COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20100207776A1
• Filed: 05/20/2008
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SANYO Consumer Electronics Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SANYO Consumer Electronics Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Takuno, Shinji, Yorita, Teruyuki
• Application Number:
  US12/678,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20100207776A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/690
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems

Abstract

A communication device of the present invention is provided with an evacuation direction portion receiving an earthquake early warning, and outputting a text image or sound for an evacuation direction. If the earthquake early warning is received under circumstances where a time adjusting portion cannot assure the accuracy of time kept by a timekeeping portion, the evacuation direction portion gives an evacuation direction based on earthquake information unassociated with the time. The evacuation direction portion is provided with a plurality of kinds of evacuation direction images or sounds. The evacuation direction portion determines an image or sound to be used for the evacuation direction based on an expected time period before a main tremor arrives calculated by an earthquake information calculating portion. Moreover, an evacuation direction registering portion receiving from a user, selection of evacuation direction data that the evacuation direction portion uses is provided.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising:

a first communication portion capable of establishing connection with a communications network;

an earthquake information calculating portion receiving an earthquake early warning from the communications network by using the first communication portion, and calculating earthquake information including an expected time period before a main tremor arrives;

an evacuation direction portion outputting an evacuation direction image or an evacuation direction sound based on the earthquake information by using a display portion and a sound outputting portion;

a timekeeping portion keeping time; and

a time adjusting portion adjusting the timekeeping portion, wherein

if the earthquake information calculating portion receives the earthquake early warning under circumstances where the time adjusting portion cannot assure accuracy of the timekeeping portion,

the evacuation direction portion is prohibited from outputting an evacuation direction image and an evacuation direction sound associated with the earthquake information calculated, by the earthquake information calculating portion, based on the time, and

the evacuation direction portion outputs an evacuation direction image or an evacuation direction sound unassociated with the earthquake information.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein

the time adjusting portion judges that the accuracy of the timekeeping portion cannot be assured, if the time adjusting portion performs communication with an NTP (Network Time Protocol) server by using the first communication portion, and fails to acquire time information from the server, or if the time adjusting portion detects that the timekeeping portion is disabled.

3. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a temperature measuring portion measuring temperature;

a temperature monitoring portion monitoring whether or not the temperature measured by the temperature measuring portion is within a predetermined range;

a date/area checking portion judging whether or not date information acquired from the timekeeping portion matches a predetermined date, and judging whether or not area information of the communication device stored in a storage portion matches a predetermined area, wherein

if the earthquake information calculating portion receives the earthquake early warning under circumstances where the temperature monitoring portion detects that the temperature measured is out of the range or the date/area checking portion judges that there is a match for the date or the area,

the evacuation direction portion is prohibited from outputting the evacuation direction image and the evacuation direction sound associated with earthquake information calculated, by the earthquake information calculating portion, based on the time, and

the evacuation direction portion outputs the evacuation direction image or the evacuation direction sound unassociated with the earthquake information.

4. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage portion storing first evacuation direction data including the evacuation direction image or the evacuation direction sound associated with the time, and second evacuation direction data including the evacuation direction image or the sound unassociated with the time, wherein

if the earthquake information calculating portion receives the earthquake early warning under circumstances where the time adjusting portion cannot assure the accuracy of the timekeeping portion, the evacuation direction portion outputs, as an evacuation direction, the evacuation direction image or the evacuation direction sound by using the second evacuation direction data.

5. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein

the evacuation direction portion

comprises, as such the evacuation direction image or the evacuation direction sound, a plurality of kinds of evacuation direction images or evacuation direction sounds and,

based on the expected time period, finds and outputs the evacuation direction image or the evacuation direction sound to be used for an evacuation direction.

6. The communication device according to claim 5, further comprising:

a storage portion storing an association table in which the expected time period and contents of the evacuation direction corresponding to the expected time period are associated with each other, wherein

the evacuation direction portion

finds the contents of the evacuation direction according to the expected time period by referring to the association table and,

based on a result found, outputs the evacuation direction image or the evacuation direction sound.

7. The communication device according to claim 6, wherein

the evacuation direction portion

updates the expected time period as time elapses, and

for each updating, checks the expected time period so updated with the association table, and then judges whether or not it is necessary to change the evacuation direction image or the evacuation direction sound to be outputted.

8. The communication device according to claim 5, wherein

the evacuation direction portion determines the evacuation direction image or the evacuation direction sound to be used for the evacuation direction, based on the estimated seismic intensity and the expected time period included in the earthquake information.

9. The communication device according to claim 1, comprising:

a main communication device comprising

the first communication portion,

the earthquake information calculating portion,

the evacuation direction portion,

the timekeeping portion,

the time adjusting portion, and

an earthquake information transmitting portion transmitting the earthquake information and a status of the accuracy of the timekeeping portion, namely whether or not the accuracy of the timekeeping portion can be assured, by using the first communication portion; and

a subsidiary communication device comprising

a second communication portion capable of performing communication with the main communication device,

an earthquake information acquiring portion acquiring, from information received by using the second communication portion, the earthquake information and the status of the accuracy of the timekeeping portion, namely whether or not the accuracy of the timekeeping portion can be assured, and

the evacuation direction portion.

10. The communication device according to claim 9, wherein

the first communication portion comprises a wireless communication portion capable of performing communication with a wireless communications network,

the earthquake information transmitting portion transmits to the subsidiary communication device, the earthquake information and the status of the accuracy of the timekeeping portion, namely whether or not the accuracy of the timekeeping portion can be assured, by using the wireless communication portion provided in the first communication portion,

the second communication portion comprises a wireless communication portion capable of performing communication with the wireless communication network, and

the earthquake information receiving portion receives the earthquake information and the status of the accuracy of the timekeeping portion, namely whether or not the accuracy of the timekeeping portion can be assured, by using the wireless communication portion provided in the second communication device.

11. The communication device according to claim 9, wherein

the subsidiary communication device further comprises

a storage portion storing an association table in which the expected time period and contents of the evacuation direction are associated with each other, wherein

the earthquake information transmitting portion

updates the expected time period as the time elapses and,

for each updating, transmits the expected time period so updated to the subsidiary communication device by using the first communication portion, and

the evacuation direction portion provided in the subsidiary communication device

finds the contents of the evacuation direction according to the expected time period by referring to the association table and, based on a result found, outputs the evacuation direction image or the evacuation direction sound, and

for each receiving of the expected time period, checks the expected time period with the association table, and then judges whether or not it is necessary to change the evacuation direction image or the evacuation direction sound to be outputted.

12. A communication device comprising:

a first communication portion capable of establishing connection with a communications network;

a warning receiving portion receiving an earthquake early warning from the communications network by using the first communication portion; and

an evacuation direction portion outputting an evacuation direction image or an evacuation direction sound by using a display portion or a sound outputting portion, at a time of receiving the earthquake early warning, wherein

the evacuation direction portion incorporates, as such the evacuation direction image or the evacuation direction sound, a plurality of kinds of evacuation direction images or evacuation direction sounds, and the communication device comprises an evacuation direction registering portion receiving a result of specification of the evacuation direction image or the evacuation direction sound to be used by the evacuation direction portion at the time of receiving the earthquake early warning.

13. The communication device according to claim 12, further comprising:

a storage portion, wherein

the evacuation direction registering portion receives

image data or sound data to be stored in the storage portion, and

a result of selection of the evacuation direction image or the evacuation direction sound used by the evacuation direction portion, from among the image data and sound data stored in the storage portion.

14. The communication device according to claim 13, wherein

the storage portion stores an evacuation direction table in which an installation location of the communication device, and the evacuation direction image or the evacuation direction sound are associated with each other,

the evacuation direction registering portion receives a result of selection of the installation location contained in the evacuation direction table, and

the evacuation direction portion finds and outputs the evacuation direction image or sound associated with the installation location thus selected, from the evacuation direction table.

15. The communication device according to claim 12, comprising:

a main communication device including

the first communication portion,

the warning receiving portion,

the evacuation direction portion,

the evacuation direction registering portion,

an earthquake detection transmitting portion transmitting a detection notification that an earthquake early warning is detected, by using the first communication portion; and

a subsidiary communication device including

a second communication portion capable of performing communication with the main communication device,

an earthquake detection receiving portion receiving the detection notification by using the second communication portion,

the evacuation direction portion, and

the evacuation direction registering portion.

16. The communication device according to claim 15, wherein

the first communication portion is provided with a wireless communication portion capable of establishing connection with a wireless communications network,

the earthquake detection transmitting portion transmits the detection notification by using the wireless communication portion provided in the first communication portion,

the second communication portion is provided with a wireless communication portion capable of establishing connection with the wireless communications network, and

the earthquake detection receiving portion receives the detection notification by using the wireless communication portion of the second communication portion.