JP2014139828A - Alarm unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow appropriate control of volume of output sound indicating abnormality such as fire, or a fault.SOLUTION: An alarm unit is operated by using a battery 34 as a power source. An alarm processing section 68 causes an alarm sound indicating abnormality to be output from a speaker 36 of a notification section 32 when detecting the abnormality from a detection signal of a sensor section 26. An alarm volume control section 70 instructs a gain control section 64 to perform gain control so that initial alarm volume is higher than a predetermined value and subsequent alarm volume is lower than the initial volume, when the alarm processing section 68 detects a fault such as failure in the sensor section 26 and outputting alarm sound indicating the fault.

Description

The present invention relates to a battery-powered alarm device that is installed in a general house or the like and monitors and warns of a fire.

  Conventionally, alarm devices that detect and warn of abnormalities (abnormalities) such as fires and gas leaks in homes have become widespread. Of these, residential disaster alarms are referred to as residential alarms.

  In such a house alarm, the sensor part and the alarm part are integrated, and when a fire is detected from the signal of the sensor part, the alarm part issues a fire alarm. Fire detection) and alarm output are possible, so installation is simple and inexpensive, and it has become widespread with the mandatory installation in ordinary houses.

  When a fire is detected by a conventional house alarm, for example, an alarm sound such as “Woo Woo is a fire” is output. Here, the first half “woo-woo” is called a sweep sound, and the frequency is linearly changed with respect to time in a range that is easy to hear, such as 2-3 KHz.

  An alarm sound output composed of such a sweep sound and a voice message is prepared by storing voice data in a ROM of a processor known as a one-chip CPU, and the voice data is read from the ROM and PWM pulse (pulse Width modulation pulse), the PWM pulse is converted into an audio signal waveform through a low-pass filter provided as an external circuit, amplified by an audio amplifier also provided as an external circuit, and then output from a speaker.

  As described above, the PWM conversion method that converts the audio data into PWM pulses and outputs an alarm sound does not require an expensive AD converter for analog conversion of the audio data, and can output audio at low cost.

  In recent years, as a result of efforts to reduce the power consumption of residential alarms, a long battery life of, for example, 10 years or more is guaranteed, and no battery replacement is required during that period. When the battery life (remaining capacity) is detected to decrease after a long period of use, a battery exhaustion warning is output to notify the battery replacement. For example, the warning message that the battery has run out is repeated every predetermined time, for example, an alarm message such as “Beep out of battery” and a temporary lighting of the display lamp.

Furthermore, the inspection function is provided in the home alarm, and when the alarm stop switch is operated in a normal monitoring state, a self-inspection is performed to determine whether there is a failure in the sensor or the detection circuit. A voice message containing the content “normal” is output, and if a failure is detected, a voice message “pick failure” is output and repeated every predetermined time.

JP 2005-44317 A JP 2004-54356 A JP 2010-49604 A JP-A-9-128670 JP-A 61-185005

  However, in such a conventional residential alarm, the amplification gain of the audio amplifier is set so as to ensure the level defined in the standard as the peak alarm volume that is output when a fire is detected. The notification volume indicating a predetermined failure, such as a voltage drop or sensor failure, is also at the same level as when a fire is detected, and there is an advantage that the notification content can be reliably notified, but on the other hand, the volume is higher than necessary. In addition, there is a problem that it is difficult to extend the battery life due to battery consumption required for notification indicating a failure.

  In addition, the alarm sound indicating the battery voltage drop is repeated at a predetermined time with substantially the same volume. Immediately after the failure is judged, a sufficient volume may be used to surely notify the user. If the time is long, there are many cases where the user already knows that the user is in a troubled state.

  Also, the alarm volume that is output when a fire is detected will be notified by a predetermined loud volume whose peak meets the standard, and suddenly starting the loud volume alarm will surprise the user and make it impossible for calm evacuation behavior There is also a fear.

An object of this invention is to provide the alarm device which can control appropriately the volume of the output sound which shows abnormality and troubles, such as a fire, according to a condition.

The present invention
Powered by battery,
A sensor unit that detects a physical phenomenon in the monitoring area and outputs a detection signal;
A notification unit for outputting a notification sound;
An alarm processing unit that outputs a notification sound indicating an abnormality from the notification unit when an abnormality is detected based on the detection signal, and intermittently outputs a notification sound indicating the failure from the notification unit when a predetermined failure is detected;
In an alarm device equipped with
An amplification unit that amplifies an acoustic signal and outputs the amplified signal to the notification unit;
A gain control unit for controlling the gain of the amplification unit;
A volume control unit that instructs the gain control unit to perform gain control so that the volume of the notification sound indicating the self-failure is smaller than the notification sound indicating the abnormality;
And the volume control unit
When the alarm processing unit detects a predetermined failure so that the peak volume of the notification sound is equal to or higher than a predetermined value when an abnormality is detected by the alarm processing unit, the volume after the predetermined period at the beginning of output of the notification sound The gain control unit is instructed to perform gain control so as to be smaller than a predetermined period at the beginning of output.

Here, when the alarm processing unit detects an abnormality or a self-failure, the volume control unit is configured so that the volume of the predetermined part at the beginning of the output of the notification sound is smaller than the part after that. Instructs gain control.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to increase the volume with respect to the notification volume indicating an abnormality such as a fire, and to reduce the notification volume indicating a predetermined failure to be lower than the volume of the notification sound of the fire, thereby making it possible to determine the urgency level and importance of the notification content. Notification can be made with an appropriate sound volume according to the degree.

  Further, the present invention reduces the volume of the initial part in the notification sound related to the notification when the abnormality is detected in the alarm processing unit based on the detection signal from the sensor unit, compared to the volume after that, The notification is started from a small sound, and then the notification is performed at a predetermined loud volume satisfying the standard, and the user can be evacuated without being surprised, surely aware of the abnormality, and evacuated.

  Further, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained by configuring the amplification unit and the gain control unit with an analog circuit built in the processor.

  When outputting a warning sound by changing the volume with a conventional alarm device, either a plurality of audio data with different volumes is stored in the ROM, or the PWM pulse is turned on based on a single audio data stored in the ROM. Since it is necessary to create data with different duty widths in the processor and the amount of audio data increases, it is necessary to use a ROM with a large storage capacity, which increases the cost, for example, and adjusts the volume. There is a problem that the processing load of the processor for generating the PWM pulse increases.

  In order to solve this problem, the audio amplifier provided as an external circuit may be provided with a gain control circuit, and the processor may instruct gain control. However, the audio amplifier with gain control has a complicated circuit configuration and increases the number of parts. Cost increases, circuit layout space also increases, component characteristics vary and quality control items increase due to component mounting. In addition, external registers such as port registers and DA conversion ports for external output of gain control signals to the processor There is a problem that requires an interface and cannot be solved sufficiently.

On the other hand, in the present invention, since the analog circuit constituting the amplification unit and the gain control unit is built in the processor, it is not necessary to provide an audio amplification circuit with a gain control function as an external circuit of the processor, and cost and circuit arrangement Space can be reduced, and variations in component characteristics and an increase in quality control items associated with component mounting can be suppressed. In addition, since the amplification unit and the gain control unit are built into the processor, direct gain control can be easily and easily performed by command execution by the CPU without using command execution using an external interface. Without increasing the burden, it is possible to realize various fine volume control as described above, which can greatly contribute to the improvement of the total performance of the alarm device.

Explanatory drawing which showed the external appearance of the house alarm device by this invention The block diagram which showed embodiment of the residence guard by this invention The time chart explaining the volume change by the gain control with respect to the fall of the battery voltage in the house alarm device of FIG. Time chart showing changes in volume when the gain of audio amplification is constant as the battery voltage drops The flowchart which showed the monitoring process in embodiment of FIG.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing the appearance of a residential alarm as an alarm device according to the present invention. FIG. 1 (A) shows a front view and FIG. 1 (B) shows a side view.

  In FIG. 1, the housing of the residential alarm 10 according to this embodiment includes a cover 12 and a main body 14. The cover 12 is provided with a protruding portion at the center, and a plurality of smoke inlets are opened around it. Further, a smoke detecting portion 16 is disposed inside the cover 12 to detect a fire when smoke from the fire reaches a predetermined concentration. I am doing so.

  An acoustic hole 18 is provided on the lower left side of the smoke detecting section 16 provided in the cover 12, and a buzzer and a speaker are incorporated behind this so as to output a notification sound by a voice message or the like. An alarm stop switch 20 is provided below the smoke detector 16.

  The alarm stop switch 20 includes a switch cover formed of a translucent member and a tact switch (not shown) arranged inside the switch cover. In the vicinity of the tact switch inside the switch cover, an LED 22 for displaying an alarm is disposed as indicated by a dotted line. When the LED 22 is turned on, blinks, or blinks, the LED 22 is transmitted through the switch cover portion of the alarm stop switch 20. The operating state of the system is made known from the outside.

  The alarm stop switch 20 functions as an alarm stop switch and an inspection switch according to the operating state of the home alarm device 10 during operation.

  For example, when the alarm stop switch 20 is operated while the fire alarm of the residential alarm 10 is being performed, the alarm functions as an alarm stop switch that stops the alarm. Further, when the alarm stop switch 20 is operated in the normal monitoring state of the home alarm device 10, a predetermined inspection operation is executed and the inspection result is output by a voice message. That is, at this time, the alarm stop switch 20 functions as an inspection switch.

  Further, a mounting hook 15 having an insertion hole in the substantially central portion is provided at the upper part on the back side of the main body 14, and a screw or the like is screwed into a wall surface or the like of the room to be installed, and the insertion hole of the mounting hook 15 is hooked through the screw. Thus, the residential alarm 10 can be fixedly installed on the wall surface or the like in a so-called wall-hanging manner.

  In the residential alarm 10 of FIG. 1, a smoke detector 16 is provided as an example, and a residential alarm that detects smoke due to fire is taken as an example. However, the temperature of a thermistor or the like that detects heat due to fire is also taken as an example. House alarms with detection elements, house alarms that detect fires by detecting other physical phenomena associated with fires, alarms that detect gas leaks in addition to fires, various intruders, earthquakes, and other abnormalities These alarm devices and alarm devices formed by combining these alarm devices are also included in the scope of the present invention.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the residential alarm shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the residential alarm 10 includes a processor 24 known as a one-chip CPU, and the processor 24 includes a sensor unit 26, an operation unit 28, a battery voltage detection unit 30, a notification unit 32, and a battery 34. Yes.

  The sensor unit 26 is provided with a smoke detector 16 that detects smoke in the monitoring area and outputs a signal. As described above, the sensor unit 26 may be provided with a temperature detecting element such as a thermistor for detecting the temperature due to a fire, and various elements for detecting other physical phenomenon changes accompanying the fire, instead of the smoke detecting unit 16.

  The operation unit 28 is provided with an alarm stop switch 20. As described above, the alarm stop switch 20 functions as an alarm stop (instruct) switch or an inspection (instruct) switch in accordance with the operation state of the home alarm device 10 at that time.

  The battery voltage detection unit 30 detects the output voltage of the battery 34, that is, the power supply voltage. For example, the battery voltage 30 is detected by supplying a pulse signal (direct current intermittent signal) corresponding to an audio signal that provides a notification volume output equivalent to that at the time of fire detection to the speaker 32 and applying a load to the battery 34. To detect. In addition, you may detect the battery voltage in the state which connected not the speaker 32 but the dummy resistance as a pseudo load.

  The notification unit 32 is provided with a speaker 36 that outputs a notification sound and an LED 22 that displays an alarm. The speaker 36 is connected to the spice output terminals 60a and 60b of the processor 24, and the amplification of the acoustic signal is performed by a circuit with a built-in processor that will be clarified later. The LED 22 displays and notifies an abnormality such as a fire by blinking, blinking, or lighting. Note that a buzzer or the like may be used instead of the speaker 36. Further, instead of the LED 22, a two-color LED, a liquid crystal display, or the like may be provided. Of course, an LED and a liquid crystal display may be provided together.

  As the battery 34, for example, a lithium battery or an alkaline battery having a predetermined number of cells is used, and as a battery capacity, for example, a battery life of 10 years is guaranteed by reducing the power consumption of the entire circuit unit in the home alarm device 10. Yes.

  The processor 24 is also provided with a not-shown transfer circuit unit, and the transfer circuit unit, for example, outputs a transfer signal indicating fire detection to another device to perform an interlocking operation when a fire is detected. The transfer signal is, for example, a no-voltage contact open / close signal.

  The processor 24 is provided with a digital circuit unit for executing various processes of the home alarm device 10 by program control and an analog circuit unit for performing sound amplification.

  A CPU 38 is provided as a digital circuit unit, and a control logic 42, ROM 44, RAM 46, AD conversion ports 48 and 52, an input port 50, a PWM output port 54, and an output port 56 are connected to a bus 40 from the CPU 38. The ROM 44 stores programs necessary for the operation of the CPU 38, various data, and the like, which are read out appropriately and executed and used. The control logic 42 realizes various hardware functions such as bus control accompanying the control processing of the CPU 38.

  The sensor unit 26 is connected to the AD conversion port 48, the battery voltage drop detection unit 30 is connected to the AD conversion port 52, the operation unit 28 is connected to the input port 50, and the PWM output port 54 is an external circuit. A low pass filter 66 is connected, and the LED 22 is connected to the output port 56.

  As the analog circuit unit, an amplification unit 62 and a gain control unit 64 are provided. The amplification unit 62 drives the speaker 36 of the notification unit 22 by switching the acoustic signal amplification degree (gain G) in multiple stages under the control of the gain control unit 64 in accordance with a command from the CPU 38. As the amplifying unit 62 and the gain control unit 64, various known circuits can be applied as long as the above functions can be executed in the processor 24.

  The input of the amplifying unit 62 is connected to the input terminal 58 via the input resistor Ri. The sound data of the notification sound output from the speaker 56 is stored in the ROM 44. The voice data stored in the RAM 44 is amplitude data obtained by performing AD conversion by sampling the amplitude of a voice signal of a predetermined voice message at a certain period, and the CPU 38 changes the on-duty according to the amplitude value after reading the voice data from the ROM 44. The PWM pulse is converted into a PWM pulse, provided as an external circuit from the PWM output port 54, output to the low-pass filter 66, converted into a continuous analog audio signal, amplified by the amplifier 62, and then the speaker 36 is driven.

  The CPU 38 is provided with functions of an alarm processing unit 68 and a volume control unit 70 as functions realized by executing the program.

  The alarm processing unit 68 outputs a notification sound indicating a fire from the speaker 36 when the fire is detected from the smoke detection signal from the sensor unit 26, and drives the LED 22 to display the fire notification.

  Specifically, the alarm processing unit 68 compares the smoke detection signal of the smoke detector 16 provided in the sensor unit 26 with a predetermined threshold, detects a fire when the threshold is exceeded, and the speaker of the notification unit 32 For example, a voice message “Woooo is a fire is a fire” is repeatedly output as a notification sound from 36, and the LED 22 is turned on to notify by a display.

  Until the fire detection (judgment) based on the smoke detection signal of the smoke detector 16 may be performed by the sensor unit 26. In this case, the alarm processing unit 68 receives the fire detection signal from the sensor unit 26, The notification output from the notification unit 22 is instructed and controlled without performing the fire detection (judgment) process.

  When the alarm processing unit 68 receives a signal input to the input port 50 and detects the operation of the alarm stop switch 20 during the fire notification output, the alarm processing unit 68 outputs the fire notification output by the voice message from the speaker 36 and the display of the LED 22. Stop. In this case, the display by the LED 22 may be stopped after a predetermined time elapses after the output of the voice message from the speaker 36 is stopped.

  In addition, the alarm processing unit 68 operates the alarm stop switch 20 provided in the operation unit 28 in response to a signal input to the input port 50 in a normal monitoring state of the residential alarm 10 (a state in which no fire alarm is performed). If it is detected, a predetermined internal inspection is executed, and the inspection result is output from the notification unit 32.

  For example, if the inspection result is normal, a sound including a voice message such as “normal” is output from the speaker 36, and if a failure is detected, a notification sound including a voice message such as “pick failure” is output. When a failure is detected, a notification sound including a voice message is repeatedly output every predetermined time thereafter.

  The contents to be inspected in the inspection process include presence / absence of smoke detector 16 (sensor) failure, presence / absence of circuit failure, presence / absence of sensitivity abnormality, presence / absence of other failures, and the like. Of course, the display by LED22 can also be used suitably for alerting | reporting of an inspection result.

  As described below, the battery voltage drop is regularly inspected internally even in the normal monitoring state, but can also be performed at the time of inspection by the inspection operation. The battery voltage is checked as a battery load test by a battery voltage detector, for example.

  The alarm processing unit 68 reads the power supply voltage of the battery 34 from the A / D conversion port 52 via the battery voltage detection unit 30 at a predetermined time interval T3 for performing a battery load test, for example, T3 = 4 hour intervals. Compared with the threshold voltage, when the voltage is equal to or lower than the threshold voltage, it is determined that there is a battery voltage drop failure. Further, when the determination of the battery voltage drop failure continues for a predetermined number of times, the battery voltage drop failure is determined. For example, a voice message “Battery is dead” is output three times, and the LED 22 blinks in synchronization with the notification sound.

  After that, for example, a notification sound such as “Battery is dead” is output three times as a periodic ringing. In addition, when an inspection instruction operation is performed by the alarm stop switch 20 in the normal monitoring state, a voice message “Battery exhausted” is output once and the LED 22 blinks.

  The AD conversion port 52 is replaced with an input port similar to the input port 52, and the battery voltage detection unit performs the determination of the battery voltage drop, and an on / off signal corresponding to the determination result is input to the processor 24 via the port 52. You may make it do.

  Apart from the battery voltage drop failure processing, the volume control unit 70 presets the battery voltage acquired by the alarm processing unit 68 from the battery voltage detection unit 30 via the AD conversion port 52 in multiple stages (for example, stored in the RAM 46). When a battery voltage drop is detected (determined / confirmed) as a result of comparison with a threshold voltage (based on a setting table), the notification volume from the speaker 36 is prevented from lowering as the battery voltage drops. Therefore, the gain control unit 64 is instructed to perform gain control, and control is performed so that the notification volume output thereafter is maintained at a predetermined level or higher.

  FIG. 3 is a time chart for explaining the gain control of the amplification unit and the change in the alarm volume with respect to the decrease in the battery voltage by the volume control unit 70 of FIG.

  FIG. 3A shows the change of the battery voltage with respect to time t. The battery voltage gradually decreases with the accumulation of the operating current consumption as the usage period elapses, and when the voltage falls below the threshold voltage Vd, the battery voltage drop failure is determined. Informed.

  This is a notice of battery exhaustion (operation stop), and this notice notice period is a grace period until battery replacement. That is, even after the battery voltage drop failure notification is started, the operation as the home alarm device 10 can be continued for a predetermined period, but the battery voltage is not changed and time elapses and the battery voltage is lower than Vd. When reaching (reset voltage: not shown), the residential alarm 10 stops its operation.

  Note that the battery voltage drop is not only caused by such a lapse of time, but is further lowered by the ambient temperature drop. Since the voltage drop due to the temperature drop may be recovered if the temperature drop is eliminated, the curve in FIG. 3 may not be a simple descending curve, but here it is simply lowered to simplify the explanation. The case is illustrated.

  For the battery voltage changing in this way, threshold values Vth1 to Vth5 are set stepwise for various notification volume control at each time point. Such a threshold value is not limited to the example shown in the figure, but may be set to a value lower than Vd (however, a value higher than the reset voltage). Increasing it is not preferable.

  FIG. 3B shows the set gain of the gain controller 64, and the initial gain is G1. The gain G1 is a setting state in which a predetermined volume VLo of 70 dB / m or more, which is defined in the standard as a residential alarm, is output from the speaker 36 under the battery voltage at this time. Note that the standard prescribes the peak sound volume of a series of fire alarm sounds, and does not prescribe part other than the peak or alarm sounds other than fire related to a failure or the like. It is assumed that the volume control described here is also performed for the peak volume of at least a series of fire alarm sounds.

  When the battery voltage falls below the threshold values Vth1 to Vth5, this is detected, and the gain G1 is increased stepwise as indicated by G2 to G6, so that the fire alarm can always be notified at a predetermined volume of 70 dB / m or higher.

  Specifically, the volume from the speaker 36 is always maintained at or above the predetermined volume VLo as shown in FIG. 3C by the gain increase control as shown in FIG. .

  FIG. 4 shows a case where a constant gain G is set without controlling the gain with respect to a decrease in battery voltage as a comparative example. In this case, since the gain is constant as the battery voltage decreases, the volume falls below the specified volume VLo. For this reason, in the past, the initial volume at t = 0 was sufficiently increased to cope with this, but with this, the descending slope of the curve becomes steep and eventually the time to reach the threshold value Vd is shortened (not shown).

  Referring to FIG. 2 again, when the alarm processing unit 68 detects a failure such as a decrease in battery voltage or a failure of the sensor unit, the volume control unit 70 selects a predetermined sound among the notification sounds indicating the occurrence of the failure. The gain control unit 64 is instructed to perform gain control so that the volume of the initial part is set to a predetermined level or higher, and is larger than the volume of the alarm after that. For this reason, for example, when the failure is detected for the first time, the notification unit 22 outputs a failure alarm “pick failure” at a volume higher than a predetermined level, and after the second time, the gain is lowered to notify at a volume lower than the first time. These three failure notification outputs are continuously performed to obtain a series of notification sound outputs.

  In addition, when the battery voltage drop failure is determined (when the battery voltage falls below the threshold value Vd for a predetermined number of times in the battery load test), the volume control unit 70 first outputs, for example, “Battery is dead” from the notification unit 22. Outputs three times continuously at a specified volume, but then controls to output a warning sound such as “Battery dead” every three hours at a volume lower than the first three consecutive outputs. Then, the consumption of the battery 36 that has almost run out of battery is suppressed, and the monitoring function of the residence warning device 10 is maintained as long as possible (a battery replacement grace period is ensured).

  In addition, when the alarm processing unit 68 detects a fire, the volume control unit 70 outputs a voice message such as “Woo Woo is a fire”, but the first “Woo” is smaller than the subsequent parts. By controlling the gain so that the volume is the same, it is possible to prevent the user from being surprised by outputting a large volume at the beginning of notification sound output, and the remaining `` Woo is a fire '' includes a peak that meets the standard The volume is increased to a predetermined volume range that is greater than or equal to a predetermined level.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the processing operation in the residential alarm 10 of FIG. In FIG. 5, when the power supply by the battery 34 of the home alarm device 10 is started, initialization and self-diagnosis are executed in step S <b> 1, and if there is no abnormality, the process proceeds to step S <b> 2 and the smoke detector provided in the sensor unit 26. The presence or absence of fire detection based on the detection signal from 16 is determined, and if fire detection is determined, the process proceeds to step S3, where a fire notification is output by a voice message from the speaker 36 and the lighting display of the LED 22.

  Subsequently, in step S4, the smoke detection signal from the smoke detector 16 is lowered and the fire state is resolved (the alarm processing unit 68 stops detecting the fire). Proceeding to step S6, the notification sound output from the speaker 36 is stopped, and the lighting notification of the LED 22 is turned off to stop the fire notification.

  If fire recovery is not determined in step S4, it is determined whether or not the alarm stop switch 20 is operated in step S5. If switch operation is determined, the notification sound from the speaker 36 is stopped in step S6 and the LED 22 is turned off. This stops fire alarm output. That is, at this time, the alarm stop switch 20 functions as an alarm stop switch. The LED 22 may be turned off after a predetermined time has elapsed since the stop of the notification sound output.

  Subsequently, in step S7, it is determined whether or not a battery low detection is detected, that is, whether or not a battery voltage drop failure (confirmation) due to the battery voltage continuously falling below the threshold value Vd is detected. If a voltage drop failure is determined, the process proceeds to step S8. Then, after the battery 36 is notified by the voice message output from the speaker 36 and the blinking display of the LED 22 (battery voltage drop trouble notice), the process proceeds to step S9 and the battery voltage drop (fault) flag is set in the RAM 46. When the battery voltage drop flag is set, a warning sound such as “Battery is dead” is repeatedly output three times as a periodic ringing, for example. Even in the battery voltage drop failure state (battery voltage drop flag set state), the residential alarm 10 can perform each function including normal fire monitoring.

  Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S10, where it is determined whether or not the alarm stop switch 20 is operated in the normal monitoring state. When the switch operation is determined, the process proceeds to step S11, where the smoke detector 16 has a failure, a circuit failure has occurred, a smoke detection has occurred. The inspection process is executed for the presence or absence of sensitivity abnormality of the unit 16 and the presence or absence of other faults. That is, at this time, the alarm stop switch 20 functions as an inspection switch. When the alarm stop switch 20 is operated in the normal monitoring state, an operation acceptance sound such as “beep” is output.

  Subsequently, in step S12, it is determined whether or not the battery voltage drop flag in the RAM 46 is set. If reset is determined, the process proceeds to step S13, and the check result, that is, whether the state is normal or faulty, is notified by a voice message from the speaker 36.

  If it is determined in step S12 that the battery voltage drop flag has been set, the process proceeds to step S14, and the battery low notice notification is output by the voice message from the speaker 36 and the blinking of the LED 22, as in step S8.

  If the alarm stop switch 20 is operated after the battery voltage drop flag is set in step S9, the inspection process may not be performed and the process may immediately proceed to step S14. The battery voltage drop flag set in step S9 may be reset when returning from step S14 to step S2 or when there is no battery voltage drop failure detected in the next step S7. In addition, at the first start-up and after battery replacement, the battery voltage drop flag is reset in the initialization process of step S1.

  On the other hand, if there is no switch operation determination in step S10, the process proceeds to step S15. At that time, the detected battery voltage is compared with threshold values Vth1 to Vth5 set in multiple stages as shown in FIG. If battery voltage drop detection (step transition detection) below the threshold is determined, the process proceeds to step S16, and gain control unit 64 is instructed to perform gain control corresponding to each step of the battery voltage as shown in FIG. Is increased to correspond to the current battery voltage stage.

  Here, at the time of fire notification by voice in step S3, gain control is performed so that the start portion of the voice message is within a predetermined range with a smaller volume after that. Further, for the output of the failure alarm sound in steps S8, S13, and S14, the gain control is performed so that the first volume is a predetermined volume range that is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and the gain control is performed so that the volume volume is smaller than the first time after the second time.

  In the above embodiment, the processor includes an amplifier and a gain controller as an analog circuit. However, either the amplifier or the gain controller is built in the processor, and the other is an external circuit. It can also be applied when provided.

  In the above embodiment, audio data stored in the RAM is converted into a PWM pulse and then converted into an audio signal by a low-pass filter. However, the audio data may be stored in a ROM. In addition, the present invention can be applied to those other than those using a PWM pulse for audio output.

  Moreover, although said embodiment took the residence alarm device which detects and alarms a fire as an example, it is applicable also to a gas leak alarm device, CO alarm device, and various alarm devices. In addition, the present invention can be similarly applied to a home alarm device and an alarm device of an alarm system in which a plurality of home alarm devices and alarm devices are arranged to link alarms.

  When interlocking alarms with a plurality of alarm devices, each home alarm device and alarm device are provided with a wireless communication unit, and an interlock signal is transmitted and received between the other home alarm devices and alarm devices.

  Further, the operation means shown as the alarm stop switch 20 in the above embodiment does not necessarily need to be a switch, and any operation means such as an instruction for alarm history output by external communication using a remote control device or the like. Means and methods may be applied.

  In addition, the flowcharts in the above-described embodiments have described a schematic example of processing, and the order of processing is not limited to this. Further, it is possible to provide a delay time between each process or between processes, insert another determination, or the like.

  In addition, the display unit may be provided separately from the alarm device.

  Further, the above-described embodiment is applicable not only to residential use but also to various types of alarm devices such as buildings and offices.

  Moreover, although said embodiment takes the case where a sensor part is integrally provided in the alarm device as an example, as another embodiment, the alarm device which made the sensor part a different body may be sufficient.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, includes appropriate modifications that do not impair the objects and advantages thereof, and is not limited by the numerical values shown in the above-described embodiments.

10: House alarm 12: Cover 14: Body 15: Mounting hook 16: Smoke detector 18: Sound hole 20: Alarm stop switch 22: LED
24: processor 26: sensor unit 28: operation unit 30: battery voltage detection unit 32: notification unit 34: battery 36: speaker 38: CPU
40: Control logic 44: ROM
46: RAM
48, 52: AD conversion port 50: Input port 54, 56: Output port 58: Input terminal 60a, 60b: Speaker output terminal 62: Amplifying unit 64: Gain control unit 66: Low pass filter 68: Alarm processing unit 70: Volume control Part

Claims (2)

Powered by battery,
A sensor unit that detects a physical phenomenon in the monitoring area and outputs a detection signal;
A notification unit for outputting a notification sound;
Alarm processing for outputting a notification sound indicating abnormality from the notification unit when an abnormality is detected based on the detection signal, and intermittently outputting a notification sound indicating failure from the notification unit when a predetermined failure is detected And
In an alarm device equipped with
An amplification unit that amplifies an acoustic signal and outputs the amplified signal to the notification unit;
A gain control unit for controlling the gain of the amplification unit;
A volume control unit that instructs the gain control unit to perform gain control so that the volume of the notification sound indicating the self-failure is smaller than the notification sound indicating the abnormality;
The volume control unit is
When an abnormality is detected by the alarm processing unit, the alarm processing unit detects an initial failure so that the peak volume of the notification sound is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. An alarm device that instructs the gain control unit to perform gain control so that a volume after a predetermined period is smaller than a predetermined period at the beginning of the output.
  2. The alarm device according to claim 1, wherein, when the alarm processing unit detects an abnormality or the predetermined failure, the volume control unit sets a volume of a predetermined part at an initial stage of output of the notification sound thereafter. An alarm device instructing the gain control section to perform gain control so as to be smaller than a portion.

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