Alarming device

• US 8,717,150 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2009
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hochiki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Hochiki Corporation
• Inventors: Egawa, Yoshitaka, Shima, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US12/988,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20110032114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,845 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.22, 340/539.26, 340/539.3, 340/506, 340/286.05, 340/628, 340/332, 340/539.27, 340/825.36, 340/286.02, 340/539.21, 340/7.5, 340/7.58, 340/7.32
• US Class Current: 340/286.05
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/00 Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/113 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/181 due to failing power supply
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources

Abstract

The alarming device of the present invention includes a battery power supply; a sensor section that outputs an anomaly detection signal in the case of detecting an anomaly; a alert section that outputs an anomaly alarm based on the anomaly detection signal; a reception circuit section that receives an event signal from another alarming device; a transmission circuit section that transmits an event signal to the other alarming device; an anomaly monitoring section that, when the sensor section has detected an anomaly, causes the alert section to output the anomaly alarm based on the anomaly detection signal and causes the transmission circuit section to transmit an event signal according to the anomaly of the alarming device to the other alarming device, and on the other hand, when the reception circuit section has received an event signal according to an anomaly of the other alarming device from the other alarming device, causes the alert section to output the anomaly alarm; and a communication control section that detects a predetermined event and performs communication control by adjusting the transmitting and receiving of an event signal by the transmission circuit section and the reception circuit section.

Claims

1. An alarming device comprising:

a battery power supply;

a sensor section that outputs an anomaly detection signal in a case of detecting an anomaly;

an alert section that outputs an anomaly alarm based on the anomaly detection signal;

a reception circuit section that includes a signal strength measurement section and receives an event signal from another alarming device;

a transmission circuit section that transmits the event signal to the other alarming device;

an anomaly monitoring section that, when the sensor section has detected an anomaly, causes the alert section to output the anomaly alarm based on the anomaly detection signal and causes the transmission circuit section to transmit the event signal according to the anomaly of the alarming device to the other alarming device, and on the other hand, when the reception circuit section has received the event signal according to an anomaly of the other alarming device from the other alarming device, causes the alert section to output the anomaly alarm; and

a communication control section that judges whether or not the following predetermined events occur;

a reduction in a voltage of the battery power supply to a predetermined value or less; and

an anomaly of the transmission circuit section or the reception circuit section, wherein

the communication control section performs communication control by adjusting the transmission to reduce current consumption and reception of the event signal by the transmission circuit section and the reception circuit section when at least one of the predetermined events is detected,

the event signal is a signal which includes a transmission code, a group code and an event code, and is mutually transmitted and received wirelessly, and

the alarming device continues monitoring an anomaly so as to output an anomaly alarm upon detection of an anomaly, after the communication control by the communication control section.

2. The alarming device according to claim 1, wherein

the communication control section, upon detecting the predetermined event, performs control that causes stoppage of the transmission of the event signal by the transmission circuit section and the reception of the event signal by the reception circuit section.

3. The alarming device according to claim 1, wherein

the communication control section, upon detecting the predetermined event, performs control that lowers the transmission power by the transmission circuit section.

4. The alarming device according to claim 1, wherein

the communication control section, upon detecting the predetermined event, performs control that stops the reception of the event signal by the reception circuit section.

5. The alarming device according to claim 1, wherein

the reception circuit section receives the event signal from the other alarming device by discontinuously performing a reception operation at every predetermined receiving period;

and

the transmission circuit section transmits to the other alarming device the event signal over a transmission time that is equal to or greater than the receiving period.

6. An alarming device comprising:

a sensor section that outputs an anomaly detection signal in a case of detecting an anomaly;

an alert section that outputs an anomaly alarm based on the anomaly detection signal;

a reception circuit section that receives an event signal from another alarming device by discontinuously performing a reception operation at every predetermined receiving period;

a transmission circuit section that transmits to the other alarming device the event signal over a transmission time that is equal to or greater than the receiving period;

an anomaly monitoring section that, when the sensor section has detected an anomaly, causes the alert section to output the anomaly alarm based on the anomaly detection signal and causes the transmission circuit section to transmit the event signal according to the anomaly of the alarming device to the other alarming device, and on the other hand, when the reception circuit section has received the event signal according to an anomaly of the other alarming device from the other alarming device, causes the alert section to output the anomaly alarm;

a carrier signal strength measuring section that receives the event signal and measures the carrier signal strength; and

a discontinuous reception control section that, when the reception circuit section starts the reception operation, causes the carrier signal strength measuring section to measure the carrier signal strength, and, in the case of the measured carrier signal strength being less than a predetermined carrier sensing threshold value, causes the reception operation of the reception circuit section to sleep, and on the other hand in the case of the measured carrier signal strength exceeding the carrier sensing threshold value, causes the reception operation of the reception circuit section to be performed over a predetermined time, wherein

the predetermined carrier sensing threshold value is suitably changeable.

7. The alarming device according to claim 6, further comprising

a carrier sensing threshold value selecting section in which two carrier signal strength values of high and low are settable in advance as candidates of the carrier sensing threshold value, and by selecting either one of the two carrier sensing threshold value candidates that has been set, sets it as the carrier sensing threshold value.

8. The alarming device according to claim 6, further comprising

a carrier sensing threshold value setting section that finds the carrier sensing threshold value based on the carrier signal strength that is measured when the reception circuit section starts the reception operation.

9. The alarming device according to claim 8, wherein

the carrier sensing threshold value setting section finds the carrier sensing threshold value based on the average value of the carrier signal strength that is measured by the signal strength measurement section over a predetermined period.