Wireless terminal device and fire alarm

Abstract

To provide a technology that reduces power consumption while suppressing the decline in reliability.SOLUTION: A communication unit 210 includes: a transmission operation for transmitting a notification signal to a communication target device; and a reception operation for receiving a response signal transmitted by the communication target device that has received the notification signal. A battery 220 operates the communication unit 210. The communication unit 210, when failing the response signal, executes a retransmission operation for retransmitting the notification signal and the reception operation. The communication unit 210 executes the retransmission operation when the failure count of the reception of the response signal reaches a specified number of times, and stops the reception operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to communication technology, and more particularly to a wireless terminal device and a fire alarm that transmit a signal and receive a response to the signal. [Background technology]

[0002] An alarm system for detecting abnormalities such as heat, smoke, etc. generated indoors etc. includes multiple alarm devices. In an alarm system, multiple alarm devices communicate bidirectionally with each other to execute an alarm action in coordination with each other. In the alarm system, signals are periodically exchanged between multiple alarm devices during monitoring to check for abnormalities. In order to reduce power consumption in the periodic transmission of signals periodically exchanged between multiple alarm devices during monitoring, a communication abnormality is determined if a signal cannot be received for a certain period of time (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-88957 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In an alarm system capable of two-way communication, for example, multiple battery-powered alarms (fire alarms) are connected to a power-powered gateway, and the gateway performs wireless communication with each fire alarm. As the aforementioned periodic transmission, the fire alarm periodically transmits a notification signal (status notification signal) to the gateway, and the gateway, having received the notification signal, transmits a response signal to the fire alarm. If the fire alarm does not receive a response signal from the gateway that transmitted the notification signal, it resends the notification signal. Repeated resending of the notification signal increases the power consumption of the fire alarm and shortens the battery life. On the other hand, if resending of the notification signal is stopped in order to reduce power consumption, the reliability of the alarm system decreases.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and has an object to provide a technique for suppressing deterioration in reliability while reducing power consumption. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a wireless terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a communication unit that executes a transmission operation for transmitting a notification signal to a communication target device and a reception operation for receiving a response signal transmitted from the communication target device that has received the notification signal, and a battery for operating the communication unit. If reception of the response signal fails, the communication unit executes a retransmission operation for retransmitting the notification signal and a reception operation, and if the number of failures in reception of the response signal reaches a specified number, the communication unit executes the retransmission operation and stops the reception operation.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure is also a wireless terminal device. The device includes a communication unit that executes a transmission operation for transmitting a notification signal to a communication target device and a reception operation for receiving a response signal transmitted from the communication target device that has received the notification signal, and a battery for operating the communication unit. If reception of the response signal fails, the communication unit executes a retransmission operation for retransmitting the notification signal and a reception operation, and if the number of failures in reception of the response signal reaches a specified number, the communication unit changes the transmission operation and the retransmission operation to the communication target device from unicast to broadcast.

[0008] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is also a wireless terminal device. The device includes a communication unit that periodically executes a transmission operation for transmitting a notification signal to a communication target device and a reception operation for receiving a response signal transmitted from the communication target device that has received the notification signal at intervals of a first period, and a battery for operating the communication unit. If the communication unit fails to receive the response signal, the communication unit executes a retransmission operation for retransmitting the notification signal and a reception operation, and if the number of failures to receive the response signal reaches a specified number, the communication unit changes the first period to a second period that is longer than the first period.

[0009] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is also a wireless terminal device. The device includes a communication unit that periodically executes a transmission operation for transmitting a notification signal to a communication target device and a reception operation for receiving a response signal transmitted from the communication target device that has received the notification signal, and a battery for operating the communication unit. When the communication unit fails to receive the response signal, the communication unit executes a retransmission operation for retransmitting the notification signal and a reception operation up to a first number of times, and when the number of times that the response signal has failed to be received reaches a specified number, the communication unit changes the first number of times to a second number less than the first number.

[0010] Any combination of the above components, and conversion of the present disclosure into a method, device, system, recording medium, computer program, etc. are also valid aspects of the present disclosure. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress a decrease in reliability while reducing power consumption. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an alarm system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the fire alarm device of FIG. [Diagram 3] 3(a) and (b) are diagrams showing an outline of the operation of the alarm system of FIG. [Figure 4] 4(a) and 4(b) are diagrams showing another outline of the operation of the alarm system of FIG. [Diagram 5] 3 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the fire alarm of FIG. 2. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an outline of an operation in the alarm system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an outline of an operation in the alarm system according to the third embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an outline of the operation of the alarm system according to the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Example 1 Before describing the present disclosure in detail, an overview will be provided. This embodiment relates to an alarm system installed in facilities such as apartment buildings, detached houses, offices, hospitals, etc. In the alarm system, multiple fire alarms are connected to a gateway. The gateway performs wireless communication with each fire alarm. When a fire alarm detects the occurrence of a fire, it transmits the detection result to the gateway. When the gateway receives the detection result, it selects one or more fire alarms that will sound, and transmits an instruction to sound to the selected one or more fire alarms. When the fire alarm receives the instruction to sound, it sounds.

[0014] In order to check whether any abnormality has occurred in such an alarm system, as described above, the fire alarm periodically transmits a notification signal to the gateway, and the gateway that receives the notification signal transmits a response signal to the fire alarm. If the fire alarm does not receive a response signal from the gateway that transmitted the notification signal, it resends the notification signal. Repeated resending of the notification signal increases the power consumption of the fire alarm and shortens the battery life. On the other hand, if resending of the notification signal is stopped to reduce power consumption, the reliability of the alarm system decreases. In order to suppress the decrease in reliability while reducing power consumption, the fire alarm of this embodiment continues to resend the notification signal when the number of times it fails to receive the response signal reaches a specified number, but stops the operation to receive the response signal.

[0015] 1 shows the configuration of an alarm system 1000. The alarm system 1000 includes a first gateway 100a, a second gateway 100b, and a first fire alarm 200a to a sixth fire alarm 200f, all of which are collectively referred to as gateways 100. The number of gateways 100 is not limited to "2", and the number of fire alarms 200 is not limited to "6".

[0016] The alarm system 1000 is applied to facilities such as homes, offices, and commercial facilities, and is a system that detects fires and notifies the occurrence of a fire. The multiple fire alarms 200 are, for example, residential fire alarms and are equipped with fire detection sensors. The multiple fire alarms 200 are installed, for example, on the ceiling of the facility, but may also be installed on the wall.

[0017] The first gateway 100a is connected to the first fire alarm device 200a through the sixth fire alarm device 200f, and the first gateway 100a and each fire alarm device 200 perform wireless communication. A plurality of fire alarm devices 200 (not shown) are also connected to the second gateway 100b, and the second gateway 100b and each fire alarm device 200 (not shown) perform wireless communication. An address is assigned to each of the gateway 100 and the fire alarm device 200, and the address is used to specify the source and destination of a signal. For example, the first gateway 100a stores the address of the first gateway 100a and each address of the first fire alarm device 200a through the sixth fire alarm device 200f, and the first fire alarm device 200a stores the addresses of the first fire alarm device 200a and the first gateway 100a.

[0018] When the first gateway 100a transmits a signal to the first fire alarm device 200a, the first gateway 100a includes in the signal the address of the first fire alarm device 200a as the source address and the address of the first fire alarm device 200a as the destination address. The first fire alarm device 200a receives the signal. If the destination address included in the signal is the address of the first fire alarm device 200a, the first fire alarm device 200a processes the signal, and if the destination address is not the address of the first fire alarm device 200a, the first fire alarm device 200a discards the signal.

[0019] When the first fire alarm 200a transmits a signal to the first gateway 100a, the signal contains the address of the first fire alarm 200a as the source address and the address of the first gateway 100a as the destination address. The first gateway 100a receives the signal. The first gateway 100a processes the signal if the destination address contained in the signal is the address of the first gateway 100a, and discards the signal if the destination address is not the address of the first gateway 100a. Similar processing is performed for the other gateways 100 and other fire alarms 200. When the fire alarm 200 is called a "communication terminal device", the gateway 100 is called a "communication target device".

[0020] In the alarm system 1000 configured as described above, "regular monitoring" and "fire detection" are performed. "Regular monitoring" is a process for confirming that no abnormalities have occurred in the alarm system 1000. In "regular monitoring", the fire alarm 200 transmits a notification signal, and the gateway 100 that receives the notification signal transmits a response signal. "Regular monitoring" is performed periodically, for example every 24 hours.

[0021] "Fire detection" is a process in which one or more fire alarms 200 sound an alarm when they detect the occurrence of a fire. In "fire detection", the fire alarm 200 that detects the occurrence of a fire transmits the detection result to the gateway 100, and the gateway 100 identifies the fire alarm 200 to sound based on the source address included in the detection result. The correspondence between the address and the information of the fire alarm 200 to sound is stored in advance in the gateway 100. The gateway 100 transmits an instruction to sound to the identified fire alarm 200, and the fire alarm 200 that receives the instruction to sound sounds.

[0022] FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the fire alarm 200. The fire alarm 200 includes a communication unit 210, a control unit 212, a fire detection sensor 214, a buzzer 216, an operation unit 218, and a battery 220. A known technology may be used for the fire detection sensor 214. For example, the fire detection sensor 214 may be an optical smoke detection sensor, and may detect a fire by detecting smoke during a fire using diffuse reflection of light. For example, the fire detection sensor 214 may be a heat detection sensor, and may detect a fire by detecting heat during a fire. For example, the fire detection sensor 214 may be a carbon monoxide detection sensor, and may detect a fire by detecting the concentration of carbon monoxide generated by combustion during a fire. For example, the fire detection sensor 214 may be an infrared detection sensor, and may detect a fire by detecting infrared rays emitted by combustion during a fire.

[0023] The communication unit 210 executes wireless communication with the gateway 100. The control unit 212 controls the operation of the fire alarm 200, for example, processing signals received by the communication unit 210 and generating signals to be transmitted from the communication unit 210. For this reason, the control unit 212 stores the address of the gateway 100 with which it communicates. The buzzer 216 is capable of sounding a buzzer sound. The fire alarm 200 may not include the buzzer 216, but may include the fire detection sensor 214, that is, may have both a detection function and a communication function. Such a fire alarm 200 can also be said to be a sensor that can issue an alarm when a fire is detected.

[0024] The operation unit 218 is an interface that can be operated by the user, such as a button. When the operation unit 218 receives an operation from the user, that is, an operation from outside, it outputs the operation from the user to the control unit 212. The operations received by the operation unit 218 will be described later. The control unit 212 executes processing in accordance with the operation from the operation unit 218. The battery 220 supplies power to the fire alarm 200. To this end, the battery 220 operates each component of the fire alarm 200, including the communication unit 210.

[0025] In the following, the operation of the alarm system 1000, particularly regular monitoring, will be explained using the first gateway 100a and the first fire alarm 200a in FIG. 1 as examples, but the other gateways 100 and other fire alarms 200 operate in a similar manner.

[0026] FIG. 3(a)-(b) shows an overview of the operation in the alarm system 1000. FIG. 3(a) shows the basic operation of "regular monitoring" between the first gateway 100a and the first fire alarm 200a. The first gateway 100a, which is powered by a power source, performs a receiving operation (RX) during periods other than the period during which it performs a transmitting operation (TX). The communication unit 210 of the first fire alarm 200a performs a transmitting operation (TX) and transmits a notification signal to the first gateway 100a. The first gateway 100a receives the notification signal transmitted from the first fire alarm 200a by performing a receiving operation. When the first gateway 100a receives the notification signal, it confirms that there is no abnormality in the first fire alarm 200a. When the first gateway 100a receives the notification signal, it performs a transmitting operation and transmits a response signal corresponding to the notification signal to the first fire alarm 200a. The communication unit 210 of the first fire alarm device 200a executes a receiving operation (RX) after executing a transmitting operation, and receives the response signal transmitted from the first gateway 100a. When the communication unit 210 receives the response signal, the control unit 212 confirms that there is no abnormality in the communication with the first gateway 100a.

[0027] FIG. 3(b) shows a case where the first gateway 100a fails to receive a notification signal during "regular monitoring" similar to that in FIG. 3(a). The first gateway 100a executes a receiving operation. The communication unit 210 of the first fire alarm device 200a executes a transmitting operation and transmits a notification signal to the first gateway 100a. Since the first gateway 100a fails to receive the notification signal, it does not transmit a response signal. Therefore, even if the communication unit 210 of the first fire alarm device 200a executes a receiving operation after executing the transmitting operation, it does not receive the response signal.

[0028] When the communication unit 210 fails to receive the response signal, it executes a retransmission operation (TX) following the reception operation, and retransmits the notification signal to the first gateway 100a. Since the first gateway 100a fails to receive the notification signal, it does not transmit the response signal. Therefore, even if the communication unit 210 of the first fire alarm 200a executes a reception operation after executing a retransmission operation, it does not receive the response signal. In this way, when the communication unit 210 fails to receive the response signal in the combination of the transmission operation and the reception operation, it executes a combination of the retransmission operation and the reception operation following the combination of the transmission operation and the reception operation. When the communication unit 210 receives a response signal in the reception operation, it stops the retransmission operation, but executes the combination of the retransmission operation and the reception operation until it receives a response signal in the reception operation. As described above, the power consumption of the first fire alarm 200a increases by repeating the combination of the retransmission operation and the reception operation.

[0029] In order to suppress an increase in power consumption of the first fire alarm device 200a, the communication unit 210 executes a retransmission operation and stops the reception operation when the number of times of failure to receive the response signal reaches a specified number of times, for example, "three times." That is, the communication unit 210 executes a retransmission operation and retransmits the notification signal to the first gateway 100a. On the other hand, the communication unit 210 does not execute a reception operation after executing the retransmission number of times. The communication unit 210 executes a retransmission operation a predetermined number of times and repeatedly retransmits the notification signal to the first gateway 100a.

[0030] Figures 4(a)-(b) show another operation overview of the alarm system 1000. In Figure 4(a), the basic operation of "regular monitoring" shown in Figure 3(a) is repeated periodically, for example, every 24 hours. In Figure 4(a), the period during which a notification signal should be transmitted periodically, for example, 24 hours, is shown as "T1". In other words, the communication unit 210 of the first fire alarm device 200a executes a combination of a transmission operation and a reception operation every "T1". The communication unit 210 transmits a notification signal to the first gateway 100a by a transmission operation, and receives a response signal from the first gateway 100a by a reception operation.

[0031] Fig. 4(b) shows a case where the first gateway 100a fails to receive a notification signal during "regular monitoring" similar to that shown in Fig. 4(a). Here, the maximum number of retransmissions for each notification signal is set to "2 times." The communication unit 210 of the first fire alarm device 200a executes a combination of a transmission operation and a reception operation every "T1," and transmits a notification signal to the first gateway 100a by a transmission operation.

[0032] When the communication unit 210 fails to receive a response signal in a receiving operation, if the number of times that the response signal has not been received has not reached a specified number (hereinafter referred to as the "first specified number"), the communication unit 210 executes a combination of a retransmission operation and a receiving operation. The first specified number is, for example, "6 times", which corresponds to "3 times" in FIG. 3(b). In the retransmission operation, the communication unit 210 retransmits the notification signal to the first gateway 100a and then executes a receiving operation. The combination of the retransmission operation and the receiving operation is repeated up to the maximum number of times until a response signal is received.

[0033] When the communication unit 210 fails to receive a response signal in a receiving operation, if the number of times that the response signal has failed to be received has reached a first specified number of times, the communication unit 210 executes a retransmission operation and stops the receiving operation. In the retransmission operation, the communication unit 210 retransmits the notification signal to the first gateway 100a and then does not execute the receiving operation. Therefore, the first specified number of times can be said to be a specified number for determining the stop of the receiving operation.

[0034] In FIG. 4(b), the communication unit 210 of the first fire alarm device 200a executes a transmission operation, a reception operation, a retransmission operation, a reception operation, and a retransmission operation for the first notification signal. Since the maximum number of retransmissions has reached "2 times", the communication unit 210 does not further execute the retransmission operation. After "T1" has elapsed since the transmission of the first notification signal, the communication unit 210 executes a transmission operation, a reception operation, a retransmission operation, a reception operation, and a retransmission operation for the second notification signal. Since the maximum number of retransmissions has reached "2 times", the communication unit 210 does not further execute the retransmission operation. At this stage, the number of failures in receiving the response signal reaches the first specified number of times "6 times". After "T1" has elapsed since the transmission of the second notification signal, the communication unit 210 executes a transmission operation and a reception operation for the third notification signal. Since the number of failures in receiving the response signal has reached the first specified number of times "6 times", the communication unit 210 executes a retransmission operation and then further executes a retransmission operation. On the other hand, the communication unit 210 does not perform a receiving operation.

[0035] Furthermore, the communication unit 210 may define a second specified number of times that is greater than the first specified number of times. When the number of times that the communication unit 210 fails to receive a response signal reaches the second specified number of times, the communication unit 210 also stops the transmission operation. The second specified number of times is, for example, "7 times." In FIG. 4(b), after "T1" has elapsed since the communication unit 210 transmitted the third notification signal, the number of times that the communication unit 210 failed to receive a response signal reaches the second specified number of times, "7 times," so the communication unit 210 also stops the transmission operation and does not transmit a fourth notification signal. The number of times that the communication unit 210 failed to receive a response signal in the above description is reset to "0" when the communication unit 210 receives a response signal.

[0036] When the operation unit 218 in Fig. 2 receives an operation from the user, the control unit 212 causes the communication unit 210 to resume at least one of the transmission operation and the reception operation. For example, when the reception operation is stopped but the transmission operation is not stopped, the control unit 212 resumes the reception operation when the operation unit 218 receives an operation. Also, when the transmission operation and the reception operation are stopped, the control unit 212 resumes the transmission operation and the reception operation when the operation unit 218 receives an operation. At that time, the number of times that the response signal has not been received is reset to "0".

[0037] The subject of the device, system, or method in the present disclosure includes a computer. The computer executes a program to realize the function of the subject of the device, system, or method in the present disclosure. The computer includes a processor that operates according to a program as a main hardware configuration. The type of the processor does not matter as long as it can realize the function by executing the program. The processor is composed of one or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) or an LSI (Large Scale Integration). The multiple electronic circuits may be integrated into one chip or may be provided on multiple chips. The multiple chips may be integrated into one device or may be provided on multiple devices. The program is recorded on a non-transitory recording medium such as a computer-readable ROM, an optical disk, or a hard disk drive. The program may be stored in the recording medium in advance, or may be supplied to the recording medium via a wide area communication network including the Internet.

[0038] The operation of the fire alarm 200 configured as above will now be described. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the operational procedure of the fire alarm 200. Here, the transmission operation is omitted to clarify the flowchart. If the communication unit 210 does not fail to receive the response signal (N in S12), it returns to step 12. If the communication unit 210 fails to receive the response signal (Y in S12), it executes a retransmission operation and a reception operation (S14). If the communication unit 210 does not fail to receive the response signal (N in S16), it returns to step 12.

[0039] If the communication unit 210 fails to receive the response signal (Y of S16) and the number of failures has not reached the first specified number of times (N of S18), the communication unit 210 returns to step 14. If the number of failures has reached the first specified number of times (Y of S18), the communication unit 210 executes a retransmission operation (S20). If the communication unit 210 does not fail to receive the response signal (N of S22), the communication unit 210 returns to step 12. If the communication unit 210 fails to receive the response signal (Y of S22) and the number of failures has not reached the second specified number of times (N of S24), the communication unit 210 returns to step 20. If the number of failures has reached the second specified number of times (Y of S24), the communication unit 210 stops operation (S26).

[0040] According to this embodiment, when the number of times of failure in receiving the response signal reaches a specified number, a retransmission operation is executed and the reception operation is stopped, so that it is possible to suppress a decrease in reliability while reducing the power consumption of the fire alarm 200. Furthermore, when the reception of the response signal fails, if the number of times of failure in receiving the response signal up to now has not reached the specified number, a retransmission operation and a reception operation are executed, and if the number of times of failure in receiving the response signal up to now has reached the specified number, a retransmission operation is executed and the reception operation is stopped, so that it is possible to suppress a decrease in reliability while reducing the power consumption of the fire alarm 200. Furthermore, when the number of times of failure in receiving the response signal reaches a second specified number, the transmission operation is also stopped, so that it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the fire alarm 200. Furthermore, when the operation unit 218 accepts an operation, at least one of the transmission operation and the reception operation is resumed, so that it is possible to restore the fire alarm 200 to the normal state.

[0041] An overview of one aspect of the present disclosure may be summarized as follows. (Item 1) a communication unit (212) that executes a transmission operation for transmitting a notification signal to a communication target device (100) and a reception operation for receiving a response signal transmitted from the communication target device (100) that has received the notification signal; a battery (220) for operating the communication unit (212); When the communication unit (212) fails to receive the response signal, the communication unit (212) executes a retransmission operation of retransmitting the notification signal and the receiving operation; The wireless terminal device (200) wherein the communication unit (212) executes the retransmission operation and stops the receiving operation when the number of times the response signal has failed to be received reaches a specified number.

[0042] (Item 2) The communication unit (212) periodically executes the transmission operation and the reception operation, when the communication unit (212) fails to receive the response signal in response to the notification signal periodically transmitted, if the number of times that the response signal has been received has not reached a specified number, the communication unit (212) executes the retransmission operation and the reception operation; The wireless terminal device (200) according to item 1, wherein, when the communication unit (212) fails to receive the response signal in response to the notification signal transmitted periodically, if the number of times that the response signal has failed to be received has reached a specified number, the communication unit (212) executes the retransmission operation and stops the receiving operation.

[0043] (Item 3) The predetermined number of times for determining whether to stop the receiving operation is defined as a first predetermined number of times, and a second predetermined number of times greater than the first predetermined number of times is also defined; 3. The wireless terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the communication unit also stops the transmission operation when the number of times the response signal is unsuccessfully received reaches the second specified number.

[0044] (Item 4) Further comprising an operation unit (218) for receiving an operation from outside, 4. The wireless terminal device according to claim 3, wherein the operation unit resumes at least one of the transmission operation and the reception operation when the operation unit accepts the operation.

[0045] Example 2 Next, a second embodiment will be described. As with the first embodiment, the second embodiment relates to an alarm system 1000 including a gateway 100 and a fire alarm 200. The second embodiment also aims to suppress a decrease in reliability while reducing the power consumption of the fire alarm 200. The fire alarm 200 according to this embodiment changes the destination of the notification signal when the number of times it fails to receive a response signal reaches a specified number. The configuration of the alarm system 1000 according to the second embodiment is the same type as that shown in FIG. 1, and the configuration of the fire alarm 200 is the same type as that shown in FIG. 2. The differences from the previous embodiments will be mainly described here.

[0046] Fig. 6 shows an overview of the operation in the alarm system 1000. In Fig. 6, the period during which a notification signal should be periodically transmitted is shown as "T1", and the maximum number of retransmissions for each notification signal transmission is set to "2 times". In other words, the communication unit 210 of the first fire alarm device 200a executes a combination of a transmission operation and a reception operation every "T1", and transmits a notification signal to the first gateway 100a by the transmission operation.

[0047] When the communication unit 210 fails to receive a response signal in a receiving operation, if the number of times that the response signal has not been received has not reached a specified number (hereinafter referred to as the "third specified number"), the communication unit 210 executes a combination of a retransmission operation and a receiving operation. The third specified number is, for example, "six times." In the retransmission operation, the communication unit 210 retransmits the notification signal to the first gateway 100a and then executes a receiving operation. The combination of the retransmission operation and the receiving operation is repeated up to the maximum number of times until a response signal is received.

[0048] When the communication unit 210 fails to receive a response signal in a receiving operation, and the number of times that the communication unit 210 has failed to receive the response signal has reached a third specified number of times, the communication unit 210 changes the sending operation and the retransmission operation from unicast to broadcast to the first gateway 100a. The switching from unicast to broadcast is performed by changing the destination address included in the notification signal from the address of the first gateway 100a to a broadcast address. A broadcast address is an address for targeting unspecified gateways 100. The communication unit 210 transmits or retransmits the notification signal by broadcast. The communication unit 210 also transmits or retransmits the notification signal to the first gateway 100a and then executes the receiving operation. The combination of the retransmission operation and the receiving operation is repeated up to the maximum number of times until a response signal is received.

[0049] In FIG. 6, the communication unit 210 of the first fire alarm device 200a executes a transmission operation, a reception operation, a retransmission operation, a reception operation, and a retransmission operation, for the first notification signal. Since the maximum number of retransmissions has been reached "2 times", the communication unit 210 does not execute a further retransmission operation. After "T1" has elapsed since the transmission of the first notification signal, the communication unit 210 executes a transmission operation, a reception operation, a retransmission operation, a reception operation, and a retransmission operation, for the second notification signal. Since the maximum number of retransmissions has been reached "2 times", the communication unit 210 does not execute a further retransmission operation. At this stage, the number of failures in receiving the response signal reaches the third specified number of times "6 times".

[0050] When the number of times of failure to receive the response signal reaches the third specified number of times "6 times", the communication unit 210 switches the transmission of the notification signal from unicast to broadcast to the first gateway 100a. After "T1" has elapsed since the transmission of the second notification signal, the communication unit 210 executes a transmission operation by broadcast and a reception operation for the third notification signal. The notification signal is received by the second gateway 100b, and the second gateway 100b transmits a response signal to the first fire alarm 200a. The communication unit 210 of the first fire alarm 200a receives the response signal from the second gateway 100b by a reception operation. Since the communication unit 210 has received the response signal, it does not resend the notification signal, but if it resends the notification signal without receiving the response signal, it also resends the notification signal by broadcast. The number of times of failure to receive the response signal in the above explanation is returned to "0" when the communication unit 210 receives a response signal.

[0051] According to this embodiment, when the number of times that the response signal fails to be received reaches a specified number of times, the transmission operation and retransmission operation are changed from unicast to broadcast to the gateway 100, thereby improving the possibility that the notification signal will be received by any of the gateways 100. In addition, since the possibility that the notification signal will be received by any of the gateways 100 is improved, a decrease in reliability can be suppressed.

[0052] An overview of one aspect of the present disclosure may be summarized as follows. (Item 5) a communication unit (212) that executes a transmission operation for transmitting a notification signal to a communication target device (100) and a reception operation for receiving a response signal transmitted from the communication target device (100) that has received the notification signal; a battery (220) for operating the communication unit (212); When the communication unit (212) fails to receive the response signal, the communication unit (212) executes a retransmission operation of retransmitting the notification signal and the receiving operation; The wireless terminal device (200) wherein the communication unit (212) changes the transmission operation and the retransmission operation to the target device (100) from unicast to broadcast when the number of times the response signal has failed to be received reaches a specified number.

[0053] Example 3 Next, a third embodiment will be described. The third embodiment relates to an alarm system 1000 including a gateway 100 and a fire alarm 200, as in the previous embodiments. The third embodiment also aims to suppress a decrease in reliability while reducing the power consumption of the fire alarm 200. The fire alarm 200 according to this embodiment lengthens the interval between periodically transmitting notification signals when the number of times a response signal fails to be received reaches a specified number. The configuration of the alarm system 1000 according to the third embodiment is of the same type as that shown in FIG. 1, and the configuration of the fire alarm 200 is of the same type as that shown in FIG. 2. The differences from the previous embodiments will be mainly described here.

[0054] Fig. 7 shows an overview of the operation in the alarm system 1000. In Fig. 7, a first period during which a notification signal should be periodically transmitted is shown as "T1", and the maximum number of retransmissions for each notification signal transmission is set to "2 times". In other words, the communication unit 210 of the first fire alarm device 200a executes a combination of a transmission operation and a reception operation every "T1", and transmits a notification signal to the first gateway 100a by the transmission operation.

[0055] When the communication unit 210 fails to receive a response signal in a receiving operation, if the number of times that the response signal has not been received has not reached a specified number (hereinafter referred to as the "fourth specified number"), the communication unit 210 executes a combination of a retransmission operation and a receiving operation. The fourth specified number is, for example, "six times." In the retransmission operation, the communication unit 210 retransmits the notification signal to the first gateway 100a and then executes a receiving operation. The combination of the retransmission operation and the receiving operation is repeated up to the maximum number of times until a response signal is received.

[0056] When the communication unit 210 fails to receive a response signal in a receiving operation, and the number of times that the response signal has failed to be received has reached a fourth specified number, the communication unit 210 changes the transmission interval of the notification signal from the first period to the second period. The second period is longer than the first period, for example, 30 hours. In FIG. 7, the second period is indicated as "T2". The communication unit 210 executes a combination of a sending operation and a receiving operation every "T2", and transmits a notification signal to the first gateway 100a by the sending operation. The combination of the resending operation and the receiving operation is repeated up to the maximum number of times until a response signal is received.

[0057] In FIG. 7, the communication unit 210 of the first fire alarm device 200a executes a transmission operation, a reception operation, a retransmission operation, a reception operation, and a retransmission operation, for the first notification signal. Since the maximum number of retransmissions has been reached "2 times", the communication unit 210 does not execute a further retransmission operation. After "T1" has elapsed since the transmission of the first notification signal, the communication unit 210 executes a transmission operation, a reception operation, a retransmission operation, a reception operation, and a retransmission operation, for the second notification signal. Since the maximum number of retransmissions has been reached "2 times", the communication unit 210 does not execute a further retransmission operation. At this stage, the number of times that reception of the response signal has failed reaches the fourth specified number of times "6 times".

[0058] When the number of times that the response signal reception fails reaches the fourth specified number of times "6 times", the communication unit 210 changes the transmission interval of the notification signal from the first period "T1" to the second period "T2". After "T2" has elapsed since the transmission of the second notification signal, the communication unit 210 executes a transmission operation, a reception operation, a retransmission operation, and a retransmission operation, and a reception operation for the third notification signal. Since the maximum number of retransmissions has been reached "2 times", the communication unit 210 does not execute any further retransmission operations. The number of times that the response signal reception fails in the above explanation is reset to "0" when the communication unit 210 receives a response signal.

[0059] According to this embodiment, when the number of times that a response signal fails to be received reaches a specified number of times, the first period is changed to a second period that is longer than the first period, thereby making it possible to reduce the power consumption of the fire alarm 200 while suppressing a decrease in reliability.

[0060] An overview of one aspect of the present disclosure may be summarized as follows. (Item 6) a communication unit (212) that periodically executes, at intervals of a first period, a transmission operation for transmitting a notification signal to a communication target device (100) and a reception operation for receiving a response signal transmitted from the communication target device (100) that has received the notification signal; a battery (220) for operating the communication unit (212); When the communication unit (212) fails to receive the response signal, the communication unit (212) executes a retransmission operation of retransmitting the notification signal and the receiving operation; When the number of times that the response signal is not received reaches a specified number, the communication unit (212) changes the first period to a second period that is longer than the first period.

[0061] Example 4 Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. The fourth embodiment relates to an alarm system 1000 including a gateway 100 and a fire alarm 200, as in the previous embodiments. The fourth embodiment also aims to suppress a decrease in reliability while reducing the power consumption of the fire alarm 200. The fire alarm 200 according to this embodiment reduces the maximum number of retransmissions when the number of times a response signal fails to be received reaches a specified number. The configuration of the alarm system 1000 according to the fourth embodiment is of the same type as that shown in FIG. 1, and the configuration of the fire alarm 200 is of the same type as that shown in FIG. 2. The differences from the previous embodiments will be mainly described here.

[0062] Fig. 8 shows an overview of the operation in the alarm system 1000. In Fig. 8, a first period during which a notification signal should be periodically transmitted is indicated as "T1", and the maximum number of retransmissions for each notification signal transmission is set to "2 times". In other words, the communication unit 210 of the first fire alarm device 200a executes a combination of a transmission operation and a reception operation every "T1", and transmits a notification signal to the first gateway 100a by the transmission operation.

[0063] When the communication unit 210 fails to receive a response signal in a receiving operation, if the number of times that the response signal has not been received has not reached a specified number (hereinafter referred to as the "fifth specified number"), the communication unit 210 executes a combination of a retransmission operation and a receiving operation. The fifth specified number is, for example, "six times." In the retransmission operation, the communication unit 210 retransmits the notification signal to the first gateway 100a and then executes a receiving operation. The combination of the retransmission operation and the receiving operation is repeated up to the maximum number of times until a response signal is received.

[0064] When the communication unit 210 fails to receive a response signal in a receiving operation, and the number of times that the response signal has failed to be received has reached a fifth specified number, the communication unit 210 changes the maximum number of retransmissions from "2 times" to "1 time." When the maximum number of retransmissions "2 times" is called the "first number," the maximum number of retransmissions "1 time" is called the "second number." The second number is set to be less than the first number. The communication unit 210 executes a combination of a sending operation and a receiving operation every "T1," and transmits a notification signal to the first gateway 100a by the sending operation. The combination of the retransmission operation and the receiving operation is repeated until a response signal is received, with the second number being the upper limit.

[0065] In FIG. 8, the communication unit 210 of the first fire alarm device 200a executes a transmission operation, a reception operation, a retransmission operation, a reception operation, and a retransmission operation, for the first notification signal. Since the maximum number of retransmissions has been reached "2 times", the communication unit 210 does not execute any further retransmission operations. After "T1" has elapsed since the transmission of the first notification signal, the communication unit 210 executes a transmission operation, a reception operation, a retransmission operation, a reception operation, and a retransmission operation, for the second notification signal. Since the maximum number of retransmissions has been reached "2 times", the communication unit 210 does not execute any further retransmission operations. At this stage, the number of failures to receive a response signal reaches the fifth specified number of times, "6 times".

[0066] When the number of times that the response signal reception fails reaches the fifth specified number of times "6 times", the communication unit 210 changes the maximum number of times of retransmission from the first number of times "2 times" to the second number of times "1 time". After "T1" has elapsed since the transmission of the second notification signal, the communication unit 210 executes a transmission operation, a reception operation, a retransmission operation, and a reception operation for the third notification signal. Since the maximum number of retransmissions has been reached "1 time", the communication unit 210 does not execute any further retransmission operations. The number of times that the response signal reception fails in the above explanation is reset to "0" when the communication unit 210 receives a response signal.

[0067] According to this embodiment, when the number of times that a response signal fails to be received reaches a specified number, the first number is changed to the second number which is smaller than the first number, so that the power consumption can be reduced by reducing the number of retransmissions.

[0068] An overview of one aspect of the present disclosure may be summarized as follows. (Item 7) a communication unit (212) that periodically executes a transmission operation for transmitting a notification signal to a communication target device (100) and a reception operation for receiving a response signal transmitted from the communication target device (100) that has received the notification signal; a battery (220) for operating the communication unit (212); When the communication unit (212) fails to receive the response signal, the communication unit (212) executes a retransmission operation of retransmitting the notification signal and the receiving operation up to a first number of times; When the number of times that the response signal has not been received successfully reaches a specified number, the communication unit (212) changes the first number of times to a second number of times that is smaller than the first number of times.

[0069] (Item 8) A wireless terminal device (200) according to any one of items 1 to 7; A fire alarm (200) comprising a detection unit (214) that detects the occurrence of a fire.

[0070] The present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiments. These embodiments are merely illustrative, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible in the combination of each component or each treatment process, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0071] Any two or more of the first to fourth embodiments may be combined. In the first to fourth embodiments, the first specified number of times, the third specified number of times, the fourth specified number of times, and the fifth specified number of times are all set to "6 times". When the first to fourth embodiments are combined, the first specified number of times, the third specified number of times, the fourth specified number of times, and the fifth specified number of times may be set to different values. For example, the first specified number of times < the third specified number of times < the fourth specified number of times < the fifth specified number. When the number of failures of the response signal reaches the first specified number, the communication unit 210 changes the combination of the retransmission operation and the reception operation to only the retransmission operation, and when the number of failures of the response signal reaches the third specified number, the communication unit 210 changes the unicast to the broadcast. When the number of failures of the response signal reaches the fourth specified number, the communication unit 210 changes the first period to the second period, and when the number of failures of the response signal reaches the fifth specified number, the communication unit 210 changes the first number of times to the second number. According to this modified example, the degree of freedom of the configuration can be improved.

[0072] In the first to fourth embodiments, the alarm system 1000 includes a fire alarm 200. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the fire alarm 200 may have only a fire detection function. Also, instead of the fire alarm 200, a sensor that detects flood damage, earthquakes, gas leaks, and CO (carbon monoxide) generation due to incomplete combustion may be used instead of the fire alarm 200. According to this modification, the degree of freedom of the configuration can be improved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 100 Gateway (communication target device), 200 Fire alarm (wireless terminal device), 210 Communication unit, 212 Control unit, 214 Fire detection sensor, 216 Buzzer, 218 Operation unit, 220 Battery, 1000 Alarm system.

Claims

1. a communication unit that executes a transmission operation for transmitting a notification signal to a communication target device and a reception operation for receiving a response signal transmitted from the communication target device that has received the notification signal; a battery for operating the communication unit; When the communication unit fails to receive the response signal, the communication unit executes a retransmission operation of retransmitting the notification signal and the receiving operation; The wireless terminal device, wherein the communication unit executes the retransmission operation and stops the receiving operation when the number of times that the response signal has failed to be received reaches a specified number.

2. The communication unit periodically executes the transmission operation and the reception operation, when the communication unit fails to receive the response signal in response to the notification signal periodically transmitted, if the number of times that the communication unit has failed to receive the response signal has not reached a specified number, the communication unit executes the retransmission operation and the reception operation; 2. The wireless terminal device according to claim 1, wherein, when the communication unit fails to receive the response signal to the notification signal transmitted periodically, if the number of times that the communication unit has failed to receive the response signal has reached a specified number, the communication unit executes the retransmission operation and stops the receiving operation.

3. The predetermined number of times for determining whether to stop the receiving operation is defined as a first predetermined number of times, and a second predetermined number of times that is greater than the first predetermined number of times is also defined; The wireless terminal device according to claim 2 , wherein the communication unit also stops the transmission operation when the number of times that the response signal is unsuccessfully received reaches the second specified number.

4. Further comprising an operation unit for receiving an operation from an external device, The wireless terminal device according to claim 3 , wherein the operation unit resumes at least one of the transmission operation and the reception operation when the operation unit accepts the operation.

5. a communication unit that executes a transmission operation for transmitting a notification signal to a communication target device and a reception operation for receiving a response signal transmitted from the communication target device that has received the notification signal; a battery for operating the communication unit, When the communication unit fails to receive the response signal, the communication unit executes a retransmission operation of retransmitting the notification signal and the receiving operation; The wireless terminal device, wherein the communication unit changes the transmission operation and the retransmission operation to the target device from unicast to broadcast when the number of times reception of the response signal has failed reaches a specified number.

6. a communication unit that periodically executes, at intervals of a first period, a transmission operation for transmitting a notification signal to a communication target device and a reception operation for receiving a response signal transmitted from the communication target device that has received the notification signal; a battery for operating the communication unit, When the communication unit fails to receive the response signal, the communication unit executes a retransmission operation of retransmitting the notification signal and the receiving operation; The communication unit changes the first period to a second period that is longer than the first period when the number of times the response signal is unsuccessfully received reaches a specified number.

7. a communication unit that periodically executes a transmission operation for transmitting a notification signal to a communication target device and a reception operation for receiving a response signal transmitted from the communication target device that has received the notification signal; a battery for operating the communication unit, When the communication unit fails to receive the response signal, the communication unit executes a retransmission operation of retransmitting the notification signal and the receiving operation up to a first number of times; The communication unit changes the first number of times to a second number of times that is less than the first number of times when the number of times the response signal has failed to be received reaches a specified number of times.

8. A wireless terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, A fire alarm equipped with a detection unit that detects the occurrence of a fire.

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