Fire warning facility

Abstract

To provide an inexpensive call facility capable of performing high-level call control including a calling with a designated telephone slave machine by using a transmission function by a transmission line of an R-type fire warning facility for the call control.SOLUTION: A fire sensor to which a unique address is set is connected to a transmission line led out from a receiver to a caution zone, and call connection is performed between a telephone master machine provided at the receiver and a telephone slave machine installed in the caution zone by a telephone line led out from the receiver. The receiver is provided with a telephone master machine control part that controls the call connection of the telephone master machine, and a telephone relay that is connected to the transmission line and the telephone line and to which the unique address for controlling the call connection of the telephone slave machine is set. The telephone slave machine is connected separately to the telephone relay via a line for a voice. In the case of receiving a predetermined call control signal via the transmission line from the telephone master control part, the telephone relay controls the call connection of the telephone master machine and the telephone slave machine by connecting the telephone line and the line for the voice.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fire alarm system that connects a telephone master and a telephone handset by using a transmission line that connects a fire detector from a receiver. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in fire alarm systems known as R type, a terminal device such as a fire detector with transmission function is connected to a transmission line pulled out from a receiver, and when a fire is detected, for example based on a fire interrupt from the fire detector, a search command is issued to identify the address of the fire detector that triggered the alarm, the address where the fire occurred is displayed, and fire data is collected and monitored from the identified fire detector.

[0003] In this way, knowing the address of the fire detector that detected a fire makes it possible to provide appropriate evacuation guidance and engage in fire-fighting activities, making this a necessary function, especially for fire monitoring in large-scale facilities.

[0004] In addition, in fire alarm equipment, a telephone base unit is provided in the receiver as an emergency communication device, and a telephone jack provided in the transmitter, etc. is connected to a telephone line drawn from the receiver to the alert area. In the event of a fire or during inspection, when a person in charge connects a handset carried by him / her to the telephone jack of the transmitter, etc., a call is made on the receiver, and the person in charge can talk to the handset by off-hooking the telephone base unit.

[0005] In addition, emergency telephone equipment may be installed as an associated facility with the fire alarm system. In emergency telephone equipment, an emergency telephone board with a telephone master unit is installed in the same place as the receiver, and telephone lines and control lines are drawn from the emergency telephone board to the alert area, to which the telephone handset is connected.

[0006] The emergency telephone device of a fire alarm system cannot call a specific telephone handset from the main telephone unit, but the emergency telephone system can call any specified telephone handset by calling a telephone number from the emergency telephone board, and can be used not only in emergencies such as fires, but also for daily telephone communications for maintaining and managing the equipment. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-064709 A [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-004451 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2016-076064 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2017-068523 A [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 07-231364 [Patent Document 5] JP 2015-138481 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, conventional emergency telephone equipment capable of calling a specific telephone handset must be installed as an associated facility of the fire alarm system, resulting in high installation costs. On the other hand, emergency telephone devices for fire alarm systems in which a telephone handset is connected to a telephone jack on a telephone line and a call is made to a main telephone unit require less installation costs, but do not allow for advanced call control such as calling a specific telephone handset, and therefore are less convenient than emergency telephone equipment.

[0009] The present invention aims to provide a fire alarm system equipped with a cost-effective emergency telephone device that can perform advanced call control, including calling a designated telephone handset, by utilizing the transmission function of the transmission line used in an R-type fire alarm system for call control. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] (Fire alarm system) The present invention relates to A transmission line extending from the receiver to the security zone and connected to terminal devices including a fire detector with a unique address; A telephone line that is pulled out from the receiver together with the transmission line into the security zone and connects the telephone base unit installed in the receiver to the telephone handset installed in the security zone; A fire alarm system comprising: a telephone base unit control unit provided in the receiver and controlling call connection of the telephone base unit; a telephone repeater which is connected to a transmission line and a telephone line and has a unique address set thereto, and which controls call connections of telephone handsets; Equipped with The telephone handset is connected remotely to the telephone repeater via a voice line, The telephone repeater is characterized by controlling the call connection between the telephone base unit and the telephone handset by connecting the telephone line and the voice line when it receives a specified call control signal from the telephone base unit control unit via a transmission line.

[0011] (Call from the telephone base unit to the telephone handset) When the telephone base unit control unit detects that the telephone base unit is off-hook, the telephone base unit control unit displays a telephone handset calling screen on the display unit, and transmits to the transmission line a call command signal in which the address of the telephone relay unit corresponding to a calling operation of a specific telephone handset on the telephone handset selection screen is specified; When the telephone relay unit receives a call command signal specifying its own address, it makes a call, and when it detects that the telephone handset is off-hook, it connects the telephone handset to the telephone line and sends a call response command signal to the telephone base unit control unit via the transmission line to connect the telephone base unit to the telephone line, and connects the telephone base unit and the telephone handset to a call via the telephone line.

[0012] (Primary telephone line connection tone and ring tone) The telephone base unit control unit outputs a predetermined line connection sound from the telephone base unit when it detects that the telephone base unit is off-hook, and causes the telephone base unit to output a predetermined ring tone from the time when the call command signal is transmitted until the time when the incoming call response command signal is received.

[0013] (The main telephone unit's busy tone in response to a call from the handset) When the telephone base unit control unit receives a call command signal from the telephone relay unit while a call is connected to another telephone handset, it transmits a call in-progress command signal specifying the address of the telephone relay unit via the transmission line, causing the telephone handset to output a specified call in-progress sound.

[0014] (Call from handset to base unit) When the telephone relay unit detects that the telephone handset is off-hook, the telephone relay unit transmits a call command signal including its own address to the receiver via the transmission line; When the telephone base unit control unit receives a call command signal, it displays information identifying the called handset on a screen based on the address of the telephone relay unit contained in the call command signal and makes a call.When it detects that the telephone base unit is off-hook, it connects the telephone base unit to the telephone line and sends a call response command signal specifying the address of the telephone relay unit over the transmission line, causing the telephone relay unit to connect the telephone handset to the telephone line, and a call connection is made between the telephone handset and the telephone base unit over the telephone line.

[0015] (Telephone handset line connection tone and ring tone) The telephone relay unit outputs a predetermined line connection sound from the telephone handset when it detects that the telephone handset is off-hook, and causes the telephone handset to output a predetermined ring sound from when a call command signal is transmitted until when a call response command signal is received.

[0016] (Switching to a call from another handset during a call connection) When the telephone base unit control unit receives a call command signal from the telephone relay unit of another telephone handset during a call connection between the telephone base unit and one telephone handset, it notifies the other telephone handset of a call call, and when it selects the call connection of the other telephone handset, it sends a call response command signal specifying the address of the telephone relay unit of the other telephone handset to connect the other telephone handset to the telephone line, and also sends a hold command signal specifying the address of the telephone relay unit of one telephone handset to disconnect the first telephone from the telephone line and output a specified hold tone.

[0017] (3-way call) When the telephone base unit control unit receives a call command signal from the telephone relay unit of the other telephone handset during a call connection between the telephone base unit and one telephone handset, it notifies the other telephone handset of the call call, and when a three-way call is selected, it sends a three-way call command signal to the telephone relay unit of the other telephone handset to connect the other telephone handset to the telephone line and notifies the three-way call by voice, and sends a three-way call command signal to the telephone relay unit of the first telephone handset to notify the three-way call by voice.

[0018] (Telephone relay department) The telephone relay unit is connected to or integrated with the telephone handset, records a predetermined hold tone, and outputs the hold tone to the telephone handset when the telephone handset is placed on hold. Effect of the Invention

[0019] (Basic effect) The present invention is a fire alarm system comprising a transmission line which is drawn from a receiver into a security zone and to which terminal devices including a fire detector set with a unique address are connected, and a telephone line which is drawn from the receiver into the security zone together with the transmission line and which connects a telephone master unit provided in the receiver to a telephone handset installed in the security zone, the system comprising a telephone master unit control unit provided in the receiver and which controls the call connection of the telephone master unit, and a telephone repeater unit which is connected to the transmission line and the telephone line, has a unique address, and controls the call connection of the telephone handset unit, the telephone handset unit being connected remotely to the telephone repeater via a voice line, and when the telephone repeater receives a predetermined call control signal from the telephone master unit control unit via the transmission line, it connects the telephone line and the voice line to control the call connection between the telephone master unit and the telephone handset unit, so that by utilizing the transmission function of the transmission line used in an R-type fire alarm system for call control, advanced call control including calling a specified telephone handset can be realized simply and at low cost.

[0020] (Effect of calling from the telephone base unit to the telephone handset) When the telephone base unit control unit detects an off-hook state of the telephone base unit, the telephone base unit control unit displays a telephone handset calling screen on the display unit, and transmits to the transmission line a call command signal in which the address of the telephone relay unit corresponding to a calling operation of a specific telephone handset on the telephone handset selection screen is specified; When the telephone relay unit receives a call command signal specifying its own address, it makes a call, and when it detects that the telephone handset is off-hook, it connects the telephone handset to the telephone line and sends a call response command signal to the telephone base unit control unit via the transmission line to connect the telephone base unit to the telephone line, and the telephone base unit and the telephone handset are connected for call via the telephone line.Therefore, when the telephone base unit is off-hook and a telephone handset is selected for calling, a call command signal is sent from the telephone base unit control unit of the receiver to the telephone relay unit using the transmission line used for fire monitoring, making it possible to easily call the telephone handset from the telephone base unit side, and since the call connection between the telephone base unit and the telephone handset uses the telephone line of the fire alarm equipment as is, call control equivalent to that of conventional emergency telephone equipment can be achieved at low cost with a simple equipment configuration.

[0021] (Effects of line connection sound and ring tone of the telephone base unit) In addition, when the telephone base unit control unit detects that the telephone base unit is off-hook, it outputs a specified line connection sound from the telephone base unit, and outputs a specified ring tone from the time the call command signal is sent until the call response command signal is received.As a result, when calling a telephone handset from the telephone base unit, a call equivalent to that made with normal internal telephone equipment or public telephone equipment can be easily realized, resulting in high convenience.

[0022] (Effect of the busy tone of the base unit on the call of the handset) In addition, when the telephone base unit control unit receives a call command signal from the telephone relay unit while a call is connected to another telephone handset, it transmits a call-in-progress command signal specifying the address of the telephone relay unit via the transmission line, causing the telephone handset to output a specified call-in-progress sound. Therefore, if the other telephone handset is taken off-hook while a call is being made between the telephone base unit and the telephone handset, a call-in-progress sound is output, allowing the user to know with certainty that the telephone base unit is in a call.

[0023] (Effect of calling from a handset to a base unit) In addition, when the telephone relay unit detects that the handset is off-hook, it transmits a call command signal including its own address to the receiver via the transmission line, and when the telephone base unit control unit receives the call command signal, it displays information identifying the called handset on a screen based on the address of the telephone relay unit included in the call command signal and initiates a call. When the telephone base unit detects that the handset is off-hook, it connects the telephone base unit to the telephone line and transmits a call response command signal specifying the address of the telephone relay unit via the transmission line, so that the telephone relay unit connects the handset to the telephone line and connects the handset and the telephone base unit to a call connection via the telephone line. Therefore, when the handset is off-hook, a call command signal is transmitted from the telephone relay unit to the telephone base unit control unit of the receiver using the transmission line used for fire monitoring, so that a call to the telephone base unit from the handset can be easily realized. And since the call connection between the handset and the telephone base unit uses the telephone line of the fire alarm system as it is, call control equivalent to that of conventional emergency telephone equipment can be realized at low cost with a simple equipment configuration.

[0024] (Effects of telephone handset line connection sound and ring tone) In addition, the telephone relay unit outputs a specified line connection sound from the telephone handset when it detects that the telephone handset is off-hook, and outputs a specified ring sound from the time the call command signal is sent until the call response command signal is received. Therefore, when calling the telephone base unit from the telephone handset, a call equivalent to that made with normal internal telephone equipment or public telephone equipment can be easily realized, resulting in high convenience.

[0025] (Effect of switching on calls to other handsets during a call) In addition, when the telephone base unit control unit receives a call command signal from the telephone relay unit of another telephone handset during a call connection between the telephone base unit and one telephone handset, it notifies the other telephone handset of a call call, and when the call connection of the other telephone handset is selected, it transmits a call response command signal specifying the address of the telephone relay unit of the other telephone handset to connect the other telephone handset to the telephone line, and transmits a hold command signal specifying the address of the telephone relay unit of the first telephone handset to disconnect the first telephone from the telephone line and output a predetermined hold tone. Therefore, when a call from another telephone handset is received during a call between the telephone base unit and a telephone handset, this is displayed on the receiver screen so as to be selectable, and when an operation is performed to select the call from the other telephone handset, the call with the telephone handset that was in progress is disconnected, a hold tone is output, and the call connection with the other telephone handset is switched over, and when calls from multiple telephone handsets overlap, the receiver can select the call from the required telephone handset and make a call.

[0026] (Effect of three-way calling) In addition, when the telephone base unit control unit receives a call command signal from the telephone relay unit of another telephone handset while a call is connected between the telephone base unit and one telephone handset, it notifies the other telephone handset of the call call and, if a three-way call is selected, sends a three-way call command signal to the telephone relay unit of the other telephone handset to connect the other telephone handset to the telephone line and provide a voice notification of the three-way call, and sends a three-way call command signal to the telephone relay unit of one telephone handset to provide a voice notification of the three-way call, so that a three-way call can be made between the telephone base unit of the receiver and two telephone handsets installed in the alert area, and call communication can be made more efficiently during fires and maintenance inspections.

[0027] (Effect of telephone relay section) The telephone relay unit is connected to or integrated with the telephone handset, records a predetermined hold tone, and outputs the hold tone to the telephone handset when the telephone handset is placed on hold. Since the hold tone is stored in the relay unit itself, there is no need to send an acoustic signal for the hold tone from outside, and it is possible to play the hold tone without a signal from the telephone handset, even if the telephone base unit is in a call with another telephone handset. Also, a relay unit connected to or integrated with the telephone handset of a fire alarm system can be easily realized. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a fire alarm system having a call control function. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the telephone repeater of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a telephone circuit portion provided in the receiver of FIG. 1; [Figure 4] A time chart showing call control in which a telephone base unit calls a specific telephone handset [Diagram 5] A time chart showing call control with the base unit when the handset is off-hook [Figure 6] A time chart showing call control when a handset goes off-hook while the base unit is in a call with another handset [Figure 7] A time chart showing call control when a call is received from another handset during a call between the base unit and the handset and the call is switched over. [Figure 8] Time chart showing call control for three-way communication using a telephone base unit and two telephone handsets DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] [Fire alarm system] (Outline of fire alarm system with call control function) Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the outline of a fire alarm system equipped with a call control function. As shown in Fig. 1, a receiver 10 of, for example, an R type is installed in a manager's room on the first floor of a building where the fire alarm system is installed, and transmission lines 12a, 12b and telephone lines 16a, 16b are drawn from the receiver 10 to the alert area.

[0030] A plurality of fire detectors 14 having a transmission function and a unique address are connected to the transmission lines 12a, 12b. A plurality of telephone repeaters 18 having telephone handsets 20 are connected to the transmission lines 12a, 12b and the telephone lines 16a, 16b, and a unique address is set to the telephone repeater 18, which has a transmission function and a call control function. The telephone repeater 18 functions as a telephone repeating section. The receiver 10 is provided with a telephone base unit 28 corresponding to the telephone handsets 20. The telephone lines 16a, 16b ensure the transmission quality of audio signals in the audio frequency band of 300 to 3400 Hz, which is an audible band.

[0031] Here, the maximum number of addresses that can be set for the fire detectors 14 and telephone repeaters 18 connected to the transmission lines 12a and 12b is, for example, 255, and a maximum of 255 terminal devices including fire detectors 14 and telephone repeaters 18 can be connected to the transmission lines 12a and 12b.

[0032] (Receiver functional configuration) The receiver 10 comprises a reception control unit 22, a transmission unit 24, a telephone circuit unit 26, a telephone base unit 28, a display 30 with a touch panel, a display unit 32, an operation unit 34, an alarm unit 36 ​​with a speaker, and a notification unit 38.

[0033] The reception control unit 22 is a computer circuit or the like equipped with a CPU, memory, various input / output ports, etc. The transmission unit 24 transmits and receives signals to and from the fire detector 14 or the telephone repeater 18 connected to the transmission lines 12a, 12b in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol.

[0034] Downstream signals from the transmission unit 24 to the fire detector 14 or telephone repeater 18 are transmitted in voltage mode. This voltage mode signal is transmitted as a voltage pulse that changes the line voltage of the transmission lines 12a and 12b between, for example, 18 volts and 30 volts.

[0035] On the other hand, the upstream signal from the fire detector 14 or telephone repeater 18 to the receiver 10 is transmitted in current mode. In this current mode, a signal current is passed through the transmission lines 12a and 12b at the timing of bit 1 of the transmission data, and the upstream signal is transmitted to the receiver as a so-called current pulse train.

[0036] (Fire Monitoring and Control Unit) The reception control unit 22 of the receiver 10 is provided with the function of a fire monitoring control unit 40 as a function realized by the execution of a program by the CPU.

[0037] During normal monitoring, the fire monitoring control unit 40 periodically instructs the transmission unit 24 to transmit a broadcast batch AD conversion signal including a batch AD conversion command, and the fire detector 14 that receives this batch AD conversion signal detects and stores the smoke concentration or temperature as sensor data. Next, the fire monitoring control unit 32 transmits a call signal including a polling command that sequentially specifies the terminal addresses.

[0038] When the fire detector 14 receives a call signal having an address matching its own address, it transmits a response signal including the sensor data it is holding at that time to the receiver 10. In addition, when the fire detector 14 detects a fire, it transmits a fire interrupt signal to the receiver 10.

[0039] When the fire monitoring control unit 40 receives a fire interrupt signal via the transmission unit 24, it sends a group search command signal to identify the group including the fire sensor 14 that has detected the fire, then sends an intra-group search command signal to identify the address of the fire sensor 14 that has detected the fire, outputs a fire alarm and displays the address where the fire occurred, and then controls the collection and monitoring of fire data from the identified fire sensor.

[0040] (Telephone base unit control unit) The reception control unit 22 of the receiver 10 is provided with the function of a telephone base unit control unit 42 as a function realized by the execution of a program by the CPU.

[0041] The telephone base unit control unit 42 instructs the transmission unit 24 to send and receive command signals necessary for various call controls between the telephone repeater 18 via the transmission lines 12a and 12b, and controls call connection and call cut (disconnection) between the telephone base unit 28 and the telephone handset 20 via the telephone lines 16a and 16b.

[0042] The call control by the telephone base unit control unit 42 in this embodiment includes the following. (1) Call control by calling a specific telephone handset. (2) Call control by calling from a telephone handset. (3) Call switching control when a call is received from another telephone handset while a call is being made with another telephone handset. (4) Three-way call control using a telephone base unit and two telephone handsets.

[0043] In these call controls, command signals such as a call command signal, an incoming call response command signal, a hold command signal, and a busy command signal are used. The call command signal is a signal that requests the telephone handset to make a call. The incoming call response command signal is a signal that is transmitted when the telephone handset goes off-hook upon receiving a call command signal. The hold command signal is a signal that instructs the telephone handset to output a hold tone. The busy command signal is a signal that instructs the telephone handset to output a busy tone. Details of communication control using such command signals will be made clear later.

[0044] [Telephone repeater configuration] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the telephone repeater of Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the circuit section of the telephone repeater 18 is provided with a telephone handset control section 48 and a transmission section 50 as the circuit section on the transmission lines 12a and 12b side, and is provided with a connection switching section 52, a control sound generating section 54, a pair of switch circuit sections 56, a transformer 58, a hook switch 60, and a speaker 61 as the circuit section on the telephone lines 16a and 16b side, and the telephone handset 20 is provided with a handset 44 and a handset 46.

[0045] The telephone handset control unit 48 is composed of a computer circuit having a CPU, a memory, various input / output ports, etc., and the functions of the telephone handset control unit 48 are realized by the execution of a program by the CPU.

[0046] The telephone handset control unit 48 of this embodiment controls the following calls. (1) Call control by calling the telephone base unit. (2) Call control by calling from the telephone base unit. (3) Call switching control by calling the base unit while a call is being made with another handset. (4) Three-way call control using a telephone base unit and two telephone handsets.

[0047] In these call controls, command signals such as a call origination command signal, an incoming call response command signal, a hold command signal, and a busy command signal are used, and the details of the call control will be made clear later.

[0048] The transmitting unit 50 transmits and receives various command signals required for call control between the transmitting unit 24 of the receiver 10 shown in Fig. 1 via the transmission lines 12a and 12b in accordance with the same communication protocol as in the case of fire monitoring. In addition, the transmitting unit 50 receives downstream signals from the receiver 10 in voltage mode, and transmits upstream signals to the receiver 10 in current mode.

[0049] The connection switching unit 52 operates in response to instructions from the telephone handset control unit 48 to turn on and off a switch circuit unit 56 using relay contacts, semiconductor switch elements, etc., thereby connecting and disconnecting the telephone handset 20 to and from the telephone lines 16a, 16b.

[0050] The control sound generating unit 54 operates under the instructions of the telephone handset control unit 48, generates acoustic signals such as a predetermined line connection sound, a ring tone for the telephone base unit, a hold sound, a busy sound, etc., and outputs them to the handset 44 of the telephone handset 20, and also generates an acoustic signal for a ring tone in response to a call from the telephone base unit and outputs it to the speaker 61.

[0051] The transformer 58 has a primary winding connected to the telephone lines 16a, 16b and a secondary winding connected to the handset 44, and extracts only the AC audio signals from the telephone lines 16a, 16b, on which a predetermined DC voltage is superimposed, and amplifies them for the handset 44, while preventing feedback. The transmitter 46 of the telephone handset 20 is connected to the telephone lines 16a, 16b.

[0052] The hook switch 60 detects an off-hook or on-hook state of the handset 20 and outputs an off-hook detection signal or an on-hook detection signal to the handset control unit 48 .

[0053] The telephone circuit on the telephone lines 16a, 16b in FIG. 2 shows a basic analog telephone circuit, but is not limited to this, and an audio amplifier may be provided as necessary. Furthermore, it may be a digital telephone circuit that receives digital audio signals, performs DA conversion and outputs them to the handset 44, and performs AD conversion and transmits the audio signal from the transmitter 46.

[0054] [Configuration of the telephone circuit section of the receiver] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the telephone circuit section provided in the receiver of Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 3, the telephone circuit section 26 is provided with a connection switching section 62, a control sound generating section 64, a pair of switch circuits 66, a transformer 68, and a hook switch 70, and the telephone base unit 28 is provided with a handset 72 and a transmitter 74. A telephone line voltage Vt of, for example, DC 48V is applied from the telephone circuit section 26 between the telephone lines 16a and 16b.

[0055] The connection switching unit 62 operates according to instructions from the telephone base unit control unit 42 in FIG. 1 to turn on and off the switch circuit unit 66, thereby connecting and disconnecting the telephone base unit 28 to and from the telephone lines 16a, 16b.

[0056] The control sound generating unit 64 operates under the instructions of the telephone base unit control unit 42, and generates acoustic signals such as a specified line connection sound, a ring tone indicating a call to a telephone handset, a hold tone, a busy tone, etc., and outputs them to the handset 72 of the telephone base unit 28. It also generates an acoustic signal of a ring tone in response to a call from a telephone handset, and outputs it to a speaker provided in the alarm unit 36, for example.

[0057] The transformer 68 has a primary winding connected to the telephone lines 16a, 16b and a secondary winding connected to a handset 72, which receives only the AC audio signal from the telephone lines 16a, 16b, on which a predetermined telephone line voltage Vt is superimposed, and amplifies it to prevent feedback. A transmitter 74 of the telephone base unit 28 is connected to the telephone lines 16a, 16b.

[0058] The hook switch 70 detects an off-hook or on-hook state of the base unit 28 and outputs an off-hook detection signal or an on-hook detection signal to the base unit control section 42 .

[0059] The telephone circuit on the telephone lines 16a, 16b in FIG. 3 shows a basic analog telephone circuit, similar to the telephone repeater 18 in FIG. 2, but is not limited to this and may be provided with an audio amplifier as necessary, or may further be a digital telephone circuit.

[0060] [Call control for telephone base unit and telephone handset] (Calling a specific handset by the base unit) FIG. 4 is a time chart showing call control in which the telephone base unit calls a specific telephone handset, and the control operation is performed by the telephone base unit control unit 42 of the receiver 10 shown in FIG. 1 and the telephone handset control unit 48 of the telephone repeater 18 shown in FIG.

[0061] When the person in charge picks up the telephone base unit 28 to contact another person in the security zone, an off-hook detection signal is output from the hook switch 60, and as shown in FIG. 4, the telephone base unit control unit 42 determines in step S1 that the telephone base unit 28 is off-hook and proceeds to step S2, where it displays a handset call screen on the display 30, and at the same time instructs the control sound generation unit 64 to output a line connection sound, which is a continuous sound such as a "beep", from the handset 72 of the telephone base unit 28.

[0062] In step S2, the handset call screen displayed on the display 30 displays key buttons arranged as 0, 1-9, #, and *, and when a handset call operation is performed by touching the telephone number of the called handset, the telephone base unit control unit 42 recognizes the handset call operation in step S3 and proceeds to step S4, where it instructs the transmission unit 24 to transmit a call command signal specifying a repeater address corresponding to the called telephone number to the transmission lines 12a and 12b. At this time, a ring tone is output from the telephone base unit 28 to the handset.

[0063] When the telephone handset control unit 48 of the telephone repeater 18 receives a call command signal specifying its own address from the transmission unit 50 via the transmission lines 12a, 12b, in step S5 it instructs the control sound generating unit 54 to make a call by outputting a ring tone from the speaker 61.

[0064] When the person in charge at the site picks up the telephone handset 20 in response to this call, an off-hook state is determined in step S6 by an off-hook detection signal from the hook switch 60, and in step S7 the transmission unit 50 is instructed to send a call response command signal including the receiver's own address to the receiver 10 via the transmission lines 12a, 12b. Next, in step S9 the connection switching unit 52 is instructed to turn on the switch circuit unit 56, and a call connection is made by connecting the telephone circuit unit on the telephone handset 20 side to the telephone lines 16a, 16b.

[0065] When the telephone base unit control unit 42 of the receiver 10 receives the call response command signal transmitted from the telephone repeater 18 in step S7, it stops outputting the ring tone to the telephone handset 20, and in step S9 instructs the connection switching unit 62 to turn on the switch circuit unit 66, thereby making a call connection that connects the telephone circuit unit 26 of the telephone base unit 28 to the telephone lines 16a, 16b.

[0066] As a result, the telephone base unit 28 and the called telephone handset 20 are connected to the telephone lines 16a, 16b, and the call can be made. When the call is finished, the telephone base unit 28 and the telephone handset 20 are returned, and the on-hook state is determined in step S11 or S12, and the call is cut off to disconnect from the telephone lines 16a, 16b in step S11 or S13, and the call ends.

[0067] (Calling the base unit from a handset) Fig. 5 is a time chart showing the call control for calling the base station by the handset. When a person in the security area picks up the handset 20 to contact the receiver 10, an off-hook detection signal is output from the hook switch 60. As shown in Fig. 5, the handset control unit 48 determines in step S21 that the handset 20 is off-hook and proceeds to step S22, where it instructs the control sound generation unit 54 to output a line connection sound, which is a continuous sound such as "beep", from the handset 44 of the handset 20.

[0068] Next, in step S23, the telephone handset control unit 48 instructs the transmission unit 50 to transmit a call command signal including its own address to the receiver 10 via the transmission lines 12a and 12b. At this time, a ring tone for the telephone base unit 28 is output from the telephone handset 20.

[0069] When the telephone base unit control unit 42 of the receiver 10 receives a call command signal including the repeater address from the transmission unit 50 via the transmission lines 12a, 12b, in step S24 it instructs the alarm unit 36 ​​to output a ring tone from the speaker to make a call, and then proceeds to step S25 to display a handset call screen on the display 30 to display the telephone number, etc. of the handset being called.

[0070] When the person in charge picks up the telephone base unit 28 installed on the receiver 10 upon receiving the ring tone in step S24, the telephone base unit control unit 42 determines in step S26 that the telephone base unit 28 is off-hook, and in step S27 instructs the transmission unit 24 to transmit a call response command signal specifying the repeater address that made the call to the transmission lines 12a, 12b, and in step S28 instructs the connection switching unit 62 to turn on the switch circuit unit 66, thereby connecting the telephone base unit 28 to the telephone lines 16a, 16b for communication.

[0071] On the other hand, when the telephone handset control unit 48 receives the call response command signal specifying its own address transmitted from the receiver 10 in step S27, it stops the ringing sound to the telephone base unit 28 and proceeds to step S29, where it instructs the connection switching unit 52 to turn on the switch circuit unit 56, thereby connecting the telephone handset 20 to the telephone lines 16a, 16b.

[0072] As a result, the handset 20 and the called base unit 28 are connected to the telephone lines 16a, 16b, and a call can be made. When the call is finished, the handset 20 and base unit 28 are returned, and the on-hook state is determined in step S30 or S32, and the call is disconnected from the telephone lines 16a, 16b in step S31 or S33, and the call connection is terminated.

[0073] (Calling a handset when the base unit is busy) FIG. 6 is a time chart showing call control when a handset goes off-hook while the base unit is in a call with another handset.

[0074] During a call from the telephone base unit shown in FIG. 4 or a call from the telephone handset shown in FIG. 5, as shown in FIG. 6, the telephone handset control unit 48 of another telephone repeater 18 determines that the telephone handset 20 is off-hook in step S41, outputs a line connection sound from the telephone handset 20 in step S42, and then transmits a call command signal including its own address to the receiver 10 via the transmission lines 12a, 12b in step S43, causing a ring tone to be output from the speaker of the alarm unit 36.

[0075] In this case, the telephone base unit control unit 42 of the receiver 10 receives the call command signal transmitted from the telephone repeater 18 in step S43, but determines in step S44 that a call is currently being made with another telephone handset, and in step S45 displays a new handset call on the handset call screen on the display 30.Then, in step S46, it transmits a call-in-progress command signal specifying the address of the telephone repeater 18 that transmitted the call command signal to the transmission lines 12a, 12b.

[0076] When the telephone handset control unit 48 of the telephone repeater 18 receives a call-in-progress command signal specifying its own address via the transmission lines 12a, 12b, in step S47 it instructs the control sound generation unit 54 to output a predetermined call-in-progress sound from the handset 44 of the telephone handset 20.

[0077] Therefore, the person who picked up the telephone handset 20 knows that the telephone base unit 28 is busy and returns the telephone handset 20 to its original position, and the telephone handset control unit 48 determines in step S48 that the telephone handset is on-hook and terminates the call connection.

[0078] (Call switching due to a call from another handset during a call between the base unit and handset) 7 is a time chart showing call control when a call is received from another handset during a call between the base unit and the handset and the call is switched over. Here, the telephone repeater 18 that made the first call is called the telephone repeater 18-1, the telephone repeater 18 that made the second call is called the telephone repeater 18-2, the telephone handset control units 48 provided in each are called the telephone handset control units 48-1 and 48-2, and the telephone handset 20 is called the telephone handset 20-1 and 20-2.

[0079] As shown in Fig. 7, in response to a call from the telephone handset control unit 48-1 of the telephone repeater 18-1, a call connection is established between the telephone base unit 28 and the telephone handset 20-1 through call control between the telephone base unit control unit 42 of the receiver 10. The call control in steps S51 to S59 in this case is the same as steps S21 to S29 in Fig. 5, and therefore will not be described here.

[0080] Next, when the telephone handset control unit 48-2 of another telephone repeater 18-2 determines in step S60 that the telephone handset 20-2 is off-hook, a line connection sound is output from the telephone handset 20-2, and then in step S61, the telephone base unit 28 transmits a call command signal including its own address via the transmission lines 12a, 12b to the receiver 10 that is currently in a call.

[0081] When the telephone base unit control unit 42 of the receiver 10 receives the call command signal transmitted from the telephone repeater 18-2, in step S62, it displays the call to the telephone handset 20-2 on the display 30 and also outputs a predetermined warning sound from the speaker of the alarm unit 36.

[0082] As a result, when the person in charge of the call realizes that there is a call from another telephone handset 20-2 and performs a selection operation, the telephone base unit control unit 42 recognizes the selection operation of the other telephone handset 20-2 in step S63 and proceeds to step S64, where it sends an incoming call response command signal specifying the address of the telephone repeater 18-2 to the transmission lines 12a, 12b, which is received by the telephone repeater 18-2, and the telephone handset control unit 48-2 connects the telephone handset 20-2 to the telephone lines 16a, 16b in step S65.

[0083] In addition, in step S66, the telephone base unit control unit 42 transmits a hold command signal specifying the address of the telephone repeater 18-1 for the telephone handset 20-1, which was previously in a call, to the transmission lines 12a, 12b. This is received by the telephone repeater 18-1, and in step S67, the telephone handset control unit 48-1 disconnects the call by disconnecting the telephone handset 20-1 from the telephone lines 16a, 16b, and also causes the telephone handset 20-1 to output a specified hold tone.

[0084] Thereafter, when the call between the base unit 28 and the handset 20-2 ends and the handset control unit 48-2 determines in step S68 that the handset is on-hook, the process proceeds to step S69, where a call end command signal including its own address is transmitted to the transmission lines 12a, 12b.

[0085] When the telephone base unit control unit 42 determines that it has received a call end command signal from the telephone repeater 18-2, it sends a hold release command signal specifying the address of the telephone repeater 18-1 that is on hold to the transmission lines 12a, 12b in step S70. When the telephone handset control unit 48-1 receives the hold release command signal specifying its own address, it stops the output of the hold tone from the telephone handset 20-1 in step S71, reconnects the telephone handset 20-1 to the telephone lines 16a, 16b, and resumes the call with the telephone base unit 28.

[0086] (3-way call) Figure 8 is a time chart showing call control of a three-way call using a telephone base unit and two telephone handsets. As in Figure 7, the two telephone repeaters 18, telephone handsets 20, and telephone handset control unit 48 that perform the three-way call are telephone repeaters 18-1, 18-2, telephone handsets 20-1, 20-2, and telephone handset control units 48-1, 48-2, respectively.

[0087] In the three-way call shown in FIG. 8, the control of steps S81 to S92 is the same as steps S51 to S62 shown in FIG. 7, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0088] In the three-way call of Figure 8, when a call is connected between the telephone base unit 28 and the telephone handset 20-1, if a call command signal is sent from the telephone repeater 18-2 of another telephone handset 20-2 and a call to the telephone handset 20-2 is displayed on the display 30 in step S92, a three-way call selection button is displayed on the display screen, allowing the user to select the three-way call.

[0089] Therefore, when the telephone base unit control unit 42 recognizes the selection operation of three-way calling in step S93, the process proceeds to step S94, where a call command signal specifying the address of the telephone repeater 18-2 that sent the call command signal is sent to the transmission lines 12a, 12b. The telephone handset control unit 48-2 that receives this signal connects the telephone handset 20-2 to the telephone lines 16a, 16b in step S95.

[0090] Next, in step S96, the telephone base unit control unit 42 sequentially transmits a three-way call command signal specifying the addresses of the telephone repeaters 18-1, 18-2 to the transmission lines 12a, 12b, and the telephone handset control units 48-1, 48-2 which receive this output a predetermined alarm sound from the telephone handsets 20-1, 20-2 in steps S97, S98 to notify the start of the three-way call. As a result, the three-way call shown in step S99 of the telephone base unit control unit 42 and steps S100, S101 of the telephone handset control units 48-1, 48-2 is established by connecting the telephone base unit 28 and the telephone handsets 20-1, 20-2 to the telephone lines 16a, 16b.

[0091] Here, by connecting multiple telephone handsets 20 in addition to the telephone base unit 28 to the telephone lines 16a, 16b, it is possible to realize four-way or five-way calls, etc.; however, as the number of telephones connected to the telephone lines 16a, 16b increases, the level of the audio signals transmitted by the telephone lines 16a, 16b decreases, deteriorating the quality of the call. Therefore, three-way calls, in which three telephones, each connected to two telephone handsets in addition to the telephone base unit 28, which causes less deterioration in the audio level, are connected to the telephone lines 16a, 16b, are considered to be optimal.

[0092] [Modifications of the present invention] (Call between telephone handsets) The above embodiment takes as an example call control between the receiver's telephone base unit and a telephone handset installed in a security area, but is not limited to this. By providing the telephone repeater with an operation display unit that inputs information identifying a telephone handset, such as a telephone number or address, and makes a call, it may be possible to make a call between telephone handsets by making a call from one telephone handset to another telephone handset.

[0093] (Hands-free calling function) The above embodiment takes as an example a call between a telephone base unit and a telephone handset, but is not limited to this. In addition to each of the telephone base unit of the receiver and the telephone handset of the telephone repeater, a microphone and speaker may be installed on a panel surface near the telephone, and a hands-free calling function may be provided that allows the telephone to be switched to a microphone and speaker by operating a specified switch, allowing a call to be made without using the telephone.

[0094] (P-type receiver) The above embodiment takes as an example a fire alarm system in which an R-type fire detector is connected via a transmission line from an R-type receiver, but similar communication control can also be achieved in a fire alarm system in which an addressable fire detector with a transmission function and an address is set on the detector line drawn from a P-type receiver, by sending and receiving various command signals using the detector line.

[0095] (others) The sound signals such as the ring tone, hold tone, and busy tone generated by the control sound generating unit 54 on the handset side are preferably electronic sounds or music in terms of cost, but may also be voice messages. Similarly, the sound signals generated by the control sound generating unit 64 on the base unit side may take various forms.

[0096] The telephone relay unit is a relay separate from the telephone handset, but may be integrated with the telephone handset. It may also be a relay with telephone functions, and may be equipped with a telephone jack so that the telephone handset is connected to the telephone jack to perform the same operation as off-hook. An addressable transmitter, which is a transmitter with an address, may be adopted as a relay with telephone functions. In conventional addressable transmitters, even if they have an address on the transmission line and a telephone jack, they do not work together, but by incorporating the relay unit function of the present application, they can work together and can be included in the call designation target from the receiver.

[0097] Conventionally, P-type transmitters are configured to be able to communicate with a telephone base station via a jack-in, but it is also possible to make it possible to make three-way calls including the P-type transmitter, similar to the three-way calls between the telephone base station and the telephone handset.

[0098] The telephone handset may be configured to stop the operation of a local bell within a predetermined range during a call. By configuring in this way, it is possible to prevent the voice from becoming difficult to hear during a call.

[0099] The repeater is equipped with indicator lights, for example to show whether a call is in progress, on hold, or ringing.

[0100] Furthermore, the present invention includes appropriate modifications that do not impair the objects and advantages of the present invention, and is not limited to the numerical values ​​shown in the above embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] 10: Receiver 12: Transmission line 14: Fire detector 16a, 16b: Telephone lines 18: Telephone repeater 20: Telephone handset 22: Reception control section 24,50:Transmission section 26:Telephone circuit section 28: Telephone base station 30: Display 40: Fire monitoring and control unit 42: Telephone base unit control unit 44,72:Handset 46,74:Telephone 48: Telephone handset control unit 52, 62: Connection switching section 54, 64: Control sound generation section 56, 66: Switch circuit section 58,68:Trans 60,70: Hook switch 61: Speaker

Claims

[Claim 1] A transmission line extending from the receiver to the security zone and connected to terminal devices including a fire detector with a unique address; a telephone line extending from the receiver to the security zone and connecting a telephone master unit provided in the receiver to a plurality of telephone slave units provided in the security zone and set with unique identification information; A fire alarm system comprising: a telephone base unit control unit provided in the receiver and controlling a call connection of the telephone base unit; a plurality of telephone repeaters connected to the transmission line and the telephone line, each having a unique address set thereto, each of which is connected to one of the plurality of telephone handsets and controls a call connection of the connected telephone handset; Equipped with the telephone handset is remotely connected to the telephone repeater via a voice line; The telephone line is capable of connecting any of the telephone handsets to each other for communication; The telephone repeater includes: When a predetermined call control signal is received from the telephone base unit control section via the transmission line, the telephone line and the voice line are connected to control a call connection between the telephone base unit and the telephone handset connected thereto; When a predetermined call control signal is received from another telephone repeater via the transmission line without going through the telephone base unit control unit, the telephone line and the voice line are connected to each other, thereby controlling a call connection between the telephone handset connected to the other telephone repeater and the telephone handset connected to the telephone repeater itself; This fire alarm equipment is characterized in that when a three-way call command is received as the call control signal from the telephone base unit control section via the transmission line during a call connection between the telephone base unit and another telephone handset, the equipment connects the telephone line to the voice line, thereby enabling a three-way call between the telephone base unit, the telephone handset connected to it, and the other telephone handset.

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