Designating method of address of fire alarm terminal, and fire alarm system

Abstract

To enable addresses of a plurality of fire alarm terminals to be readily designated, and occurrence of a designation error to be minimized.SOLUTION: A terminal address designation method includes a step of reading from a storage circuit a terminal designation table that lists records, which have pieces of information including addresses to be allocated to a plurality of fire alarm terminals are registered, in a predetermined order, a first receiving step of receiving a transmission signal including identification information of a fire alarm terminal, a first determination step of determining a connection order which signifies an order in which the fire alarm terminals are connected on a transmission line, an allocation step of registering the pieces of identification information of the fire alarm terminals in the terminal designation table to allocate the addresses to the pieces of identification information, and a transmission step of transmitting a designation signal, which prompts designation of an address, to the fire alarm terminals on the basis of the allocated addresses and the pieces of identification information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for setting an address of a fire alarm terminal and a fire alarm system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, methods for automatically setting an address to a terminal used in a fire alarm system have been known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 4). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-146404 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-123182 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-334358 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-369796 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with conventional technology, there were cases where the address set for a terminal was the same as an address already in use by another terminal. Address setting required workers to manually set the address for each device, which was time-consuming and prone to setting errors. Furthermore, terminals are assigned identification information called a unique code during factory production. While it was possible to identify terminals using such identification information, the identification information would be long in number, which could result in redundant communications and lengthen the overall monitoring time for multiple terminals.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and aims to make it possible to easily set addresses for multiple fire alarm terminals and to reduce the occurrence of setting errors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In a first aspect of the present invention, a method for setting addresses of a plurality of fire alarm terminals connected to a transmission line without branches, which is executed by a receiver of a fire alarm system, includes a step of reading from a storage circuit a terminal setting table configured by arranging in a predetermined order records in which information including the addresses to be assigned to the plurality of fire alarm terminals is registered; a first receiving step of communicating with each of the plurality of fire alarm terminals to receive a transmission signal including identification information of the fire alarm terminal; and a first determining step of determining a connection order indicating the order in which the plurality of fire alarm terminals are connected on the transmission line based on the transmission signals from the plurality of fire alarm terminals. and a transmission step of extracting one record at a time from the plurality of records in which the assigned addresses and the identification information are registered, and transmitting a setting signal to the fire alarm terminal corresponding to the identification information registered in the extracted record, for setting the address registered in the extracted record to the fire alarm terminal corresponding to the identification information registered in the extracted record.

[0007] In the first receiving step, the receiver may receive the transmission signal including the measurement results of the voltage of the transmission line measured by each of the fire alarm terminals, and in the first determining step, the connection order of the multiple fire alarm terminals may be determined by arranging the measurement results of the voltage of the multiple transmission lines in order of highest voltage or lowest voltage.

[0008] The first receiving step may include a first terminating step of terminating, before communicating with each of the plurality of fire alarm terminals, an end of the transmission line, which is different from one end of the transmission line for sending and receiving signals to and from the plurality of fire alarm terminals, with a first current generator so that a first current larger than the current flowing through the transmission line during normal monitoring of the plurality of fire alarm terminals flows through the transmission line.

[0009] The first receiving step may further include a switching step of switching the limit value of a current limiting circuit that limits the maximum value of the current flowing through the transmission line to a value greater than the limit value during normal monitoring before communicating with each of the plurality of fire alarm terminals.

[0010] In the first receiving step, communication is made with each of the plurality of fire alarm terminals from one end of the transmission line, and after executing the first receiving step and the first determination step, communication is made with each of the plurality of fire alarm terminals from the other end different from the one end of the transmission line to receive the transmission signal including the identification information of the fire alarm terminal; a second determination step is performed to determine the connection order indicating the order in which the plurality of fire alarm terminals are connected to the transmission line based on the transmission signal from the second receiving step; and a comparison step is performed to compare the connection order from the first determination step with the connection order from the second determination step, and in the assignment step, if the connection order from the first determination step matches the connection order from the second determination step, the identification information of the fire alarm terminal may be registered in the terminal setting table and assigned to the address.

[0011] The second receiving step may include a second termination step of terminating the one end of the transmission line with a second current generator so that a second current larger than the current flowing through the transmission line during normal monitoring of the multiple fire alarm terminals flows through the transmission line before communicating with each of the multiple fire alarm terminals.

[0012] The plurality of fire alarm terminals have, in an initial state, a switch circuit that disconnects the electrical connection with the transmission line at the subsequent stage, and the first receiving step includes the steps of communicating with a first fire alarm terminal connected to the transmission line to receive the transmission signal, transmitting a control signal to electrically connect the switch circuit of the first fire alarm terminal, communicating with a second fire alarm terminal at the subsequent stage of the first fire alarm terminal to receive the transmission signal, transmitting a control signal to electrically connect the switch circuit of the second fire alarm terminal, and repeating the reception of the transmission signal and the transmission of the control signal to electrically connect the switch circuit of the fire alarm terminal that transmitted the transmission signal until the transmission signals are received from the plurality of fire alarm terminals, and in the first determination step, the connection order of the plurality of fire alarm terminals may be determined based on the order in which the transmission signals are received.

[0013] In the first receiving step, communication is made with each of the plurality of fire alarm terminals from one end of the transmission line, and after executing the first receiving step and the first determination step, communication is made with each of the plurality of fire alarm terminals from the other end different from the one end of the transmission line to receive the transmission signal including the identification information of the fire alarm terminal; a second determination step is performed to determine the connection order indicating the order in which the plurality of fire alarm terminals are connected to the transmission line based on the transmission signal from the second receiving step; and a comparison step is performed to compare the connection order from the first determination step with the connection order from the second determination step, and in the assignment step, if the connection order from the first determination step matches the connection order from the second determination step, the identification information of the fire alarm terminal may be registered in the terminal setting table and assigned to the address.

[0014] In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transmission line without branches, a plurality of fire alarm terminals connected to the transmission line, and a receiver connected to one end of the transmission line and capable of communicating with the plurality of fire alarm terminals, the receiver including a memory circuit for storing a terminal setting table configured by arranging in a predetermined order records in which information including addresses to be assigned to the plurality of fire alarm terminals is registered, a communication circuit for communicating with each of the plurality of fire alarm terminals and receiving transmission signals including identification information of the fire alarm terminals, a determination unit for determining a connection order indicating the order in which the plurality of fire alarm terminals are connected on the transmission line based on the transmission signals from the plurality of fire alarm terminals, and a previous determination made by the determination unit. The present invention provides a fire alarm system having an allocation unit that assigns addresses to identification information by registering the identification information of multiple fire alarm terminals in the terminal setting table while matching the connection order with the order of the records in the terminal setting table, and a setting signal generation unit that extracts one record at a time from the multiple records in which the assigned addresses and identification information are registered, and generates a setting signal for setting the address registered in the extracted record to the fire alarm terminal corresponding to the identification information registered in the extracted record, and the communication circuit transmits the setting signal to the fire alarm terminal corresponding to the identification information registered in the extracted record. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to easily set addresses for a plurality of fire alarm terminals and reduce the occurrence of setting errors. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 shows an example of the configuration of a fire alarm system 1 according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 shows an example of the configuration of a receiver 10 according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 shows an example of a terminal setting table T stored in the memory circuitry 12 according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4]1 shows a first configuration example of a fire alarm terminal S according to this embodiment. [Figure 5] 1 shows an example of connection between a receiver 10 according to this embodiment and a fire alarm terminal S of a first configuration example. [Figure 6] 1 shows a first example of an operation sequence of the fire alarm system 1 according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 shows a first modified example of the receiver 10 according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 shows a second modified example of the receiver 10 according to the present embodiment. [Figure 9] 2 shows a second configuration example of the fire alarm terminal S according to the present embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 shows a second example of the operation sequence of the fire alarm system 1 according to the present embodiment. [Figure 11] 1 shows an example of connection between a receiver 10 according to this embodiment and a fire alarm terminal S of a second configuration example. [Figure 12] 10 shows a third configuration example of the fire alarm terminal S according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] <Configuration example of Fire Alarm System 1> 1 shows an example of the configuration of a fire alarm system 1 according to this embodiment. The fire alarm system 1 monitors the occurrence of a fire, etc., based on measurement results of multiple fire alarm terminals S. The fire alarm system 1 includes a receiver 10, a transmission line 20, and multiple fire alarm terminals S.

[0018] The receiver 10 is connected to a transmission line 20 with no branches, and transmits and receives signals to and from a plurality of fire alarm terminals S via the transmission line 20. The receiver 10 may be connected to one end of the transmission line 20, or may be connected to the other end of the transmission line 20 that is different from the one end.

[0019] The receiver 10 may communicate with the fire alarm terminal S via a repeater or the like connected to the transmission line 20. For example, the receiver 10 communicates with the fire alarm terminal S to collect information such as the occurrence of a fire and the operating status of the terminal from the fire alarm terminal S. The receiver 10 has functions such as issuing an alarm based on the collected information and displaying information. The receiver 10 may also have a function to transmit and receive information to and from external devices, servers, etc.

[0020] The transmission line 20 is a line for transmitting signals, power, etc. The transmission line 20 is a communication line, a district circuit line, a loop wiring, etc. The transmission line 20 has, for example, a signal line and a common line. The common line is connected to the ground of the receiver 10. In this case, the fire alarm terminal S uses the voltage of the common line as its own ground.

[0021] A plurality of fire alarm terminals S are connected to a transmission line 20. For example, a plurality of fire alarm terminals S are installed in a building, and measure environmental conditions that change due to a fire. The fire alarm terminals S may include repeaters. FIG. 1 shows an example in which six fire alarm terminals S are installed in rooms in a building. The fire alarm terminals S have sensors that detect, for example, smoke, heat, flames, etc., and transmit environmental information indicating the detection results of the sensors to the receiver 10 via the transmission line 20.

[0022] Furthermore, the fire alarm terminal S may determine whether or not a fire has occurred based on the detection result of the sensor, and transmit the determination result as environmental information to the receiver 10. The fire alarm terminal S may receive power from the receiver 10 via the transmission line 20. In this embodiment, the state in which the fire alarm terminal S is detecting the presence or absence of a fire is referred to as normal monitoring.

[0023] Each fire alarm terminal S has identification information called a unique code. The unique code is, for example, a unique number assigned to the fire alarm terminal S during factory production so that the terminals can be distinguished from other numbers. FIG. 1 shows an example in which six fire alarm terminals S are assigned identification information "No. 1" to "No. 6." Note that, as shown in FIG. 1, the fire alarm terminals S are installed by workers, and therefore the multiple fire alarm terminals S are not arranged in order of their identification information. In the following explanation, an example will be given in which multiple fire alarm terminals S are arranged as shown in FIG. 1.

[0024] In the above-described fire alarm system 1, the receiver 10 sets the addresses of the fire alarm terminals S in order to grasp the locations of the multiple fire alarm terminals S and communicate with them. The setting of the addresses of the fire alarm terminals S is performed, for example, in the initial state when multiple fire alarm terminals S are installed in a building, in the state immediately after a fire alarm terminal S has been replaced or repaired, or in the state when the number of fire alarm terminals S has been increased or decreased. Such a receiver 10 will now be described.

[0025] <Configuration example of receiver 10> 2 shows an example of the configuration of a receiver 10 according to this embodiment. The receiver 10 includes a communication circuit 11, a memory circuit 12, a first current limiting circuit 13, and a control circuit 14. The receiver 10 may further include a display unit that displays information, etc., an alarm device that issues an alarm, etc.

[0026] The communication circuit 11 communicates with each of the multiple fire alarm terminals S. For example, the communication circuit 11 receives a transmission signal including identification information transmitted from the fire alarm terminal S. The communication circuit 11 also transmits a setting signal to one of the fire alarm terminals S to cause the fire alarm terminal S to set an address. The transmission signal transmitted by the fire alarm terminal S and the setting signal transmitted by the communication circuit 11 will be described later. The communication circuit 11 may be connected to a network or the like and communicate with other devices, servers, databases, etc.

[0027] The memory circuitry 12 is a storage medium including a read-only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM). The memory circuitry 12 may also include a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) and / or a solid state drive (SSD). The memory circuitry 12 may store information such as an operating system (OS) that causes a processor or the like to function, and programs. The memory circuitry 12 may also store various information including a database that is referenced when a program is executed.

[0028] The memory circuitry 12 may also store intermediate data, calculation results, thresholds, reference values, parameters, etc. that are generated (or used) by the receiver 10 during its operation. The memory circuitry 12 may also supply the stored data to a request source in response to a request from each unit within the receiver 10.

[0029] The memory circuitry 12 stores, for example, a terminal setting table T. Fig. 3 shows an example of the terminal setting table T stored in the memory circuitry 12 according to this embodiment. The terminal setting table T is configured by arranging, in a predetermined order, records R in which information including addresses to be assigned to the multiple fire alarm terminals S is registered. It is desirable that the terminal setting table T be created in advance and stored in the memory circuitry 12, for example, before the multiple fire alarm terminals S are powered on.

[0030] FIG. 3 shows an example of a terminal setting table T including N records R. One record R corresponds to one fire alarm terminal S. FIG. 3 shows an example in which the N corresponding records R are arranged in the order of connection of the fire alarm terminals S closest to the receiver 10. Each record R has a storage area for registering information about the corresponding fire alarm terminal S.

[0031] Each record R can register, for example, the identification information and address of the fire alarm terminal S. It is assumed that the storage area is set so that only one piece of identification information can be registered in one record R. Furthermore, the record R may register information about the fire alarm terminal S as terminal information. The terminal information may include sensitivity, threshold, accumulation time, and information indicating linked operations with other devices.

[0032] Fig. 3(a) shows the terminal setting table T in its initial state before the power of multiple fire alarm terminals S is turned on. In the terminal setting table T, N records R corresponding to the fire alarm terminals S are arranged from top to bottom in order of proximity to the receiver 10. Each record R registers an address assigned to the respective fire alarm terminal S. In Fig. 3(a), the first record is R1 and the last record is Rn.

[0033] 3(a) shows an example in which N addresses starting from "01H" are registered in each record R in the order of the fire alarm terminal S closest to the receiver 10. In the initial state, the receiver 10 cannot recognize multiple fire alarm terminals S, so the record R is in an unregistered state in which the identification information of the fire alarm terminal S is not registered.

[0034] The receiver 10 assigns an address to the fire alarm terminal S using this terminal setting table T, and registers the identification information of the fire alarm terminal S corresponding to record R in the terminal setting table T. Figure 3(b) shows an example after the receiver 10 has registered the identification information "No. 1," "No. 3," "No. 5," "No. 6," ..., "No. n," which are arranged in connection order of the fire alarm terminals S closest to the receiver 10, in records R1 to Rn, respectively.

[0035] The first current limiting circuit 13 is a circuit for limiting the current flowing through the transmission line 20. In other words, the first current limiting circuit 13 is a circuit for setting a limit value for the current flowing through the transmission line 20. Since the specific circuit configuration of such a first current limiting circuit 13 is known, a detailed description of the configuration will be omitted here.

[0036] The control circuit 14 controls each unit in the receiver 10. For example, the control circuit 14 controls the communication circuit 11 to send and receive various information. The control circuit 14 also controls the memory circuit 12 to read information stored in the memory circuit 12 or to write information to the memory circuit 12.

[0037] The control circuit 14 is, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control circuit 14 has a determination unit 16, an allocation unit 17, and a setting signal generation unit 18. In other words, the processor executes a program stored in the memory circuit 12 to function as the control circuit 14 having the determination unit 16, the allocation unit 17, and the setting signal generation unit 18.

[0038] The determination unit 16 determines the connection order, which indicates the order in which the multiple fire alarm terminals S are connected on the transmission line 20, based on the transmission signals from the multiple fire alarm terminals S. The determination unit 16 determines the connection order, for example, by arranging the identification information in order of decreasing distance from the receiver 10 on the transmission line 20. As an example, the determination unit 16 determines the connection order to be the order in which the identification information of the fire alarm terminals S is arranged, such as "No. 1", "No. 3", "No. 5", ..., "No. n", as shown in FIG. 3(b). There are two operations for determining the connection order by the determination unit 16 based on the transmission signals transmitted by the fire alarm terminals S, and these will be described in detail later.

[0039] The allocation unit 17 registers the identification information of the plurality of fire alarm terminals R in the terminal setting table T by associating the connection order determined by the determination unit 16 with the order of the records R in the terminal setting table T. For example, the allocation unit 17 registers the identification information of the fire alarm terminals S in the connection order such as "No. 1", "No. 3", "No. 5", ..., "No. n" from the top of the plurality of records R arranged in the terminal setting table T shown in Fig. 3(a) (starting from the first record R1).

[0040] The allocating unit 17 registers an address and identification information in each record R, for example, as in the terminal setting table T shown in Fig. 3(b). In this way, the allocating unit 17 can allocate addresses to a plurality of pieces of identification information on a one-to-one basis by registering a pair of an address and identification information in one record R.

[0041] The setting signal generating unit 18 extracts one record at a time from the plurality of records R in which the addresses and identification information assigned by the assigning unit 17 are registered. Then, the setting signal generating unit 18 generates a setting signal for setting the address registered in the extracted record R to the fire alarm terminal S corresponding to the identification information registered in the extracted record R.

[0042] For example, the setting signal generation unit 18 extracts the first record R1 from the top of the terminal setting table T and generates a setting signal for setting the address "01H" to the fire alarm terminal S with identification information "No. 1." When the setting signal generated by the communication circuit 11 is sent to the fire alarm terminal S with identification information "No. 1," the fire alarm terminal S with identification information "No. 1" that receives the setting signal can set its own address to "01H."

[0043] As described above, the receiver 10 according to this embodiment uses a terminal setting table T in which the same number of records R as the number of fire alarm terminals S are arranged in a predetermined order, and registers the identification information of the fire alarm terminal S in the records R while matching the order of the records R with the connection order of the fire alarm terminals S. This allows the receiver 10 to assign addresses registered in advance in the records R one-to-one to the identification information of the fire alarm terminal S without duplication.

[0044] The above-described operation of determining the connection order of the fire alarm terminals S by the determination unit 16 of the receiver 10 is an operation based on the transmission signal transmitted by the fire alarm terminal S. The fire alarm terminal S will now be described.

[0045] <First configuration example of fire alarm terminal S> 4 shows a first configuration example of the fire alarm terminal S according to this embodiment. The fire alarm terminal S includes a terminal communication circuit 31, a power supply circuit 32, a sensor circuit 33, a terminal memory circuit 34, a voltage measurement circuit 35, and a terminal control circuit 36.

[0046] The terminal communication circuit 31 communicates with the receiver 10 via the transmission line 20. The terminal communication circuit 31 receives a transmission signal transmitted by the receiver 10. The terminal communication circuit 31 also transmits various signals to the receiver 10 in response to a control signal from the terminal control circuit 36.

[0047] The power supply circuit 32 receives power from the receiver 10 via the transmission line 20 and supplies a power supply voltage or power to each part of the fire alarm terminal S. The power supply circuit 32 has, for example, a DC / DC converter or the like, and supplies a voltage converted to a predetermined DC voltage value to each part.

[0048] The sensor circuit 33 is a sensor for detecting fire. The sensor circuit 33 detects smoke, heat, flames, etc. Since the operation of the sensor circuit 33 is known, a detailed description of the operation will be omitted here.

[0049] The terminal storage circuit 34 is a storage medium including a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The terminal storage circuit 34 may also include a large-capacity storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and / or an SSD (Solid State Drive). The terminal storage circuit 34 may store information such as an OS (Operating System) that causes a processor to function, and programs. The terminal storage circuit 34 may also store various information including a database that is referenced when a program is executed.

[0050] The terminal storage circuit 34 stores identification information of the fire alarm terminal S. The terminal storage circuit 34 also has a storage area for storing the address of the fire alarm terminal S. The terminal storage circuit 34 stores the address of the fire alarm terminal S, for example, in response to a control signal from the terminal control circuit 36. The terminal storage circuit 34 may also store intermediate data, calculation results, thresholds, reference values, parameters, etc. that are generated (or used) by the fire alarm terminal S during its operation. The terminal storage circuit 34 may also supply the stored data to a request source in response to a request from each section within the fire alarm terminal S.

[0051] The voltage measurement circuit 35 measures the power supply voltage supplied from the transmission line 20, in other words, the power supply voltage input to the power supply circuit 32. The power supply voltage of the power supply circuit 32 is the voltage supplied to the power supply circuit 32 from the receiver 10. For example, if the transmission line 20 has a signal line and a common line, the voltage measurement circuit 35 measures the voltage between the signal line and the common line (measures the voltage of the transmission line 20). Since the power supply voltage is supplied from the receiver 10 via the transmission line 20, it is a voltage value that is dropped due to the line resistance of the transmission line 20 and the current flowing through the transmission line 20.

[0052] <Example of connection between receiver 10 and fire alarm terminal S of first configuration example> Fig. 5 shows an example of connection between the receiver 10 according to this embodiment and the fire alarm terminal S of the first configuration example. In Fig. 5, the voltage measurement circuit 35 is represented as "V", and the parts other than the voltage measurement circuit 35 are represented as "circuits". Fig. 5 shows an example in which the receiver 10 and multiple fire alarm terminals S, including a fire alarm terminal S with identification information "No. 1" and a fire alarm terminal S with identification information "No. 3", are connected to the transmission line 20.

[0053] The line resistance of the signal line between receiver 10 and the fire alarm terminal S closest to receiver 10 is denoted as r1, and the line resistances between two adjacent fire alarm terminals S are denoted as r2, r3, ..., ri, starting from the side closest to receiver 10. Similarly, the line resistance of the common line between receiver 10 and the fire alarm terminal S closest to receiver 10 is denoted as r1', and the line resistances between two adjacent fire alarm terminals S are denoted as r2', r3', ..., ri', starting from the side closest to receiver 10.

[0054] If the supply voltage output by the receiver 10 to the end of the transmission line 20 is Pv and the current flowing through the transmission line 20 is I, the supply voltage V1 supplied to the fire alarm terminal S of "No. 1" is expressed by the following equation. (Number 1) V1=Pv-I(r1+r1')

[0055] Similarly, the power supply voltage V2 supplied to the fire alarm terminal S of "No. 3" is expressed by the following equation. (Number 2) V2=Pv-I(r1+r1'+r2+r2')

[0056] The specifications of the wires used for signal lines, common lines, etc. are, for example, AWG14 equivalent wires with a cross-sectional area of 2.5 mm 2 , the line resistance is 8Ω / km, and the wire equivalent to AWG18 has a cross-sectional area of 0.9mm 2 The line resistance is 22 Ω / km. As an example of the length of the transmission line 20, the maximum length is 2 km for AWG14 equivalent and 0.9 km for AWG18 equivalent.

[0057] For example, when 200 fire alarm terminals S are connected to a 2 km transmission line 20 equivalent to AWG14, the average resistance between two adjacent fire alarm terminals S is approximately 0.16 Ω. As an example, when the current I flowing through the transmission line 20 is 800 mA, the voltage drop occurring for each fire alarm terminal S is approximately 0.13 V. If the transmission line 20 is equivalent to AWG18, the average resistance between two adjacent fire alarm terminals S is approximately 0.22 Ω, and the voltage drop occurring for each fire alarm terminal S is approximately 0.18 V.

[0058] In this case, the voltage measurement circuit 35 only needs to have a voltage measurement resolution of about 0.1 V. For example, if the supply power voltage Pv of the receiver 10 is about 30 V, the voltage measurement circuit 35 only needs to be able to measure the power supply voltage using an A / D converter of about 8 bits. The measurement results of the power supply voltage by such a voltage measurement circuit 35 will be higher voltage values for fire alarm terminals S closer to the beginning of the receiver 10 and lower voltage values for fire alarm terminals S closer to the end.

[0059] The terminal control circuit 36 controls each part of the fire alarm terminal S. The terminal control circuit 36 controls, for example, the terminal communication circuit 31 to send and receive various information. The terminal control circuit 36 also controls the terminal memory circuit 34 to read out information stored in the terminal memory circuit 34 or to write information to the terminal memory circuit 34. The terminal control circuit 36 controls the voltage measurement circuit 35 to measure the power supply voltage of the power supply circuit 32.

[0060] The terminal control circuit 36 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc. In other words, the processor functions as the terminal control circuit 36 by executing a program stored in the terminal storage circuit 34.

[0061] The fire alarm terminal S of the first configuration example described above has a function of measuring the power supply voltage supplied thereto, and transmits the power supply voltage measurement result together with identification information to the receiver 10. The determination unit 16 of the receiver 10, for example, sorts the power supply voltage measurement results received from multiple fire alarm terminals S in ascending (or descending) voltage order. As described above, the power supply voltage changes depending on the distance between the receiver 10 and the fire alarm terminal S, so the sorting result of the determination unit 16 becomes the power supply voltage measurement results of the fire alarm terminals S in ascending (or descending) voltage order from the receiver 10. In this way, the determination unit 16 can determine the connection order of the multiple fire alarm terminals S. Therefore, the operation of the fire alarm system 1 using the fire alarm terminal S of the first configuration example will be described below.

[0062] <First example of the operation sequence of the fire alarm system 1> FIG. 6 shows a first example of the operation sequence of the fire alarm system 1 according to this embodiment. In the operation sequence of the first example, the receiver 10 of the fire alarm system 1 sets the addresses of multiple fire alarm terminals S connected to the branchless transmission line 20. The memory circuit 12 of the receiver 10 is assumed to have stored in advance a terminal setting table T as shown in FIG. 3(a). The terminal memory circuit 34 of the fire alarm terminal S is assumed to have stored identification information. The operation sequence of the first example is preferably executed before entering the normal monitoring mode, such as when the receiver 10 is powered on.

[0063] First, the communication circuit 11 of the receiver 10 starts supplying power supply voltage to the plurality of fire alarm terminals S (S51). Upon receiving the power supply voltage, the power supply circuits 32 of the plurality of fire alarm terminals S respectively turn on the power of their own fire alarm terminals S (S52).

[0064] Next, the voltage measurement circuit 35 of the fire alarm terminal S measures the power supply voltage (the voltage of the transmission line 20) (S53). Then, the terminal communication circuit 31 transmits a transmission signal including the identification information stored in the terminal storage circuit 34 and the measurement result of the power supply voltage by the voltage measurement circuit 35 to the receiver 10 (S54). The terminal communication circuit 31 may include the terminal information of the fire alarm terminal S stored in the terminal storage circuit 34 in the transmission signal.

[0065] The communication circuit 11 of the receiver 10 may simultaneously transmit a command to return the measurement result of the power supply voltage to a plurality of fire alarm terminals S, and the terminal communication circuit 31 of the fire alarm terminal S may return a transmission signal in response to the command. The terminal communication circuit 31 may, for example, transmit the identification information and the measurement result of the power supply voltage to the receiver 10 by interrupt communication.

[0066] The communication circuit 11 of the receiver 10 receives transmission signals transmitted from the plurality of fire alarm terminals S (S55). The communication circuit 11 communicates with each of the plurality of fire alarm terminals S to receive transmission signals including the identification information of the fire alarm terminal and the measurement results of the power supply voltage. The control circuit 14 stores the received identification information and the measurement results of the power supply voltage in the memory circuit 12, for example, in association with each other.

[0067] Next, the determination unit 16 rearranges the multiple power supply voltages in descending order of voltage (S56). As an example, the determination unit 16 determines the connection order in which the identification information of the fire alarm terminals S is arranged as "No. 1", "No. 3", "No. 5", ..., "No. n". In this way, the determination unit 16 has determined the connection order indicating the order in which the multiple fire alarm terminals S are connected to the transmission line 20, based on the transmission signals from the multiple fire alarm terminals S.

[0068] Next, the allocation unit 17 sequentially registers the identification information in the records R one by one in descending order of power supply voltage, starting from the first record R in the terminal setting table T read from the storage circuit 12 (S57). For example, the allocation unit 17 registers the identification information "No. 1" in the first record R1 in which the address "01H" is registered, among the multiple records R arranged in the terminal setting table T shown in FIG. 3(a).

[0069] Next, the allocation unit 17 registers the identification information "No. 3" in record R2 in which address "02H" is registered, and then registers the identification information "No. 5" in record R3 in which address "03H" is registered. The allocation unit 17 continues registering addresses until addresses are registered in N records. In this way, the allocation unit 17 registers the identification information of multiple fire alarm terminals S in the terminal setting table T by correlating the connection order determined by the determination unit 16 with the order of records R in the terminal setting table T, thereby assigning addresses to the identification information.

[0070] Next, the setting signal generation unit 18 extracts records R one by one from the top of the terminal setting table T, and generates a setting signal for setting the address registered in the extracted record R to the fire alarm terminal S corresponding to the identification information registered in the extracted record R (S58). Then, the communication circuit 11 transmits the generated setting signal to the fire alarm terminal S corresponding to the identification information registered in the extracted record R (S59). For example, the communication circuit 11 calls the fire alarm terminal S corresponding to the identification information, and transmits a setting signal including a command to write the address.

[0071] In response to the received setting signal, the terminal control circuit 36 of the fire alarm terminal S corresponding to the identification information stores the address of the setting signal as its own address in the terminal storage circuit 34 (S60). This allows the fire alarm terminal S corresponding to the identification information to set its own address. The fire alarm system 1 extracts all records R from the terminal setting table T and repeats the operations of S58 to S60 until it has set the addresses of all fire alarm terminals S connected to the transmission line 20.

[0072] After setting the addresses of all the fire alarm terminals S, the receiver 10 transitions to a normal monitoring mode (S61). The control circuit 14, for example, controls the communication circuit 11 to start normal polling (monitoring) in which the fire alarm terminals S are designated using their addresses and transmitted.

[0073] After setting their addresses, the multiple fire alarm terminals S transition to normal monitoring mode (S62). The sensor circuits 33 output environmental measurement data that measure the environmental conditions. The multiple fire alarm terminals S wait for polling from the receiver 10, and in response to the polling that specifies their own addresses, transmit their own environmental measurement data to the receiver 10.

[0074] As described above, the receiver 10 of the fire alarm system 1 according to this embodiment can easily set addresses for multiple fire alarm terminals S. The receiver 10 registers identification information for each fire alarm terminal S for each record R in the terminal setting table T. Therefore, if duplicate addresses are not registered in the terminal setting table T, multiple identification information can be prevented from being assigned to one address. Therefore, the receiver 10 can reduce setting errors that occur in address assignment. Furthermore, the receiver 10 can perform normal polling while specifying the fire alarm terminal S using an address that is simpler than the identification information, without using redundant identification information.

[0075] In the above-described fire alarm system 1 according to the present embodiment, the determination unit 16 has determined the connection order of the plurality of fire alarm terminals S on the transmission line 20 in order of proximity to the receiver 10, but the present invention is not limited to this. The determination unit 16 may also determine the connection order in order of distance from the receiver 10. In this case, in the terminal setting table T, the records R may be arranged from the beginning so that the addresses to be assigned to the fire alarm terminals S are arranged in order of distance from the receiver 10, corresponding to the fire alarm terminals S arranged in order of distance from the receiver 10.

[0076] In the above fire alarm system 1 according to the present embodiment, an example has been described in which the fire alarm terminal S measures the power supply voltage. Here, the receiver 10 may terminate the transmission line 20 so as to increase the current flowing through the transmission line 20 and thereby increase the voltage drop. Such a receiver 10 will now be described.

[0077] <First Modification of Receiver 10> FIG. 7 shows a first modified example of the receiver 10 according to the present embodiment. In the receiver 10 according to the first modified example, components that operate substantially the same as those in the receiver 10 according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 2 are assigned the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted. Furthermore, FIG. 7 omits the memory circuit 12, the determination unit 16, the allocation unit 17, and the setting signal generation unit 18 shown in FIG. 2. In the receiver 10 according to the first modified example, both ends of the transmission line 20 are connected. The receiver 10 according to the first modified example further includes a first current generator 21, a first switch 22, a second current limiting circuit 23, and a second switch 24.

[0078] The first current generator 21 is a device for terminating one end of the transmission line 20, which is for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the plurality of fire alarm terminals S, before the receiver 10 and the plurality of fire alarm terminals S communicate with each other. The first current generator 21 is a resistor, a transistor, or the like. Fig. 7 shows an example in which the first current generator 21 is a resistor.

[0079] The first switch 22 is a switch that switches whether or not to terminate the end of the transmission line 20 at the first current generator 21. The first switch 22 switches whether or not to terminate the end of the transmission line 20 in response to a control signal transmitted from the control circuit 14. When the first switch 22 connects the first current generator 21 to terminate the transmission line 20, a first current that is larger than the current that flows through the transmission line 20 during normal monitoring by the multiple fire alarm terminals S flows through the transmission line 20.

[0080] For example, when the first switch 22 is off, the fire alarm system 1 operates in substantially the same manner as the connection example shown in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, the current I flowing through the transmission line 20 is assumed to be 800 mA, but the current consumption of each fire alarm terminal S may be less. Therefore, the receiver 10 turns on the first switch 22, terminates the transmission line 20, and allows a predetermined current to flow. This prevents a voltage drop from occurring by allowing a predetermined current to flow through the transmission line 20, even if the current consumption of the fire alarm terminal S is small. Therefore, the voltage measurement circuit 35 of the fire alarm terminal S can accurately measure the power supply voltage.

[0081] When the end of the transmission line 20 is terminated by the first current generator 21, the current flowing through the transmission line 20 may approach or exceed the limit value set by the first current limiting circuit 13. In this case, it is desirable that the receiver 10 switch the limit value of the current limiting circuit that limits the maximum value of the current flowing through the transmission line 20 to a value greater than the limit value during normal monitoring before communicating with each of the multiple fire alarm terminals S. Therefore, the receiver 10 performs such a switching operation using the second current limiting circuit 23 and the second switch 24.

[0082] The second current limiting circuit 23 is a circuit having a limit value greater than the limit value of the first current limiting circuit 13. Similar to the first current limiting circuit 13, the second current limiting circuit 23 is a circuit for limiting the current flowing through the transmission line 20, and a detailed description of the configuration will be omitted. The second switch 24 is a switch that switches whether the current limiting circuit connected to the transmission line 20 is the first current limiting circuit 13 or the second current limiting circuit 23. The second switch 24 switches the connection in response to a control signal transmitted from the control circuit 14.

[0083] 6 , for example, in the initial state before the operation of S51 shown in FIG. 6 , the control circuit 14 turns on the first switch 22 to terminate the transmission line 20 at the first current generator and switches the second switch 24 to connect the second current limiting circuit 23 to the transmission line 20. Then, before starting the operation of the normal monitoring mode of S61 shown in FIG. 6 , the control circuit 14 turns off the first switch 22 to release the end of the transmission line 20 and switches the second switch 24 to connect the first current limiting circuit 13 to the transmission line 20.

[0084] As a result, the fire alarm system 1 can further reduce the occurrence of setting errors in address setting by reliably setting a different power supply voltage value for each fire alarm terminal S when setting the address of the fire alarm terminal S. Furthermore, the fire alarm system 1 can reduce the current flowing through the transmission line 20 during normal monitoring, thereby reducing the power consumption of the entire system.

[0085] The fire alarm system 1 according to the present embodiment has been described above as an example in which the receiver 10 transmits and receives signals to and from the fire alarm terminal S from one end of the transmission line 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. The receiver 10 may communicate from both ends of the transmission line 20. For example, the receiver 10 may communicate with each of the fire alarm terminals S from one end of the transmission line 20 to determine the connection order of the fire alarm terminals S, and then communicate with each of the fire alarm terminals S from the other end different from the one end of the transmission line 20 to determine the connection order of the fire alarm terminals S, and confirm the determination result by comparing the two determined connection orders. Such a receiver 10 will now be described.

[0086] <Second Modification of Receiver 10> Figure 8 shows a second modified example of the receiver 10 according to this embodiment. In the receiver 10 of the second modified example, parts that operate substantially the same as those in the receiver 10 of the first modified example shown in Figure 7 are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted. The receiver 10 of the second modified example further includes a third switch 25, a second current generator 26, and a fourth switch 27.

[0087] The third switch 25 is a switch that switches between connecting the receiver 10 to one end of the transmission line 20 and connecting the receiver 10 to the other end different from the one end of the transmission line 20. The third switch 25 switches the connection in response to a control signal transmitted from the control circuit 14. The third switch 25 can switch between a configuration in which the receiver 10 exchanges signals with the fire alarm terminal S from one end of the transmission line 20 and a configuration in which the receiver 10 exchanges signals with the fire alarm terminal S from the other end of the transmission line 20.

[0088] The second current generator 26 is a device for terminating one end of the transmission line 20 when the receiver 10 and the other end of the transmission line 20 are connected. Like the first current generator 21, the second current generator 26 is a resistor, a transistor, or the like. FIG. 8 shows an example in which the second current generator 26 is a resistor with a resistance value Rb. The resistance value Rb may be the same as the resistance value Ra of the first current generator 21.

[0089] The fourth switch 27 is a switch that switches whether or not to terminate one end of the transmission line 20 at the second current generator 26. The fourth switch 27 switches whether or not to terminate one end of the transmission line 20 in response to a control signal transmitted from the control circuit 14. When the fourth switch 27 connects the second current generator 26 to terminate the transmission line 20, a second current that is larger than the current that flows through the transmission line 20 during normal monitoring of the multiple fire alarm terminals S flows through the transmission line 20. Here, the second current may be the same current as the first current.

[0090] 6 , for example, the control circuit 14 controls the third switch 25 to connect the receiver 10 to one end of the transmission line 20. Here, the control circuit 14 controls the fourth switch 27 to disconnect the electrical connection between the one end of the transmission line 20 and the second current generator 26. Furthermore, the control circuit 14 may turn on the first switch 22 to terminate the transmission line 20 at the first current generator, and switch the second switch 24 to connect the second current limiting circuit 23 to the transmission line 20, as described above.

[0091] Then, after determining the connection order of the fire alarm terminals S through the operations of S51 to S56, the control circuit 14 switches the third switch 25 to connect the receiver 10 to the other end of the transmission line 20. The control circuit 14 also switches the fourth switch 27 to terminate one end of the transmission line 20 at the second current generator 26. The control circuit 14 turns off the first switch 22 to cut off the electrical connection between the transmission line 20 and the first current generator 21.

[0092] Next, the fire alarm system 1 operates in the same manner as in S51 to S56. For example, the receiver 10 receives a transmission signal including the identification information of the fire alarm terminal S, and determines a connection order indicating the order in which the multiple fire alarm terminals S are connected to the transmission line 20 based on the transmission signal. The control circuit 14 compares the connection order determined by the first determination with the connection order determined by the second determination. Then, the control circuit 14 performs operations from S57 onwards in response to a match between the connection order determined by the first determination and the connection order determined by the second determination.

[0093] Since the connection order based on the first determination and the connection order based on the second determination are reversed in the arrangement of the fire alarm terminals S, it goes without saying that "matching" means that the connection orders based on the two determinations are reversed. In this way, the receiver 10 of the second modified example determines the connection order of the fire alarm terminals S from both ends of the transmission line 20 and checks the determination results, thereby further reducing the occurrence of setting errors in address setting.

[0094] The above description has been given of an example in which the receiver 10 according to the present embodiment determines the connection order of the fire alarm terminals S based on the measurement results of the power supply voltage by the fire alarm terminal S, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the fire alarm terminals S may have a function of connecting to the transmission line 20 one by one in response to a control signal from the receiver 10, and the receiver 10 may determine the connection order of the fire alarm terminals S based on the order in which the fire alarm terminals S were connected to the transmission line 20. Such a fire alarm terminal S will now be described.

[0095] <Second configuration example of fire alarm terminal S> 9 shows a second configuration example of the fire alarm terminal S according to this embodiment. In the fire alarm terminal S of the second configuration example, components that operate in substantially the same manner as those of the fire alarm terminal S of the first configuration example shown in FIG. 4 are assigned the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted. The fire alarm terminal S includes a terminal communication circuit 31, a power supply circuit 32, a sensor circuit 33, a terminal memory circuit 34, a terminal control circuit 36, and a switch circuit 37.

[0096] In the initial state, the switch circuit 37 cuts off the electrical connection with the subsequent transmission line 20. Furthermore, the switch circuit 37 electrically connects to the subsequent transmission line 20 based on a control signal from the terminal control circuit 36. In other words, the switch circuit 37 switches whether or not to connect the adjacent subsequent fire alarm terminal S to the transmission line 20. The operation of the fire alarm system 1 using the fire alarm terminal S of this second configuration example will now be described.

[0097] <Second example of the operation sequence of the fire alarm system 1> FIG. 10 shows a second example of the operation sequence of the fire alarm system 1 according to this embodiment. The memory circuit 12 of the receiver 10 is assumed to have stored therein in advance the terminal setting table T as shown in FIG. 3(a). The terminal memory circuit 34 of the fire alarm terminal S is assumed to have stored therein identification information. As with the operation sequence of the first example, the operation sequence of the second example is preferably executed before entering the normal monitoring mode, such as when the power of the receiver 10 is turned on. First, the connection state in the initial state of the operation sequence of the second example will be described.

[0098] Fig. 11 shows an example of connection between the receiver 10 according to this embodiment and the fire alarm terminal S of the second configuration example. In Fig. 11, the switch circuit 37 is referred to as "SCI" and the components other than the switch circuit 37 are referred to as "circuits." SCI is an abbreviation for short circuit isolator.

[0099] For example, if the transmission line 20 is short-circuited due to some accident, communication with all fire alarm terminals S connected to the transmission line 20 will be cut off, expanding the scope of the system failure. The SCI has a switching circuit that detects and disconnects a short in the transmission line 20. When a short is detected, the SCI disconnects the shorted transmission line 20, minimizing the scope of the system failure. Some fire alarm terminals S have a function that disconnects the transmission line 20 in response to a command from the receiver 10, regardless of whether the transmission line 20 is shorted or not. There are also standalone products with the SCI function and products with the SCI function built into the fire alarm terminal S. Figure 11 shows a fire alarm terminal S with the SCI function built into it.

[0100] FIG. 11(a) shows an example of connection between the receiver 10 and the fire alarm terminals S of the second configuration example in the initial state. The switch circuits 37 of the multiple fire alarm terminals S are in the off state, and the electrical connection with the subsequent transmission line 20 is cut off. In other words, the receiver 10 is connected only to the first fire alarm terminal S via the transmission line 20. Here, the first fire alarm terminal S is referred to as the first fire alarm terminal S1.

[0101] In this connection state, first, the control circuit 14 of the receiver 10 controls the communication circuit 11 to start supplying power supply voltage to the fire alarm terminal S (S71). Since the receiver 10 is connected to the first fire alarm terminal S1, the power supply circuit 32 of the first fire alarm terminal S1 receives the power supply voltage and turns on the power of its own fire alarm terminal S (S72).

[0102] Next, the terminal control circuit 36 of the first fire alarm terminal S1 controls the terminal communication circuit 31 to start communication with the receiver 10. Then, the terminal communication circuit 31 transmits the identification information stored in the terminal storage circuit 34 to the receiver 10 (S73). The terminal communication circuit 31 may transmit the terminal information of the fire alarm terminal S stored in the terminal storage circuit 34.

[0103] As a result, the communication circuit 11 of the receiver 10 communicates with the first fire alarm terminal S1 connected to the transmission line 20 and receives the transmission signal including the identification information (S74). Next, the control circuit 14 transmits a control signal to electrically connect (turn ON) the switch circuit of the fire alarm terminal S (S75). In response to the terminal communication circuit 31 receiving the control signal, the terminal control circuit 36 of the first fire alarm terminal S1 switches the switch circuit 37 ON (S76).

[0104] 11(b) shows an example of connection between the receiver 10 and the fire alarm terminal S of the second configuration example when the switch circuit 37 of the first fire alarm terminal S1 is switched ON. As a result, the second fire alarm terminal S subsequent to the first fire alarm terminal S1 is connected to the transmission line 20. Here, the second fire alarm terminal S is referred to as the second fire alarm terminal S2.

[0105] Since the second fire alarm terminal S2 is connected to the transmission line 20 and is supplied with power supply voltage, it turns on the power of its own fire alarm terminal S (S72). Then, the terminal communication circuit 31 of the second fire alarm terminal S2 starts communication with the receiver 10 and transmits the identification information stored in the terminal memory circuit 34 to the receiver 10 (S73). As a result, the communication circuit 11 of the receiver 10 communicates with the second fire alarm terminal S2, which is located downstream of the first fire alarm terminal S1, and receives a transmission signal including the identification information (S74). Next, the control circuit 14 transmits a control signal to electrically connect the switch circuit of the fire alarm terminal S (S75).

[0106] The fire alarm system 1 repeats the operations from S72 to S75 (S77: No), and the receiver 10 turns on the power of each fire alarm terminal S in order, starting with the first one, and receives the identification information. Fig. 11(c) shows an example of connection between the receiver 10 and the fire alarm terminal S of the second configuration example when the switch circuit 37 of the second fire alarm terminal S2 is switched on.

[0107] The control circuit 14 of the receiver 10 can determine that all fire alarm terminals S are connected to the transmission line 20 when communication with the next fire alarm terminal S is not possible even when a control signal for electrically connecting the switch circuit of the fire alarm terminal S is transmitted (S77). When all fire alarm terminals S are connected to the transmission line 20 (S77: Yes), the determination unit 16 determines the connection order of the multiple fire alarm terminals S based on the order in which the transmission signals were received from the fire alarm terminals S (S78). The determination unit 16 determines the connection order of the multiple fire alarm terminals S to be the order in which the transmission signals were received from the fire alarm terminals S.

[0108] The allocation unit 17 sequentially registers the identification information in the record R one by one in the connection order of the fire alarm terminals S, starting from the first record R in the terminal setting table T read from the storage circuitry 12 (S79). This allows the allocation unit 17 to assign addresses to the identification information. The registration of the identification information in the record R by the allocation unit 17 may be performed in S74 of Fig. 10, or alternatively, may be performed every time the communication circuitry 11 receives identification information from the fire alarm terminal S (after the operation of S74).

[0109] In this way, the receiver 10 can assign addresses to the identification information of multiple fire alarm terminals S, and sets the assigned addresses to the multiple fire alarm terminals S. The setting signal generation unit 18 generates a setting signal for setting the addresses in the fire alarm terminals S (S80), and the communication circuit 11 transmits the generated setting signal to the fire alarm terminals S (S81).

[0110] As a result, the terminal control circuit 36 of the fire alarm terminal S stores the address of the setting signal as its own address in the terminal storage circuit 34 in response to the received setting signal (S82). Then, the receiver 10 and the multiple fire alarm terminals S transition to normal monitoring mode (S83, S84). Note that the operations from S80 onwards are substantially the same as the operations from S58 onwards described in Figure 6, and therefore will not be described here.

[0111] As described above, the receiver 10 of the fire alarm system 1 according to this embodiment can easily set addresses for multiple fire alarm terminals S of the second configuration example. The receiver 10 registers one piece of identification information for the fire alarm terminal S for each record R in the terminal setting table T, thereby preventing multiple pieces of identification information from being assigned to one address. Therefore, the receiver 10 can reduce setting errors that occur in address assignment. Furthermore, the receiver 10 can perform normal polling while specifying the fire alarm terminal S using an address that is simpler than the identification information, without using redundant identification information.

[0112] In the fire alarm system 1 using the fire alarm terminal S of the second configuration example, the receiver 10 may also communicate from both ends of the transmission line 20, as explained in Fig. 8. Such a receiver 10 will now be explained.

[0113] <Third Modification of Receiver 10> 12 shows a third modified example of the receiver 10 according to this embodiment. In the receiver 10 of the third modified example, parts that operate substantially the same as those in the receiver 10 of the second modified example shown in FIG. 8 are assigned the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted. The receiver 10 of the third modified example includes a third switch 25. As already explained, the third switch 25 is a switch that switches between connecting the receiver 10 to one end of the transmission line 20 and connecting the receiver 10 to the other end different from the one end of the transmission line 20.

[0114] For example, in the initial state, the control circuit 14 switches the third switch 25 so as to connect the receiver 10 to one end of the transmission line 20. Then, after the fire alarm system 1 executes steps S71 to S78 of the operation sequence in Fig. 10, the control circuit 14 stops the supply of power supply voltage. As a result, the power of all the fire alarm terminals S is turned off, and the switch circuits 37 of all the fire alarm terminals S are also turned off, which is the initial state.

[0115] Next, the control circuit 14 switches the third switch 25 so as to connect the receiver 10 to the other end of the transmission line 20, which is different from the one end. Then, the fire alarm system 1 executes S71 to S78 of the operation sequence in Fig. 9. As a result, the receiver 10 can communicate with each of the multiple fire alarm terminals S from the other end of the transmission line 20 and sequentially receive transmission signals including the identification information of the fire alarm terminals S. Then, based on the received transmission signals, the determination unit 16 determines the connection order, which indicates the order in which the multiple fire alarm terminals S are connected to the transmission line 20.

[0116] The control circuit 14 compares the connection order determined by the first determination with the connection order determined by the second determination. Then, the control circuit 14 executes operations from S79 onwards in response to a match between the connection order determined by the first determination and the connection order determined by the second determination. In this way, like the receiver 10 of the second modification, the receiver 10 of the third modification determines the connection order of the fire alarm terminals S from both ends of the transmission line 20 and checks the determination results, thereby further reducing the occurrence of setting errors in address setting.

[0117] The present invention has been described above using embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by functionally or physically distributing or integrating any unit. Furthermore, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of the new embodiments resulting from the combination also have the effects of the original embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0118] 1. Fire alarm system 10 Receivers 11 Communication Circuits 12 Memory circuit 13 First current limiting circuit 14 Control circuit 16 Judgment section 17 Allocation Section 18 Setting signal generator 20 Transmission Lines 21 1st current generator 22 First Switch 23 Second current limiting circuit 24 Second Switch 25 Third Switch 26 2nd current generator 27 4th Switch 31 Terminal communication circuit 32 Power supply circuit 33 Sensor Circuit 34 Terminal memory circuit 35 Voltage measurement circuit 36 Terminal control circuit 37 Switch Circuit

Claims

1. A method for setting addresses of a plurality of fire alarm terminals connected to a branchless transmission line, the method being executed by a receiver of a fire alarm system, comprising: reading from a storage circuit a terminal setting table configured by arranging in a predetermined order records in which information including the addresses to be assigned to the plurality of fire alarm terminals is registered; a first receiving step of communicating with each of the plurality of fire alarm terminals and receiving a transmission signal including identification information of the fire alarm terminal; a first determination step of determining a connection order indicating an order in which the plurality of fire alarm terminals are connected to the transmission line based on the transmission signals from the plurality of fire alarm terminals; an allocation step of registering the identification information of the plurality of fire alarm terminals in the terminal setting table by making the determined connection order correspond to the order of the records in the terminal setting table, thereby allocating the addresses to the identification information; a transmitting step of extracting one record at a time from the plurality of records in which the assigned address and the identification information are registered, and transmitting a setting signal for setting the address registered in the extracted record to the fire alarm terminal corresponding to the identification information registered in the extracted record, to the fire alarm terminal corresponding to the identification information registered in the extracted record; A setting method having:

2. In the first receiving step, the receiver receives the transmission signal including a measurement result of the voltage of the transmission line measured by each of the fire alarm terminals, In the first determination step, the connection order of the plurality of fire alarm terminals is determined by arranging measurement results of voltages of the plurality of transmission lines in order of high voltage or low voltage. The setting method according to claim 1 .

3. 3. The setting method described in claim 2, wherein the first receiving step includes a first termination step of terminating, before communicating with each of the plurality of fire alarm terminals, an end of the transmission line, which is different from one end of the transmission line for transmitting and receiving signals to the plurality of fire alarm terminals, with a first current generator so that a first current larger than the current flowing through the transmission line during normal monitoring of the plurality of fire alarm terminals flows through the transmission line.

4. 4. The setting method according to claim 3, wherein the first receiving step further includes a switching step of switching a limit value of a current limiting circuit that limits the maximum value of the current flowing through the transmission line to a value greater than the limit value during normal monitoring before communicating with each of the plurality of fire alarm terminals.

5. In the first receiving step, communication is performed with each of the plurality of fire alarm terminals from one end of the transmission line; After executing the first receiving step and the first determining step, a second receiving step of communicating with each of the plurality of fire alarm terminals from the other end of the transmission line different from the one end and receiving the transmission signal including the identification information of the fire alarm terminal; a second determination step of determining the connection order indicating the order in which the plurality of fire alarm terminals are connected to the transmission line based on the transmission signal from the second receiving step; a comparison step of comparing the connection order in the first determination step with the connection order in the second determination step; and In the assignment step, in response to a match between the connection order determined by the first determination step and the connection order determined by the second determination step, the identification information of the fire alarm terminal is registered in the terminal setting table and assigned to the address. The setting method according to any one of claims 2 to 4.

6. The setting method described in claim 5, wherein the second receiving step includes a second termination step of terminating the one end of the transmission line with a second current generator before communicating with each of the plurality of fire alarm terminals so that a second current larger than a current flowing through the transmission line during normal monitoring of the plurality of fire alarm terminals flows through the transmission line.

7. the plurality of fire alarm terminals each have a switch circuit that, in an initial state, cuts off electrical connection with the transmission line at a subsequent stage; The first receiving step includes: a step of communicating with a first fire alarm terminal connected to the transmission line and receiving the transmission signal; transmitting a control signal to electrically connect the switch circuit of the first fire alarm terminal; a step of communicating with a second fire alarm terminal downstream of the first fire alarm terminal to receive the transmission signal; transmitting a control signal to electrically connect the switch circuit of the second fire alarm terminal; repeating the reception of the transmission signal and the transmission of the control signal for electrically connecting the switch circuit of the fire alarm terminal that transmitted the transmission signal until the transmission signals are received from a plurality of the fire alarm terminals; Including, In the first determination step, the connection order of the plurality of fire alarm terminals is determined based on the order in which the transmission signals are received. The setting method according to claim 1 .

8. In the first receiving step, communication is performed with each of the plurality of fire alarm terminals from one end of the transmission line; After executing the first receiving step and the first determining step, a second receiving step of communicating with each of the plurality of fire alarm terminals from the other end of the transmission line different from the one end and receiving the transmission signal including the identification information of the fire alarm terminal; a second determination step of determining the connection order indicating the order in which the plurality of fire alarm terminals are connected to the transmission line based on the transmission signal from the second receiving step; a comparison step of comparing the connection order in the first determination step with the connection order in the second determination step; and In the assignment step, in response to a match between the connection order determined by the first determination step and the connection order determined by the second determination step, the identification information of the fire alarm terminal is registered in the terminal setting table and assigned to the address. The setting method according to claim 7.

9. A branchless transmission line, a plurality of fire alarm terminals connected to the transmission line; a receiver connected to one end of the transmission line and capable of communicating with the plurality of fire alarm terminals; Equipped with The receiver includes: a storage circuit for storing a terminal setting table configured by arranging records in a predetermined order, each record registering information including addresses to be assigned to a plurality of the fire alarm terminals; a communication circuit that communicates with each of the plurality of fire alarm terminals and receives a transmission signal including identification information of the fire alarm terminal; a determination unit that determines a connection order indicating an order in which the plurality of fire alarm terminals are connected to the transmission line based on the transmission signals from the plurality of fire alarm terminals; an allocation unit that registers the identification information of the plurality of fire alarm terminals in the terminal setting table by associating the connection order determined by the determination unit with the order of the records in the terminal setting table, and assigns the addresses to the identification information; a setting signal generating unit that extracts one record at a time from the plurality of records in which the assigned address and the identification information are registered, and generates a setting signal for setting the address registered in the extracted record to the fire alarm terminal corresponding to the identification information registered in the extracted record; and the communication circuit transmits the setting signal to the fire alarm terminal corresponding to the identification information registered in the extracted record. Fire alarm system.

Images