Monitoring system and terminal device therefor

Abstract

To provide means capable of reducing a battery exchange frequency compared with a conventional technique while avoiding a battery exhaustion in terminal devices of a monitoring system.SOLUTION: Terminal devices 12 are the devices such as a fire detector, a door opening / closing sensor, a monitoring camera, an emergency call device, and a window opening / closing sensor which constitute a monitoring system for notifying a user of occurrence of an abnormality within a monitoring area. The terminal device 12 is operated by a battery 1200. In the terminal device 12, storage means 1211 stores an occurrence amount of an event which occurs during the operation of the terminal device 12 by power supplied from the battery 1200 and affects a residual life of the battery 1200. Determination means 1218 determines whether the battery 1200 is to be exchanged based on the occurrent amount of the event stored in the storage means 1211.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for monitoring the occurrence of an abnormality in a monitored area. [Background technology]

[0002] Surveillance systems for monitoring occurrence of abnormalities in a monitored area are becoming widespread. For example, surveillance systems operated in homes, stores, etc. are composed of terminal devices such as door and window opening / closing sensors for detecting intrusion of people, fire detectors for detecting fires, emergency notification devices for making emergency notifications in response to user operations, and surveillance cameras for recording when an abnormality occurs, and are equipped with a central device that receives information transmitted from these terminal devices. When the detection results of the terminal devices arranged at various locations within the monitored area indicate the occurrence of an abnormality, the central device notifies the user of the occurrence of the abnormality, for example, by sounding, emitting light, sending a notification to a specified address, etc.

[0003] A terminal device included in a monitoring system may be installed in a location where it is difficult to receive power from a commercial power source, and such a terminal device operates on power supplied from a battery.

[0004] Many terminal devices that run on batteries are equipped with a function for measuring the voltage or current value of the battery, and issuing a notification to prompt the user to replace the battery (or the terminal device itself) when the measured voltage or current value falls below a threshold value. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a fire alarm that measures the battery voltage at predetermined time intervals, and outputs a low-battery alarm when the measured battery voltage value falls below a preset threshold value a predetermined number of times in succession and then recovers to above the threshold value. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-134973 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Monitoring systems often operate in an environment where the user is not present. Therefore, when a user is prompted to replace the battery or the terminal device itself (hereinafter, for convenience, referred to as "battery replacement") based on the battery voltage or current value, the user is not necessarily able to replace the battery promptly. Therefore, after being prompted to replace the battery, the remaining battery level may fall below the limit battery level that ensures normal operation before the battery replacement is performed, causing the operation of the terminal device to become unstable, resulting in an operation error or operation stop (hereinafter, for convenience, referred to as "battery exhaustion").

[0007] In order to avoid the above-mentioned battery running out, for example, monitoring systems equipped with a function of notifying the user to replace the battery at a timing well before the average battery life is reached are in widespread use. For example, in the case of a terminal device that runs on a battery that can supply power for an average of 12 years, the battery is prompted to be replaced when the device has operated for 10 years on that battery. In this case, the user is given a long grace period for battery replacement, and the battery can be prevented from running out.

[0008] However, the battery of the terminal device deteriorates and the remaining life is shortened depending on the type of processing executed by the terminal device while it is operating on the battery, the number of occurrences or duration of the processing, and environmental parameters such as the temperature at which the terminal device (or battery) is placed. In addition, in some types of batteries such as lithium batteries, the output resistance increases as the remaining battery level decreases, and when the remaining battery level falls below the limit remaining battery level, a large voltage drop occurs due to processing according to user operations, etc., and there is a risk that the battery will run out without prompting for battery replacement. Therefore, in order to reliably avoid running out of the battery, taking into consideration cases where the frequency of use is higher than expected, it is necessary to prompt the user to replace the battery at a timing well before the average timing of battery running out, but there is a problem that the frequency of battery replacement increases. If the frequency of battery replacement increases, the cost of new batteries (or the terminal device itself) and labor costs for battery replacement work will increase, which is undesirable.

[0009] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a means for preventing the battery from running out in a terminal device of a monitoring system while reducing the frequency of battery replacement compared to the prior art. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention provides a monitoring system comprising a terminal device that operates on a battery and transmits information upon detection of an event, and a central device that receives information transmitted from the terminal device and manages information regarding the presence or absence of abnormalities in a monitored area based on the information, the monitoring system also comprising a determination means for determining whether or not the battery is in a state where it should be replaced based on the occurrence of events that affect the remaining life of the battery while the terminal device is operating on power supplied from the battery, and a notification means for performing processing to provide a notification depending on the result of the determination made by the determination means. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the monitoring system of the present invention, battery exhaustion in the terminal device is avoided, and the frequency of battery replacement is reduced as compared to the prior art. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a monitoring system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a central device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a central device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] 5 is a diagram showing a data configuration of a coefficient table stored in a storage unit of a terminal device according to an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a data configuration of a history table stored in a storage unit of a terminal device according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] [Embodiment] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a monitoring system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The monitoring system 1 is a system that continuously determines whether or not an abnormality such as a fire or the intrusion of a suspicious person has occurred in a monitored area, and if it determines that an abnormality has occurred, notifies a user such as a manager of the monitored area of ​​the occurrence of the abnormality.

[0014] The monitoring system 1 includes a central device 11 , one or more terminal devices 12 , and a relay device 13 .

[0015] The central device 11 is a device that receives information transmitted from the terminal devices 12 and manages information regarding the occurrence or non-occurrence of abnormalities in the monitored area based on the received information.

[0016] 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the central unit 11. The following describes the hardware configuration of the central unit 11. The relay unit 13 operates using power supplied from a commercial power source.

[0017] The processor 1101 performs data processing in accordance with a program stored in the memory 1102. The memory 1102 stores various data including the program executed by the processor 1101. The communication interface 1103 performs data communication with each of the terminal device 12 and the relay device 13 wirelessly or via wired communication.

[0018] The touch screen 1104 displays various information to the user and accepts touch operations by the user, thereby fulfilling the role of a user interface. The LED lamp 1105 lights up or blinks when an abnormality occurs, thereby fulfilling the role of notifying the user of the occurrence of an abnormality, etc. When the user notices that the LED lamp 1105 is lit up or blinking, the user can operate the touch screen 1104 and view the information displayed on the touch screen 1104 to learn more detailed information about the abnormality that has occurred.

[0019] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the central unit 11. The processor 1101 included in the hardware having the configuration shown in Fig. 2 processes data in accordance with a program for the central unit 11 according to this embodiment, thereby realizing the central unit 11 having the functional configuration units shown in Fig. 3. The mechanical configuration of the central unit 11 will be described below.

[0020] The storage means 1111 is realized by a memory 1102 that operates under the control of the processor 1101, and stores various data. The receiving means 1112 is realized by a communication interface 1103 that operates under the control of the processor 1101, and receives information transmitted from each of the terminal device 12 and the relay device 13. The transmitting means 1113 is realized by the communication interface 1103 that operates under the control of the processor 1101, and transmits various information to each of the terminal device 12 and the relay device 13. The management means 1114 is realized by the processor 1101, and manages information regarding the presence or absence of an abnormality in the monitoring area based on the information received by the receiving means 1112 from the terminal device 12.

[0021] The notification means 1115 is realized by the touch screen 1104, the LED lamp 1105, and the communication interface 1103 that operate under the control of the processor 1101, and performs processing for notifying the user of the occurrence of an abnormality, etc. The processing performed by the notification means 1115 includes turning on or blinking the LED lamp 1105, displaying information by the touch screen 1104, sending a notification of the occurrence of an abnormality to the smartphone 2 carried by the user, etc.

[0022] The terminal device 12 (see FIG. 1) is a device that runs on a battery and transmits to the central device 11 information regarding the occurrence of an abnormality in the monitoring area and the resolution of the abnormality.

[0023] When the monitoring system 1 includes a plurality of terminal devices 12, the functions of the plurality of terminal devices 12 may be different from each other. Below, typical examples of the plurality of terminal devices 12 having different functions are shown.

[0024] Fire detector: A terminal device 12 equipped with a sensor device for detecting fires, which notifies the central device 11 of the occurrence of a fire when it detects the occurrence of a fire. While the fire is being detected, an LED lamp is lit or flashes in a predetermined manner to notify nearby users of the occurrence of a fire.

[0025] Door opening / closing sensor: A terminal device 12 equipped with a sensor device that detects whether the door is open or closed, and that notifies the central device 11 of the door opening or closing when it detects that the door is open or closed. While the door is open, that is, after it detects that the door is open and before it detects that the door is closed, the LED lamp lights up or flashes in a specified manner to notify nearby users that the door is open.

[0026] Surveillance camera: A terminal device 12 equipped with a camera, which is a sensor device that continuously captures images using visible light and infrared light, and which sequentially transmits image data representing the captured images and information about objects detected from the images to the central device 11. During capture, an LED lamp is lit or blinks in a specified manner to notify nearby users that capture is in progress.

[0027] Emergency notification device: A terminal device 12 that has a button that the user presses when an abnormality occurs, and when the button is pressed (emergency operation), starts notifying the central device 11 of the occurrence of the abnormality. When an emergency operation is performed, the LED lamp is turned on or blinked in a predetermined manner to notify nearby users that an abnormality has occurred. In addition, when the button is pressed again during the above abnormality notification, the central device 11 is notified that the abnormality has been resolved, and the LED lamp stops turning on or blinking.

[0028] Window opening / closing sensor: A terminal device 12 equipped with a sensor device that detects whether a window is open or closed, and upon detecting the opening or closing of the window, notifies the central device 11 of the opening or closing of the window. While the window is open, that is, after detecting that the window has been opened and before detecting that the window has been closed, the LED lamp is lit or blinks in a predetermined manner to notify nearby users that the door is open.

[0029] 4 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the terminal device 12. The hardware configuration of the terminal device 12 will be described below.

[0030] The battery 1200 supplies stored power to other components of the terminal device 12. The processor 1201 performs data processing in accordance with programs stored in the memory 1202. The memory 1202 stores various data including the programs executed by the processor 1201. The communication interface 1203 performs data communication with the central device 11 wirelessly or via wired communication.

[0031] The button 1204 is an operator to be pressed by the user, and is provided according to the type of the terminal device 12. The LED lamp 1205 lights up or blinks in a manner according to the situation of the terminal device 12, and serves to notify the user of the situation. The voltmeter 1206 measures the voltage of the power supplied from the battery 1200. The thermometer 1207 measures the ambient temperature (an example of an environmental parameter that affects the remaining life of the battery 1200) which is the installation environment of the terminal device 12.

[0032] The sensor device 1208 is a device provided according to the type of the terminal device 12. For example, if the terminal device 12 is a fire detector, as described above, the sensor device 1208 is a device that detects a fire. Some types of terminal devices 12, such as the above-mentioned emergency notification device, do not require the sensor device 1208. Such terminal devices 12 do not include the sensor device 1208.

[0033] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the terminal device 12. The processor 1201 included in the hardware having the configuration shown in Fig. 4 performs data processing according to a program for the terminal device 12 according to this embodiment, thereby realizing the terminal device 12 having the functional configuration units shown in Fig. 5. The mechanical configuration of the terminal device 12 will be described below.

[0034] The storage unit 1211 is realized by the memory 1202 that operates under the control of the processor 1201, and stores various data. The operation unit 1212 is realized by the button 1204 that operates under the control of the processor 1201, and accepts user operations.

[0035] The first measuring means 1213 is realized by a voltmeter 1206 that operates under the control of the processor 1201, and measures the voltage value of the power supplied from the battery 1200. The second measuring means 1214 is realized by a thermometer 1207 that operates under the control of the processor 1201, and measures the surrounding temperature. The third measuring means 1215 is realized by a sensor device 1208 that operates under the control of the processor 1201, and performs detection of anomalies according to the type of the terminal device 12. Note that if the terminal device 12 is an emergency notification device or the like, the terminal device 12 does not need to include the third measuring means 1215.

[0036] The transmitting means 1216 is realized by the communication interface 1203 that operates under the control of the processor 1201, and transmits information to the central device 11 upon detection of an event.

[0037] The time measuring means 1217 is realized by the processor 1201 having a clock, and continuously measures the elapsed time from a reference time (for example, the timing when the terminal device 12 is started and the battery 1200 starts supplying power to the processor 1201), and measures the operating time of the terminal device 12 by integrating the measured elapsed time. The determination means 1218 is realized by the processor 1201, and determines whether the battery 1200 should be replaced based on history information (described later) stored in the storage means 1211. The notification means 1219 is realized by an LED lamp 1205 that operates under the control of the processor 1201, and notifies a nearby user of the situation in which the terminal device 12 is placed.

[0038] When the voltage value measured by the first measuring means 1213 satisfies a predetermined condition, the resetting means 1220 resets the history information stored in the storage means 1211. In the present application, resetting information such as history information broadly means a process of invalidating past information. In other words, to reset information, for example, any of a process of deleting information stored at that time from the storage means 1211, a process of adding information indicating invalidity to the information stored at that time in the storage means 1211, and the like may be adopted.

[0039] 6 is a diagram showing the data configuration of the coefficient table stored in the storage means 1211. The coefficient table is a data table that stores the types of events that may occur while the terminal device 12 is operating on power supplied from the battery 1200 and that affect the remaining life of the battery 1200, in association with coefficients corresponding to the types of events. For example, the terminal device 12 is shipped from a factory with information stored in the coefficient table.

[0040] The coefficient table has data fields of "event type", "unit", and "coefficient".

[0041] The data field "event type" stores information that identifies the type of event. The type of event indicated by the information stored in the data field "event type" is an event that affects the remaining life of the battery 1200. Therefore, the type of event indicated by the information stored in the data field "event type" varies depending on the type of processing performed by the terminal device 12.

[0042] For example, the type of event may include different types depending on the type of information (e.g., sensor alert transmission, sensor abnormality transmission, periodic transmission for life check, etc.) that the transmission means 1216 transmits to the central device 11. Also, the type of event may include different types depending on the type of processing performed by the notification means 1219 (e.g., continuous lighting of the LED lamp 1205, blinking of the LED lamp 1205 according to a first pattern, blinking of the LED lamp 1205 according to a second pattern, etc.).

[0043] The types of events may include different types depending on the type of processing performed by the third measuring means 1215 (such as processing for detecting a fire when the terminal device 12 is a fire detector, or processing for photographing when the terminal device 12 is a surveillance camera). The types of events may include different types depending on the processing performed by components other than the components already described among the components included in the terminal device 12 (such as processing for accepting a user's operation by the operating means 1212, or processing for writing data by the storage means 1211).

[0044] Furthermore, the types of events are not limited to those related to special processing, but may include normal operations that continue at all times.

[0045] The types of events may include different types according to a combination of the above-mentioned operation of the terminal device 12 and the value of an environmental parameter (temperature in this embodiment) measured by the second measuring means 1214. For example, the remaining life of the battery 1200 may decrease by different times when the terminal device 12 transmits a sensor alert in a low temperature environment and when the terminal device 12 transmits a sensor alert in a high temperature environment. In that case, these may be treated as different types of events, such as "sensor alert transmission: -10 degrees Celsius to 0 degrees Celsius" and "sensor alert transmission: 0 degrees Celsius to 10 degrees Celsius".

[0046] The data field "unit" stores information indicating the unit used to count the amount of occurrence of an event according to the type of event. The amount of occurrence of an event means the number of times an event occurred or the duration of an event that occurred. Therefore, the data field "unit" stores, for example, "times" which means the number of times, "1 hour" which means an hourly unit, "1 day" which means a daily unit, "1 week" which means a weekly unit, etc.

[0047] The data field "coefficient" stores a numerical value indicating an estimate of the time that the remaining life of battery 1200 will be reduced due to an event of the type indicated by the information stored in the data field "event type" when that event occurs in the amount of occurrence indicated by the information stored in the data field "unit".

[0048] The time to reduce the remaining life of the battery 1200 depending on the type of event is estimated, for example, by a method of measuring the amount of power consumed when a new battery 1200 is inserted in a test terminal device 12 and that type of event is executed for a unit amount (once, one hour, etc.).

[0049] For example, if terminal device 12 has button 1204, and it is estimated that the remaining life of battery 1200 is reduced by one hour each time button 1204 is pressed by the user, the coefficient table will include a data record in which data field "event type" stores "button press", indicating an event in which button 1204 accepts a user operation, data field "unit" stores "times", indicating the number of times, and data field "coefficient" stores "1 hour", indicating that the remaining life of battery 1200 is reduced by one hour each time button 1204 is pressed.

[0050] Also, for example, if after the terminal device 12 detects an abnormality, it continuously notifies the central device 11 of the abnormality until the user presses button 1204, and it is estimated that the remaining life of the battery 1200 will be shortened by 2 hours for every minute that the abnormality notification continues, the coefficient table will include a data record in which the data field "event type" stores "abnormality notification", indicating an event that an abnormality notification was made, the data field "unit" stores "1 minute", meaning a 1-minute unit, and the data field "coefficient" stores "2 hours", indicating that the remaining life of the battery 1200 will be shortened by 2 hours for every minute that the abnormality notification continues.

[0051] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the data configuration of the history table stored in the storage means 1211. The history table is a data table that stores the type of event that actually occurred while the terminal device 12 was operating on the power supplied from the battery 1200 and that affects the remaining life of the battery 1200 in association with the occurrence rate of the event of that type. Hereinafter, information stored in the history table is referred to as history information. For example, the terminal device 12 is shipped from the factory in a state where no history information is stored in the history table. However, when the terminal device 12 is shipped from the factory in a state where processing such as an operation test has been performed, history information related to the processing may be stored in the history table at the time of shipment from the factory. In that case, the remaining life of the terminal device 12 reflects the power consumption associated with the operation test performed before the start of actual operation.

[0052] The relay device 13 (see FIG. 1) relays data communication between the central device 11 and the smartphone 2. In this embodiment, the central device 11 and the terminal device 12 perform data communication according to a communication protocol different from the Internet protocol. Therefore, the central device 11 cannot connect to the Internet. The relay device 13 connects to the Internet in place of the central device 11, which cannot connect to the Internet, and performs data communication with the smartphone 2.

[0053] The smartphone 2 is a terminal device carried by a user, and performs data communication with the monitoring system 1 via the Internet. If an abnormality occurs within the monitored area, the user can be informed of the occurrence of the abnormality by the notification of the abnormality received by the smartphone 2 from the monitoring system 1.

[0054] The monitoring system 1 is characterized mainly by the processing performed by the determination means 1218 and the reset means 1220 of the terminal device 12. Therefore, the following will explain the part of the operation of the monitoring system 1 that is related to the processing performed by the determination means 1218 and the reset means 1220 of the terminal device 12.

[0055] First, an installer (or a user) installs the central device 11, the terminal devices 12, and the relay devices 13 at appropriate positions in the monitoring area. At that time, the installer loads new batteries 1200 into each of the terminal devices 12. With the loading of the batteries 1200, power supply to each component of the terminal devices 12 other than the battery 1200 is started. With the start of power supply, the clocking means 1217 starts clocking. The clocking means 1217 sequentially accumulates the clocked time, and stores the accumulated time in the storage means 1211 as the operating time of the terminal devices 12 every time a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0056] Furthermore, when the supply of power starts, the first measuring means 1213 measures the voltage value of the power supplied from the battery 1200. The first measuring means 1213 measures the voltage value every time a predetermined time elapses, and stores the measured voltage value in the storage means 1211. Note that the measurement of the voltage value is not limited to every time a predetermined time elapses, and may be performed every time an event occurs, such as the transmission of various notifications, for example.

[0057] The resetting means 1220 determines whether or not to reset the historical information stored in the memory means 1211 and the operating time of the terminal device 12 based on whether or not the voltage value measured by the first measuring means 1213 immediately after the battery 1200 is loaded into the terminal device 12 satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0058] For example, if the voltage value measured by the first measuring means 1213 immediately after the battery 1200 is loaded into the terminal device 12 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value (hereinafter referred to as the "reset threshold value") corresponding to the supply voltage value of a new battery, the resetting means 1220 resets the history information and operating time stored in the storage means 1211. After that, information is stored in the history table (FIG. 7) in which no history information is stored, and the timing means 1217 starts timing a new operating time.

[0059] On the other hand, if the voltage value measured by the first measuring means 1213 immediately after the battery 1200 is loaded into the terminal device 12 is less than the reset threshold, the resetting means 1220 does not reset the history information and operating time stored in the storage means 1211. Therefore, after that, information is stored or updated in the history table (FIG. 7) in which some history information has already been stored, and the operating time is measured by adding time to the operating time measured by the timing means 1217.

[0060] The predetermined condition used for the judgment of the resetting means 1220 is not limited to the above-mentioned condition of whether or not the voltage value measured by the first measuring means 1213 immediately after the battery 1200 is loaded into the terminal device 12 is equal to or greater than the reset threshold. For example, a condition such as whether or not the average value of a plurality of voltage values ​​measured by the first measuring means 1213 after the battery 1200 is loaded into the terminal device 12 is equal to or greater than the reset threshold, or a condition such as whether or not the voltage value measured by the first measuring means 1213 after the battery 1200 is loaded into the terminal device 12 is equal to or greater than the reset threshold a predetermined number of times in succession may be adopted. In addition to the voltage value, information other than the voltage value, such as the temperature measured by the second measuring means 1214 immediately after the battery 1200 is loaded into the terminal device 12, may be used for the judgment of the resetting means 1220.

[0061] In addition, when the power supply starts, the operation of each component of the terminal device 12 starts, and when an event of a type indicated by the information stored in the data field "event type" of the coefficient table (Figure 6) occurs, the history table is updated according to the event.

[0062] The determining means 1218 determines whether the battery 1200 should be replaced every time a predetermined time (e.g., one second) elapses, based on the history information stored in the history table at that time. Note that the determination of whether the battery 1200 should be replaced is not limited to every time a predetermined time elapses, and may be performed every time an event occurs, such as the transmission of various notifications, for example.

[0063] For example, the judgment means 1218 judges that the battery 1200 should be replaced if the following conditional formula 1 is satisfied, and judges that the battery 1200 should not be replaced if the following conditional formula 1 is not satisfied.

[0064] Threshold T<operating time t+Σ(generation amount q × coefficient c) (conditional formula 1)

[0065] Here, the threshold T is a threshold related to time for determining whether or not battery replacement is necessary, and is a threshold obtained by subtracting a predetermined time (or a predetermined ratio of the total life) from the time corresponding to the total life of a new battery 1200. Note that the total life of the battery 1200 means the time it takes for the terminal device 12 to run out of battery after a new battery 1200 is loaded and operates under an average usage environment.

[0066] Moreover, the operating time t is the operating time measured by the timing means 1217 and stored in the storage means 1211 .

[0067] Furthermore, the occurrence amount q is the numerical value stored in the data field "occurrence amount" for each data record in the history table (Fig. 7). Furthermore, the coefficient c is the numerical value stored in the data field "coefficient" of the data record of the event type corresponding to the occurrence amount q among the data records in the coefficient table (Fig. 6). Furthermore, Σ means the sum of the values ​​(occurrence amount q x coefficient c) calculated for each data record in the history table.

[0068] For example, if the only type of event whose occurrence amount is recorded in the history information is "button press", the threshold T is "50,000 hours", the operating time t is "100 hours", the occurrence amount q corresponding to "button press" is "10 times", and the "coefficient c" corresponding to "button press" is "1 hour", then first, "Σ(occurrence amount q × coefficient c)" is (10 times × 1 hour = 10 hours). This 10 hours is the estimated value of the amount of power consumed due to the occurrence of an event other than normal operation, namely pressing a button, converted into the operating time of normal operation.

[0069] And, the right side of the conditional expression 1, "operating time t + Σ (amount generated q × coefficient c)" is (100 hours + 10 hours = 110 hours). This 110 hours means the estimated time of decrease in the remaining life of the battery 1200, taking into consideration the occurrence of an event other than normal operation, such as pressing a button. Hereinafter, this "operating time t + Σ (amount generated q × coefficient c)" will be referred to as the "deemed operating time".

[0070] Then, the determination means 1218 determines whether or not battery replacement is necessary depending on whether the deemed operating time "110 hours" has reached the threshold value T "50000 hours." In this case, the determination means 1218 determines that battery replacement is not necessary.

[0071] The above-mentioned conditional expression 1 can be transformed into the following conditional expression 2.

[0072] Threshold T - operating time t - Σ (generation amount q × coefficient c) < 0 (conditional formula 2)

[0073] The left side of conditional formula 2 means an estimated value of the remaining life of the battery 1200 taking into consideration the event that has occurred. That is, in this embodiment, the determining means 1218 estimates the remaining life of the battery 1200 based on history information, and compares the estimated remaining life with a threshold value (0 in conditional formula 2) to determine whether the battery 1200 is in a state where it should be replaced. Note that, as is clear from conditional formulas 1 and 2, comparing the deemed operating time with the threshold value T is synonymous with estimating the remaining life.

[0074] When the determination means 1218 determines that conditional formula 1 (or a conditional formula equivalent to conditional formula 1, such as conditional formula 2) is satisfied and that the battery 1200 should be replaced, it instructs the notification means 1219 to perform a notification operation to prompt the user to replace the battery. In accordance with this instruction, the notification means 1219 flashes the LED lamp 1205 according to a predetermined pattern (for example, flashing seven times at one-second intervals every 30 minutes), thereby prompting a nearby user to replace the battery 1200. This operation of the notification means 1219 to prompt the user to replace the battery continues until the battery 1200 is replaced.

[0075] Furthermore, when the determination means 1218 determines that conditional formula 1 (or a conditional formula equivalent to conditional formula 1, such as conditional formula 2) is satisfied and the battery 1200 is in a state where it should be replaced, it instructs the transmission means 1216 to transmit a notification of the arrival of the time to replace the battery to the central unit 11. In accordance with this instruction, the transmission means 1216 transmits a notification of the arrival of the time to replace the battery of the terminal device 12 to the central unit 11. When the central unit 11 receives the notification of the arrival of the time to replace the battery transmitted from the terminal device 12, in response to the notification, it performs processing by the notification means 1115 for a notification to the user urging them to replace the battery (an example of a notification in response to the result of the determination by the determination means).

[0076] For example, the notification means 1115 blinks the LED lamp 1105 according to a predetermined pattern (for example, seven blinks at one-second intervals every five minutes), or displays text or an image notifying the user of the terminal device 12 that needs battery replacement in response to a user's touch operation on the touch screen 1104. Furthermore, the notification means 1115 transmits a notification urging the user to replace the battery to the smartphone 2 via the relay device 13 by the transmission means 1113. This notification may include information indicating the terminal device 12 that needs battery replacement.

[0077] The user replaces the battery 1200 of the terminal device 12 that requires battery replacement in response to a notification by the notification means 1219 of the terminal device 12 or the notification means 1115 of the central device 11. Note that the battery replacement work may be performed by, for example, an installation worker or the like at the request of the user.

[0078] When a battery replacement is performed in the terminal device 12, the resetting means 1220 resets the history information stored in the storage means 1211 and the operating time of the terminal device 12. Thereafter, the determining means 1218 performs a determination regarding the new battery 1200 every time a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0079] In addition, the determining means 1218 performs a normal battery dead determination based on the voltage value measured by the first measuring means 1213 in parallel with the determination based on the history information described above.

[0080] Ordinary battery dead determination is performed, for example, by comparing the voltage value measured by the first measuring means 1213 with a predetermined threshold value corresponding to the voltage value of a battery whose remaining life approaches zero. If the voltage value last measured by the first measuring means 1213 is equal to or lower than the threshold value, the determining means 1218 determines that the battery 1200 should be replaced, and performs the same processing as when it is determined that the battery 1200 should be replaced in the determination based on the history information described above.

[0081] However, the content of the notification to the user to encourage battery replacement may be different depending on whether the result of the determination based on the history information is followed or whether the result of the normal battery depletion determination is followed. For example, when the result of the determination based on the history information is followed, the touch screen 1104 or the smartphone 2 may display a message such as "It is time to replace the battery in the terminal device (## number). Please replace the battery within XX days.", whereas when the result of the normal battery depletion determination is followed, the touch screen 1104 or the smartphone 2 may display a message such as "The battery remaining in the terminal device (## number) will soon run out. Please replace the battery immediately.". Note that the content of the message notified to the user as described above may change over time, etc.

[0082] According to the above-described monitoring system 1, the user is prompted to replace the battery based on the assumed operating time of the battery 1200, which takes into consideration the reduction in the remaining life of the battery 1200 due to the event that has occurred. This makes it possible to prevent the remaining charge of the battery 1200 from reaching the limit battery charge earlier than expected, causing the operation of the terminal device 12 to become unstable or stop, preventing emergency calls, etc. from being made, and also makes it possible to suppress the user from being prompted to replace the battery 1200 when it has a long remaining life.

[0083] [Variations] The above-described embodiment is one embodiment of the present invention, and may be modified in various ways within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. Examples of such modifications are shown below. Note that two or more of the modifications shown below may be combined as appropriate.

[0084] (1) In the above-described embodiment, the monitoring system 1 is configured to include the central device 11, the terminal device 12, and the relay device 13. However, the configuration of the monitoring system 1 may be modified in various ways.

[0085] For example, the central device 11 may also function as the relay device 13. In addition, when the central device 11 and the terminal device 12 perform data communication according to the Internet Protocol, the central device 11 may perform data communication with the smartphone 2 via the Internet without the relay device 13. In this case, the relay device 13 is not necessary.

[0086] Furthermore, the monitoring system 1 may include a server device (or a group of server devices) that performs data communication with the central device 11 via, for example, the relay device 13, and the server device may transmit notifications to the smartphone 2, etc. In this case, the server device may be shared by multiple monitoring systems 1.

[0087] (2) In the above-described embodiment, a part of the processing performed by the terminal device 12 may be performed by another device constituting the monitoring system 1. For example, the central device 11 may include a determination means, and the processing performed by the determination means 1218 of the terminal device 12 may be performed by the determination means of the central device 11. In this case, the terminal device 12 transmits to the central device 11 history information indicating the type and occurrence amount of events newly generated since the previous transmission, and the operating time at that time, for example, every time a predetermined time has elapsed. When the central device 11 receives the history information transmitted from the terminal device 12, it updates the history table stored in the storage means 1111 according to the received history information. Furthermore, when the central device 11 receives the operating time transmitted from the terminal device 12, it updates the operating time stored in the storage means 1111 with the received operating time. Furthermore, the storage means 1111 stores a coefficient table in advance.

[0088] The determination means of the central unit 11 determines, for example, every time a predetermined time has elapsed, whether or not the battery 1200 should be replaced, using the history information stored in the history table, the operating time, and the coefficients stored in the coefficient table. When the central unit 11 determines that the battery 1200 should be replaced, it performs processing for notification by the notification means 1115 and transmits a notification of the arrival of the time for battery replacement to the terminal device 12 that requires battery replacement.

[0089] In this modified example, the terminal device 12 includes a receiving means for receiving information transmitted from the central device 11. When the terminal device 12 receives the notification of the arrival of the time to replace the battery transmitted from the central device 11 by the receiving means, the terminal device 12 performs processing for notification by the notification means 1219.

[0090] Furthermore, the server device described in the modification (1) may include a determination means, and the process that is to be performed by the determination means 1218 of the terminal device 12 may be performed by the determination means of the server device.

[0091] (3) In the above-described embodiment, the determination means 1218 estimates the remaining life of the battery 1200 based on the history information, and compares the estimated remaining life with a threshold value to determine whether the battery 1200 is in a state where it should be replaced. As long as the determination means 1218 determines whether the battery 1200 is in a state where it should be replaced based on the history information, the method of determination performed by the determination means 1218 is not limited to the method exemplified in the above-described embodiment.

[0092] For example, the determination means 1218 may estimate the remaining power of the battery 1200 based on the history information, and compare the estimated remaining power with a threshold value to determine whether the battery 1200 is in a state where it should be replaced.

[0093] In this case, the coefficients stored in the coefficient table may be values ​​that indicate the amount of power consumed when an event occurs at a rate of one unit, for example.

[0094] In this case, the estimated remaining power may be information that directly represents the remaining power, such as WA (watt-hours), or may be information that is expressed in other units.

[0095] For example, the determination means 1218 may estimate the remaining power amount of the battery 1200 when the amount of power consumed in response to the occurrence of a reference type of event (e.g., a periodic transmission that periodically notifies the current state of the terminal device 12 without requiring user operation, etc.; hereinafter referred to as a "reference event") is taken as a unit amount of power.

[0096] In that case, for example, the judgment means 1218 judges that the battery 1200 is in a state where it should be replaced if the following conditional expression 3 is satisfied, and that the battery 1200 is not in a state where it should be replaced if the following conditional expression 3 is not satisfied.

[0097] Threshold C<Normal operation conversion frequency a+Σ(Amount generated q × Coefficient c) (Conditional formula 3)

[0098] Here, the threshold C is a threshold obtained by subtracting a predetermined value (or a predetermined ratio value) from a value obtained by dividing the average amount of power stored in the new battery 1200 by the average amount of power consumption associated with one reference event (e.g., periodic transmission). In other words, the threshold C indicates the number of times the reference event can be reliably executed with the power stored in the new battery 1200.

[0099] The normal operation conversion count a is a value obtained by dividing an estimated value of the power consumption when the terminal device 12 operates only during the operating time without occurrence of any event other than the normal operation by the power consumption associated with one reference event (e.g., periodic transmission). In other words, the normal operation conversion count a indicates how many reference events' worth of power is estimated to have been consumed by the past normal operation (operation without any special event) of the terminal device 12.

[0100] In addition, the coefficient c in this case is the average power consumption when one unit of an event of the type corresponding to the coefficient c occurs, divided by the average power consumption associated with one reference event (e.g., periodic transmission). In other words, the coefficient c in this case indicates how many reference events' worth of power is estimated to be consumed in association with one event of each type.

[0101] The above-mentioned conditional expression 3 can be transformed into the following conditional expression 4.

[0102] Threshold C - normal operation conversion count a - Σ (generation amount q × coefficient c) < 0 (conditional formula 4)

[0103] The left side of conditional expression 4 means a value that takes into account the power consumption associated with an event and estimates the remaining power of the battery 1200 based on the number of times a reference event can be executed. That is, in this modified example, the determining means 1218 estimates the remaining power of the battery 1200 as the number of times a reference event can be executed based on history information, and compares the estimated remaining power (the number of times a reference event can be executed) with a threshold value (0 in conditional expression 4) to determine whether the battery 1200 should be replaced.

[0104] (4) The determining means 1218 may use a learning model to determine whether the battery 1200 is in a state where it should be replaced.

[0105] In this variant, a learning model M is generated by machine learning using learning data in which explanatory variables include information indicating the type of event that affects the remaining life of battery 1200 and the occurrence rate of events of that type that occurred while terminal device 12 or a device of the same type as terminal device 12 was operating on battery 1200 or a battery of the same type as battery 1200, and information for determining whether battery 1200 is in a state where it should be replaced is used as a target variable.

[0106] Examples of the information indicating the type of event and the occurrence rate of the event of that type, which is an explanatory variable, include information on all events that have occurred up to the present, etc. Examples of the information for determining whether the battery 1200 is in a state where it should be replaced, which is an objective variable, include, but are not limited to, information indicating whether the battery 1200 should be replaced, information indicating an estimated value of the remaining life of the battery 1200 or an estimated value of the life already consumed, information indicating an estimated value of the remaining amount of power of the battery 1200 or an estimated value of the amount of power already consumed, etc.

[0107] The determination means 1218 inputs the history information as an explanatory variable to the learning model M, and determines whether or not the battery 1200 is in a state where it should be replaced, based on the information output by the learning model M as a target variable.

[0108] The learning model M may be updated during the operation of the terminal device 12. In this case, learning data may be used to learn (update) the learning model M, the learning data including the type of event that occurred during actual operation of the terminal device 12 and the occurrence rate of the event as explanatory variables, and the amount of power consumption or remaining life reduction time associated with the event estimated from a voltage value measured before and after the occurrence of the event as a response variable. The learning data generated by each of multiple terminal devices 12 of the same type may be shared among the multiple terminal devices 12.

[0109] The learning model M may be updated by the terminal device 12, or may be updated by a device other than the terminal device 12, such as the central device 11 or the server device described in the modification (1). When the learning model M is updated by a device other than the terminal device 12, the terminal device 12 may transmit the learning data generated by the device itself to a device that updates the learning model M.

[0110] Furthermore, when the learning model M is updated by a server device, the learning model M may be shared by multiple different monitoring systems 1. In this case, the learning model M may be updated using learning data collected by the server device from the terminal devices 12 of the multiple different monitoring systems 1.

[0111] As described in the modified example (2), the determination process that is to be performed by the determination means 1218 of the terminal device 12 may be performed by a device other than the terminal device 12. Therefore, the determination using the learning model M may be performed by the central device 11 or the server device described in the modified example (1), etc.

[0112] (5) In the above-described embodiment, the coefficients may be weighted by weights according to the occurrence amount of each event type stored in the history table and the remaining life (or remaining power) estimated from the occurrence amount. In many types of batteries, the greater the occurrence amount of events in the terminal device 12, the more the battery 1200 deteriorates, and the decrease in the remaining life (or power consumption) increases when the same type of event occurs at the same occurrence amount. In such a case, the greater the occurrence amount of each event type, the greater the weight is multiplied to the coefficient, and the smaller the estimated value of the remaining life (or remaining power) calculated from the occurrence amount according to all event types, the greater the weight is multiplied to the coefficient, and the greater the coefficient is. This makes it possible to specify the timing for replacing the battery 1200 with higher accuracy.

[0113] For example, the determining means 1218 may determine whether or not battery replacement is necessary according to the following conditional expression 5.

[0114] Threshold T<operation time t+Σ(generation amount q × coefficient c × weight w(q)) (conditional formula 5)

[0115] Here, the weight w(q) is a function of the occurrence amount q, and for example, the weight w(q) increases as the occurrence amount q increases. In this case, when the occurrence amount q of event type A is between 0 and less than 50, the weight w(q) is set to "1," when the occurrence amount q is between 50 and less than 100, the weight w(q) is set to "1.1," ... so that the weight w may change stepwise according to the change in the occurrence amount q, or the weight w may change continuously according to the occurrence amount q, as in w(q) = a × q (where a is a constant).

[0116] (6) In the above-described embodiment, when the resetting means 1220 resets the history information, the occurrence amount is always set to 0. Instead of this, the resetting means 1220 may store the number of resets executed in the past, and may set the occurrence amount of the history information to a different initial value according to the number of resets at the time of resetting. In this case, a configuration may be adopted in which a predetermined initial value is used according to the number of resets (for example, at the first reset, the initial value of the event type A is set to 10, and at the second reset, the initial value of the event type A is set to 20, etc.), or a configuration may be adopted in which an initial value calculated based on the occurrence amount indicated by the history information before the reset is used (for example, if the occurrence amount of the event type A before the first reset is 1000, the initial value of the event type A is set to 100, which is obtained by multiplying 1000 by 0.1, and if the occurrence amount of the event type A before the second reset is 1500, the initial value of the event type is set to 300, which is obtained by multiplying 1500 by 0.2, etc.).

[0117] Furthermore, when resetting means 1220 performs a reset, a different initial value may be set for the amount of history information generated depending on the voltage value measured by first measuring means immediately after battery 1200 is loaded into terminal device 12. For example, if the voltage value of battery 1200 loaded into terminal device 12 is 5% lower than the voltage value of an average new battery 1200, 95% of the amount generated before resetting may be reset and 5% may be set as the initial value, if it is 15% lower, 85% of the amount generated before resetting may be reset and 15% may be set as the initial value, etc. In this way, a portion of the amount generated before resetting may be left after resetting in a ratio that changes depending on the voltage value.

[0118] In addition, if the terminal device 12 is equipped with a measuring means for measuring a voltage value other than the first measuring means, the initial value may be set according to the voltage value measured by that measuring means instead of the voltage value measured by the first measuring means.

[0119] Furthermore, when the resetting means 1220 performs a reset, instead of changing the initial value of the generation amount in the history information in accordance with the number of past resets, the voltage value at the time of reset, etc., the determining means 1218 may change a threshold value used for the determination (for example, the threshold value T in conditional formula 1 or the threshold value C in conditional formula 3), the initial value of the operating time t (conditional formula 1), or the normal operation conversion number a (conditional formula 3).

[0120] According to this modification, even in cases where the battery 1200 is a secondary battery and the amount of stored power in the battery 1200 when fully charged decreases as the number of times it has been charged in the past increases, the desirable timing for battery replacement can be identified with high accuracy.

[0121] (7) In the above embodiment, the history information is stored in the storage means 1211, but the history information does not have to be stored in the storage means 1211. For example, the determination means 1218 may estimate the decrease time of the remaining life of the battery 1200 from the occurrence amount of the event and a coefficient corresponding to the event for each occurrence of the event, and add the estimated value of the decrease time to the deemed operation time stored in the storage means 1211 at that time to update the deemed operation time stored in the storage means 1211. Also, the determination means 1218 may estimate the decrease time of the remaining life of the battery 1200 from the occurrence amount of the event and a coefficient corresponding to the event for each occurrence of the event, and subtract the estimated value of the decrease amount from the remaining life stored in the storage means 1211 at that time to update the remaining life stored in the storage means 1211. Also, the above modification (3) and this modification may be combined, and the storage means 1211 may store the remaining power amount instead of the remaining life.

[0122] In this modification, the resetting means 1220 resets the information related to the remaining life or remaining energy stored in the storage means 1211 (such as the deemed operating time, remaining life, remaining energy, etc.) instead of resetting the history information.

[0123] (8) In the above-described embodiment, the notification means 1115 of the central device 11 notifies the user that it is time to replace the battery by turning on or blinking the LED lamp 1105, displaying information on the touch screen 1104, and transmitting a notification to the smartphone 2 by the transmission means 1113. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the notification means 1219 of the terminal device 12 notifies the user that it is time to replace the battery by turning on or blinking the LED lamp 1205. These notification methods are merely examples, and the user may be notified of the arrival of the time to replace the battery by other methods.

[0124] For example, the central device 11 or the terminal device 12 may be provided with a sound generating device such as a buzzer or speaker, and may notify the user of the need to replace the battery by emitting a notification sound or a voice message from the sound generating device.

[0125] (9) In the above-described embodiment, temperature is used as the environmental parameter that affects the remaining life of the battery 1200. However, an environmental parameter other than temperature may be used in addition to or instead of temperature. For example, the terminal device 12 may include a hygrometer, and the humidity measured by the hygrometer may be used as the value of the environmental parameter.

[0126] (10) In the above-described embodiment, the voltage value of the power supplied from the battery 1200 is used as information for estimating the remaining power of the battery 1200. However, in addition to or instead of this, the current value of the power supplied from the battery 1200 may be used. In this case, the terminal device 12 includes an ammeter and estimates the remaining power of the battery 1200 based on the current value measured by the ammeter.

[0127] (11) In the above-described embodiment, the battery of the terminal device 12 is replaceable. However, the battery of the terminal device 12 may not be replaceable, and instead of replacing the battery 1200, the terminal device 12 itself may be replaced.

[0128] (12) In the above-described embodiment, the central device 11 is equipped with a touch screen. However, instead of this, a configuration including a display without a touch function and physical controls, a configuration without a display, etc. may be adopted. If the central device 11 does not have a display, information for the user may be displayed on a display connected to the central device 11 by wire or wirelessly. Also, a terminal device such as a smartphone connected to the central device 11 by wire or wirelessly may serve as a user interface for the central device 11.

[0129] (13) When the sensor device 1208 included in the terminal device 12 measures the value of an environmental parameter such as temperature, the terminal device 12 may not include a thermometer 1207 or the like, and the value of the environmental parameter measured by the sensor device 1208 may be used. For example, when the terminal device 12 is a fire detector and measures temperature for fire detection, the temperature measured for fire detection may be used to identify the type of event.

[0130] (14) In the above embodiment, the number of types of events taken into consideration in estimating the remaining life (or remaining power) of battery 1200 is multiple, but the number may be one. Also, the event taken into consideration in estimating the remaining life (or remaining power) of battery 1200 may be a single event. In this case, it is not necessary to distinguish between types of events.

[0131] (15) In the above-described embodiment, the monitoring system 1 transmits a notification of an abnormality or the like to the smartphone 2, but the destination of the notification of an abnormality or the like is not limited to the smartphone 2. For example, the monitoring system 1 may notify a PC or the like installed in a monitoring center of the occurrence of an abnormality or the like. In this case, a monitor or the like monitoring the monitoring area will be aware of the occurrence of an abnormality or the like.

[0132] (16) In the above embodiment, the battery 1200 is included in the terminal device 12. However, the terminal device 12 may receive power from an external battery. [Explanation of symbols]

[0133] 1...monitoring system, 2...smartphone, 11...central device, 12...terminal device, 13...relay device, 1101...processor, 1102...memory, 1103...communication interface, 1104...touch screen, 1105...LED lamp, 1111...storage means, 1112...receiving means, 1113...transmitting means, 1114...management means, 1115...notification means, 1200...battery, 1201...processor, 1202... Memory, 1203...communication interface, 1204...button, 1205...LED lamp, 1206...voltmeter, 1207...thermometer, 1208...sensor device, 1211...storage means, 1212...operation means, 1213...first measurement means, 1214...second measurement means, 1215...third measurement means, 1216...transmission means, 1217...timing means, 1218...determination means, 1219...notification means, 1220...reset means.

Claims

1. A monitoring system comprising: a terminal device that is battery operated and transmits information when an event is detected; and a central device that receives the information transmitted from the terminal device and manages information regarding the presence or absence of an abnormality in a monitoring area based on the information, a determination means for determining whether or not the battery is in a state where it should be replaced based on an occurrence rate of events that affect the remaining life of the battery and that occur while the terminal device is operating on power supplied from the battery; a notification means for performing processing for notification according to a result of the determination by the determination means; A surveillance system comprising:

2. The determining means estimates a remaining life of the battery based on the occurrence rate of the events, and determines whether or not the battery should be replaced based on the remaining life. The monitoring system of claim 1 .

3. The determination means converts the occurrence amount of the event into a reduction time of the remaining life of the battery according to an effect that the occurrence of the event has on the remaining life of the battery, and performs the determination using the reduction time. The monitoring system of claim 1 .

4. a timer means for measuring an operating time of the terminal device; The determining means determines whether or not the battery should be replaced based on the sum of the operating time measured by the timing means and the decrease time. The monitoring system according to claim 3.

5. The determining means performs the conversion using a coefficient weighted by a weight that changes according to the occurrence rate of the event.

5. A monitoring system according to claim 3 or 4.

6. the terminal device is a terminal device that receives an operation by a user and notifies the central device of the occurrence of an abnormality; The determination means performs the determination by using the notification of the occurrence of the abnormality as the event. The monitoring system of claim 1 .

7. A storage means for storing a coefficient corresponding to a type of an event that has occurred, The determining means estimates the remaining life by using a value obtained by multiplying the occurrence rate of the event by a coefficient corresponding to the type of the event. The monitoring system of claim 2.

8. The determining means estimates a remaining amount of power in the battery based on the occurrence rate of the events, and determines whether or not the battery should be replaced based on the remaining amount of power. The monitoring system of claim 1 .

9. The determining means estimates the remaining power amount of the battery when the amount of power consumed in response to the occurrence of a reference type of event is set as a unit power amount. The monitoring system according to claim 8.

10. a storage means for storing a learning model machine-learned using learning data in which explanatory variables include information indicating an occurrence rate of events that occur while the terminal device or a device of the same type as the terminal device is operating with the battery or a battery of the same type as the battery, and information for determining whether the battery is in a state where it should be replaced is used as a target variable; The determination means determines whether the battery should be replaced based on information output from the learning model as a response variable when the occurrence amount of the event is input to the learning model as an explanatory variable. The monitoring system of claim 1 .

11. a measuring means for measuring values ​​of environmental parameters that affect the remaining life of the battery; The type of the event varies depending on the value of the environmental parameter measured by the measuring means at the time when the event occurs. The monitoring system of claim 1 .

12. A storage means for storing information regarding the amount of events that have occurred or the remaining life or remaining power of the battery that is specified based on the amount of events that have occurred. a measuring means for measuring at least one of a voltage value and a current value of the battery installed in the terminal device, and a resetting means for resetting the information stored in the memory means when at least one of the voltage value and the current value measured by the measuring means immediately after the battery is loaded into the terminal device satisfies a predetermined condition. The monitoring system of claim 1 .

13. Batteries and a transmitting means for transmitting information to a central device that manages information regarding the occurrence or non-occurrence of an abnormality in a monitoring area; a determination means for determining whether the battery should be replaced based on an occurrence rate of events that affect the remaining life of the battery; a notification means for performing processing for notification according to a result of the determination by the determination means; A terminal device comprising:

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