Fire truck alarm sound generator

Abstract

This invention provides a siren amplifier for fire trucks that adds functionality for emergency medical services and reduces the possibility of accidental operation while also offering an alarm sound generator. [Solution] The emergency vehicle alarm sound generating device according to the present invention is characterized by comprising: a speaker 70 that emits a siren sound; a storage unit 23 that stores multiple siren sound sources corresponding to multiple types of emergency vehicle applications; a control unit 24 that reads the sound sources stored in the storage unit 23 and outputs a signal; a siren amplifier 10 that includes a power amplifier unit 25 that amplifies the signal to the speaker 70 and an operating switch (main siren switch SW1) that permits the output of a signal from the control unit 24; and a changeover switch 50 disposed on the outside of the siren amplifier 10 or on the operation panel, which selects the siren sound source to be read by the control unit 24 and the operation specifications of the siren sound according to the emergency vehicle application.

Description

【Technical Field】 【0001】 The present invention relates to an alarm sound generating device mounted on a fire truck. 【Background Art】 【0002】 Conventionally, the alarm sound generating device of a fire truck or an ambulance is composed of a siren amplifier and a speaker installed outside the vehicle (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-85476 of Patent Document 1). The siren amplifier includes a storage unit (ROM) that stores sound sources such as siren sounds, a control unit (CPU) that controls it, and a power amplifier that amplifies the sound source. 【0003】 The sound sources include, for a fire truck, the "woo sound" of the main siren, the "kankan sound (alarm bell sound)" used when responding to a fire, for an ambulance, the "peepo sound" of the main siren, and the "woo sound" as a secondary siren at intersections. Further, it may also have a function of reproducing a "strong warning alarm sound" used when a strong warning effect is required, such as when entering an intersection, or an "alarm voice" for attracting attention by voice during driving. Then, the control unit (CPU) of the siren amplifier reads a predetermined alarm sound output waveform from the ROM, and amplifies the output waveform by the power amplifier unit of the siren amplifier to drive the speaker. 【0004】 Basically, a fire truck sounds the "woo sound" as the main siren, and the "kankan sound" (alarm bell sound) is added when responding to a fire. Also, when returning to the station after extinguishing a fire, only the "kankan sound" (alarm bell sound) may be sounded. 【0005】 On the other hand, basically, the "peepo sound" is sounded as the main siren from the speaker of an ambulance, and the "woo sound" is sounded as a secondary siren when entering an intersection or the like to enhance the warning effect. For both fire trucks and ambulances, a high warning alarm sound (such as a yelp sound) may be added when a stronger warning effect is required. 【0006】 Incidentally, when the injured or ill person is seriously injured and emergency medical personnel alone cannot provide rapid emergency treatment, when ambulances are all out and cannot be dispatched immediately, or when it is necessary to ensure the safety of the injured or ill person and emergency medical personnel in a busy area, fire departments and ambulances may cooperate in emergency medical services (PA cooperation) to provide rapid emergency treatment. This PA cooperation can shorten vehicle arrival times and increase the survival rate. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents] 【0007】 [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-85476 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-184488 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve] 【0008】 However, conventional fire engines and ambulances use different siren sound sources, so each has its own dedicated siren amplifier. As a result, in PA (Public Address) coordination, fire engines would sound a "woo" sound and ambulances would sound a "pee-pow" sound upon arrival at the scene. Consequently, people near the scene might mistakenly believe that a fire engine had arrived when they had called an ambulance, leading to confusion. 【0009】 Therefore, even in fire trucks, there is an increasing need to use a "pee-pow" sound as the primary siren when driving in emergency situations for ambulance duties (PA collaboration). Thus, it is conceivable to configure the siren amplifier of a fire truck to include, for example, a "woo-woo" sound for fire trucks, as well as a "clanging" sound for ambulances, as described in Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 11-184488), and to allow the "pee-pow" sound to be selected via the siren amplifier's control panel or an externally installed switch during PA collaboration. 【0010】 In this case, the siren amplifier for fire trucks is equipped with fire truck-specific siren sound functions, such as a "woo" sound as the main siren and a "clanging" sound as an alarm sound, and when linked with a PA system, the "pee-pow" sound is selected. However, because the switch for PA linkage is mixed in with the fire truck's control panel, there is a possibility of sounding the wrong sound (pee-pow) while driving during a fire response. Also, when driving on emergency duty, the "pee-pow" sound is used as the main siren, and the "woo" sound is superimposed as a secondary siren to warn at intersections, etc. However, when operating from the fire control panel, there is a possibility of misoperation, such as switching from the "pee-pow" sound to the "woo" sound. 【0011】 Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a fire truck alarm sound generating device that reduces the possibility of erroneous operation of the siren amplifier. [Means for solving the problem] 【0012】 To solve the aforementioned problems, the alarm sound generating device of the present invention is characterized by comprising: a speaker that emits a siren sound; a storage unit that stores multiple siren sound sources corresponding to multiple types of emergency vehicle applications; a control unit that reads the sound sources stored in the storage unit and outputs a signal; a siren amplifier that includes a power amplifier that amplifies the signal to the speaker and an operating switch that permits the output of a signal from the control unit; and a selector switch disposed on the outside of the siren amplifier or on the control panel, which selects the siren sound source to be read by the control unit and the operation specifications of the siren sound according to the emergency vehicle application. [Effects of the Invention] 【0013】 According to the present invention, the possibility of erroneous operation of the siren amplifier can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing] 【0014】 [Figure 1A] This is a perspective view of an alarm sound generating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 1B]This is a conceptual diagram of an alarm sound generating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 1C] This is a conceptual diagram of an ambulance alarm sound generator. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram of an alarm sound generating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart of an alarm sound generating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] (a) A diagram showing a fire truck and an ambulance equipped with a conventional alarm sound generator being dispatched in PA coordination, and (b) A diagram showing a fire truck and an ambulance equipped with an alarm sound generator according to an embodiment of the present invention being dispatched in PA coordination. [Modes for carrying out the invention] 【0015】 ● Alarm sound generator As shown in Figure 1A, the alarm sound generating device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a siren amplifier 10, a speaker 30 that emits a siren sound, and a changeover switch 50 disposed outside the siren amplifier 10. 【0016】 ● Control panel The siren amplifier 10 has switches SW1 to SW4 on its front control panel. Switch SW1 is the main siren switch (automatic button), switch SW2 is the sub-siren switch, switch SW3 is the alarm bell switch, and switch SW4 is the strong warning alarm sound switch. The control panel also has a weak button 15, a voice button 16, a microphone / AUX button 17, a test button 18, a volume knob 19, a microphone jack 20, an AUX jack 21, and an LCD display 22. 【0017】 The functions and operating states of switches SW1 to SW4 in firefighting mode and ambulance mode (when PA is linked) are as shown in Table 1 below. When the switching switch 50 is switched for emergency use (during PA linkage), the sub-siren operates only when the main siren sounds, and the sub-siren is output superimposed on the main siren. Also, when the switching switch 50 is switched for emergency use (during PA linkage), the alarm switch SW3 on the operation panel becomes invalid. 【Table 1】 【0018】 Also, the following Table 2 summarizes the operations of switches SW1 to SW4 and the siren sounds in the fire mode and the emergency use (during PA linkage) mode of the siren amplifier configuration. 【Table 2】 【0019】 The main siren is activated when the emergency vehicle departs and continues to sound until a stop operation is performed. The woo sound for fire trucks automatically sounds with undulation (operation specification) in a wave shape. 【0020】 The sub-siren is a siren that sounds temporarily to enhance the warning effect when entering an intersection or the like. For fire trucks, it is switched from the automatic wave sounding of the woo sound of the main siren to a manually sounded woo sound, and for ambulances, a manually sounded woo sound sounds superimposed on the peep sound of the main siren (operation specification). 【0021】 The alarm can operate only in the fire truck siren mode and sounds when the fire vehicle departs. The strong warning alarm sound is an alarm sound different from the woo sound and sounds temporarily when a particularly strong warning effect is required. 【0022】 As shown in Fig. 1A, the sub-siren switch SW2 and the strong warning alarm sound switch SW4 can also be installed outside the operation panel of the siren amplifier 10. 【0023】 When the main siren switch (automatic button) SW1 is pressed, a "woo" siren sound is emitted from the speaker 30, and the warning lights are activated in conjunction with it. In other words, the main siren switch SW1 functions as an activation switch that allows the speaker 30 to output a signal from the control unit of the siren amplifier 10. 【0024】 Pressing the alarm button 12 will cause a "clanging" alarm sound to be emitted from the speaker 30. Pressing the flashing light button 13 will activate the flashing light. Pressing the stop button 14 will stop the siren sound. 【0025】 Pressing the Weak button 15 reduces the siren volume to a low level. Pressing the Voice button 16 turns on the voice function. Pressing the Microphone / AUX button 17 turns on the AUX (external input) function. The AUX (external input) function is also automatically turned on by operating the microphone's talk switch. 【0026】 Pressing test button 18 will set the siren volume to a test level. Use test button 18 to check if the siren is functioning correctly before the fire truck is dispatched. 【0027】 Volume knob 19 adjusts the microphone / AUX volume. Pressing volume knob 19 switches between microphone and AUX. 【0028】 The microphone jack 20 is for connecting the plug of a dedicated microphone. The AUX jack 21 is for connecting a memory player or similar device. The LCD display 22 displays the audio title, volume, settings status, and error information in case of malfunction. 【0029】 ● Conceptual diagram of an alarm sound generator Figure 1B is a conceptual diagram illustrating an alarm sound generating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. (a) shows a conventional alarm sound generating device, and (b) shows an alarm sound generating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The alarm sound generating device of the embodiment has a changeover switch 50 outside the siren amplifier 10. 【0030】 In the alarm sound generator shown in Figure 1B(a), when the main siren switch SW1 is pressed, a "woo" siren sound (first siren sound) is emitted from the speaker 30, and the warning lights are activated in conjunction with it. On the other hand, in the alarm sound generator shown in Figure 1B(b), when the changeover switch 50 is turned OFF and the main siren switch SW1 is pressed, a "woo" siren sound (first siren sound) is emitted from the speaker 30, just as in Figure 1B(a), and the warning lights are activated in conjunction with it. 【0031】 However, in the alarm sound generator shown in Figure 1B(b), when the changeover switch 50 is turned ON during PA integration and the main siren switch SW1 is pressed, a "pee-pow" siren sound (second siren sound) is emitted from the speaker 30, and the warning lights are activated in conjunction with it. In other words, by turning the changeover switch 50 ON during PA integration, accidental operation of the main siren switch SW1 is prevented. 【0032】 Therefore, when connected to a PA system, the speaker 30 will not accidentally emit a "woo" siren sound (the first siren sound). Similarly, by turning the toggle switch 50 OFF, the speaker 30 will not accidentally emit a "pee-pow" sound when dispatched in a situation other than one connected to a PA system. 【0033】 Figure 1C is a conceptual diagram of an ambulance alarm sound generator. When the automatic button 61 on the siren amplifier 60 is pressed, a "pee-pow" siren sound (second siren sound) is emitted from the speaker 70, and the warning lights are activated in conjunction with it. In addition, the "voice title" of the "pee-pow sound mode" is displayed on the LCD display 72. The alarm sound generator in Figure 1B(b) allows the main siren switch SW1 to be operated with the exact same feel as the ambulance alarm sound generator in Figure 1C. 【0034】 ● Block diagram Figure 2 is a block diagram of the alarm sound generator shown in Figure 1B(b). The memory unit 23, which is composed of ROM or the like, stores output waveforms corresponding to the "woo" siren sound (first siren sound) and output waveforms corresponding to the "pee-pow" siren sound (second siren sound). The control unit 24 reads the output waveforms stored in the memory unit 23 and outputs a signal according to the output waveform to the power amplifier unit 25. 【0035】 When the main siren switch SW1 is pressed with the changeover switch 50 located outside the siren amplifier 10 turned OFF, the control unit 24 reads the output waveform corresponding to the "woo" siren sound (first siren sound) from the memory unit 23 and outputs a signal according to that output waveform to the power amplifier unit 25. 【0036】 On the other hand, when the changeover switch 50 is turned ON during PA integration and the main siren switch SW1 is pressed, the control unit 24 reads the output waveform corresponding to the "pee-pow" siren sound (second siren sound) from the memory unit 23 and outputs a signal according to that output waveform to the power amplifier unit 25. 【0037】 The LCD display unit 22 displays the "voice titles" read by the control unit 24 from the memory unit 23, such as "woo-sound mode" and "pee-pow-sound mode." By checking these "voice titles," it is possible to prevent accidental operation of the siren amplifier 10. 【0038】 ●Flowchart Figure 3 is a flowchart of the alarm sound generating device according to the embodiment. In step S1, the ON or OFF state of the changeover switch 50 is determined. 【0039】 When the toggle switch 50 is OFF, "Woo-sound mode" is displayed on the LCD display unit 22 (S2). Next, in step S3, the ON or OFF status of the main siren switch (automatic button) SW1 is determined. 【0040】 When the main siren switch SW1 is ON, a "woo" siren sound (first siren sound) is emitted from speaker 30 (S4). When the main siren switch SW1 is OFF, the process returns to S1. 【0041】 When the toggle switch 50 is ON, "Beep-beep sound mode" is displayed on the LCD display unit 22 (S5). Next, in step S6, it is determined whether the main siren switch SW1 is ON or OFF. 【0042】 When the main siren switch SW1 is ON, a "pee-pow" siren sound (second siren sound) is emitted from speaker 30 (S7). When the main siren switch SW1 is OFF, the process returns to S1. 【0043】 ●PA integration Figure 4(a) shows a fire engine and an ambulance equipped with conventional alarm sound generators dispatched in PA coordination. In this case, the changeover switch 50 is OFF. Therefore, the leading fire engine P drives while emitting a "woo" siren sound (first siren sound), and the following ambulance A drives while emitting a "pee-pow" siren sound (second siren sound). It should be noted that PA coordination is not limited to the fire engine (Pumper) and ambulance (Ambulance) traveling in this order. There are also PA coordinations where the ambulance is in the lead and the fire engine follows. Furthermore, even in PA coordination, there are cases where the fire engine travels alone due to circumstances such as the ambulance arriving first or last. 【0044】 Figure 4(b) shows a fire truck and an ambulance equipped with the alarm sound generator of the embodiment being dispatched in PA coordination. At this time, the changeover switch 50 is ON. Therefore, the leading fire truck P and the following ambulance A drive while sounding the same "pee-pow" siren sound (second siren sound). 【0045】 Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, various modifications are possible to the present invention beyond those described above. For example, it is possible to add output waveforms corresponding to sounds other than woof and squeak to the memory unit 23. Furthermore, by storing human voice output waveforms in the memory unit 23, it is possible to broadcast alarm sounds such as "A fire truck is passing" or "An ambulance is passing" from the speaker 30. [Explanation of symbols] 【0046】 10: Siren Amplifier 15: Weak Button 16: Audio button 17: Microphone / AUX button 18: Test button 19: Volume knob 20: Microphone jack 21: AUX jack 22: Liquid crystal display section 23: Storage section 24: Control Unit 25: Power Amplifier Unit 30: Speaker 50: Switch 60: Siren amplifier 61: Automatic button 70: Speaker 72: LCD display A: Ambulance P: Fire engine SW1: Main siren switch SW2: Sub siren switch SW3: Alarm bell switch SW4: Strong warning sound switch

Claims

[Claim 1] A speaker that emits a siren sound, A siren amplifier comprising: a memory unit that stores multiple siren sound sources to accommodate multiple types of emergency vehicle applications; a control unit that reads the sound sources stored in the memory unit and outputs a signal; a power amplifier that amplifies the signal to the speaker; and an operating switch that permits the output of the signal from the control unit. A switch is provided on the outside of the siren amplifier or on the control panel to select the siren sound source and siren sound operation specifications to be read into the control unit, depending on the application as an emergency vehicle. An emergency vehicle alarm sound generator characterized by having the following features. [Claim 2] The memory unit stores at least three sound sources: a woo sound source for a fire truck, a siren sound source for an ambulance, and a warning bell sound source. When a fire truck is dispatched for firefighting duties, the aforementioned switch is set to firefighting mode to select a woo sound and a warning bell sound as the main siren. The alarm sound generating device according to claim 1, characterized in that when a fire truck is dispatched for emergency services, the aforementioned switch is set to emergency use, thereby selecting a pee-pow sound as the main siren and a woo sound as the secondary siren. [Claim 3] The alarm sound generating device according to claim 2, characterized in that when the aforementioned changeover switch is set to emergency use, the secondary siren operates only when the main siren sounds, and outputs the secondary siren in superimposition with the main siren. [Claim 4] The alarm sound generating device according to claim 2, characterized in that when the aforementioned changeover switch is switched to emergency mode, the alarm bell switch on the control panel is disabled.

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