore, when a repeater node within range of radio waves from the setting device receives a call message without an ID specified, it sends a response message only if the reception strength is equal to or greater than the strength specified in the call message, and since the distance from the setting device to the installation location of the repeater node varies, by gradually decreasing the response reception strength specified in the call message, the response message is sent in order starting from the closest repeater node, so that the transmission timing of multiple repeater nodes does not overlap, and the ID can be obtained and registered from the response message received on a repeater node basis.

In addition, by sending a sleep request message with a specified ID from the setting device to the repeater node that sent the response message to suspend transmission operations for subsequent call messages, it is possible to avoid response messages being sent from multiple repeater nodes even if the response reception altitude is gradually reduced, and to transmit response messages in order starting from the repeater node closest in distance.

Furthermore, by sending a recovery message when ID registration has been completed for all repeater nodes within the range of the radio waves from the setting device, it is possible to cancel the suspension of transmission operations caused by receiving a sleep request message and return to normal operating conditions.

(Effects of Wireless Disaster Prevention System 2)
The present invention relates to a wireless disaster prevention system that is composed of one or more sensor nodes, a repeater node, and a receiver, and is provided with a setting device that receives and processes a message wirelessly transmitted from the sensor node at the repeater node, transmits the processed result to a receiver connected by a signal line, and further specifies the ID of the repeater node to read and write information. The setting device is provided with a setting control unit that transmits a call message without ID specification to the repeater node by an initially set channel frequency, and when a response message to the call message is received from the repeater node by a frequency sweep that changes the channel frequency within a predetermined frequency range, acquires and registers the ID of the repeater node contained in the response message, and transmits a recovery message by frequency sweeping the channel frequency when the ID registration of the repeater node is completed. A relay control unit is provided which, when a call message is received from the setting device via the channel frequency, transmits a response message including its own ID to the setting device via a specified response channel frequency corresponding to its own ID, and, when a recovery message is received via the response channel frequency, returns the channel frequency to the initial setting. Therefore, when a repeater node within range of radio waves from the setting device receives a call message without an ID designation, it transmits a response message using a mutually different channel frequency corresponding to its own ID, and the setting device individually receives response messages from different repeater nodes by frequency sweeping, which sequentially switches the channel frequency. Even if the transmission timings of multiple repeater nodes overlap, the channel frequencies are different, so that the IDs can be obtained and registered from the response messages received on a repeater node basis.

In addition, when ID registration for all repeater nodes within range of the setting device's radio waves has been completed, a recovery message can be sent, which resets the channel frequency to the initial settings and allows for normal operation to be resumed.

(Effect of sending a recovery message by terminating a registration ID)
The setting control unit of the setting device displays the registration ID on the display unit each time it obtains and registers the ID of a repeater node, making it possible to confirm the completion of registration, and sends a recovery message when it detects that an operation to end ID registration has been accepted by the operation unit.Therefore, although the number of repeater nodes within the range of the radio waves from the setting device is unknown, the completion of ID registration of the repeater nodes within the range of the radio waves can be recognized by the display of the registration ID stopping, and by performing a recovery operation, it is possible to send a recovery message to the repeater node and return it to its normal operating state.

(Effect of checking the correspondence between addresses and node IDs)
In addition, the relay control unit of the repeater node registers the correspondence between the node ID and address of the pre-assigned sensor node, and the setting control unit of the setting device reads out and displays the correspondence between the sensor node ID and address of the repeater node specified by the registered ID. Therefore, when the correspondence between the sensor node ID and address of the repeater node and the sensor node that operated the repeater node is automatically registered in the repeater node, it is possible to simply and easily check whether the registration is correct by reading and displaying it in the setting device.

(Effect of editing the correspondence between addresses and node IDs)
In addition, the relay control unit of the repeater node registers the correspondence between the node ID and address of the pre-assigned sensor node, and the setting control unit of the setting device accepts and processes editing operations including addition, modification, or deletion of the correspondence between the sensor node ID and address of the repeater node specified by the registered ID, and transmits the editing result to the repeater node to register it. Therefore, after registering the ID of a repeater node within the reach of radio waves from the setting device, if a repeater node breaks down and is replaced during operation of the system, the correspondence between the node ID and address of the sensor node read from the repeater node before the failure by the setting device at the start of operation of the system is saved in a server or the like, and after reading this into the setting device, the setting device of the replaced repeater node is brought close and written and registered, thereby making it possible to simply and easily register the correspondence between the sensor node ID and address of the replaced repeater node and enable operation without entering the occupied area of the apartment building in which the sensor node is installed.

In addition, when the allocation of sensor nodes is changed as necessary in multiple repeater nodes, the correspondence between the node IDs and addresses of the sensor nodes is read from the repeater nodes, an editing operation is performed to rewrite the node IDs based on the allocation change, and the edited results are written to the repeater nodes for re-registration, making it possible to handle changes in the allocation of sensor nodes to repeater nodes without entering the occupied areas of the apartment complex where the sensor nodes are installed.

(History log)
In addition, the relay control unit of the repeater node stores historical information including the reception of messages from the sensor node and radio wave strength, and the transmission of the processed messages to the receiver, and the setting control unit of the setting device reads out and processes the historical information of the repeater node specified by the registered ID, making it possible to easily collect historical information such as the reception status of the repeater node during system operation, as well as radio wave strength, and use this information for analyzing the communication environment, etc.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of a wireless disaster prevention system according to the present invention. Block diagram showing the functional configuration of a wireless sensor Block diagram showing the functional configuration of a receiving repeater Block diagram showing the functional configuration of the setting device A time chart showing the operation of acquiring and registering the ID of a receiving repeater by a call message without ID designation in which a response receiving strength is set from a setting device. A diagram showing the correspondence between the ID of a receiving repeater and the channel frequency. A time chart showing the operation of acquiring and registering an ID from a response message by a channel frequency corresponding to the ID of a receiving repeater by a call message without ID designation from a setting device.

[Wireless Disaster Prevention System]
(System Overview)
Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of a wireless disaster prevention system according to the present invention. In Fig. 1, receiving repeaters 12-1 to 12-3 functioning as repeater nodes are installed on each of the 1st to 3rd floors of a building 11 to be monitored, and are connected to a sensor line 16 drawn out for each floor from a P-type receiver 10, which is a fire receiver, and a common power line 18.

On each floor from 1F to 3F, wireless sensors 14-11, 14-12, 14-21, 14-22, and 14-31, 14-32 that function as sensor nodes are installed.

In the following explanation, when there is no need to distinguish between the receiving repeaters 12-1 to 12-3 and the wireless sensors 14-11 to 14-32, they will be referred to as receiving repeaters 12 and wireless sensors 14. Note that a radio wave repeater may be installed to prevent signals from wireless sensors 14, which are located far away, from reaching the receiving repeater 12 due to attenuation of radio waves.

Each of the receiving repeaters 12-1 to 12-3 and the wireless sensors 14-11 to 14-32 has a unique node ID that uses the device ID preregistered (stored).

When the smoke concentration or temperature caused by a fire exceeds a predetermined threshold, the wireless detector 14 determines that a fire event has occurred and intermittently wirelessly transmits a message signal (hereinafter simply referred to as a "message") indicating a fire.

The receiving repeater 12-1 on the first floor has a correspondence between the node IDs that identify the wireless sensors 14-11 and 14-12 that are senders and act as child nodes that receive messages based on the parent-child relationship, and addresses that have been assigned in advance on the system, preregistered, for example as table information in memory.

The same is true for the receiving repeaters 12-2 and 12-3 on the 2nd and 3rd floors, with the correspondence between the node IDs and addresses of the wireless sensors 14-21 and 14-22 pre-registered as table information in the receiving repeater 12-2, and the correspondence between the node IDs and addresses of the wireless sensors 14-31 and 14-32 pre-registered as table information in the receiving repeater 12-3. Note that if a radio wave repeater is installed, the correspondence between the node IDs and addresses of the radio wave repeaters is registered in the management table.

By registering the address and node ID for the receiving repeater 12 in this way, when a message is received, the sender ID contained in the message is compared with the pre-registered node ID, and if the two match, the message is processed as a valid message.

In addition, in Japan, wireless communication between the wireless sensor 14 and the receiving repeater 12 is based on the standard for specific low-power radio stations in the 400 MHz band, and allows the use of any of 48 channels with a 12.5 KHz band from 426.2500 MHz to 426.8375 MHz.

The channel frequency to be used is set to the receiving repeater 12 and the wireless sensor 14 by selecting one of the 48 channels available under the 400 MHz band specific low-power radio station standard. In this case, the channel frequency may be the same on each floor, or, for example, different channel frequencies may be used on adjacent floors to avoid interference.

(Overview of the receiving repeater's transmission function and setting device)
The receiving repeater 12 has an antenna terminal 42 to which an antenna 40 for transmitting and receiving is connected via a coaxial cable, so that the antenna 40 to be used can be changed according to the installation location.

The setting device 20 has a display unit such as an LCD display and an operation unit equipped with operation keys, etc., and establishes a communication connection between the receiving repeater 12 and the setting device 20 via a wireless line. The setting device 20 functions as a reader/writer that reads and writes information to the receiving repeater 12, and enables registration by obtaining an ID and reading and writing various information between receiving repeaters within the range of the radio waves from the setting device 20.

[Wireless detector]
(Functional configuration of wireless detector)
Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the wireless sensor 14. As shown in Fig. 2, the wireless sensor 14 functioning as a sensor node includes a sensor control unit 22, a wireless communication unit 24 connected to an antenna 26, a sensor unit 28, a display unit 30, an operation unit 32, and a battery power source 34.

The sensor control unit 22 is a computer circuit equipped with a CPU, memory, various input/output ports, etc. The wireless communication unit 24 transmits messages intermittently in accordance with the standard for specific low-power wireless stations in the 400 MHz band, for example, in Japan.

The format of the message sent by the wireless communication unit 24 is composed of a preamble (phase correction data), sender ID, message type, data such as smoke concentration and temperature, and an error check code. Of these, the message type indicates, for example, a message indicating the sensor status or a message indicating a regular report. The sender ID is the ID of the wireless sensor that is the message sender, and when assuming the identification of, for example, one million wireless sensors, the data is 50 to 60 bits long.

The sensor unit 28 detects smoke, for example, by a scattered light type smoke detection mechanism, and outputs a smoke detection signal according to the smoke concentration. The detector control unit 22 detects a fire based on this. The sensor unit 28 may be provided with a temperature detection element such as a thermistor, and a temperature detection signal may be output to the detector control unit 22 based on which a fire may be detected. The display unit 30 is equipped with an alarm indicator light that turns on when a fire is detected. The operation unit 32 is equipped with a registration switch, a test switch, etc.

The sensor control unit 22 is a function realized by the execution of a program by a computer circuit, and performs the following controls:

When the sensor control unit 22 detects the operation of the registration switch provided on the operation unit 32, it generates an activation message for ID registration and instructs the wireless communication unit 24 to transmit the activation message to the receiving repeater 12, and causes the receiving repeater 12 that receives the activation message to register the correspondence between the address and the node ID.

The detector control unit 22 also generates a message indicating a fire when, for example, a smoke concentration detection signal output from the sensor unit 28 exceeds a predetermined fire threshold, and instructs the wireless communication unit 24 to transmit the message to the receiving repeater 12. In this case, the message transmission is a sequence of multiple repeats of a message transmission in which the same message signal is continuously transmitted for a predetermined message transmission time, and a message pause in which message transmission is paused for a predetermined time.

In addition, when the sensor control unit 22 detects an event such as fire recovery, a fault, or a test, it generates a message indicating the details of the detected event and instructs the wireless communication unit 24 to transmit the message to the receiving repeater 12.

[Receiving repeater]
(Functional configuration of receiving repeater)
3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the receiving repeater. As shown in Fig. 3, the receiving repeater 12 functioning as a repeater node includes a repeater control unit 36, a wireless communication unit 38 using a transmitting/receiving antenna 40 detachably connected to an antenna terminal 42 via a coaxial cable, a receiving intensity detection unit 45, an operation unit 44, a display unit 46, a line communication unit 48, and a power supply unit 50.

The relay control unit 36 is a computer circuit equipped with a CPU, memory, various input/output ports, etc. The wireless communication unit 38 receives messages from the wireless sensor 14 and transmits and receives messages to and from the setting device 20 in compliance with the standard for specific low-power radio stations in the 400 MHz band, for example, in Japan. The wireless communication unit 38 also has an antenna terminal 42, making the antenna 40 interchangeable depending on the installation location.

The format of the message received by the wireless communication unit 38 from the wireless sensor 14 is composed of a preamble, sender ID, communication type, data, and an error check code, as described above.

The format of the message sent and received between the wireless communication unit 38 and the setting device 20 is composed of a preamble, a sender ID, a destination ID, a command, data, and an error check code.

The reception strength detection unit 45 detects the reception strength of the radio waves received by the wireless communication unit 38 and outputs a reception strength detection signal to the relay control unit 36.

The operation unit 44 is equipped with a registration switch and a dip switch for setting addresses, and is used to perform various settings required for relay control. The display unit 46 is equipped with various indicator lights, such as a display showing the set channel frequency, a power light, an alarm indicator light, and an error light.

When the line communication unit 48 receives a telegram indicating a fire alert based on instructions from the relay control unit 36, it sends an alert current to the sensing line 16 from the P-type receiver 10 to send a fire alert signal and output a fire alarm, and when it detects a fault, it disconnects the sensing line 16 to create a pseudo-disconnected state, causing the P-type receiver 10 to output a fault alarm.

The relay control unit 36 is a function realized by the execution of a program by a computer circuit, and performs the following controls:

When the relay control unit 36 detects that a registration operation has been made using the registration switch while a registration address with an unregistered node ID is displayed on the display unit 46 by operating the dip switch on the operation unit 44, it sets a registration waiting state. In this state, when it receives an activation message for ID registration sent from the wireless sensor 14 via the wireless communication unit 38, it extracts the sender ID contained in the activation message and performs control to generate table information registered as the node ID of the wireless sensor 14 corresponding to the unregistered address.

In addition, when the relay control unit 36 receives a fire message from the assigned wireless detector 14 via the wireless communication unit 38, it instructs the line communication unit 48 to pass an alarm current through the detector line 16 and transmit a fire alarm signal to the P-type receiver 10, thereby outputting a fire alarm.

In addition, if the relay control unit 36 receives a fire recovery message after receiving a fire message, it instructs the line communication unit 48 to stop the alarm current flowing through the detector line 16 and stop the transmission of the fire alarm signal.

In addition, when the relay control unit 36 receives a fault message from the assigned wireless sensor 14 via the wireless communication unit 38, it instructs the line communication unit 48 to disconnect the sensor line 16 and create a pseudo-disconnected state, thereby controlling the P-type receiver 10 to output a fault alarm.

When the relay control unit 36 receives a call message without an ID designation from the setting device 20 via the wireless communication unit 38, it transmits a response message including its own ID under predetermined response control conditions and controls the registration of the ID of the receiving repeater 12 in the setting device 20; details of this ID registration control will be explained later.

When the relay control unit 36 receives a message from the setting device 20 via the wireless communication unit 38, including a request to read setting information by ID designation, it generates a message by reading table information showing the correspondence between the address and node ID of the wireless sensor 14 to be assigned, and instructs the wireless communication unit 38 to transmit the message to the setting device 20. The setting device 20 that receives this message displays the table information showing the correspondence between the address and node ID of the wireless sensor 14 to be assigned, and allows editing operations such as confirmation, modification, addition, and deletion to be performed. The setting information of the receiving repeater 12 includes setting information such as the channel frequency and the sensitivity of the wireless sensor 14, in addition to the table information showing the correspondence between the address and node ID of the wireless sensor 14.

In addition, when the relay control unit 36 receives a message including a request to write setting information by specifying an ID from the setting device 20 via the wireless communication unit 38, it controls the extraction and registration of edited table information included in the message, for example, that indicates the correspondence between an address and a node ID.

When a specific event is detected, the relay control unit 36 controls the registration of the detected event as history information. The history information registered by the relay control unit 36 includes the reception of a message from the assigned wireless sensor 14, the radio wave intensity when the message was received, the transmission of the message processing results to the P-type receiver 10, etc.

When the relay control unit 36 receives a message from the setting device 20 via the wireless communication unit 38, including a request to read out history information by specifying an ID, the relay control unit 36 reads out the history information, generates a message including the history information, and instructs the wireless communication unit 38 to transmit the message to the setting device 20. The relay control unit 36 then stores the history information in the setting device 20 that received the message, making it available for use.

[Setting device]
(Functional configuration of the setting device)
Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the setting device. As shown in Fig. 4, the setting device 20, which functions as a reader/writer for a receiving repeater, includes a setting control unit 60, a wireless communication unit 62 connected to an antenna 64, a liquid crystal display 66, a touch panel 68, a display unit 70, an operation unit 72, an I/F circuit unit 74 that communicates with an external device such as a server, a power supply unit 76, a connector unit 78, and a power supply connector unit 80.

The setting control unit 60 is a computer circuit equipped with a CPU, memory, various input/output ports, etc.

In Japan, the wireless communication unit 62 conforms to the standard for specific low-power radio stations in the 400 MHz band, for example, and establishes a communication connection with the wireless communication unit 38 of the receiving repeater 12 to send and receive messages including specified information. The format of the messages sent and received between the wireless communication unit 62 and the setting device 20 consists of a preamble, sender ID, destination ID, command, data, and an error check code.

The LCD display 66 allows for display of text and images sufficient for checking the ID registration of the receiving repeater 12, checking the setting information, editing and rewriting the setting information, reading the history log, etc. In addition, the use of the LCD display 66 with a touch panel 68 allows for operation using the display screen. The display unit 70 is provided with various indicator lights including a power light.

The operation unit 72 has operation keys arranged thereon, and allows operations necessary for selecting a channel frequency for communicating with the receiving repeater 12, registering the ID of the receiving repeater 12, checking the setting information, re-registering by editing the setting information, reading the history log, etc.

The I/F circuit unit 74 connects to the manufacturer's management server or the like via the connector unit 78, and performs data transmission, for example according to Ethernet (registered trademark), to store and back up the setting information of the receiving repeater 12 read by the setting device 20 in the management server, and to store a history log.

The power supply unit 76 is equipped with a battery power source, and when used as a portable device, it operates on the battery power source. When connecting to a management server or the like for data transmission, an AC adapter is connected to the power connector unit 80.

The setting control unit 60 is a function realized by a computer circuit executing a program, and performs the following controls, for example:

When the setting control unit 60 detects the receipt of an ID registration operation for the receiving repeater 12 via the touch panel 68 or the operation unit 48, it performs control to obtain and register the unknown ID of the receiving repeater 12 through predetermined control via wireless communication with the receiving repeater 12 within the range of the radio waves. Details of this ID registration control will be explained later.

When the setting control unit 60 detects receipt of an operation to read the setting information via the touch panel 68 or the operation unit 72, it generates a message specifying the ID of the receiving repeater 12 including a request to read the setting information, and instructs the wireless communication unit 62 to transmit the message to the receiving repeater 12. When the setting control unit 60 receives a message including the setting information from the receiving repeater 12 via the wireless communication unit 62, it extracts the setting information from the received message and controls it to display it on the liquid crystal display 66.

In addition, when the setting control unit 60 detects the receipt of a registration request operation after editing, including changing, adding, or deleting, the setting information read from the receiving repeater 12 and displayed on the liquid crystal display 66, it generates a message specifying the ID of the receiving repeater 12 that includes the registration request and the edited setting information, controls the wireless communication unit 62 to transmit it to the receiving repeater 12, and causes the receiving repeater 12 that receives it to register the setting information.

When the setting control unit 60 receives an activation message transmitted by setting the registration mode associated with the operation of the registration switch of the wireless sensor 14, the setting control unit 60 extracts the sender ID from the activation message and controls the display of the sender ID as the node ID on the liquid crystal display 66. This enables the setting device 20 to automatically obtain the node ID of the wireless sensor 14.

When the setting control unit 60 detects receipt of an operation to read history information via the touch panel 68 or the operation unit 72, it generates a message specifying the ID of the receiving repeater 12 including a request to read the history information, and instructs the wireless communication unit 62 to transmit the message to the receiving repeater 12. When the setting control unit 60 receives a message including the history information from the receiving repeater 12 via the wireless communication unit 62, it extracts the history information from the received message and displays it on the liquid crystal display 66 while also storing it.

In addition, when the setting control unit 60 detects that the touch panel 68 or operation unit 72 has accepted an operation to transfer the history information after reading and storing the history information from the receiving repeater 12 and making it connectable to a server via the connector unit 78, it reads the currently stored history information, generates a message including the history information, and instructs the I/F circuit unit 74 to transmit the message to the server, where it stores and manages the history information on the server that received it, and also makes it available on the server for analyzing the cause of non-fire alarms, etc.

[ID registration by a response message from a repeater node corresponding to the reception strength of a call message]
As shown in Figure 1, for example, an attendant carrying a setting device 20 goes near the receiving repeater 14-1 on the 1st floor, and when the IDs of the receiving repeaters 12-1 to 12-3 are not known, the setting device 20 first performs a process of obtaining and registering the unknown IDs of the receiving repeaters 12-1 to 12-3 in order to read and display table information showing the correspondence between the addresses of, for example, wireless sensors 14 registered in the receiving repeaters 12-1 to 12-3 and the node IDs for confirmation.

In this embodiment, the ID registration process for the receiving repeater 12 by the setting device 20 involves registering the ID using a response message from the receiving repeater 12 that corresponds to the reception strength of the call message from the setting device 20.

(Control function of setting device and receiving repeater)
When the setting control unit 60 of the setting device 20 shown in Figure 3 detects acceptance of an ID registration operation for the receiving repeater 20 via the touch panel 68 or the operation unit 72, it sequentially transmits a call message without ID designation to the receiving repeater 12, with a predetermined response reception strength Eth set that gradually decreases from a predetermined initial value, and when it receives a response message from the receiving repeater 12 in response to this call message, it obtains the sender ID contained in this response message as the ID of the receiving repeater 12 and registers it in memory, and also transmits a sleep request message specifying the registered ID to the receiving repeater 12, and controls the transmission of a recovery message to the repeater node when ID registration of the receiving repeater 12 within the range of the radio waves is completed.

The relay control unit 36 of the receiving repeater 12 shown in FIG. 2 transmits a response message including its own ID to the setting device 20 if the reception strength E detected by the reception strength detection unit 45 when a call message without ID designation is received from the setting device 20 is equal to or greater than the response reception strength Eth specified in the call message, suspends message transmission operation when a sleep request message is received from the setting device 20 after the response message is transmitted, and cancels the suspension when a recovery message is received from the setting device 20 while the message transmission operation is suspended.

(Registration of the ID of a receiving repeater by a setting device)
FIG. 5 is a time chart showing the operation of obtaining and registering the ID of a receiving repeater by a call message without ID designation in which a response receiving strength is set from a setting device. The operation will be explained as follows in conjunction with FIGS. 1, 3 and 4.

As shown in FIG. 1, for example, when a staff member carrying a setting device 20 approaches the receiving repeater 12-1 on the first floor and performs an ID registration operation for the receiving repeater 12 using the touch panel 68 or operation unit 72 of the setting device 20, the setting control unit 60 of the setting device 20 generates a call message with a predetermined response reception strength Eth set and no ID specified (destination ID is left blank), and instructs the wireless communication unit 62 to transmit it, as shown in step S1 of FIG. 5 ("step" will be omitted hereafter).

The call message sent by the setting device 20 is received as S2 and S5 by the receiving repeater 12-1 on the 1st floor and the receiving repeater 12-2 on the 2nd floor, whose radio waves reach it, and the receiving strength detection unit 45 detects the receiving strengths E1 and E2 at the respective wireless communication units 38. In this case, the distance from the setting device 20 to the receiving repeater 12-1 is closer and the distance from the receiving repeater 12-2 to the setting device 20 is farther, so the receiving strengths are E1>E2.

In S3, the relay control unit 36 of the receiving repeater 12-1 compares the response reception strength Eth contained in the received call message with the reception strength E1 detected by the reception strength detection unit 45, and since the reception strength E1 is equal to or greater than the response reception strength Eth, the process proceeds to S4, where it transmits a response message with its own ID set as the sender ID to the setting device 20.

On the other hand, the relay control unit 36 of the receiving repeater 12-2 compares the response reception strength Eth contained in the call message received in S6 with the reception strength E1 detected by the reception strength detection unit 45, and since the reception strength E1 is less than the response reception strength Eth, it does not send a response message with its own ID set as the sender ID.

The setting control unit 60 of the setting device 20 receives the response message from the receiving repeater 12-1 in S7, extracts the sender ID as the ID of the receiving repeater 12-1, registers it in memory, and displays the registered ID on the LCD display 66.

Then, in S8, the setting control unit 60 of the setting device 20 generates a sleep request message with the ID registered in memory set as the destination ID, and instructs the wireless communication unit 62 to transmit it. In S9, the sleep request message from the setting device 20 is validly received by the receiving repeater 12-1 as the destination ID matches its own ID, and the relay control unit 36 suspends the message transmission operation by the wireless communication unit 38 based on the sleep request message.

Then, in S10, the setting control unit 60 of the setting device 20 changes the response reception strength Eth to Eth = Eth - ΔE, which is a predetermined value ΔE less, and in S11, transmits a call message without specifying an ID, in which the changed (reduced) response reception strength Eth is set.

The second call message sent by the setting device 20 is received by the receiving repeater 12-1 on the 1st floor and the receiving repeater 12-2 on the 2nd floor, for example, where the radio waves reach, as shown in S12 and S14. However, the receiving repeater 12-1 has stopped its message transmission function by going into sleep mode as shown in S13, so it does not send a response message.

In response to this, the receiving repeater 12-2 determines in S15 that the receiving strength E2 detected by the receiving strength detection unit 45 is equal to or greater than the reduced response receiving strength Eth included in the call message from the setting device 20, and proceeds to S16 to send a response message to the setting device 20 with its own ID set as the sender ID.

The setting control unit 60 of the setting device 20 receives the response message from the receiving repeater 12-2 in S17, extracts the sender ID as the ID of the receiving repeater 12-2, registers it in memory, and displays the registered ID on the LCD display 66.

Then, in S18, the setting control unit 60 of the setting device 20 generates a sleep request message in which the ID currently registered in memory is set as the destination ID, and instructs the wireless communication unit 62 to transmit it. In S19, the sleep request message from the setting device 20 is validly received by the receiving repeater 12-2 due to a match between the destination ID and its own ID 2, and the relay control unit 36 suspends the message transmission operation by the wireless communication unit 38 based on the sleep request message.

Then, in S20, the setting control unit 60 of the setting device 20 changes the current response reception strength Eth to Eth = Eth - ΔE, which is a predetermined value ΔE less, and in S21, transmits a call message without specifying an ID, in which the changed (reduced) response reception strength Eth is set.

If there is no receiving repeater that can receive the call message sent by the setting device 20 for the third time, the display of further registered IDs on the LCD display 66 of the setting device 20 will stop, and the staff member will determine that the ID registration of all receiving repeaters 12 within the reach of the radio waves from the setting device 20 has been completed, and will perform the registration end operation using the touch panel 68 or the operation unit 72.

When the setting control unit 60 of the setting device 20 determines in S22 that a registration end operation has been performed, it sequentially transmits recovery messages in which the registered IDs of the receiving repeaters 12-1 and 12-2 are set as sender ID 1 in S23. The recovery messages from the setting device 20 are validly received by the receiving repeaters 12-1 and 12-2 as in S24 and S25, and the respective relay control units 36 cancel the sleep operation, enabling the paused message transmission operation and returning to the normal state before the ID registration was performed.

Once the IDs of the receiving repeaters 12-1 and 12-2 have been obtained and registered in this manner using the setting device 20, it becomes possible to read or write the necessary data from the receiving repeaters 12-1 and 12-2 by sending a message including a read command or a write command specifying the IDs of the receiving repeaters 12-1 and 12-2.

When a call message is sent while decreasing the response reception strength Eth by a predetermined value ΔE, if the reception strength E at multiple receiving repeaters 12 exceeds the response reception strength Eth, the timing of the transmission of the response message will overlap, causing a collision that makes it impossible to receive the message at the setting device 20. However, as shown in FIG. 1, the receiving repeaters 12-1 to 12-3 have different communication distances, for example, by floor. By appropriately setting the value of ΔE by which the response reception strength Eth is decreased in stages, for example by setting the value of ΔE to a small value, it is possible to reliably avoid collisions of response messages that occur when the reception strength E at multiple receiving repeaters 12 exceeds the response reception strength Eth.

In addition, if the reception strength E of multiple receiving repeaters 12 exceeds the response reception strength Eth and a collision of response messages occurs, the attendant can change locations and send a call message from the setting device 20 to avoid the collision of response messages.

(Advantages of registering the ID of a receiving repeater using a setting device)
According to the ID registration operation of the receiving repeater 12 by the setting device 20 as shown in Figure 5, when a receiving repeater 12 within the range of radio waves from the setting device 20 receives a call message without an ID specified, it will only send a response message if the reception strength E of the call message is equal to or greater than the response reception strength Eth specified in the call message.Since the distances from the setting device 20 to the installation locations of multiple receiving repeaters 12 are different, by gradually decreasing the response reception strength Eth specified in the call message, the response messages are sent in order starting from the receiving repeater 12 that is closest in distance, so that the transmission timings of multiple receiving repeaters 12 do not overlap, and the ID can be obtained and registered from the response message received on a receiving repeater-by-receiving repeater basis.

The setting device 20 also transmits a sleep request message with a specified ID to the receiving repeater 12 that has transmitted the response message, pausing transmission operations for subsequent call messages. This makes it possible to avoid unnecessary transmission of response messages from multiple receiving repeaters 12 even if the response reception altitude is gradually reduced, and to transmit response messages in order starting from the receiving repeater 12 that is closest in distance.

Furthermore, when ID registration is completed for all receiving repeaters 12 within the range of radio waves from the setting device 20, a recovery message is sent, which makes it possible to cancel the suspension of transmission operations caused by receiving a sleep request message and return to normal operation.

[ID registration by telegram response using a channel frequency according to the ID of the receiving repeater]
As another embodiment of the ID registration process of the receiving repeater 12 by the setting device 20, the setting device 20 registers the ID by sending a response message on a channel frequency corresponding to the ID of the receiving repeater 12 in response to a call message from the setting device 20.

The configuration of the receiving repeater 12 in this embodiment is the same as that of FIG. 3, except for the receiving intensity detection unit 45, and the setting device 20 has the same configuration as that of FIG. 4, with the addition of a function that enables the channel frequency to be switched within a specified frequency range as each of the wireless communication units 38 and 36.

(Control function of setting device and receiving repeater)
When the setting control unit 60 of the setting device 20 shown in Figure 4 detects receipt of an ID registration operation for the receiving repeater 20 via the touch panel 68 or the operation unit 72, it transmits a call message without ID designation to the receiving repeater 12 via the initially set channel frequency, and when it receives a response message from the receiving repeater 12 in response to the call message by frequency sweeping, which changes the channel frequency within a predetermined frequency range, it obtains and registers the sender ID of the receiving repeater 12 contained in the response message as the ID of the receiving repeater 12, and when ID registration of all receiving repeaters 12 within the range of the radio waves has been completed, it controls the transmission of a recovery message by frequency sweeping the channel frequency.

In addition, when the relay control unit 36 of the receiving repeater 12 shown in FIG. 2 receives a call message from the setting device 20 via the initially set channel frequency, it transmits a response message including its own ID to the setting device 20 via a specific response channel frequency corresponding to its own ID, and when it receives a recovery message via the response channel frequency, it performs control to return the channel frequency to the initially set frequency.

Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the correspondence between the ID of the receiving repeater and the channel frequency in a list. As shown in Figure 6, in this example, channel frequencies A to H are set corresponding to the binary value 000 to 111, which is the lowest 3 bits b3b2b1 in the ID of the receiving repeater 12, and from among them, the channel frequency corresponding to its own ID is switched to and a response message is transmitted to the setting device 20.

The number of bits of the ID used to select the channel frequency can be determined as necessary so that the number of selectable channels is within 48. To increase the probability of avoiding collisions of response messages, it is sufficient to use the lowest 5 bits at most to enable selection of 32 channels.

For this reason, the wireless communication unit 38 of the receiving repeater 12 shown in Figure 3 has a function of switching the channel frequency used for transmission and reception based on instructions from the repeater control unit 36. In addition, the wireless communication unit 62 of the setting device 20 shown in Figure 4 also has a frequency sweep operation function of continuously switching the channel frequency used for transmission and reception within the range of channel frequencies A to H of the receiving repeater 12 based on instructions from the setting control unit 60.

(Registration of the ID of a receiving repeater by a setting device)
FIG. 7 is a time chart showing the operation of obtaining and registering an ID from a response message using a channel frequency corresponding to the ID of a receiving repeater when a call message without ID designation is sent from the setting device. The operation will be explained below in conjunction with FIGS. 1, 3 and 4.

As shown in FIG. 1, for example, when a staff member carrying a setting device 20 approaches the receiving repeater 14-1 on the first floor and performs an ID registration operation for the receiving repeater 12 using the touch panel 68 or operation unit 72 of the setting device 20, the setting control unit 60 of the setting device 20 generates a call message with no ID specified (destination ID is free) using the initially set channel frequency, and instructs the wireless communication unit 62 to transmit it, as shown in S101 of FIG. 7.

The call message sent by the setting device 20 is received by the receiving repeater 12-1 on the 1st floor and the receiving repeater 12-2 on the 2nd floor, whose radio waves reach it, as shown in S102 and S104. In S103, the relay control unit 36 of the receiving repeater 12-1 that received the call message selects channel frequency B corresponding to the lowest 3 bits of its own ID, for example "001", from the correspondence shown in FIG. 6, sets this in the wireless communication unit 38, and transmits a response message with its own ID set as the sender ID to the setting device 20 using channel frequency B.

Meanwhile, in S105, the relay control unit 36 of the receiving repeater 12-2 that received the call message selects a channel frequency F corresponding to the lowest 3 bits of its own ID1, for example "101", from the correspondence shown in FIG. 6, sets this in the wireless communication unit 38, and transmits a response message with its own ID set as the sender ID to the setting device 20 using the channel frequency F.

In S106, the setting control unit 60 of the setting device 20 repeats a channel frequency sweep operation in which the frequency channel is switched in order within the frequency range A to H at which the response message is transmitted from the receiving repeater 12, and receives the response message. If it determines in S107 that the response message has been received at the switched channel frequency B or F, it proceeds to S108, extracts the sender ID of the received response message as the ID of the receiving repeater 12-1, 12-2, registers it in memory, and displays the registered ID of the receiving repeater 12-1, 12-2 on the LCD display 66.

When ID registration is complete for all receiving repeaters 12-1, 12-2 that receive call messages from the setting device 20, the display of further registered IDs on the LCD display 66 of the setting device 20 stops. This allows the staff member to determine that ID registration is complete for all receiving repeaters 12 within reach of radio waves from the setting device 20, and to perform the registration end operation using the touch panel 68 or operation unit 72.

When the setting control unit 60 of the setting device 20 determines in S109 that the registration has been terminated, it transmits a recovery message in S110 using the channel frequencies B and F used to communicate the response message in sequence. The recovery message from the setting device 20 is effectively received by the receiving repeaters 12-1 and 12-2 as shown in S111 and S112, and the respective repeater control units 36 return the channel frequencies B and F to their initial settings.

Once the IDs of the receiving repeaters 12-1 and 12-2 have been obtained and registered in this manner by the setting device 20, it becomes possible to read or write the necessary data from the receiving repeaters 12-1 and 12-2 by sending a message including a read command or a write command specifying the IDs of the receiving repeaters 12-1 and 12-2.

If the lowest three bits of the IDs set on multiple receiving repeaters 12 within the range of the radio waves from the setting device 20 match, a communication collision of response messages will occur due to the selection of the same channel frequency. However, if the setting device 20 detects a communication collision of response messages, it is possible to control the channel frequencies used to transmit the response messages to be different by, for example, transmitting a call message including a command to shift the three bits for selecting the channel frequency of the receiving repeater 12 to the higher three bits, thereby making it possible to reliably avoid collisions of response messages.

(Advantages of registering the ID of a receiving repeater using a setting device)
According to the ID registration operation of the receiving repeater 12 by the setting device 20 as shown in FIG. 7, when a receiving repeater 12 within the range of radio waves from the setting device 20 receives a call message without an ID specified, it transmits a response message using a mutually different channel frequency corresponding to its own ID, and the setting device 20 receives the response messages from the different receiving repeaters 12 individually by frequency sweeping, which sequentially switches the channel frequency.Even if the transmission timings of multiple receiving repeaters 12 overlap, the channel frequencies are different, so that the ID can be obtained and registered from the response message received on a receiving repeater-by-receiving repeater basis.

In addition, when ID registration for all receiving repeaters 12 within the range of radio waves from the setting device 20 has been completed, a recovery message can be sent to return the channel frequency to the initial setting and return to normal operation.

[Modifications of the present invention]
(Repeater node)
The above embodiment takes as an example a case where the ID of a receiving repeater that functions as a repeater node is obtained and registered by a setting device, but the present invention is not limited to this and also includes a case where the ID of an appropriate device equipped with wireless communication function is obtained and registered by a setting device.

(R type receiver)
In the above embodiment, a receiving repeater is connected to a sensor line from a P-type receiver as a fire receiver, but the receiving repeater may also be connected to an R-type receiver having a data transmission function.

(Setting device)
The above embodiment takes as an example a case where a dedicated setting device is used to access a receiving repeater for reading and writing, but it is also possible to use an appropriate mobile terminal device such as a tablet terminal that has the function of communicating with the receiving repeater.

(others)
Furthermore, the present invention includes appropriate modifications that do not impair the objects and advantages of the present invention, and is not limited to the numerical values shown in the above embodiment.

10: P-type receiver 12-1 to 12-3: Receiving repeaters 14-1 to 14-3: Wireless sensor 16: Sensor line 20: Setting device 22: Sensor control unit 24, 38, 62: Wireless communication unit 28: Sensor unit 30, 46, 70: Display unit 32, 44, 72: Operation unit 36: Relay control unit 40: Antenna 42: Antenna terminal 45: Receiving intensity detection unit 48: Line communication unit 60: Setting control unit 66: Liquid crystal display 68: Touch panel

Claims (4)

A setting device for a wireless disaster prevention system in which a repeater node is connected to each of a plurality of sensor lines connected to a receiver, the repeater node relaying communication between the receiver and a wireless sensor node assigned to the repeater node and the receiver via the sensor lines,
A setting device that is carried by an attendant and is capable of direct wireless communication with any of a plurality of repeater nodes, and that collects, via wireless communication, history information including the reception of messages from the sensor node and the processing results of the messages, which is stored when the repeater node detects a specified event .
The setting device according to claim 1 ,
A setting device capable of selecting a channel frequency for wireless communication with the repeater node by the direct wireless communication.
3. The setting device according to claim 1 ,
A setting device characterized by collecting, by means of the direct wireless communication, at least one of the reception status history of the repeater node and the radio wave strength of the wireless communication between the repeater node and the sensor node during operation of the wireless disaster prevention system.
4. The setting device according to claim 1, wherein the setting device does not communicate wirelessly with the receiver.

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