Alarm system for monitoring snowfall

Abstract

To provide a snow accumulation monitoring alarm system capable of eliminating the need of manual adjustment of a snow accumulation monitoring device, and highly accurately measuring a snow accumulation amount to reflect it on the output time of an alarm.SOLUTION: A snowfall monitoring device 2 for monitoring snowfall and a user terminal 3 for outputting a wake-up alarm are provided, and the snowfall monitoring device 2 includes a linear rail 21 erected in a snowfall monitoring area, a movable part 22 capable of being lifted and lowered along the linear rail 21, and a lifting and lowering motor 23 for lifting and lowering the movable part 22. An infrared sensor 24 that detects snow based on reflection of light emitted in a substantially horizontal direction, a control unit 26 that measures a snow accumulation amount based on a detection signal acquired from the infrared sensor 24 while automatically raising and lowering a movable part 22, and a communication unit 27 that transmits the measured snow accumulation amount to a user terminal 3 are provided, and the user terminal 3 offsets an output time of a wake-up alarm according to the measured snow accumulation amount.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a snow accumulation monitoring alarm system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a snow accumulation monitoring device that monitors the amount of snow accumulation using a support pole erected approximately vertically to the ground, a position adjuster that can be moved up and down along the support pole, and an infrared sensor that is fixed so that it can be moved up and down via the position adjuster. Patent Document 1 also discloses an external management device (alarm clock) that changes the output time of an alarm based on snow accumulation information received from the snow accumulation monitoring device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3190353 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the snow accumulation monitoring device of Patent Document 1 monitors whether the amount of snow accumulation exceeds the height of the infrared sensor, and if the amount of snow accumulation to be monitored is to be changed, the height of the infrared sensor must be manually adjusted.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure aims to provide a snow accumulation monitoring alarm system that eliminates the need for manual adjustment of a snow accumulation monitoring device and can measure the amount of snow accumulation with high accuracy and reflect this in the output time of an alarm. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In one aspect, the following solution is provided. a snow accumulation monitoring device for monitoring snow accumulation; a user terminal that outputs a wake-up alarm; The snow accumulation monitoring device is a linear rail erected in a snow accumulation monitoring area; a movable part that can move up and down along the linear rail; an actuator for raising and lowering the movable part; a sensor unit provided on the movable part and detecting snow based on reflection of light emitted in a substantially horizontal direction; a control unit that automatically moves the movable unit up and down while measuring the amount of snow based on the detection signal obtained from the sensor unit; a communication unit that transmits the measured amount of snowfall to the user terminal; The user terminal an alarm time setting means for setting the output time of the wake-up alarm in response to a user operation; The snow accumulation monitoring alarm system is characterized by comprising an alarm time offset means for offsetting the output time of the alarm in accordance with the measured amount of snow accumulation. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, manual adjustment of the snow accumulation monitoring device is no longer necessary, and the amount of snow accumulation can be measured with high accuracy and reflected in the output time of the wake-up alarm. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a snow accumulation monitoring alarm system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the snow accumulation monitoring alarm system. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of the snow accumulation monitoring device. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the operation of the snow accumulation monitoring device to measure the amount of snow accumulated, in which FIG. 1A shows the state at the start of measurement, and FIG. 1B shows the state at the end of measurement. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the snow accumulation monitoring device. [Figure 6]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an offset table. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Each embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] [Snow accumulation monitoring alarm system] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a snow accumulation monitoring alarm system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 1, the snow accumulation monitoring and alarm system 1 includes a snow accumulation monitoring device 2 that monitors snow accumulation and a user terminal 3 that outputs an alarm. The snow accumulation monitoring device 2 measures the amount of snow accumulation and transmits the result to the user terminal 3, and the user terminal 3 offsets the output time of the alarm based on the received amount of snow accumulation. For example, when there is a large amount of snow accumulation, the alarm is output at a time a predetermined time earlier than the preset time.

[0011] With this snow accumulation monitoring alarm system 1, it is possible to anticipate disruptions to transportation due to snow accumulation and to set wake-up times earlier, allowing for ample time for commuting to work or school even when snow is falling. Also, even if snow needs to be removed from garages, roads, entrances, etc. after waking up, setting wake-up times earlier makes it possible to secure the time required for snow removal.

[0012] The snow accumulation monitoring device 2 and the user terminal 3 that constitute the snow accumulation monitoring alarm system 1 will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0013] [Snow monitoring device] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the snow accumulation monitoring alarm system 1, and FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the snow accumulation monitoring device 2 includes a linear rail 21, a movable section 22, a lifting motor 23, an infrared sensor 24, a vertical position sensor 25, a control section 26, and a communication section 27.

[0014] The linear rail 21 is erected in a snow accumulation monitoring area. For example, when monitoring the amount of snow accumulation around a garage that is easily affected by snow accumulation, the linear rail 21 is erected near the garage and in a location that does not interfere with cars entering and leaving the garage.

[0015] The movable part 22 is provided so as to be able to move up and down along the linear rail 21. For example, the movable part 22 is supported by the linear rail 21 via a plurality of rollers (not shown) so as to be able to slide in the up and down direction.

[0016] The lifting motor 23 raises and lowers the movable part 22 along the linear rail 21. For example, the lifting motor 23 is connected to the movable part 22 via a transmission mechanism (such as a feed screw mechanism or a belt transmission mechanism) incorporated in the linear rail 21, and raises and lowers the movable part 22 in response to the driving of the lifting motor 23. Note that the movable part 22 may be raised and lowered by an actuator other than the lifting motor 23 (such as an electric cylinder).

[0017] The infrared sensor 24 is provided on the movable part 22 and detects snow based on the reflection (amount of received light) of light emitted in a substantially horizontal direction. For example, if the amount of accumulated snow is greater than the height (vertical position) of the infrared sensor 24, most of the light emitted from the infrared sensor 24 in a substantially horizontal direction is reflected off the snow and returns to the infrared sensor 24, and it can be determined based on the amount of received light that the amount of accumulated snow exceeds the height of the infrared sensor 24. On the other hand, if the amount of accumulated snow is less than the height of the infrared sensor 24, most of the light emitted from the infrared sensor 24 in a substantially horizontal direction does not return to the infrared sensor 24, and it can be determined based on the amount of received light that the amount of accumulated snow does not exceed the height of the infrared sensor 24 (or there is no snow). Note that sensors other than the infrared sensor 24 (e.g., laser light sensors, photoelectric sensors, etc.) may also be used to detect snow.

[0018] The vertical position sensor 25 detects the vertical position (height) of the movable part 22 (infrared sensor 24). The vertical position sensor 25 is configured using, for example, a stroke sensor, but may also detect the vertical position of the movable part 22 based on the number of rotations or the number of steps of the lifting motor 23.

[0019] The control unit 26 is a control unit configured using a microcontroller (microcomputer) and the like, and controls each part of the snow accumulation monitoring device 2. For example, the control unit 26 executes a process of measuring the amount of snow accumulation based on a detection signal obtained from the infrared sensor 24 while automatically raising and lowering the movable unit 22. The process executed by the control unit 26 will be described in detail later.

[0020] The communication unit 27 transmits the measured amount of snow to the user terminal 3. The communication method used by the communication unit 27 is, for example, short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). Furthermore, the communication unit 27 not only transmits the measured amount of snow to the user terminal 3, but also receives measurement instructions and the like transmitted from the user terminal 3.

[0021] [Snow accumulation monitoring device measuring snow accumulation] Next, the snow accumulation amount measuring operation of the snow accumulation monitoring device 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0022] Figure 4 shows the snow accumulation measurement operation of the snow accumulation monitoring device 2, where (a) shows the state at the start of measurement and (b) shows the state at the end of measurement, and Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the control procedure of the snow accumulation monitoring device 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 26 determines whether or not it has received a measurement instruction sent by the user terminal 3 (S1), and if the result of this determination is NO, it returns to the upper routine without performing the snow depth measurement operation (S2 to S8).

[0023] If the determination result in step S1 is YES, the control unit 26 raises the infrared sensor 24 (movable unit 22) from the initial position (lowest position: see FIG. 4(a)) (S2), and determines whether snow has been detected based on the detection signal (amount of received light) of the infrared sensor 24 (S3). The control unit 26 continues raising the infrared sensor 24 while the determination result in step S3 is YES, and stops raising the infrared sensor 24 when the determination result in step S3 is NO (S4: see FIG. 4(b)).

[0024] After stopping the raising of infrared sensor 24, control unit 26 acquires the detection value of vertical position sensor 25 (S5) and calculates the amount of snow (snow height) based on the detection value of vertical position sensor 25 (S6). Thereafter, control unit 26 transmits the measured amount of snow to user terminal 3 (S7) and lowers infrared sensor 24 to its initial position (S8). This completes one snow amount measurement operation.

[0025] [User device] The user terminal 3 is, for example, a smartphone, and includes a communication unit 31, an input unit 32, a display unit 33, an alarm output unit 34, and a control unit 35, as shown in FIG.

[0026] The communication unit 31 of the user terminal 3 communicates with the snow accumulation monitoring device 2 (communication unit 27). For example, the communication unit 31 of the user terminal 3 receives the amount of snow accumulation transmitted by the snow accumulation monitoring device 2 and transmits measurement instructions to the snow accumulation monitoring device 2.

[0027] The input unit 32 is configured, for example, with a touch panel laminated on the display unit 33, and enables the user to perform input operations.

[0028] The display unit 33 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal panel, and displays various information to the user in a visible manner.

[0029] The alarm output unit 34 outputs a wake-up alarm. The wake-up alarm to be output may be sound, vibration, or both sound and vibration.

[0030] The control unit 35 of the user terminal 3 is a control unit that controls each part of the user terminal 3. The control unit 35 of the user terminal 3 includes an alarm time setting means, a snow accumulation amount acquisition means, an alarm time offset means, and an alarm output means as functional components realized by cooperation between hardware and software (for example, a dedicated application).

[0031] The alarm time setting means sets the output time of the wake-up alarm in response to a user operation. For example, the alarm time setting means displays an alarm time setting screen in response to the launch of a dedicated application in the user terminal 3, and accepts the setting of the alarm output time on this screen by a user operation.

[0032] When the alarm output time is set by the user, the snow accumulation amount acquisition means transmits a measurement instruction to the snow accumulation monitoring device 2 at a predetermined timing and acquires the amount of snow measured by the snow accumulation monitoring device 2. The snow accumulation amount acquisition means may, for example, periodically acquire the amount of snow, or may acquire the amount of snow a predetermined time before the alarm output time (for example, maximum offset time + maximum measurement operation time + α), or may acquire the amount of snow periodically from a predetermined time before the alarm output time.

[0033] The alarm time offset means offsets (changes the wake-up alarm output time in the direction of advancing) the wake-up alarm output time in accordance with the measured (acquired) amount of snowfall. For example, the user terminal 3 stores an offset table (see FIG. 6) in which multiple amounts of snowfall and offset times corresponding to each amount of snowfall are set. The alarm time offset means offsets the wake-up alarm output time based on the measured amount of snowfall and the offset table. It is preferable that the offset table be set by the user.

[0034] The alarm output means compares the alarm output time with the current time, and if the two times match, causes the alarm output unit 34 to output a wake-up alarm.

[0035] Although each embodiment has been described in detail above, it is not limited to the specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the claims. It is also possible to combine all or a plurality of components of the above-described embodiments.

[0036] The present invention includes the following examples.

[0037] [1] A snow accumulation monitoring device that monitors snow accumulation; a user terminal that outputs a wake-up alarm; The snow accumulation monitoring device is a linear rail erected in a snow accumulation monitoring area; a movable part that can move up and down along the linear rail; an actuator for raising and lowering the movable part; a sensor unit provided on the movable part and detecting snow based on reflection of light emitted in a substantially horizontal direction; a control unit that automatically moves the movable unit up and down while measuring the amount of snow based on the detection signal obtained from the sensor unit; a communication unit that transmits the measured amount of snowfall to the user terminal; The user terminal an alarm time setting means for setting the output time of the wake-up alarm in response to a user operation; and an alarm time offset means for offsetting the output time of the wake-up alarm in accordance with the measured amount of snowfall.

[0038] [2] The user terminal stores an offset table in which a plurality of snowfall amounts and offset times corresponding to each snowfall amount are set; The snow accumulation monitoring alarm system according to [1], wherein the alarm time offset means offsets the output time of the wake-up alarm based on the measured amount of snow accumulation and the offset table.

[0039] [3] The snow accumulation monitoring alarm system according to [1], wherein the sensor unit is an infrared sensor. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1. Snow accumulation monitoring alarm system 2 Snow monitoring device 21 Linear Rail 22 Moving parts 23 Lift motor (lift actuator) 24 Infrared sensor (sensor part) 25 Up / down position sensor 26 Control Unit 27 Communications Department 3. User terminal 31 Communications Department 32 Input section 33 Display section 34 Alarm output section 35 Control Unit

Claims

1. a snow accumulation monitoring device for monitoring snow accumulation; a user terminal that outputs a wake-up alarm; The snow accumulation monitoring device is a linear rail erected in a snow accumulation monitoring area; a movable part that can move up and down along the linear rail; an actuator for raising and lowering the movable part; a sensor unit provided on the movable part and detecting snow based on reflection of light emitted in a substantially horizontal direction; a control unit that automatically moves the movable unit up and down while measuring the amount of snow based on the detection signal obtained from the sensor unit; a communication unit that transmits the measured amount of snowfall to the user terminal; The user terminal an alarm time setting means for setting the output time of the wake-up alarm in response to a user operation; and an alarm time offset means for offsetting the output time of the wake-up alarm in accordance with the measured amount of snowfall.

2. the user terminal stores an offset table in which a plurality of snowfall amounts and offset times corresponding to each snowfall amount are set; 2. The snow accumulation monitoring alarm system according to claim 1, wherein said alarm time offset means offsets the output time of said wake-up alarm based on said measured amount of snow accumulation and said offset table.

3. 2. The snow accumulation monitoring alarm system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor unit is an infrared sensor.

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