Reporting system and reporting method

Abstract

This invention provides a reporting system and reporting method that can suppress the confusion and stagnation of reports. [Solution] The system comprises a notification unit 19 provided for each of the multiple manhole pump facilities 10 installed within the notification area, which is capable of transmitting notification information including information indicating that a power outage has occurred in the manhole pump facility 10, and an audio notification device 30 that can receive notification information and, when it receives notification information from at least two manhole pump facilities 10 included in the notification area, it deems that a power outage has occurred throughout the entire notification area, and creates and transmits audio information indicating that a power outage has occurred throughout the entire notification area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a notification system and a notification method for manhole pump facilities.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, techniques for managing a plurality of manhole pump facilities have been known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a wireless communication system in which each of a plurality of manhole pump facilities scattered within a predetermined area is provided with a notification unit capable of notifying information such as a failure of each facility. In the wireless communication system, when a control panel of a manhole pump facility detects an abnormality such as a power failure, event occurrence information indicating the occurrence of the abnormality is automatically notified to a management device via a wireless station having a gateway function. According to the above configuration, individual notifications for each manhole pump facility can be made to the administrator.

[0003] Here, it is assumed that a power failure occurs for each predetermined area (for example, a district). Therefore, when the system described in Patent Document 1 is used, it is assumed that when a power failure occurs, a power failure of each manhole pump facility within the predetermined area is individually notified. Therefore, the notifications may become complicated, and the burden on the administrator or the like who receives the notifications may increase.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure has been made in view of the above situation, and the problem to be solved is to provide a notification system and a notification method capable of suppressing complication of notifications.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The problems that this invention aims to solve are as described above, and the means for solving these problems will now be explained.

[0007] A notification system according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises: a notification unit provided for each of a plurality of manhole pump facilities installed within a predetermined area, which is capable of transmitting notification information including information indicating that a power outage has occurred at the manhole pump facility; and an area notification unit capable of receiving the notification information, which, when it receives at least two of the notification information from the manhole pump facilities included in the predetermined area, deems that a power outage has occurred throughout the entire predetermined area, creates area notification information indicating that a power outage has occurred throughout the entire predetermined area, and transmits the area notification information. According to one aspect of this disclosure, it is possible to suppress the confusion of reports.

[0008] The area notification unit according to one aspect of this disclosure is capable of transmitting the area notification information as voice information. According to one aspect of this disclosure, by reporting the area notification unit as voice information, power outage notifications can be made more reliably for each designated area.

[0009] The area notification unit according to one aspect of this disclosure creates the area notification information based on the notification information received during the period from the initial receipt of the notification information until a predetermined time has elapsed. According to one aspect of this disclosure, area notification information can be transmitted after a predetermined period of time has elapsed.

[0010] An alerting system according to one aspect of this disclosure comprises an individual alerting device capable of receiving the alerting information transmitted from the alerting unit and individually transmitting the alerting information for each manhole pump facility as an email. According to one aspect of this disclosure, notification information for each manhole pump facility can be sent via email along with area notification information.

[0011] The notification information transmitted from the individual notification device according to one aspect of this disclosure includes information on the water level of the manhole pump equipment. According to one aspect of this disclosure, in addition to area notification information, water level information for each manhole pump facility can be obtained.

[0012] The notification information according to one aspect of this disclosure includes pump failure information indicating a malfunction of a manhole pump installed in the manhole pump facility, and the notification unit transmits the pump failure information with a time delay based on the water level in the manhole pump facility. According to one aspect of this disclosure, pump failure information can be used to transmit information about the water level of a manhole pumping system.

[0013] A notification method according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises: a notification step of transmitting notification information, which includes information indicating that a power outage has occurred in a manhole pump facility, for each of the multiple manhole pump facilities installed in a predetermined area; and an area notification step of, when at least two of the notification information transmitted in the notification step are received, the system deems that a power outage has occurred in the entire predetermined area, creates area notification information indicating that a power outage has occurred in the entire predetermined area, and transmits the area notification information. According to one aspect of this disclosure, it is possible to suppress the confusion of reports. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to one aspect of this disclosure, it is possible to suppress the confusion of reports. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] A schematic block diagram illustrating a notification system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] An explanatory diagram showing an example of control for a notification system. [Figure 3]A time chart showing the relationship between the on / off of power outage information transmission, the on / off of pump failure information transmission, and the water level information in the manhole. [Figure 4] A flowchart showing area notification control.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a notification system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The notification system 1 monitors the operating status of the manhole pump facility 10 described later, and performs notification when an abnormality such as a power outage occurs in the manhole pump facility 10. The notification system 1 includes a manhole pump facility 10, a central monitoring device 20, a voice notification device 30, and a terminal 40.

[0017] The manhole pump facility 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a facility for sending sewage in the manhole 11 to a sewage treatment plant. The manhole pump facility 10 includes a manhole 11, a lid 12, an inflow pipe 13, an outflow pipe 14, a manhole pump 15, a water level gauge 16, and a control panel 17.

[0018] The manhole 11 is for managing the sewer buried underground. The manhole 11 is installed at multiple locations in the sewer. An opening through which workers can enter and exit from the ground is formed at the upper part of the manhole 11. A lid 12 that can be opened and closed is provided at the opening.

[0019] An inflow pipe 13 through which the sewage flowing into the manhole 11 circulates is connected to the manhole 11. The sewage from the inflow pipe 13 is temporarily stored in the manhole 11. The sewage in the manhole 11 is discharged by the manhole pump 15 described later. An outflow pipe 14 through which the sewage discharged (flowing out) from the manhole 11 circulates is connected to the manhole 11. The sewage flowing through the sewer is guided to the sewage treatment plant by sequentially flowing through a plurality of manholes 11, inflow pipes 13, and outflow pipes 14.

[0020] The manhole pump 15 discharges the sewage in the manhole 11. The manhole pump 15 is connected to the outflow pipe 14. By operating the manhole pump 15 to discharge the sewage, the water level in the manhole 11 can be lowered. In this embodiment, two manhole pumps 15 are installed in one manhole 11. Hereinafter, the two manhole pumps 15 will be described as the "first pump 15A" and the "second pump 15B" as necessary. The manhole pump 15 operates by the electric power supplied from the outside via the distribution line.

[0021] The water level gauge 16 detects the water level in the manhole 11. The water level gauge 16 is arranged in the manhole 11. As the water level gauge 16, for example, an inserted pressure type one can be adopted. Note that the water level gauge 16 is not limited to the inserted pressure type, and various devices capable of detecting the water level, such as a bubble type or a float type, can be adopted. Also, a plurality of water level gauges 16 can be installed in the manhole 11. For example, in addition to the inserted pressure type or bubble type water level gauge 16, a float type water level gauge 16 may be provided for backup.

[0022] The control panel 17 controls the operation of the manhole pump 15 and performs operations such as operation settings. The control panel 17 is installed on the ground so as to be located near the manhole 11. The control panel 17 includes a control unit 18 and a notification unit 19.

[0023] The control unit 18 controls the operation of the manhole pump 15. The control unit 18 has a computing device (e.g., relay circuit, PLC or CPU, etc.) and a storage device (e.g., memory card, HDD, SSD, etc.). The control unit 18 operates using power supplied from an external source, such as a commercial power supply, or from an internal power supply installed inside the control panel 17. The control unit 18 is connected to the manhole pump 15 and the water level gauge 16 via appropriate communication lines. The control unit 18 can acquire water level information detected by the water level gauge 16 (hereinafter referred to as "water level information"). The control unit 18 can also acquire information indicating that the manhole pump 15 (first pump 15A and second pump 15B) has failed (hereinafter referred to as "pump failure information") and information indicating that the supply of external power has stopped due to a power outage (hereinafter referred to as "power outage information").

[0024] The control unit 18 can control the operation of the manhole pump 15 based on water level information. The operation of the manhole pump 15 will be described below with reference to Figure 1. The control unit 18 is set to stop water level L1, operating water level L2, and abnormally high water level L3, which are the water levels that serve as the reference for the operation of the manhole pump 15.

[0025] The stop water level L1 is the water level at which the operation of the manhole pump 15 is stopped. The operating water level L2 is a water level higher than the stop water level L1 and is the water level at which the operation of the manhole pump 15 is started. Here, the manhole pump equipment 10 is equipped with two manhole pumps 15 (first pump 15A and second pump 15B). For this reason, the control unit 18 is set to a water level at which the operation of one manhole pump 15 is started (single-pump operating water level) and a water level higher than the single-pump operating water level at which the operation of both manhole pumps 15 is started (double-pump operating water level). In the following explanation, the operating water level L2 will be referred to as the single-pump operating water level. The abnormally high water level L3 is a water level higher than the operating water level L2 and is the water level at which it is determined that the water level in the manhole 11 has become abnormally high. In the following explanation, the abnormally high water level L3 will be referred to as the double-pump operating water level.

[0026] The following describes an example of the operation of the manhole pump 15. This operating method is generally called the single-unit alternating emergency parallel operation method. When the control unit 18 acquires water level information for the operating water level L2 (water level information indicating that the water level in the manhole 11 has reached the operating water level L2), it starts operating one of the manhole pumps 15 (one of the first pump 15A and the second pump 15B). Subsequently, when the control unit 18 acquires water level information for the stop water level L1 (water level information indicating that the water level in the manhole 11 has reached the stop water level L1), it stops operating the manhole pump 15.

[0027] Furthermore, when the control unit 18 next acquires water level information for the operating water level L2, it starts the operation of the other manhole pump 15 (the other of the first pump 15A and the second pump 15B), and then stops the operation of the manhole pump 15 when it acquires water level information for the stop water level L1. The control unit 18 can repeatedly execute the above control to operate the first pump 15A and the second pump 15B alternately.

[0028] Furthermore, if the control unit 18 acquires the above-mentioned abnormally high water level L3 water level information (water level information indicating that the water level in the manhole 11 has reached the operating water level for both pumps), it can control the operation of both the first pump 15A and the second pump 15B simultaneously. Also, if the control unit 18 acquires pump failure information for one of the first pump 15A and the second pump 15B, it can control the operation of only the other manhole pump 15.

[0029] The notification unit 19 is capable of transmitting information acquired by the control unit 18 to external devices. In this embodiment, the notification unit 19 can notify the central monitoring device 20 of information (notification information) regarding abnormalities in the manhole pump equipment 10 acquired by the control unit 18. The notification unit 19 operates on power supplied from either an external commercial power source or an internal power source installed inside the control panel 17.

[0030] Here, the notification unit 19 is configured to transmit four pieces of information that can be reported. Specifically, the notification unit 19 is configured to transmit four signals as notification information: power outage information, pump failure information for the first pump 15A, pump failure information for the second pump 15B, and water level information indicating an abnormally high water level L3.

[0031] In addition to the control unit 18 and notification unit 19 mentioned above, the control panel 17 can be appropriately equipped with devices such as an operation panel that allows setting the operation of the manhole pump 15.

[0032] As shown in Figure 2, the manhole pump equipment 10 described above is installed within a designated area. Here, an area refers to a division of a specific area of ​​land (for example, a city or town) into multiple sections. In the example shown, Area A and Area B are shown as examples of areas. For example, adjacent areas can be used as Area A and Area B.

[0033] Each of the districts, A and B, is equipped with multiple (e.g., dozens) manhole pump facilities 10. Figure 2 shows examples of manhole pump facilities 10 located in district A: the first manhole pump facility 10Aa, the second manhole pump facility 10Ab, the third manhole pump facility 10Ac, and the fourth manhole pump facility 10Ad. Also, examples of manhole pump facilities 10 located in district B are shown: the first manhole pump facility 10Ba and the second manhole pump facility 10Bb.

[0034] The central monitoring device 20 shown in Figures 1 and 2 monitors the operating status of multiple manhole pump facilities 10 located in multiple areas (for example, area A and area B). The central monitoring device 20 includes a computing device, a storage device, and a communication device. The communication device is configured to communicate with each manhole pump facility 10, as well as the voice notification device 30 and terminal 40 described later, using a data communication line such as an internet line.

[0035] The central monitoring device 20 can be a server, personal computer, smartphone, tablet terminal, or the like. In this embodiment, as an example, an example in which the central monitoring device 20 is a cloud server will be described.

[0036] The central monitoring device 20 can receive notification information transmitted from the notification unit 19 of each manhole pump equipment 10 via a communication device. The central monitoring device 20 can also identify the manhole pump equipment 10 that sent the notification information and determine the area in which the manhole pump equipment 10 is located, based on the notification information. The central monitoring device 20 can create an email indicating the notification information received from the manhole pump equipment 10 and send it as an email via a communication device. As shown in Figure 2, the central monitoring device 20 can send the email to the voice notification device 30 and terminal 40, which will be described later. Furthermore, the central monitoring device 20 can display the information received from the notification unit 19 and the contents of the email on a designated display unit such as a display screen.

[0037] The voice notification device 30 receives emails sent from the central monitoring device 20, converts the contents of the emails into voice information, and transmits the voice information. As shown in Figure 2, the voice notification device 30 can make voice notifications (voice notifications) by transmitting the voice information to the terminal 40, which will be described later. The voice notification device 30 according to this embodiment can make telephone notifications (telephone notifications) by making voice notifications using a telephone line. The voice notification device 30 has a computing device, a storage device, and a communication device. The voice notification device 30 can be a server, a personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, etc. As an example in this embodiment, an example in which the voice notification device 30 is a cloud server will be described. The voice notification device 30 has a filtering function that classifies emails based on the characters etc. contained in the received emails.

[0038] Terminal 40 is capable of receiving emails from the central monitoring device 20 and voice information from the voice notification device 30. A mobile phone such as a smartphone can be used as terminal 40. In this embodiment, the manager of the manhole pump equipment 10 and the workers who respond to abnormalities (power outages or malfunctions) of the manhole pump equipment 10 will have terminal 40. When a telephone notification is made by the voice notification device 30, terminal 40, which has received the voice information from the voice notification device 30, will notify the manager, etc. by emitting a ringtone. The manager, etc. can listen to the voice information by making a call to terminal 40.

[0039] The configuration of the notification system 1 according to this embodiment has been described above. By using the notification system 1 as described above, if an abnormality occurs in the manhole pump equipment 10, voice information or email can be sent to the terminal 40 to notify the administrator or workers.

[0040] The following describes an example of a notification that is made when a malfunction occurs in the manhole pump equipment 10.

[0041] If any of the following occurs in the manhole pump equipment 10, such as a power outage, a malfunction of the manhole pump 15, or the water level in the manhole 11 reaching an abnormally high level L3, the control unit 18 will acquire information regarding the above abnormality and will also send a notification via the notification unit 19.

[0042] The operation of the notification unit 19 will be explained below using the time chart in Figure 3. The time chart above shows the relationship between the on / off transmission of power outage information, the on / off transmission of pump failure information for the manhole pumps 15 (first pump 15A and second pump 15B), and the water level information inside the manhole 11 (stopped water level L1 or operating water level L2).

[0043] In Figure 3, the area X1 enclosed by the dashed line shows an example where no power outage occurs, but the manhole pump 15 (first pump 15A and second pump 15B) has failed. In this case, the control unit 18 acquires information about the failure of either the first pump 15A or the second pump 15B as notification information, and the notification unit 19 transmits the pump failure information. The transmission of the pump failure information is performed when the control unit 18 acquires the notification information (pump failure information).

[0044] Furthermore, ranges X2 and X3 in Figure 3 show an example of a power outage. When a power outage occurs, the power supply to the manhole pump 15 stops, and the operation of the manhole pump 15 stops. In this embodiment, the control unit 18 treats the state in which the manhole pump 15 cannot operate due to a power outage as a pump failure. Specifically, when the control unit 18 detects that the operation of the manhole pump 15 has stopped when a power outage occurs, it acquires pump failure information. For this reason, when a power outage occurs, the control unit 18 acquires both power outage information and pump failure information as notification information. The notification unit 19 also transmits the above notification information (power outage information and pump failure information).

[0045] Specifically, as shown in area X2 of Figure 3, if the control unit 18 has acquired power outage information and has acquired water level information for the operating water level L2 (the water level in the manhole 11 has reached the operating water level L2), the notification unit 19 will transmit pump failure information simultaneously with the power outage information (without any time delay).

[0046] On the other hand, as shown in area X3 of Figure 3, if the control unit 18 has acquired power outage information but has not acquired water level information for the operating water level L2 (the water level in the manhole 11 has not reached the operating water level L2), the notification unit 19 transmits the pump failure information after a time delay T following the transmission of the power outage information (acquisition of notification information (power outage information and pump failure information)). The time delay T can be set to an appropriate time delay (for example, a few seconds to a few minutes).

[0047] Although not shown in the diagram, the notification unit 19 transmits the water level information of the abnormally high water level L3 when the control unit 18 acquires the information of the abnormally high water level L3.

[0048] The operation of the notification unit 19 has been explained above. With the above configuration, it is possible to determine the water level information (whether or not the water level in the manhole 11 has reached the operating water level L2) based on whether or not there is a time difference T in the notification information transmitted by the notification unit 19. In other words, if there is a time difference T in the notification information, the equipment that receives the notification information (central monitoring device 20 or voice notification device 30) can determine that the water level in the manhole 11 has not reached the operating water level L2, and if there is no time difference T in the notification information, it can determine that the water level in the manhole 11 has reached the operating water level L2. In this way, with the notification unit 19 as described above, water level information during a power outage can be transmitted using pump failure information. This makes it possible to transmit more water level information even when using the notification unit 19, which has a limit on the number of information points that can be transmitted.

[0049] The central monitoring device 20 receives information transmitted from the notification unit 19 and creates an email based on the received information. This email is generated for each manhole pump facility 10. The email contains details of any abnormalities that occurred in the manhole pump facility 10. Specifically, the email contains information about power outages, pump failures of the first pump 15A and the second pump 15B, water level information for the abnormally high water level L3, and whether or not the water level reached the operating water level L2 at the time of the power outage. The email can also contain various information related to the abnormality, such as the date and time of the abnormality, information that identifies the manhole pump facility 10 where the abnormality occurred, and information about the area where the manhole pump facility 10 is installed. The central monitoring device 20 transmits the email to the voice notification device 30 and the terminal 40.

[0050] The voice notification device 30 receives emails sent from the central monitoring device 20 and converts the emails into voice information. The voice notification device 30 can then transmit the voice information to the terminal 40.

[0051] Administrators and other personnel with terminal 40 can receive the above voice notification as a telephone notification. Administrators and other personnel can also check the emails received by terminal 40. Making a telephone notification as described above ensures more reliable notification than sending only an email.

[0052] Here, it is assumed that the power outage will occur simultaneously over a certain area (for example, in each district). For example, if a power outage occurs throughout a district, it is assumed that voice notifications of the power outage will be sent simultaneously to all manhole pump equipment 10 located in that district. In this case, the notifications may become chaotic, potentially placing a heavy burden on administrators and others who have terminals 40. Also, if voice notifications are sent simultaneously, the communication lines used for the notification system 1 may become congested.

[0053] Therefore, in the notification system 1 according to this embodiment, multiple notification information transmitted from each manhole pump equipment 10 during a power outage is grouped into pre-set notification areas, and "area notification control" is implemented to send only one voice notification per notification area. Here, "notification area" refers to the entire region (e.g., a city or town) where the multiple manhole pump equipment 10 constituting the notification system 1 are installed, divided into multiple areas. Each notification area is managed by an administrator with a terminal 40. The range of each notification area can be set as appropriate. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which each district (District A and District B) shown in Figure 2 is set as a notification area. In other words, in this embodiment, area notification control can send only one voice notification per district.

[0054] The following describes the specific details of the area notification control according to this embodiment. Area notification control is performed by the voice notification device 30. In this embodiment, the voice notification device 30 can combine multiple emails sent via the central monitoring device 20 that share a common area (notification area) of the manhole pump equipment 10 that sent them, and can also make only one voice notification for each area.

[0055] The voice notification device 30 can perform area notification control when it receives an email containing notification information from a manhole pump facility 10. In this embodiment, area notification control is performed when the voice notification device 30 receives an email (notification information) that contains at least power outage information or pump failure information. In this embodiment, emails in which the notification information contains only water level information indicating an abnormally high water level L3 are not subject to area notification control processing.

[0056] The following explanation of area notification control will refer to the flowchart in Figure 4. In area notification control, the voice notification device 30 performs each of the processes shown in the flowchart in Figure 4 for each email it receives. In area notification control, each of the processes is executed for each email received by the voice notification device 30 between the time the email that triggered the start of area notification control is received and the time that will be described later has elapsed.

[0057] In step S101, the voice notification device 30 determines whether or not a power outage has occurred. If the voice notification device 30 receives an email sent via the central monitoring device 20, it determines whether or not the email contains power outage information. If the email contains power outage information, the voice notification device 30 determines that a power outage has occurred at the manhole pump equipment 10 that is the source of the notification information contained in the email (hereinafter referred to as "the manhole pump equipment 10 that sent the email"). On the other hand, if the email does not contain power outage information (only pump failure information is included), the voice notification device 30 determines that no power outage has occurred at the manhole pump equipment 10 that sent the email. In this case, it is presumed that a failure of the manhole pump 15 has occurred at the manhole pump equipment 10 that sent the email.

[0058] If it is determined in step S101 that no power outage has occurred (step S101: NO), in step S102, the voice notification device 30 makes a voice notification indicating that "a malfunction has occurred in the manhole pump 15 at the manhole pump facility 10, the source of the email." After performing the above process, the voice notification device 30 terminates area notification control.

[0059] If it is determined in step S101 that a power outage has occurred (step S101: YES), the voice notification device 30 proceeds to steps S103 through S105, where it determines whether the manhole pump equipment 10 that sent the email is in area A (step S103), whether there is a time difference T (see Figure 3) in the notification information contained in the email (step S104), and whether a predetermined time has elapsed (step S105). Here, "predetermined time" refers to the time that has elapsed since the voice notification device 30 received the first email (the email that triggered the start of area notification control). The predetermined time can be set to an appropriate value, for example, taking into account the time it takes for a power outage to be confirmed in almost all of the manhole pump equipment 10 in an area when a power outage occurs in that area (the voice notification device 30 receives an email indicating the power outage). For example, a value of a few minutes (5 to 10 minutes) can be used as the predetermined time. The predetermined time is not limited to the example above, and various values ​​can be used.

[0060] If the manhole pump equipment 10 that sent the received email is in area A (step S103: YES), there is no time difference T in the notification information (step S104: NO), and the predetermined time has not elapsed (step S105: NO), the voice notification device 30 records the email (the email containing the notification information without the time difference T) (step S106). Through the above process, the voice notification device 30 can record information indicating that the manhole pump equipment 10 in area A has experienced a power outage and has reached the operating water level L2. After executing the process in step S106, the voice notification device 30 proceeds to the process in step S101. In this case, the voice notification device 30 can repeatedly execute the processes from step S101 onwards for the next email it receives.

[0061] In area notification control, if the process in step S106 is performed multiple times within a predetermined period, the voice notification device 30 records multiple emails that are the subject of the process in step S106.

[0062] In step S107, which is accessed if it is determined in step S105 that a predetermined time has elapsed (step S105: YES), the voice notification device 30 determines whether there are multiple emails recorded in step S106. That is, the voice notification device 30 determines whether there are multiple manhole pump facilities 10 in area A that have experienced a power outage and have reached the operating water level L2. If the voice notification device 30 determines that there are multiple emails recorded in step S106, it proceeds to the process in step S108. On the other hand, if the voice notification device 30 determines that there is only one email recorded in step S106, it proceeds to the process in step S109.

[0063] Here, if multiple manhole pump facilities 10 installed in the same district (notification area) send emails containing power outage information, it is highly likely that a power outage has occurred in the district. For this reason, in area notification control, if the voice notification device 30 receives multiple emails indicating a power outage at manhole pump facilities 10 within the same district, it will consider that a power outage has occurred throughout the entire district. More specifically, if the voice notification device 30 receives multiple (two or more) notifications (received emails containing power outage information) of a power outage at a manhole pump facility 10 in a certain district (for example, district A) within a predetermined period of time (step S107: YES), it will consider that a power outage has occurred throughout that district. Note that the criterion for considering a power outage to have occurred is not limited to "two or more," and various values ​​such as three or more can be adopted.

[0064] In step S108, the voice notification device 30 creates voice information indicating that "a power outage has occurred throughout area A" and "manhole pump equipment 10 in area A has reached the operating water level L2," and broadcasts the voice information. The voice information is created based on multiple emails recorded in step S106. In step S108, it is assumed that a power outage has occurred throughout area A, and the multiple emails recorded in step S106 are combined into a single voice notification. That is, in step S108, the information that "a power outage has occurred throughout area A" and "multiple manhole pump equipment 10 in area A have reached the operating water level L2" are not individually broadcast in voice, but are broadcast as a single voice notification. After executing the process in step S108, the voice notification device 30 terminates area notification control.

[0065] Furthermore, in step S109, the voice notification device 30 creates voice information indicating that "a power outage has occurred in the manhole pump equipment 10" and "the manhole pump equipment 10 has reached the operating water level L2," and also broadcasts the above voice information. The above voice information is created based on a single email recorded in step S106. In other words, in step S109, a separate voice notification is made indicating that a power outage has occurred in a single manhole pump equipment 10 and that the manhole pump equipment 10 has reached the operating water level L2. After executing the process in step S109, the voice notification device 30 terminates area notification control.

[0066] In step S104, if it is determined that the notification information contained in the received email includes a time difference T (step S104: YES), the voice notification device 30 proceeds to step S110, where it determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed, in much the same manner as in step S105. If the voice notification device 30 determines that the predetermined time has elapsed, it proceeds to the process in step S112. On the other hand, if the voice notification device 30 determines that the predetermined time has not elapsed, it proceeds to the process in step S111.

[0067] In step S111, the voice notification device 30 records the email (the email containing the notification information with a time difference T). Through this process, the voice notification device 30 can record information indicating that the manhole pump equipment 10 in area A has experienced a power outage and has not reached the operating water level L2. After executing the process in step S111, the voice notification device 30 proceeds to the process in step S101. In this case, the voice notification device 30 can repeatedly execute the processes from step S101 onwards for the next email it receives.

[0068] In area notification control, if the process in step S111 is performed multiple times within a predetermined period, the voice notification device 30 records multiple emails that are the subject of the process in step S111.

[0069] In step S112, the voice notification device 30 determines whether there are multiple emails recorded in step S111. That is, the voice notification device 30 determines whether there are multiple manhole pump facilities 10 in area A that have experienced a power outage and have not reached the operating water level L2. If the voice notification device 30 determines that there are multiple emails recorded in step S111, it proceeds to the process in step S113. On the other hand, if the voice notification device 30 determines that there is only one email recorded in step S106, it proceeds to the process in step S114. Here, as described above, if the voice notification device 30 receives notifications of power outages for multiple manhole pump facilities 10 in a certain area (received emails containing power outage information) within a predetermined period of time (step S112: YES), it estimates that a power outage has occurred throughout the entire area.

[0070] In step S113, the voice notification device 30 creates voice information indicating that "a power outage has occurred throughout area A" and broadcasts the voice information. The voice information is created based on multiple emails recorded in step S111. In step S113, it is assumed that a power outage has occurred throughout area A, and the multiple emails recorded in step S111 are combined into a single voice notification. In other words, in step S113, information on the multiple manhole pump facilities 10 that experienced a power outage in area A is not individually reported in the voice notification, but is reported as a single voice notification. After executing the process in step S113, the voice notification device 30 terminates area notification control.

[0071] Furthermore, in step S114, the voice notification device 30 creates voice information indicating "a power outage has occurred in the manhole pump equipment 10" and makes a voice notification of the above voice information. The above voice information is created based on a single email recorded in step S111. In other words, in step S114, a voice notification is individually made indicating that a power outage has occurred in a single manhole pump equipment 10. After executing the process in step S114, the voice notification device 30 terminates area notification control.

[0072] In the processes described above from step S103 to step S114, processing was performed on emails containing notification information sent by manhole pump equipment 10 in area A. In area notification control, processing equivalent to the above can also be performed on emails containing notification information sent by manhole pump equipment 10 in areas other than area A (for example, area B).

[0073] Specifically, in step S115, which is the step to which the system proceeds if it is determined in step S103 that the manhole pump equipment 10 that sent the received email is not in area A (step S103: NO), the voice notification device 30 proceeds to "processing other areas." In "processing other areas," processing equivalent to the processing from step S103 onwards described above is executed. Specifically, in "processing other areas," as processing equivalent to step S103, it is determined whether the manhole pump equipment 10 that sent the received email is in an area other than area A (for example, area B). If, in the processing equivalent to step S103, it is determined that the manhole pump equipment 10 is in area B, then processing generally similar to that from step S104 to step S114 is executed. Furthermore, if, in the process corresponding to step S103 above, it is determined that the manhole pump equipment 10 is not in area B, the voice notification device 30 can execute the process corresponding to "processing other areas" in step S115 above, targeting emails containing notification information sent by manhole pump equipment 10 in areas other than area A and area B. After executing the process in step S115, the voice notification device 30 terminates area notification control.

[0074] The above describes area notification control. By implementing the above control, multiple notification information transmitted from each manhole pump equipment 10 during a power outage can be consolidated into notification areas, and only one voice notification can be sent for each notification area. This suppresses the simultaneous telephone notification during a power outage. With the above configuration, it is possible to avoid a situation where power outage notifications become chaotic and hinder the work of administrators and others with terminals 40. In addition, with the above area notification control, information on manhole pump equipment 10 that has reached the operating water level L2 in the area where the power outage occurred can be reported in the voice notification (see step S108 in Figure 4). This allows information on manhole pump equipment 10 that have a high priority for responding to the power outage to be reported along with information indicating a power outage in the area.

[0075] Furthermore, in this embodiment, in addition to voice notifications, email notifications can be sent indicating information about abnormalities for each manhole pump equipment 10 (such as power outage information or pump failure information). This allows administrators with terminal 40 to individually check the details of abnormalities for each manhole pump equipment 10 by checking their emails. In this embodiment, the burden of receiving voice notifications is reduced, so administrators with terminal 40 can dedicate their efforts to checking the emails mentioned above.

[0076] The above-described area notification control processes are merely examples, and the processes executed by area notification control are not limited to those described above and can be modified as appropriate. Furthermore, the specific numerical values ​​exemplified in the above explanation are also examples and can be changed at will.

[0077] For example, the area notification control described above shows an example where the voice notification includes information about manhole pump equipment 10 that has reached the operating water level L2 in the area where the power outage occurred (see step S108 in Figure 4). However, the system is not limited to the above example, and the voice notification may not include information about manhole pump equipment 10 that has reached the operating water level L2. In this case, the voice notification will only include information about power outages in each area. Even in this case, administrators can still find out which manhole pump equipment 10 has reached the operating water level L2 in the area where the power outage occurred by checking their email.

[0078] Furthermore, the "district" in this embodiment may be, for example, an administratively defined area of ​​land (land at the municipal level), or an area of ​​land arbitrarily determined by the administrator. If an administratively defined area of ​​land is used as the "district," multiple districts may be grouped together and designated as a "notification area." In this case, for example, multiple districts managed by the same administrator, or multiple districts that are prone to power outages at the same time, can be grouped together and designated as a notification area.

[0079] Furthermore, if the entire manhole pump system 10 in a certain district (for example, each manhole pump system 10 in district A shown in Figure 2) experiences a power outage, and at the same time, some manhole pump systems 10 in another district (for example, the first manhole pump system 10Ba in district B shown in Figure 2) also experience a power outage, it is possible to change the scope of the notification area to include the entire district A and the location where the first manhole pump system 10Ba in district B is installed.

[0080] The notification area settings described above can be configured by the person configuring the notification system 1. Alternatively, the notification area can be automatically configured based on data from past power outages involving the manhole pump equipment 10. In this case, a configuration can be adopted where the notification area is automatically configured using a learning model created by machine learning with AI (artificial intelligence) based on data from past power outages. This configuration allows for optimization of the notification area.

[0081] Furthermore, the setting of the "predetermined time" in area notification control may be performed by the person who configures the notification system 1, or it may be performed automatically using a learning model. When using a learning model, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the predetermined time is set automatically using a learning model created by learning the time it took for power outages to be confirmed in almost all manhole pump equipment 10 in a notification area when a power outage occurred in that notification area in the past. With the above configuration, the predetermined time can be optimized.

[0082] Furthermore, while the above-mentioned area notification control has shown examples of notifying about power outages, pump failures, and water levels, it is also possible to notify other information in addition to the above. For example, in area notification control, it is also possible to notify about flooding that occurs in the manhole pump equipment 10. In this case, when the control unit 18 of the manhole pump equipment 10 acquires water level information indicating the water level of approximately the entire depth of the manhole 11, it can transmit flooding information to the central monitoring device 20. In this case, the central monitoring device 20 will send the flooding information by email, and the voice notification device 30 will make voice notifications about flooding based on the email for each notification area. With the above configuration, voice notifications about flooding can be made using the notification system 1.

[0083] As described above, the notification system 1 according to this embodiment is A notification unit 19 is provided for each of the multiple manhole pump facilities 10 installed within the notification area (designated area), and is capable of transmitting notification information including information indicating that a power outage has occurred in the manhole pump facility 10. A voice notification device 30 (area notification unit) is capable of receiving the aforementioned notification information, and when it receives at least two of the aforementioned notification information from the manhole pump equipment 10 included in the notification area, it deems that a power outage has occurred throughout the notification area, and creates voice information (area notification information) indicating that a power outage has occurred throughout the notification area, and is capable of transmitting the voice information. It is equipped with the following features. This configuration helps to suppress the confusion of notifications. Specifically, with the above configuration, if a power outage occurs in multiple manhole pump facilities 10 within the same notification area (district), it is assumed that a power outage has occurred throughout the entire notification area, and one voice message (area notification information) indicating that a power outage has occurred throughout the entire notification area can be sent for each notification area. This suppresses the simultaneous telephone notification during a power outage and prevents confusion of power outage notifications.

[0084] Furthermore, the voice notification device 30 is The aforementioned area notification information can be transmitted as audio information. By configuring it in this way, power outage notifications can be reliably sent to each notification area.

[0085] Furthermore, the voice notification device 30 is The voice information (area notification information) is created based on the notification information received during the period from the initial receipt of the notification information until a predetermined time has elapsed. By configuring it in this way, it is possible to effectively estimate power outages in the notification area.

[0086] Furthermore, notification system 1 is, The system is equipped with a central monitoring device 20 (individual notification device) that can receive the notification information transmitted from the notification unit 19 and can individually send the notification information for each of the manhole pump equipment 10 as an email. By configuring it in this way, it is possible to send notification information for each manhole pump facility 10, along with area notification information, via email.

[0087] Furthermore, the notification information transmitted from the central monitoring device 20 includes information on the water level of the manhole pump equipment 10. By configuring it in this way, it is possible to obtain information on the water level for each manhole pump facility 10, along with area notification information.

[0088] The notification information includes pump failure information indicating a malfunction of the manhole pump 15 installed in the manhole pump equipment 10. The aforementioned notification unit 19 is, The system transmits pump failure information with a time delay T based on the water level of the manhole pump equipment 10. By configuring it in this way, pump failure information can be used to transmit information about the water level of the manhole pump equipment 10.

[0089] Furthermore, the reporting method according to this embodiment is A notification process includes transmitting notification information to each of the multiple manhole pump facilities 10 installed within the notification area, which includes information indicating that a power outage has occurred in the manhole pump facility 10. If at least two of the notification information transmitted in the notification process are received (steps S103 to S105, S107), the area notification process assumes that a power outage has occurred throughout the notification area, creates voice information (area notification information) indicating that a power outage has occurred throughout the notification area, and transmits the voice information (steps S108, S109). It is equipped with the following features. By configuring it in this way, it is possible to suppress the confusion of reports.

[0090] The voice information according to this embodiment is one form of implementing the area notification information according to the present invention. Furthermore, the notification area according to this embodiment is one form of implementing the predetermined area according to the present invention. Furthermore, the central monitoring device 20 according to this embodiment is one form of implementation of the individual notification device according to the present invention.

[0091] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above configuration, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention as described in the claims.

[0092] For example, in this embodiment, an example is shown in which the voice notification device 30 performs area notification control, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to perform area notification control by the central monitoring device 20.

[0093] Furthermore, while this embodiment demonstrates an example of communicating "area notification information" via voice notification in area notification control, it is not limited to this configuration. For example, "area notification information" can also be communicated via email or other means.

[0094] Furthermore, while this embodiment shows an example of making an audio notification after a predetermined time has elapsed in area notification control, it is not limited to this configuration. For example, in area notification control, even before the predetermined time has elapsed, it is possible to send audio information indicating that a power outage has occurred throughout the notification area as soon as the audio notification device 30 receives an email from any two or more manhole pump facilities 10 in the same notification area.

[0095] Furthermore, in this embodiment, in area notification control, the voice notification device 30 determines the difference in water level information (presence or absence of a time difference T) in the notification information acquired, and the content of the voice information transmitted is made different based on the determination result, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, in area notification control, it is also possible to transmit voice information without determining the presence or absence of a time difference T. In this case, even if there is a difference in the water level information of the acquired notification information, the voice notification device 30 can transmit voice information with generally similar content regardless of the difference in water level information.

[0096] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which a single-unit alternating emergency parallel operation method is adopted as the operating method for the manhole pump 15, but the embodiment is not limited to this configuration. Various operating methods can be adopted for the manhole pump 15, such as a single-unit operation method, a single-unit alternating operation method, or a parallel alternating operation method. Also, in this embodiment, an example is shown in which there are two manhole pumps 15, but the embodiment is not limited to the above example. There may be one manhole pump 15, or there may be three or more. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0097] 1. Reporting System 10 Manhole pump equipment 20 Central monitoring device 30. Voice notification device 40 devices

Claims

1. A notification unit is provided for each of the multiple manhole pump facilities installed within a designated area, and is capable of transmitting notification information including information indicating that a power outage has occurred in the manhole pump facility. An area notification unit capable of receiving the aforementioned notification information, and when it receives at least two of the aforementioned notification information from manhole pump equipment included in the predetermined area, it deems that a power outage has occurred throughout the predetermined area, creates area notification information indicating that a power outage has occurred throughout the predetermined area, and transmits the area notification information. A notification system equipped with the following features.

2. The aforementioned area notification unit is The aforementioned area notification information can be transmitted as voice information. The notification system according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned area notification unit is Based on the notification information received during the period from the initial receipt of the notification information until a predetermined time has elapsed, the area notification information is created. The notification system according to claim 1.

4. The system is equipped with an individual notification device capable of receiving the notification information transmitted from the notification unit and individually transmitting the notification information for each manhole pump facility as an email. The notification system according to claim 1.

5. The notification information transmitted from the individual notification device includes information on the water level of the manhole pump equipment. The notification system according to claim 4.

6. The notification information includes pump failure information indicating a malfunction of the manhole pump installed in the manhole pump facility. The aforementioned reporting unit, The pump failure information is transmitted with a time delay based on the water level of the manhole pump equipment. The notification system according to claim 5.

7. A notification process includes transmitting notification information, which includes information indicating that a power outage has occurred in a manhole pump facility, for each of the multiple manhole pump facilities installed within a predetermined area. An area notification step, which, upon receiving at least two of the notification pieces transmitted in the notification step, deems that a power outage has occurred throughout the predetermined area, creates area notification information indicating that a power outage has occurred throughout the predetermined area, and transmits the area notification information, A reporting method that includes the following features.

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