Server device

Abstract

To provide an alarm system and an alarm for enabling a user to easily set the language of an alarm voice to an appropriate language.SOLUTION: An alarm system in which a plurality of alarm devices that are installed on a ceiling or wall of a building and that detect a fire that has occurred in the building and output an alarm, a user terminal, and a server device are connected via a network, the alarm system comprising: The server device 30 includes the storage unit 302 that stores a plurality of pieces of alarm voice data indicating alarm voices in a plurality of languages, the display control unit 311 that causes the user terminal to display a screen used for an operation of selecting a language from among the plurality of languages, and the transmission unit 313 that transmits, to the alarm device, alarm voice data indicating an alarm voice in a language selected by an operation of the user terminal using the screen from among the plurality of pieces of alarm voice data stored in the storage unit 302. The alarm device includes a storage part for storing the alarm voice data received from the server device 30, and a sound output part for outputting the alarm voice indicated by the alarm voice data stored in the storage part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for outputting an alarm sound. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a technique for outputting an alarm sound in a language used by a user (for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-231640 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-082889 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-175256 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 do not allow the user to select the language of the warning sound based on the language corresponding to the prepared warning sound data, so it may be difficult for the user to set the language of the warning sound to an appropriate language.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to enable a user to easily set the language of the warning sound to an appropriate language. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention provides an alarm system comprising a server device and an alarm device, wherein the server device has a first storage unit that stores a plurality of alarm sound data indicating alarm sounds in a plurality of languages, a display control unit that causes a user terminal to display a screen used for an operation to select a language from among the plurality of languages, and a transmission unit that transmits to the alarm device alarm sound data that indicates an alarm sound in a language selected by operation of the user terminal using the screen, from the plurality of alarm sound data stored in the first storage unit, and the alarm device has a second storage unit that stores the alarm sound data received from the server device, and a sound output unit that outputs the alarm sound in the selected language indicated by the alarm sound data stored in the second storage unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the user can easily set the language of the warning sound to an appropriate language. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an alarm system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an alarm device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a user terminal. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the configuration of a server device. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an alarm voice database. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a management table. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an operation for selecting a language for an alarm sound. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting screen. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing an example of an alarm output operation of an alarm device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] 1. Configuration FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an alarm system 1 according to this embodiment. In the alarm system 1, the user can select the language of the alarm sound that is output in response to the occurrence of an abnormality such as a fire. For example, if the user speaks a foreign language, they will not be able to understand the content of the alarm sound even if an alarm sound is output in Japanese, and will not be able to recognize the occurrence of an abnormality such as a fire. Therefore, by selecting their own language, the user can change the language of the alarm sound to their own language. The alarm system 1 comprises multiple alarm devices 10, a user terminal 20, and a server device 30. These devices are connected via a network 40. The network 40 includes, for example, the Internet and a mobile communications network. The server device 30 and the network 40 may be connected via a wired or wireless connection. The multiple alarm devices 10 may also be connected via a wired or wireless connection. While FIG. 1 shows only one set of alarm devices 10 and one user terminal 20 installed in one building, the alarm system 1 may also include multiple sets of alarm devices 10 and multiple user terminals 20 installed in multiple buildings.

[0010] The alarm device 10 is installed on the ceiling or wall within a building, and detects a fire that breaks out in the building and outputs an alarm. The alarm device 10 is, for example, a residential fire alarm installed in a home. However, the alarm device 10 is not limited to residential fire alarms, and may be fire alarm equipment installed in buildings such as commercial buildings and office buildings. This building is an area that is monitored for the occurrence of fires by the alarm device 10, and is therefore an example of a "monitored area" according to the present invention. The user terminal 20 is used by users entering and leaving the building to select the language of the alarm audio output from the alarm device 10. Examples of user terminals 20 include smartphones, mobile phones, tablet devices, and wearable devices. However, the user terminal 20 is not limited to these devices, and may be any terminal that is used by the user. The server device 30 provides the alarm device 10 with alarm audio data in the language selected by the user in response to operation of the user terminal 20.

[0011] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the alarm device 10. The alarm device 10 comprises a control unit 101, a storage unit 102, a communication unit 103, an operation unit 104, a display unit 105, a sound output unit 106, and a fire detection unit 107. The various units of the alarm device 10 are connected via a bus. The various units of the alarm device 10 may be connected by wire or wirelessly.

[0012] The control unit 101 controls each unit of the alarm device 10, and performs various processes. The control unit 101 includes one or more processors, such as a CPU. The processor performs the above-mentioned control and processing by executing programs stored in the storage unit 102. The storage unit 102 stores various types of data used by the control unit 101. The storage unit 102 includes, for example, at least one of RAM, ROM, and EEPROM (registered trademark). The data stored in the storage unit 102 includes programs for realizing the functions of the alarm device 10, an address that uniquely identifies the alarm device 10, and alarm audio data that indicates an alarm audio. In the initial state, the storage unit 102 stores alarm audio data that indicates an alarm audio in Japanese. The communication unit 103 is a communications interface for communicating with the server device 30 via the network 40. The communication unit 103 includes, for example, a network adapter. The operation unit 104 accepts user operations. The operation unit 104 includes, for example, operation buttons. The display unit 105 displays various types of information. The display unit 105 includes, for example, an LED. The sound output unit 106 outputs various alarm sounds. These alarm sounds include sounds that notify the occurrence of an abnormality such as a fire. The sound output unit 106 includes, for example, a speaker. The fire detection unit 107 detects a fire. The fire detection method is, for example, a photoelectric method or a constant temperature method. However, the fire detection method is not limited to the photoelectric method or the constant temperature method, and may also be a differential method, an infrared method, an ultraviolet method, or the like. Any method that can detect a fire may be used, such as a fire alarm system or a combination thereof.

[0013] The control unit 101 of the alarm device 10 functions as a setting unit 111 and an alarm control unit 112. These functions are realized, for example, by the processor of the control unit 101 executing a program stored in the storage unit 102 to perform calculations or by controlling the various parts of the alarm device 10.

[0014] The setting unit 111 sets the language of the alarm sound to a language selected by the user in response to an operation of the user terminal 20. Specifically, the setting unit 111 stores alarm sound data in the language selected by the user, which is received from the server device 30, in the storage unit 102. The alarm sound is output using the alarm sound data stored in the storage unit 102. Therefore, by storing the alarm sound data in the language selected by the user in the storage unit 102, the language of the alarm sound is set to the language selected by the user. The alarm control unit 112 outputs an alarm sound indicated by the alarm sound data stored in the storage unit 102 from the sound output unit 106 in response to the detection of a fire by the fire detection unit 107. Note that when a fire is detected by the fire detection unit 107, the alarm control unit 112 causes the LED of the display unit 105 to flash or light up in addition to outputting the alarm sound.

[0015] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the user terminal 20. The user terminal 20 comprises a control unit 201, a storage unit 202, a communication unit 203, an operation unit 204, and a display unit 205. The various units of the user terminal 20 are connected via a bus. The control unit 201, storage unit 202, communication unit 203, and operation unit 204 are basically the same as the control unit 101, storage unit 102, communication unit 103, and operation unit 104 of the alarm device 10 described above. However, the storage unit 202 stores a program for realizing the functions of the user terminal 20. This program includes, for example, a web browser. The display unit 205 displays various types of information. The display unit 205 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display.

[0016] The control unit 201 of the user terminal 20 functions as a transmission unit 211. This function is realized, for example, by the processor of the control unit 201 executing a program stored in the storage unit 202 to perform calculations or control each unit of the user terminal 20. In response to an operation by the user to select the language of the warning sound, the transmission unit 211 transmits language information indicating the selected language to the server device 30.

[0017] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server device 30. The server device 30 comprises a control unit 301, a storage unit 302, and a communication unit 303. The various units of the server device 30 are connected via a bus. The control unit 301, storage unit 302, and communication unit 303 are basically the same as the control unit 101, storage unit 102, and communication unit 103 of the alarm device 10 described above. However, the storage unit 302 stores a program for realizing the functions of the server device 30, an alarm sound database 321, and a management table 322. This program includes, for example, a web server. In addition to the memory described above, the storage unit 302 may also include storage such as an HDD or SSD.

[0018] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the alarm sound database 321. The alarm sound database 321 contains alarm sound data indicating various alarm sounds that are output from the alarm device 10. The alarm sound database 321 contains multiple alarm sound data that correspond to the trigger for outputting an alarm sound and indicate that alarm sound in multiple languages. Multiple alarm sound data that correspond to the same trigger indicate alarm sounds of the same content, but in different languages. For example, the trigger "fire detection" includes alarm sound data in Japanese indicating the alarm sound "There's a fire, there's a fire" that is output in response to fire detection, alarm sound data in English, alarm sound data in Chinese, and so on. However, the alarm sounds included in the alarm sound database 321 The languages ​​that the data corresponds to are not limited to these exemplified languages, and may be other languages ​​such as Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, etc. The number of languages ​​that the warning voice data contained in the warning voice database 321 corresponds to may also be any number. Furthermore, Japanese and foreign languages ​​may include dialects.

[0019] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the management table 322. The management table 322 stores, in association with each other, the addresses of all of the alarm devices 10 managed by the server device 30 and language information indicating the language of the alarm sound output from those alarm devices 10. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the address "001" is associated with the language information "Japanese". This indicates that the language of the alarm sound output from the alarm device 10 with address "001" is set to Japanese. The language of the alarm sound may differ depending on the alarm device 10. Note that in the initial state, the language of the alarm sound output from the alarm device 10 is set to Japanese.

[0020] Returning to FIG. 4 , the control unit 301 of the server device 30 functions as a display control unit 311, a selection unit 312, and a transmission unit 313. These functions are realized, for example, by the processor of the control unit 301 executing a program stored in the storage unit 302 to perform calculations or controlling each unit of the server device 30. The display control unit 311 causes the user terminal 20 to display a screen used for an operation to select a language for the warning sound from among multiple languages ​​corresponding to the warning sound data stored in the storage unit 302. For example, the server device 30 and the user terminal 20 function as a web server and a web browser, respectively. The display control unit 311 transmits data for displaying the screen used for an operation to select a language for the warning sound to the user terminal 20, thereby providing the user terminal 20 with a display of this screen. The selection unit 312 selects the language selected by the user as the language for the warning sound based on language information received from the user terminal 20 in response to an operation of the user terminal 20 using this screen. The transmission unit 313 extracts warning sound data in the language selected by the selection unit 312 from the warning sound database 321 and transmits it to the alarm device 10.

[0021] 2.Operation FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation for selecting the language of the alarm sound. This operation is performed, for example, when initial configuration of the alarm device 10 is performed, or when the user of the alarm device 10 changes. In step S11, the transmission unit 211 of the user terminal 20 sends to the server device 30 a display request for a selection screen 250 used to select the language of the alarm sound, in response to user operation of the operation unit 204 by the user. In step S12, when a display request for the selection screen 250 is received from the user terminal 20, the display control unit 311 of the server device 30 sends display data for displaying the selection screen 250 to the user terminal 20 in response to this display request. In step S13, when display data is received from the server device 30, the selection screen 250 corresponding to this display data is displayed on the display unit 205 of the user terminal 20. This selection screen 250 is a web screen displayed by a web browser stored in the storage unit 202. In step S14, the user uses the operation unit 204 of the user terminal 20 to perform an operation to select the language of the alarm sound on the selection screen 250.

[0022] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the selection screen 250. The selection screen 250 includes an address selection area 251 and a language selection area 252. The address selection area 251 is used for the operation of selecting the address of the alarm device 10 for which the alarm sound language is to be set. For example, the selection screen 250 displays a list of the addresses of all alarm devices 10 managed by the server device 30 in response to operation of the address selection area 251. The user operates the operation unit 204 of the user terminal 20 to select from this address list the address of the alarm device 10 for which the alarm sound language is to be changed. For example, the user operates the operation unit 204 of the user terminal 20 to select the addresses of all alarm devices 10 installed in the building in which the user resides. The language selection area 252 is used for the operation of selecting the alarm sound language. For example, 52 displays a list of languages ​​to which the warning voice data included in the warning voice database 321 corresponds. The user operates the operation unit 204 of the user terminal 20 to select the language that the user uses from this list of languages. For example, if the warning voice database 321 contains Japanese warning voice data, English warning voice data, and Chinese warning voice data, the list of languages ​​will include Japanese, English, and Chinese. If the user uses English, the user operates the operation unit 204 of the user terminal 20 to select English from the list of languages. The language of the text displayed on the selection screen 250 can be switched to another language in response to a user operation.

[0023] Returning to FIG. 7 , in step S15, the transmission section 211 of the user terminal 20 transmits to the server device 30 the address of the alarm device 10 selected by user operation, and language information indicating the selected language. In step S16, when the language information and address of the alarm device 10 are received from the user terminal 20, the selection section 312 of the server device 30 selects the alarm sound language for the target alarm device 10 based on this language information and address. For example, if the address of the target alarm device 10 is "001", and the language indicated by the language information is "English", the selection section 312 changes the alarm sound language linked to the address "001" in the management table 322 shown in FIG. 6 from "Japanese" to "English". As a result, English is selected as the language for the alarm sound to be output from the alarm device 10 with the address "001". In step S17, the transmission section 313 extracts alarm sound data in the language selected in step S16 from the alarm sound database 321 stored in the storage section 302, and transmits this to the target alarm device 10. For example, if the warning sound language of an alarm device 10 with address "001" is changed to "English," all English warning sound data contained in the warning sound database 321 shown in Figure 5 is sent to the alarm device 10 with address "001."

[0024] In step S18, when warning sound data is received from the server device 30, the setting section 111 of the alarm device 10 sets the language of the warning sound based on this warning sound data. As described above, in the initial state, Japanese warning sound data is stored in the storage section 102 of the alarm device 10. The setting section 111 of the alarm device 10 overwrites the Japanese warning sound data stored in the storage section 102 with the warning sound data received from the server device 30, and stores it in the storage section 102. As a result, warning sound data in the language selected by the user is stored in the storage section 102 in place of the Japanese warning sound data. The warning sound data stored in the storage section 102 is used to output the warning sound. Therefore, by storing warning sound data in the language selected by the user in the storage section 102, the language of the warning sound is changed to the language selected by the user.

[0025] 9 is a flow diagram showing an example of the alarm output operation of the alarm device 10. This operation is initiated when the alarm device 10 detects a fire. In step S21, when the fire detection section 107 detects a fire (the judgment in step S21 is YES), the process proceeds to step S22, where the alarm control section 112 causes the sound output section 106 to output an alarm sound indicated by the alarm sound data stored in the memory section 102 and corresponding to the trigger "fire detected." For example, if English alarm sound data has been stored in the memory section 102, an alarm sound saying "There's a fire, there's a fire" will be output in English from the sound output section 106.

[0026] According to the embodiment described above, the user can operate the user terminal 20 to select the language of the alarm sound using the selection screen 250 provided by the server device 30, and can therefore easily set the language of the alarm sound to an appropriate language based on the language corresponding to the alarm sound data stored in the server device 30. Furthermore, the selection screen 250 displays a list of languages ​​corresponding to the alarm sound data stored in the server device 30, and the user can select the desired language from among the alarm sound languages ​​that can be output by the alarm device 10. Therefore, if Even if the user's native language is not included in the warning sound languages ​​that can be output by the alarm device 10, the user can select a language that they can understand from among the warning sound languages ​​that can be output by the alarm device 10.

[0027] Furthermore, because the alarm voice database 321 is stored in the server device 30, and only alarm voice data in one language is stored in the alarm device 10, it is possible to reduce the storage capacity of the storage unit 102 of the alarm device 10 compared to when the alarm device 10 stores the alarm voice database 321. Furthermore, because the server device 30 centrally manages alarm voice data in multiple languages, if, for example, alarm voice data in a new language is added, it is possible to use the alarm voice data in the newly added language in all alarm devices 10 connected to the server device 30 simply by updating the alarm voice database 321 stored in the server device 30. Furthermore, by reflecting updates to the alarm voice database 321 on the selection screen 250, the user can also easily select the language of the alarm voice data that has been newly added to the alarm voice database 321.

[0028] If, as in the prior art, a user's voice were acquired, the language used by the user were recognized from this voice, and the language of the warning sound were automatically changed to the recognized language, there is a risk that the warning sound will be output in a language different from the language used by the user if the accuracy of recognizing the language used by the user is low. However, by selecting the language of the warning sound in response to a user operation as in the above-described embodiment, the language of the warning sound can be reliably set to the language desired by the user.

[0029] 3. Variations The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be implemented by modifying it as in the following modifications. The following modifications may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0030] Variation 1 In the above-described embodiment, the language of the warning sound may be automatically set to the language used in the user terminal 20, without any operation by the user. The language used in the user terminal 20 can be considered to be the language used by the user of the user terminal 20. The storage unit 202 of the user terminal 20 stores language information indicating the language used in the user terminal 20. The control unit 301 of the server device 30 further functions as an acquisition unit.

[0031] The acquisition section of the server device 30 acquires language information from a user terminal 20 that is present in the monitoring area of ​​the alarm device 10. One method of identifying a user terminal 20 that is present in the monitoring area of ​​the alarm device 10 is, for example, to acquire location information from the user terminal 20, and if this location information indicates a position within the monitoring area, determine that user terminal 20 is a user terminal 20 that is present in the monitoring area. Another method is to provide a transmitter that emits a beacon within the monitoring area, and determine that a user terminal 20 that receives a beacon from this transmitter is a user terminal 20 that is present in the monitoring area. The acquisition section of the server device 30 may, for example, acquire language information from a user terminal 20 that is present in the monitoring area of ​​the alarm device 10 by sending a language information acquisition request to this user terminal 20 during initial setup. Alternatively, the acquisition section of the server device 30 may periodically acquire language information from a user terminal 20 that is present in the monitoring area of ​​the alarm device 10 by sending a language information acquisition request to this user terminal 20 at predetermined time intervals.

[0032] The selection section 312 of the server device 30 selects the language indicated by the language information most recently acquired by the acquisition section as the language of the alarm sound to be output from the target alarm device 10. As a result, in the same way as in the above-described embodiment, alarm sound data in the selected language is sent from the server device 30 to the alarm device 10 and stored in the storage section 102 of the alarm device 10. When detected, a warning sound is output from the sound output unit 106 in the language used by the user terminal 20 present in the monitored area.

[0033] Selection of the alarm audio language may be performed on a building-by-building basis, or for each alarm device 10. When selection of the alarm audio language is performed on a building-by-building basis, language information is acquired from a user terminal 20 present in the building, and alarm audio data in the language indicated by that language information is transmitted to all alarm devices 10 installed in that building. On the other hand, when selection of the alarm audio language is performed for each alarm device 10, language information is acquired from a user terminal 20 present in the monitoring area of ​​each alarm device 10, and alarm audio data in the language indicated by that language information is transmitted to that alarm device 10.

[0034] When multiple users who speak different languages ​​are present in a single monitored area, language information indicating different languages ​​is acquired from multiple user terminals 20 present in this monitored area. In this case, of the multiple languages ​​indicated by the multiple language information acquired from these user terminals 20, the language used by the most users may be selected as the alarm sound language, or multiple languages ​​may be selected as the alarm sound languages. When multiple languages ​​are selected as alarm sound languages, alarm sound data in multiple languages ​​is transmitted from the server device 30 to the alarm device 10 and stored in the storage unit 102 of the alarm device 10. When a fire is detected by the alarm device 10, alarm sounds in multiple languages ​​are output in order from the sound output unit 106 in accordance with the alarm sound data in multiple languages ​​stored in the storage unit 102. In this case, the output order of the alarm sounds in multiple languages ​​may be the order of the languages ​​used most frequently.

[0035] In addition, the selection of the language of the alarm sound according to the language used in the user terminal 20 described in this modified example may be used together with the selection of the language of the alarm sound according to the operation of the user terminal 20 described in the above embodiment, or may be used instead of the selection of the language of the alarm sound according to the operation of the user terminal 20.

[0036] According to this modified example, the language of the alarm sound is set to the language used by the user, even if the user does not perform any operation to select the alarm sound language. Furthermore, if the server device 30 periodically acquires language information from the user terminal 20 present in the monitoring area of ​​the alarm device 10, then even if the users present in the monitoring area change sequentially, such as when a building in the monitoring area is used for residential accommodation, the alarm device 10 installed in that monitoring area can output the alarm sound in the language used by the user currently present in the monitoring area.

[0037] Variation 2 In the above-described embodiment, the language of the warning sound may be automatically set to the language used for voice operation in the home appliance, regardless of user operation. The language used for voice operation in the home appliance can be considered to be the language used by the user. The home appliance includes, for example, a smart speaker. The smart speaker acquires the user's voice and recognizes the language of the voice as the language used for voice operation. The control unit 301 of the server device 30 further functions as an acquisition unit.

[0038] The acquisition section of the server device 30 acquires language information indicating the language used for voice operation from home appliances that are present in the monitoring area of ​​the alarm device 10. One method of identifying home appliances that are present in the monitoring area of ​​the alarm device 10 is to have a transmitter that emits a beacon within the monitoring area, and to determine that home appliances that receive a beacon from this transmitter are home appliances that are present in the monitoring area. Alternatively, identification information for home appliances that are present in the monitoring area of ​​each alarm device 10 may be stored in advance in the storage section 302 of the server device 30, associated with the address of each alarm device 10. The acquisition section of the server device 30 may acquire language information from home appliances that are present in the monitoring area of ​​the alarm device 10, for example, by sending a language information acquisition request to this home appliance during initial setup. Also, The acquisition section of the server device 30 may periodically acquire language information from a home electrical appliance that is present in the monitoring area of ​​the alarm device 10 by sending a language information acquisition request to that home electrical appliance at predetermined time intervals.

[0039] The selection section 312 of the server device 30 selects the language indicated by the latest language information acquired by the acquisition section as the language of the alarm sound to be output from the target alarm device 10. As with the embodiment described above, alarm sound data in the selected language is thereby sent from the server device 30 to the alarm device 10, and stored in the storage section 102 of the alarm device 10. When a fire is detected by the alarm device 10, an alarm sound is output from the sound output section 106 in the language used for voice operation of home appliances present in its monitored area.

[0040] As with the above-mentioned first modification, the selection of the alarm sound language may be performed on a building-by-building basis, or may be performed for each alarm device 10. Furthermore, if multiple users who speak different languages ​​are present in one monitored area, the language used by the most users may be selected as the alarm sound language, or multiple languages ​​may be selected as the alarm sound language. The selection of the alarm sound language in accordance with the language used for voice operation in the home appliance described in this modification may be used in addition to the selection of the alarm sound language in accordance with operation of the user terminal 20 described in the above-mentioned embodiment, or may be used instead of the selection of the alarm sound language in accordance with operation of the user terminal 20.

[0041] According to this modified example, the language of the alarm sound is set to the language used by the user, even if the user does not perform any operation to select the language of the alarm sound. Furthermore, if the server device 30 periodically acquires language information from home appliances that are present in the monitoring area of ​​the alarm device 10, then even if the users present in the monitoring area change sequentially, such as when a building in the monitoring area is used for residential accommodation, the alarm device 10 installed in that monitoring area can output the alarm sound in the language used by the user currently present in the monitoring area.

[0042] Variation 3 In the above-described embodiment, the user's operation of selecting the language of the warning sound may be assisted by displaying the language used in the user terminal 20 or the language used for voice operation in the home appliance in a manner that distinguishes it from other languages ​​on the selection screen 250. For example, using the method described in the first or second modification, the display control unit 311 of the server device 30 identifies the language used in the user terminal 20 or the language used for voice operation in the home appliance, and displays this language in a manner that distinguishes it from other languages ​​in the list of multiple languages ​​included in the selection screen 250. For example, if the language used in the user terminal 20 or the language used for voice operation in the home appliance is Chinese, "Chinese" is highlighted in the list of multiple languages ​​displayed in the language selection area 252 of the selection screen 250 shown in FIG. 8. This highlighting may include changing the color, size, order, frame, shape, blinking, and displaying an additional image. This allows the user to easily select the language used in the user terminal 20 or the language used for voice operation in the home appliance.

[0043] In this modification, the language of the alarm sound is not set automatically without user operation as in the above-described modification 1 or 2, but the selection of the language of the alarm sound is made according to the user's operation, although the user's operation is assisted. This is because, for example, if the user can understand multiple languages, the language used in the user terminal 20 or the language used for voice operation in the home appliance may not necessarily match the language of the alarm sound, so the language that the user is likely to select is displayed in an easy-to-select manner, while the user is not prevented from selecting another language as the language of the alarm sound. According to this modification, the language used in the user terminal 20 or the language used for voice operation in the home appliance may not necessarily match the language of the alarm sound. This makes it easier to set the language used for operation as the language for the warning sound.

[0044] Variation 4 In the above-described embodiment, the alarm audio is not limited to audio that notifies the user of the occurrence of a fire. This alarm audio may be any audio that notifies the user of the occurrence of an event. For example, the alarm audio may be audio that notifies the user of an equipment abnormality such as a dead battery, damage, or malfunction of the alarm device 10, or an audio sound that is sounded during inspection. The alarm control unit 112 causes the sound output unit 106 to output an alarm audio indicated by the alarm audio data stored in the storage unit 102 in response to the occurrence of an event. For example, the alarm device 10 is equipped with an equipment abnormality detection unit that detects equipment abnormalities. When the equipment abnormality detection unit detects a dead battery, the alarm control unit 112 causes the sound output unit 106 to output an alarm audio notifying the user of the dead battery. When the equipment abnormality detection unit detects damage to the alarm device 10, the alarm control unit 112 causes the sound output unit 106 to output an alarm audio notifying the user of the damage. Furthermore, the alarm control unit 112 causes the sound output unit 106 to output an inspection-related alarm audio during inspection.

[0045] Variation 5 In the embodiment described above, the server device 30 may set the alarm sound language on behalf of the alarm device 10, and provide alarm sound data to the alarm device 10 each time an opportunity to output an alarm sound occurs. In this modified example, the control unit 301 of the server device 30 functions as the setting unit 111. Furthermore, the storage unit 302 of the server device 30 stores alarm sound data in the language selected for the alarm device 10, in association with the address of that alarm device 10. For example, when the alarm device 10 detects a fire, it sends to the server device 30 a request to acquire alarm sound data corresponding to the event of "fire detected". The transmission unit 313 of the server device 30 sends to the alarm device 10 the alarm sound data corresponding to the event of "fire detected", which has been stored in association with the address of the alarm device 10 in the storage unit 302. The alarm control unit 112 of the alarm device 10 causes the sound output unit 106 to output the alarm sound indicated by the alarm sound data received from the server device 30. Even with the configuration related to this modification, the alarm device 10 can output an audio warning in a language selected by the user.

[0046] Variation 6 In the above-described embodiment, the server device 30 does not necessarily have to be provided. In this modified example, the alarm device 10 and user terminal 20 are connected via a network such as a wireless LAN. An alarm sound database 321 is stored in the storage unit 102 of the alarm device 10. The control unit 101 of the alarm device 10 also functions as a display control unit and selection unit. In the same way as the display control unit 311 described above, the display control unit of the alarm device 10 displays on the user terminal 20 a screen used for the operation to select the alarm sound language from the multiple languages ​​corresponding to the alarm sound data stored in the storage unit 102. The transmission unit 211 of the user terminal 20 transmits the address and language information of the alarm device 10 described above to the alarm device 10 in response to user operation. Upon receiving the address and language information of the alarm device 10 from the user terminal 20, the selection unit of the alarm device 10 selects the language selected by the user as the alarm sound language, in the same way as the selection unit 312 described above. The setting section 111 of the alarm device 10 sets the alarm sound data in the language selected by the selection section, from among the alarm sound data in multiple languages ​​contained in the alarm sound database 321, as the alarm sound data to be used for outputting the alarm sound. The alarm control section 112 of the alarm device 10 uses the alarm sound data set by the setting section 111, and causes the alarm sound indicated by this alarm sound data to be output from the sound output section 106. Even with the configuration related to this modified example, the alarm device 10 is able to output an alarm sound in the language selected by the user.

[0047] Variation 7 In the above-described embodiment, the configuration of the alarm system 1 is not limited to the above-described example. The alarm system 1 may be configured to include one or more of the above-described devices, or some of the devices may be configured to include only one or more of the above-described devices. The alarm system 1 may be configured without including the above. In one example, the alarm system 1 may be a disaster prevention system comprising a sensor, a fire receiver, a user terminal 20, a server device 30, and emergency broadcast equipment. The sensor comprises the fire detection unit 107 described above. The fire receiver and emergency broadcast equipment comprise the storage unit 102 and sound output unit 106 described above, and output an audio alarm in response to the detection of a fire. In another example, the alarm system 1 may be a regional disaster prevention system comprising an alarm device 10 installed in a certain area, multiple user terminals 20 used by multiple users in that area, and a server device 30. The user terminal 20 further comprises the storage unit 102 and sound output unit 106 described above, and output an audio alarm in response to the detection of a fire.

[0048] Variation 8 In the above-described embodiment, the operation of the alarm system 1 is not limited to the above-described example. The order of the processing steps of the alarm system 1 may be changed as long as there is no contradiction. Furthermore, some of the processing steps of the alarm system 1 may be omitted.

[0049] Variation 9 Another aspect of the present invention may provide a method comprising processing steps carried out in at least one of the alarm system 1, alarm device 10, user terminal 20, and server device 30. Furthermore, yet another aspect of the present invention may provide a program that is executed in each of the alarm device 10, user terminal 20, and server device 30. This program may be provided as stored on a computer-readable recording medium, or may be provided by downloading via the Internet, etc.

[0050] Variation 10 In the above-described embodiment, the alarm device 10 is not limited to devices that detect fires and issue an alarm, but may also detect abnormalities other than fires and issue an alarm. For example, the alarm device 10 may be a gas alarm that detects gas leaks and issues an alarm. The alarm device 10 may also be an alarm device with a human presence sensor that detects the intrusion of a suspicious person and issues an alarm. In short, the alarm device 10 may be any device that detects abnormalities and issues an alarm. The abnormalities detected by the alarm device 10 are not limited to fires, but may be any abnormality, such as gas leaks or the intrusion of a suspicious person. The alarm audio output from the alarm device 10 is not limited to audio that notifies of the occurrence of a fire, but may also be audio that notifies of the occurrence of an abnormality other than a fire in the monitored area, such as a gas leak or the intrusion of a suspicious person.

[0051] Variation 11 In the above-described embodiment, the user may be allowed to select not only the language of the alarm sound but also the gender of the speaker of the alarm sound and the characteristics of the alarm sound. For example, in the same manner as the method for selecting the language of the alarm sound described in the above-described embodiment, the user may be allowed to select a desired voice from among male voices, female voices, voices that are easy for elderly people to hear, etc.

[0052] Variation 12 In the above-described embodiment, in addition to the Japanese warning sound data stored in the initial state, warning sound data in another language selected by the user may also be stored in the storage unit 102 of the alarm device 10. In this case, the warning control unit 112 may cause the sound output unit 106 to output, in order, the Japanese warning sound indicated by the warning sound data stored in the storage unit 102 and the warning sound in the other language selected by the user. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1: alarm system, 10: alarm device, 20: user terminal, 30: server device, 40: network, 101: control unit, 102: storage unit, 103: communication unit, 104: operation unit, 105: display unit, 106: sound output unit, 107: fire detection unit, 111: setting unit, 112: alarm control unit 201: control unit, 202: storage unit, 203: communication unit, 204: operation unit, 205: display unit, 250: selection screen, 211: transmission unit, 301: control unit, 302: storage unit, 303: communication unit, 311: display control unit, 312: selection unit, 313: transmission unit, 321: warning sound database, 322: management table

Claims

1. a storage unit that stores a plurality of warning voice data representing warning voices in a plurality of languages; a display control unit that displays, on a user terminal, a screen used for an operation to select a language from the plurality of languages; a transmission unit that transmits, from the plurality of alarm sound data stored in the storage unit, alarm sound data that indicates an alarm sound in a language selected by operating the user terminal using the screen to an alarm device; A server device comprising:

2. further comprising an acquisition section that acquires, from an external device present in the monitoring area of ​​the alarm device, language information indicating the language used in that external device, The display control unit highlights the language indicated by the acquired language information in a list of the plurality of languages ​​included on the screen.

2. The server device according to claim 1.

3. The screen is further used for an operation of selecting one of a plurality of voice characteristics, The transmitted warning sound data further comprises the selected sound characteristics.

2. The server device according to claim 1.

4. The transmission unit transmits the warning sound data indicating the warning sound in the selected language to the alarm device in response to the occurrence of an opportunity to output the warning sound from the alarm device.

2. The server device according to claim 1.

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