JP7512464B2 - Transmitter and signal transmission method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transmitter and a signal transmission method.

Conventionally, alarm equipment and fire extinguishing equipment have been used as firefighting equipment. Alarm equipment, for example, is installed in a disaster prevention equipment storage box that contains indicator lights, audio devices, and transmitters. An example of such a disaster prevention equipment storage box is the disaster prevention equipment storage box described in Patent Document 1. In addition, a fire hydrant device as fire extinguishing equipment is, for example, a long, foldable flat hose connected to a valve, and a nozzle connected to the tip of the hose. An example of such a fire hydrant device is the fire hydrant device described in Patent Document 2.

In addition, there have been surveys and reports on the utilization of such firefighting equipment (for example, Non-Patent Document 1). According to this report, of the fires in which it was deemed necessary to use firefighting equipment, the actual use of firefighting equipment was 56.1% (usage rate), and of these, the effective use was 74.7% (success rate).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-102085 JP 2004-236918 A

"Fire Actuality in 2018 Edition", [online], August 2018, Tokyo Fire Department Digital Library, [searched on August 27, 2018], Internet <URL: http://www.tfd.metro.tokyo.jp/hp-cyousaka/kasaijittai/h27/1-7.pdf>

However, in order to make firefighting equipment more easily utilized, it is necessary to make people aware of the presence of firefighting equipment on a daily basis. Conventional firefighting equipment has been designed to make it easier for people in the vicinity to recognize that firefighting equipment is installed by increasing the visibility of indicator lights, unifying the color of transmitters in red to make them easier to identify, and writing characters such as "fire hydrant" on the exterior of the housing of indoor fire hydrants. However, as described in Non-Patent Document 1, in reality, the utilization rate of firefighting equipment is about half, and the success rate of these is just under 80%. Therefore, considering the overall cases in which fires have occurred, there is room to further promote the utilization of firefighting equipment. In order to further promote the utilization of firefighting equipment, it is possible to further improve the degree of awareness of firefighting equipment by people in the vicinity using a method different from the conventional method.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a transmitter and a signal transmission method that can improve awareness of firefighting equipment.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one embodiment of the present invention comprises a display unit that is provided in or near a fire extinguishing equipment and displays an image, a display control unit that causes the display unit to display an alarm image for sending a fire signal indicating the occurrence of a fire, an acquisition unit that acquires an operation signal indicating an operation on the alarm image, a determination unit that determines whether or not to send the fire signal based on the operation signal acquired by the acquisition unit, and a communication unit that transmits the fire signal to a receiver depending on the result determined by the determination unit , and the display control unit is a transmitter that displays a predetermined guidance image showing how to use the fire extinguishing equipment when the fire signal is transmitted while the alarm image is displayed on the display unit .
Moreover, one embodiment of the present invention is a transmitter comprising a display unit that displays an image, a display control unit that causes the display unit to display an alarm image for sending a fire signal indicating the occurrence of a fire, an acquisition unit that acquires an operation signal indicating an operation on the alarm image, a judgment unit that judges whether or not to send the fire signal based on the operation signal acquired by the acquisition unit, and a communication unit that transmits the fire signal in accordance with the result judged by the judgment unit, wherein the display control unit, in a normal state in which the fire signal is not being transmitted, switches between displaying the alarm image and an image different from the alarm image on the display unit, and sets the time for which the alarm image is displayed per unit time to be longer than the time for which the image different from the alarm image is displayed.

Moreover, one embodiment of the present invention is a signal transmission method performed by a transmitter installed in or near a fire extinguishing equipment, in which a display control unit causes a display unit that displays an alarm image for transmitting a fire signal indicating the occurrence of a fire, an acquisition unit acquires an operation signal indicating an operation on the alarm image, a determination unit determines whether or not to transmit the fire signal based on the operation signal acquired by the acquisition unit, a communication unit transmits the fire signal to a receiver in accordance with the result determined by the determination unit , and the display control unit, when the fire signal is transmitted while the alarm image is being displayed on the display unit, displays a predetermined guidance image showing how to use the fire extinguishing equipment .
Moreover, one embodiment of the present invention is a signal transmission method in which a display control unit causes a display unit that displays an image to display an alarm image for transmitting a fire signal indicating the occurrence of a fire, an acquisition unit acquires an operation signal indicating an operation on the alarm image, a determination unit determines whether or not to transmit the fire signal based on the operation signal acquired by the acquisition unit, and a communication unit transmits the fire signal according to the result determined by the determination unit, and in a normal state in which the fire signal is not transmitted, the display control unit switches between displaying the alarm image and an image different from the alarm image on the display unit, and the time for which the alarm image is displayed per unit time is longer than the time for which the image different from the alarm image is displayed.

As described above, according to this invention, a display unit is provided on at least one of the alarm equipment and the fire extinguishing equipment, so that even the alarm equipment and the fire extinguishing equipment can display various information. This makes it possible to raise awareness of the alarm equipment and the fire extinguishing equipment by drawing the attention of people in the vicinity to the firefighting equipment using a method different from that used for conventional alarm equipment and fire extinguishing equipment, and thus improves the degree of recognition of the firefighting equipment.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a fire alarm system 1 applied to a transmitter 20 of a first embodiment. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of transmitter information stored in a storage unit 26 of the first embodiment; FIG. 3A to 3C are diagrams illustrating examples of display and operation of the display unit 21 according to the first embodiment. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the transmitter 20 of the first embodiment. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating examples of display and operation of a display unit 21 according to a second embodiment.

One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment
First, the first embodiment will be described.
1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a fire alarm system 1 to which a transmitter 20 according to a first embodiment is applied. The fire alarm system 1 includes, for example, a receiver 10 and a transmitter 20. The transmitter 20 is an example of an "alarm device."
The receiver 10 receives the fire signal transmitted by the transmitter 20 and issues a fire alarm or the like according to the content of the received signal. Furthermore, when the receiver 10 receives a fire signal from the transmitter 20, it transmits a response signal to the transmitter 20 indicating that the fire signal has been received.
The transmitter 20 transmits a fire signal to the receiver 10 in response to a human operation. The transmitter 20 also receives a response signal from the receiver 10. The transmitter 20 includes, for example, a display unit 21, an acquisition unit 22, a determination unit 23, a communication unit 24, a control unit 25, and a storage unit 26. The control unit 25 is an example of a "display control unit".

The display unit 21 is, for example, a display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic electroluminescence (EL) display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT) that displays images based on the control of the control unit 25.

The display unit 21 displays an image according to the fire situation. This fire situation ranges from a state where no fire has occurred to a state where a fire has occurred and thereafter the fire has been extinguished, and there are, for example, a normal state and a response state. The normal state is a state where a fire signal has not been transmitted, and where no fire has occurred or a fire has not been discovered. The response state is a state from when the transmitter 20 receives a response signal from the receiver 10 indicating that it has responded to the fire signal, until when it receives a release signal from the receiver 10 indicating that the fire alert has been lifted when the fire has been extinguished.

In a normal state, the display unit 21 displays an image 211 (see FIG. 3) of an alarm button for transmitting a fire signal. Here, the image 211 is an example of an "alarm image."
Furthermore, the display unit 21 may display an image 212 (see FIG. 3 ) of an indicator light in a normal state. The image 212 is an indication of the position of the receiver 10. In the case where the receiver 10 is provided in an indoor fire hydrant system, the image 212 may also serve as an indication of the position of the indoor fire hydrant system. Here, the image 212 is an example of an "indicator light image."

In addition, in the response state, the display unit 21 may display an image 213 of a response light (see FIG. 3). The image 213 is an image indicating that the transmitter 20 has received a response signal from the receiver 10, and is, for example, an image that lights up or flashes. Here, the image 213 is an example of a "response light image."

The acquisition unit 22 acquires an operation signal indicating an operation on the image 211. For example, the acquisition unit 22 acquires the force applied to the image 211 from a piezoelectric element (not shown) that converts the force applied to the image 211 into a voltage. The acquisition unit 22 outputs the acquired operation signal to the determination unit 23.

The determination unit 23 determines whether or not to transmit a fire signal based on the operation signal acquired by the acquisition unit 22. For example, based on the magnitude of the force applied to the image 211, the determination unit 23 determines that a fire signal is to be transmitted when an operation of pressing the image 211 with a predetermined pressure or more is performed.
This predetermined pressure may be stored in advance in, for example, the storage unit 26. In this case, the determination unit 23 acquires the predetermined pressure by referring to the storage unit 26.

The communication unit 24 communicates with the receiver 10. The communication unit 24 transmits a fire signal to the receiver 10 and receives a response signal from the receiver 10.
The control unit 25 performs overall control of the transmitter 20. The control unit 25 causes the display unit 21 to display an image 211 in the normal state. Furthermore, the control unit 25 causes the display unit 21 to display an image 212 together with the image 211 in the normal state.
In addition, when the determination unit 23 determines that a fire signal should be transmitted, the control unit 25 transmits the fire signal to the receiver 10 via the communication unit 24 .
Furthermore, when the control unit 25 receives a response signal from the receiver 10, it causes the display unit 21 to display an image 213, indicating that a response state has been established.
The image information of the images 211 to 213 may be stored in advance in the storage unit 26. In this case, the determination unit 23 refers to the storage unit 26 to obtain image information to be displayed on the display unit 21 from among the images 211 to 213, and causes the display unit 21 to display an image corresponding to the obtained image information.

The storage unit 26 stores transmitter information related to the transmitter 20 .
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of transmitter information stored in the storage unit 26 according to the first embodiment.
As shown in Fig. 2, the transmitter information includes items such as a transmitter ID, a pressure threshold, an alarm button image, an indicator light image, and a response light image. The transmitter ID indicates identification information that uniquely identifies the transmitter 20. The pressure threshold indicates a threshold value of the pressure to press the image when it is determined that the transmitter 20 corresponding to the transmitter ID will transmit a fire signal. The alarm button image indicates image information of an image 211 to be displayed on the display unit 21. The indicator light image indicates image information of an image 212 to be displayed on the display unit 21. The response light image indicates image information of an image 213 to be displayed on the display unit 21.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display example and an operation example of the display unit 21 of the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 3, the display unit 21 displays, for example, an image 210 of the transmitter 20. In the image 210, an image 211 with the words "press hard" written on it is displayed in the approximate center of a circular transmitter body, similar to the appearance of a conventional transmitter. In addition, annular images 212 and 213 are displayed so as to surround the outer periphery of the transmitter body. In this example, the indicator light is represented by turning on this annular image, and the response light is represented by blinking the annular image. In addition, as shown in this example, the image 210 may show a display board with the words "fire alarm" written on it. By displaying an image similar to the appearance of a conventional transmitter, people can easily recognize the transmitter, and the operation is also made easier.
As shown in FIG. 3, when a fire is discovered, an operation is performed by pressing an image 211 with a finger F, for example.

It should be noted that the images 211 to 213 are not limited to this example and may be any images.
In addition, in this example, the images 212 and 213 are displayed by lighting and blinking, but the present invention is not limited to this. The image 213 may be any image different from the image 212, or may be an image displayed at a position different from the position where the image 212 is displayed.

4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the transmitter 20 according to the first embodiment. This flowchart shows the flow of operations from a normal state, transmitting a fire signal, to receiving a response signal.
First, in a normal state, the transmitter 20 causes the display unit 21 to display the image 211 and the image 212 of the indicator light (step S10).
Next, the transmitter 20 determines whether the image 211 has been pressed (step S11). When the acquisition unit 22 acquires a signal indicating an operation on the image 211, the transmitter 20 determines that the image 211 has been pressed.
When it is determined that the image 211 has been pressed, the transmitter 20 determines by the determination unit 23 whether or not the image 211 has been pressed with a force equal to or greater than a predetermined pressure (step S12).
When the transmitter 20 determines that the image 211 has been pressed with a force equal to or greater than the predetermined pressure, it transmits a fire signal to the receiver 10 via the communication unit 24 (step S13).
The transmitter 20 determines whether or not a response signal has been received from the receiver 10 (step S14), and if a response signal has been received from the receiver 10, displays the image 213 (step S15).

On the other hand, if the transmitter 20 determines in the processing shown in step S11 that the image 211 has not been pressed, and if the transmitter 20 determines in the processing shown in step S12 that the image 211 has not been pressed with a force greater than or equal to a predetermined pressure, the transmitter 20 returns to the processing shown in step S11.
Moreover, when the transmitter 20 determines in the process shown in step S14 that a response signal has not been received from the receiver 10, the transmitter 20 returns to the process shown in step S11 and waits for reception of a response signal.

As described above, the transmitter 20 of the first embodiment includes a display unit 21 that displays an image, a control unit 25 that causes the display unit 21 to display an image 211 of an alarm button for transmitting a fire signal indicating the occurrence of a fire, an acquisition unit 22 that acquires an operation signal indicating an operation on the image 211, a determination unit 23 that determines whether or not to transmit a fire signal based on the operation signal acquired by the acquisition unit 22, and a communication unit 24 that transmits a fire signal in accordance with the result determined by the determination unit 23. As a result, the transmitter 20 of the first embodiment can transmit a fire signal to the receiver 10 when an operation is performed on the image 211 displayed on the display unit 21. By displaying the image 211 on the display unit 21, the degree of awareness of the firefighting equipment can be improved.

In addition, in the transmitter 20 of the first embodiment, the determination unit 23 determines that a fire signal is to be transmitted when the image 211 is pressed with a pressure equal to or greater than a predetermined pressure. This allows the transmitter 20 of the first embodiment to transmit a fire signal when the image 211 is pressed with a force equal to or greater than the predetermined pressure, and prevents a fire signal from being transmitted when the image 211 is simply touched with a force less than the predetermined pressure, thereby suppressing false alarms such as when the image 211 is touched by mistake and a fire signal is transmitted even when no fire is occurring.

In addition, in the transmitter 20 of the first embodiment, the display unit 21 may display an image 212 indicating the position of the transmitter together with the image 211. This allows the transmitter 20 of the first embodiment to indicate the position of the transmitter, enabling a person to more reliably grasp the location of the transmitter 20.

In addition, in the transmitter 20 of the first embodiment, the communication unit 24 may receive a response signal from the receiver 10 that has received the fire signal, and the display unit 21 may display an image 213 indicating that the response signal has been received when the response signal is received by the communication unit 24. In this way, the transmitter 20 of the first embodiment can indicate that the response signal has been received.

(Modification 1 of the first embodiment)
Next, a first modified example of the first embodiment will be described. This modified example differs from the above-described embodiment in that a protective plate is provided on the display screen of the display unit 21. This protective plate is attached for the purpose of preventing the screen from being damaged by being pressed hard when the strength of the display screen is not strong.
In this modified example, the acquisition unit 22 acquires, as the operation signal, a signal indicating the magnitude of the force applied to the protection plate.

In this modified example, the protective plate may be configured such that, when pressed firmly, it is pushed inwards and the locking mechanism is pushed out, similar to protective plates attached to conventional transmitters.
In this case, the acquisition unit 22 acquires, as the operation signal, a signal indicating whether or not the locking mechanism of the protection plate has been pushed out.
Then, the determination unit 23 determines that a fire signal is to be transmitted when the locking mechanism of the protective plate is pushed out.

As described above, in the transmitter 20 according to the first modification of the first embodiment, a protective plate is provided on the display screen of the display unit 21. This makes it possible to prevent the display screen from being damaged by being pressed hard in the transmitter 20 according to the first modification of the first embodiment.
Furthermore, in the transmitter 20 of the first modified example of the first embodiment, a protective plate that can be pressed hard to push off the locking mechanism may be provided on the display screen of the display unit 21. In this way, in the transmitter 20 of the first modified example of the first embodiment, in addition to achieving the same effects as those described above, it is possible to easily determine whether or not to transmit a fire signal simply by determining whether or not the locking mechanism has been pushed off.

(Modification 2 of the First Embodiment)
Next, a second modification of the first embodiment will be described. This modification differs from the above-described embodiment in that a fire signal is transmitted when the image 211 is pressed and held.
In this modification, the display unit 21 is, for example, a touch panel.
In this case, the acquisition unit 22 is a functional unit that realizes the touch function of the touch panel. The acquisition unit 22 acquires an operation signal indicative of an operation on the display screen of the display unit 21, and outputs the acquired operation signal to the determination unit 23.
The determination unit 23 determines, based on the operation signal acquired by the acquisition unit 22, that a fire signal is to be transmitted when the image 211 is continuously pressed for a predetermined period of time or longer.
This predetermined time may be stored in advance in, for example, the storage unit 26. In this case, the determination unit 23 refers to the storage unit 26 to obtain the predetermined time.

As described above, in the transmitter 20 of the second modified example of the first embodiment, the acquisition unit 22 acquires an operation signal indicating an operation on the display screen of the display unit 21, and the determination unit 23 determines, based on the operation signal acquired by the acquisition unit 22, that a fire signal is to be transmitted when the image 211 is continuously pressed for a predetermined time or more. As a result, the transmitter 20 of the second modified example of the first embodiment can transmit a fire signal when the image 211 is pressed for a long time, instead of when pressed with a strong force, and it is not necessary to provide a protective plate to protect the screen even if the strength of the display screen is not strong. In addition, since it is possible to prevent a fire signal from being transmitted by merely touching the image 211 for a short time, the effect of suppressing false alarms is achieved similar to the effect described above.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment will be described. This embodiment differs from the above-mentioned embodiment in that the transmitter 20 is provided at or near an indoor fire hydrant facility, and in that an image (hereinafter, referred to as a guidance image) that provides guidance on how to use the indoor fire hydrant facility is displayed according to the fire situation. Here, the indoor fire hydrant facility is an example of a "fire extinguishing facility."

The control unit 25 displays a guidance image 215 (see FIG. 5) on the display unit 21 according to the state of the fire. Here, the image 215 is an example of a "guidance image."
The control unit 25 is, for example, after the transmitter 20 transmits a fire signal to the receiver 10. By displaying a guidance image after a fire is discovered and a fire signal is transmitted, a person who discovers the fire can see the guidance image and use the indoor fire hydrant equipment to perform initial fire extinguishing.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a display example and an operation example of the display unit 21 according to the second embodiment.
5, the display unit 21 displays, for example, an image 214. The image 214 displays an image 215 and annular images 212 and 213 indicating indicator lights or response lights arranged so as to surround the outer periphery of the image 215.
Image 215 shows how to use indoor fire hydrant equipment in sequence. In this example, an example of how to use a No. 1 fire hydrant is shown, and the diagram illustrates how to first press the button on the transmitter to start the hydrant pump and open the hydrant door, then take out the nozzle, extend the hose, and assume a position to spray water, and finally open the on-off valve by calling out to the water-discharging side and the water-supplying side to spray water.

In this way, the image 215 may guide the user on how to use the type of indoor fire hydrant equipment in accordance with the type of indoor fire hydrant equipment in which the transmitter 20 is installed. For example, if the transmitter 20 is installed in an easy-to-operate No. 1 fire hydrant or No. 2 fire hydrant, the control unit 25 displays an image on the display unit 21 that guides the user on how to use the fire hydrant.

The type of indoor fire hydrant equipment in which the transmitter 20 is installed may be stored in advance in the memory unit 26, for example. In this case, the control unit 25 refers to the memory unit 26 to obtain the type of indoor fire hydrant equipment in which the transmitter 20 is installed, and causes the display unit 21 to display an image 215 corresponding to the obtained type of indoor fire hydrant equipment.

As shown in FIG. 5, a touch operation may be performed on the image 215, for example, with a finger F. In this case, the display unit 21 is, for example, a touch panel. The operation performed on the image 215 is, for example, an operation to enlarge or slide the image.

As described above, the transmitter 20 of the second embodiment is provided in an indoor fire hydrant facility, and the display unit 21 displays an image 215 that provides guidance on how to use the indoor fire hydrant facility when the fire situation is in an extinguishing state. As a result, the transmitter 20 of the second embodiment can display how to use the indoor fire hydrant facility in which the transmitter 20 is provided, and can convey the usage method to people who intend to use the fire hydrant, so that the fire hydrant can be used appropriately and a fire can be extinguished at an early stage. The use of fire hydrants can improve awareness of firefighting facilities.

In addition, in the transmitter 20 of the second embodiment, the display unit 21 displays different images 215 depending on the type of indoor fire hydrant in which the transmitter 20 is installed. As a result, the transmitter 20 of the second embodiment can display the usage method depending on the type of indoor fire hydrant equipment in which the transmitter 20 is installed, and can convey the usage method depending on the type of fire hydrant, making it possible to use the fire hydrant more reliably.

In the above-described embodiment, the functions of the display unit 21 and the control unit 25 in the transmitter 20 may be configured as an indicator light that indicates the position of the transmitter 20 or the fire extinguishing equipment.
In this case, the indicator light displays an image on the display unit 21 under the control of the control unit 25. The display unit 21 may display an advertising image, an environmental image showing a natural landscape such as the sea or a forest, weather information, a poster promoting fire prevention, or the like.
The indicator light may also display the indicator light image 212 described above.
Furthermore, in the case where the indicator light indicates the position of the transmitter 20, the control unit 25 acquires a signal from the communication unit 24 of the transmitter 20. The control unit 25 may be configured to display an image 213 of the response light when a response signal is received by the transmitter 20. In this case, the indicator light is an example of an "indicator light provided in the alarm equipment."
Furthermore, if the indicator light indicates the position of the indoor fire hydrant equipment in which the transmitter 20 is installed, the guidance image 215 may be displayed when a fire signal is transmitted by the transmitter 20. In this case, the indicator light is an example of an "indicator light provided in the fire extinguishing equipment." The guidance image 215 may correspond to the type of the indoor fire hydrant in which the indicator light is installed.
By displaying various images, such as images of indicator lights, images of answering lights, images of guidance, and images of fire prevention awareness posters, the level of awareness of disaster prevention equipment in the surrounding area can be increased.

In a normal state, the indicator light may be configured to switch between displaying an indicator light image 212, an advertising image, an environmental image, weather information, a poster promoting fire prevention, and the like, over time. In this case, the indicator light may be configured to display different images, such as an advertising image (hereinafter referred to as an image other than the indicator light) and the timing and duration for which the indicator light image 212 is displayed, from the image 212 (hereinafter referred to as an image other than the indicator light). In this case, the indicator light is configured to display the indicator light image 212 for a longer period of time per unit time than the period of time for which an image other than the indicator light is displayed.
For example, the indicator light may display the indicator light image 212 more frequently (higher) than the frequency at which an image other than the indicator light is displayed. Alternatively, the indicator light may display the indicator light image 212 for a longer period of time in one display than the period of time at which an image other than the indicator light is displayed.
This allows the indicator light to perform its original function of indicating the location of a transmitter or fire hydrant equipment (an example of a "target equipment").

The transmitter 20 in the above-described embodiment may also perform a similar display. That is, the transmitter 20 may be configured to sequentially switch between displaying the image 211 of the alarm button and an image other than the alarm button, such as an advertisement image, in a normal state. In this case, the transmitter 20 sets the time for which the image 211 of the alarm button is displayed per unit time to be longer than the time for which an image other than the alarm button is displayed.
For example, the transmitter 20 displays the image 211 of the alarm button more frequently (higher) than the frequency of displaying images other than the alarm button. Alternatively, the transmitter 20 displays the image 211 of the alarm button for a longer period of time in one display than the period of time of displaying images other than the alarm button.
This allows the transmitter 20 to perform its original function of issuing a fire alarm.

(Modification of the embodiment)
Next, a modified example of the embodiment will be described. This modified example differs from the above-described embodiment in that the transmitter 20 or the indicator lamp displays the contents to be displayed on the display unit (not shown) of the receiver 10.
The display unit of the receiver 10, for example, in the response state, displays the installation position of the transmitter that issued the alert and the time when the alert was issued. The display unit of the receiver 10 also displays various fire guidance in the normal state and response state. The fire guidance is an image that provides guidance on the necessary response when a fire occurs, such as an image that provides guidance on reporting to the fire department, evacuation guidance, firefighting activities, reporting to the fire prevention manager, etc. The fire guidance is displayed, for example, as an icon image on the display unit of the receiver 10, and when the icon image is selected by the user's operation, an image is displayed that specifically explains the content of the guidance corresponding to the selected icon image using characters and figures.

The transmitter 20 or the indicator light, for example, receives a response signal and also receives image information (hereinafter referred to as receiver image information) indicating the content of the image or information to be displayed on the display unit of the receiver 10 from the receiver 10. The transmitter 20 or the indicator light then displays the response light image 213 in response to the response signal, and also displays all or a part of the image in response to the received receiver image information (for example, the installation position of the transmitter that issued the alert or the time when the alert was issued).
In addition, even in the normal state, the transmitter 20 or the indicator light may receive receiver image information from the receiver 10 and display all or part of an image (e.g., various fire guidance messages) corresponding to the received receiver image information.

Furthermore, when a plurality of the above-mentioned transmitters 20 or indicator lights are provided within a building, and a fire alarm system 1 is formed by connecting these plurality of transmitters 20 or indicator lights to the same receiver 10, the content to be displayed on the display unit of the receiver 10 may be displayed on all or some of the plurality of transmitters 20 or indicator lights depending on the circumstances under which the fire was reported and the passage of time.
For example, immediately after a fire is alerted, only the indicator lights and transmitters 20 installed on the floor where the transmitter 20 that issued the alert is located display images, etc., displayed on the display unit of the receiver 10. Then, if a predetermined time has passed after a fire is alerted and the alert has not yet been lifted, the indicator lights and transmitters 20 on all floors in the building display images, etc., displayed on the display unit of the receiver 10.

The transmitter 20 or indicator light receives from the receiver 10 attribute information indicating the floor on which the transmitter 20 that issued the alert is located, the time when the alert was issued, etc., along with the receiver image information. In addition, the memory unit (e.g., memory unit 26) of the transmitter 20 or indicator light stores installation information regarding the floor on which the transmitter 20 or indicator light is installed within the building.

The transmitter 20 or the indicator light displays all or part of the image displayed on the display unit of the receiver 10 using the received receiver image information and attribute information, as well as the installation information stored in its own memory unit.
For example, when the floor on which the transmitter 20 that issued the alarm is located, as indicated in the attribute information, and the floor on which the transmitter itself is installed, as stored as installation information, are the same floor, and the time at which the alarm was issued, as indicated in the attribute information, is less than a predetermined time from the current time, the transmitter 20 or indicator light will display all or part of an image corresponding to the receiver image information (for example, the installation location of the transmitter that issued the alarm or the time at which the alarm was issued).
On the other hand, if the floor on which the transmitter 20 that issued the alarm is located, as indicated in the attribute information, is different from the floor on which the transmitter itself is installed, as stored as installation information, and the time at which the alarm was issued, as indicated in the attribute information, is less than a predetermined time from the current time, the transmitter 20 or indicator light will not display an image corresponding to the receiver image information.
When the floor on which the transmitter 20 that issued the alarm is located, as indicated in the attribute information, is different from the floor on which the transmitter itself is installed, as stored as installation information, and the time at which the alarm was issued, as indicated in the attribute information, is more than a predetermined time after the current time, the transmitter 20 or indicator light will display all or part of an image corresponding to the receiver image information (for example, an image providing evacuation guidance).

As a result, immediately after a fire breaks out, the floor on which the fire broke out is notified of the fire and responses such as firefighting activities and evacuation guidance are encouraged on that floor, while other floors are not notified of the fire, so that if the fire is quickly put out or if the alarm is a false alarm, unnecessary upset for people on other floors is avoided. Then, if the alert has not yet been lifted after a specified time has passed, it is possible to notify other floors of the fire as there is a possibility that the fire may spread, and to encourage responses such as evacuation guidance.

In addition, in at least one of the above-described embodiments, a configuration may be adopted in which a display unit 21 and a control unit 25 are provided together with a conventional physical transmitter (or a conventional physical indicator light). The display unit 21 may display advertising images, environmental images showing natural scenery such as the sea or forest, weather information, posters promoting fire prevention, and the like. The type of image to be displayed on the display unit 21 may be set by an administrator or the like who manages the transmitter and indicator light.

Here, some conventional transmitters are equipped with, for example, a telephone jack or an emergency phone. A telephone jack is a connection part for connecting a handset used to communicate with a receiver in an emergency. An emergency phone is a piece of equipment that transmits a fire signal to a receiver when the handset is picked up, and enables communication between the receiver and transmitter when the telephone on the receiver side that receives the fire signal is picked up.

The transmitter 20 of the present embodiment may be provided with a telephone jack or an emergency telephone (hereinafter, referred to as a telephone jack or the like) as provided in a conventional transmitter as described above. In this case, the telephone jack or the like is provided, for example, inside the housing of the transmitter 20 or in the vicinity of the transmitter 20. This makes it possible to communicate with the receiver side in an emergency, and to convey the details of the fire situation, etc.
The transmitter 20 of the present embodiment may include a microphone and a speaker for a call between the transmitter 20 and the receiver 10. Voice from the transmitter 20 is collected by the microphone and transmitted to the receiver 10, and voice from the receiver 10 is output from the speaker, thereby enabling a call between the transmitter 20 and the receiver 10. In other words, by making the microphone and the speaker function as a hands-free phone, a call in an emergency can be smoothly made without a handset.

In addition, various signals used for communication with the receiver 10 may be transmitted to the receiver 10 by operating a touch panel provided on the display unit 21 of the transmitter 20. The various signals here are, for example, signals that convey the status and outline of a fire. In this case, for example, an icon image of "malfunction," "emergency," or "fire" is displayed on the touch panel, and by touching the icon image, the receiver 10 is notified of the status of the fire that corresponds to the icon image that was operated.

Furthermore, the fire alarm system 1 of this embodiment may be configured such that a plurality of transmitters 20 are communicably connected to the receiver 10. In this case, when a fire signal is transmitted (alert) from one of the plurality of transmitters 20, the receiver 10 may notify the remaining transmitters 20 of information (alert information) that a fire signal has been activated by the other transmitters 20. When the transmitter 20 receives the above-mentioned alert information from the receiver 10, the transmitter 20 may display, for example, a message such as "Another transmitter has activated an alert" on the display unit 21.
Furthermore, when the alarm information includes information indicating the location of the transmitter that has issued the fire signal, the transmitter 20 may display the location of the transmitter that has issued the fire signal on the display unit 21. The transmitter 20 may display the location using a message indicating the location in text, such as "1F Lobby," or may display the location using an image, such as by flashing the location of the transmitter that has issued the fire signal on a floor plan. The transmitter 20 may also display the location of the transmitter that has issued the fire signal by combining the above-mentioned message (character string) with the plan (image).
The transmitter 20 may display not only the alert information but also various kinds of information received from the receiver 10. The various kinds of information here include, for example, messages, images, and advertisements calling for fire prevention, or guidance images showing how to use indoor fire hydrant equipment in preparation for a fire.

The transmitter 20 may control the timing of displaying the guidance image and the contents of the display depending on whether or not a fire has actually occurred.
When no actual fire has occurred, for example, during evacuation drills or when firefighting equipment is being inspected, the transmitter 20 displays the entire image that is the subject of guidance. In this case, the entire image means, if the subject of guidance is how to use a fire hydrant, a display of the entire series of steps for using the fire hydrant, such as (1) how to open the fire hydrant door, (2) how to take out the nozzle and extend the hose, and (3) how to open the on-off valve and discharge water by calling each other on the water discharge side and the water supply side, as in the example of FIG. 5.

On the other hand, when a fire actually occurs, the transmitter 20 displays a specific operation of the guidance target. If the guidance target is how to use a fire hydrant facility, the specific operation is one of the frames of the image shown in Fig. 5, that is, one of the images showing the operation method, and is one of the images showing any of the above-mentioned operation methods (1) to (3).
For example, when a button on the transmitter 20 is pressed, the transmitter 20 displays the diagram of (1) to prompt the user to open the door of the fire hydrant. Next, when it is detected that the door of the fire hydrant is open, the transmitter 20 displays the diagram of (2) to prompt the user to take out the nozzle and extend the hose. Whether the door of the fire hydrant is open or not is detected, for example, by a magnet sensor that detects the opening based on the change in the magnetic field caused by the door being opened and closed. After displaying the diagram of (2), the transmitter 20 displays the diagram of (3) after a predetermined time has passed to prompt the user to open the on-off valve and discharge water.
This makes it possible, when an actual fire occurs and fire hydrant equipment needs to be used, to display each individual operation and provide more detailed guidance on how to operate the equipment.
The transmitter 20 may be configured to switch between a plurality of images indicating specific operations at a predetermined time interval. For example, the transmitter 20 may be configured to sequentially switch between the above images (1) to (3) at a predetermined time interval (e.g., every 3 seconds).

The transmitter 20 and the indicator lamp in the above-mentioned embodiment may be realized in whole or in part by a computer. In that case, a program for realizing this function may be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded in the recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed to realize the function. Note that the term "computer system" here includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into a computer system. Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" may include a medium that dynamically holds a program for a short period of time, such as a communication line when a program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line, and a medium that holds a program for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory inside a computer system that is a server or client in such a case. Furthermore, the above-mentioned program may be a program for realizing a part of the above-mentioned function, or may be a program that can realize the above-mentioned function in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system, or may be a program that is realized using a programmable logic device such as an FPGA.

The above describes an embodiment of the present invention in detail with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes designs that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

1... Fire alarm system 10... Receiver 20... Transmitter 21... Display unit 22... Acquisition unit 23... Determination unit 24... Communication unit 25... Control unit (display control unit)
26...Memory section

Claims (7)

Installed in or near the fire extinguishing equipment,
A display unit for displaying an image;
a display control unit that causes the display unit to display an alarm image for transmitting a fire signal indicating the occurrence of a fire;
an acquisition unit that acquires an operation signal indicating an operation on the alarm image;
a determination unit that determines whether or not to transmit the fire signal based on the operation signal acquired by the acquisition unit;
a communication unit that transmits the fire signal to a receiver in response to a result of the determination by the determination unit;
Equipped with
the display control unit, when the fire signal is transmitted while the alarm image is being displayed on the display unit, causes a predetermined guidance image showing how to use the fire extinguishing equipment to be displayed.
Transmitter. A display unit for displaying an image;
a display control unit that causes the display unit to display an alarm image for transmitting a fire signal indicating the occurrence of a fire;
an acquisition unit that acquires an operation signal indicating an operation on the alarm image;
a determination unit that determines whether or not to transmit the fire signal based on the operation signal acquired by the acquisition unit;
a communication unit that transmits the fire signal in response to the result of the determination by the determination unit;
Equipped with
The display control unit is
In a normal state in which the fire signal is not being transmitted, the display unit is switched to display the alarm image and an image different from the alarm image,
A time period during which the alert image is displayed per unit time is set to be longer than a time period during which an image different from the alert image is displayed.
Transmitter. The transmitter according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit determines the magnitude of the force with which the alarm image is pressed based on the operation signal, and determines that the fire signal is to be transmitted when the alarm image is pressed with a pressure equal to or greater than a predetermined pressure. The transmitter according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit determines the time that the alarm image is pressed based on the operation signal, and determines that the fire signal is to be transmitted when the alarm image is continuously pressed for a predetermined time or longer. The transmitter according to claim 1 , wherein the display unit is provided with a protective plate for protecting a display screen of the display unit. A signal transmission method performed by a transmitter installed in or near a fire extinguishing system, comprising:
a display control unit that causes a display unit that displays an image to display an alarm image for transmitting a fire signal indicating an occurrence of a fire;
an acquisition unit acquires an operation signal indicating an operation on the alarm image;
a determination unit that determines whether or not to transmit the fire signal based on the operation signal acquired by the acquisition unit;
a communication unit that transmits the fire signal to a receiver in accordance with the result determined by the determination unit ;
the display control unit, when the fire signal is transmitted while the alarm image is being displayed on the display unit, causes a predetermined guidance image showing how to use the fire extinguishing equipment to be displayed.
Signal transmission method. a display control unit that causes a display unit that displays an image to display an alarm image for transmitting a fire signal indicating an occurrence of a fire;
an acquisition unit acquires an operation signal indicating an operation on the alarm image;
a determination unit that determines whether or not to transmit the fire signal based on the operation signal acquired by the acquisition unit;
A communication unit transmits the fire signal in response to the result determined by the determination unit ,
The display control unit is
In a normal state in which the fire signal is not being transmitted, the display unit is switched to display the alarm image and an image different from the alarm image,
A time period during which the alert image is displayed per unit time is set to be longer than a time period during which an image different from the alert image is displayed.
Signal transmission method.

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