Emergency notification device

Abstract

To appropriately connect a communication line with an emergency call receiving institution even after arrival of a reverse signal in an emergency call device connected to an IP network even when the reverse signal is stopped.SOLUTION: In an emergency call device 1, a reverse signal determination unit 1011 determines the presence or absence of the reverse signal after the emergency call. When the determination result in the reverse signal determination unit 1011 changes from the existence of the reverse signal to disappearance, a pull-in control unit 1012 switches an IP network and a telephone 2 to the disconnected state, a switching unit 1022 makes it possible to respond to the return of the reverse signal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an emergency call device that makes an emergency call to an emergency call receiving organization such as a police organization, a fire department, or the Japan Coast Guard. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, there is known an emergency call device that makes an emergency call to a predetermined emergency call receiving agency such as a fire department when an emergency such as a fire occurs. When a caller presses a call button, the emergency call device calls the emergency call receiving agency, connects a communication line (telephone line), and automatically reports the occurrence of an emergency using a pre-prepared voice message. After this, the emergency call receiving agency calls back to, for example, a dedicated call telephone (hereinafter referred to as a dedicated telephone) connected to the emergency call device. In response to this, the caller picks up the handset of the dedicated telephone, which rings, and performs an off-hook operation, whereby a communication line is connected between the dedicated telephone and the emergency call receiving agency, and a call can be made.

[0003] If the emergency call device is connected to a fixed telephone network (PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network)), the call line between the emergency call receiving agency and the emergency call device is put on hold after an emergency call is made. In other words, if the emergency call device is connected to a fixed telephone network, the line is put on hold even if the caller hangs up when making a special number call. For this reason, when the emergency call receiving agency calls back, a call signal (a so-called IR signal) is sent from the fixed telephone network as a call-back signal (hereinafter referred to as a call-back signal), and the dedicated telephone rings. In response, by picking up the handset of the dedicated telephone, it becomes possible to talk to the person at the emergency call receiving agency.

[0004] However, in recent years, it has become possible to use IP (Internet Protocol) networks instead of fixed-line telephone networks, and it is planned to migrate all fixed-line telephone networks to IP networks in the near future. An IP network is a network that is interconnected using Internet Protocol Suite technology (TCP / IP). In the operation of emergency call devices connected to an IP network, the function of putting the line on hold after an emergency call is made will disappear, and a method will be adopted in which the caller will be called back (called back) to a dedicated telephone, which will connect the call line and enable a conversation with the caller.

[0005] In this case, when an emergency call is made from an emergency call device connected to an IP network through a subscriber telephone line that has a contract for a service that notifies the caller's number when a call is received, the dedicated telephone cannot receive a callback from the emergency call receiving agency. Note that the service that notifies the caller's number when a call is received (caller number notification service) is called Number Display (registered trademark) and is provided by telephone companies.

[0006] Let's say an emergency call is made from an emergency call device connected to an IP network through a subscriber telephone line that has a contract for the caller ID service, and the emergency call receiving agency calls back the caller. In this case, the IP network sends an information receiving terminal activation signal (a so-called CAR signal) to activate the caller ID service-compatible function of the called telephone terminal. Next, if there is a response from the called telephone terminal, the IP network sends the caller ID as a modem signal to notify the called telephone terminal of the caller ID and display it, and then an IR signal is sent to call the called telephone terminal. After the CAR signal is sent, if there is no response from the called telephone terminal within six seconds, the IP network automatically sends an IR signal.

[0007] Needless to say, the dedicated telephone does not support the caller ID service because it is intended to enable emergency calls. For this reason, in response to a callback from an emergency call receiving agency, the dedicated telephone rings with the CAR signal that arrives first, and the dedicated telephone goes off-hook in response. In this case, the caller ID arrives immediately after, and the telephone cannot respond to the IR signal that arrives after that, so a call line cannot be connected between the emergency call receiving agency and the dedicated telephone. The applicant of this application has previously filed an invention to solve this problem, and the application has already been published as Patent Document 1, which will be described later.

[0008] Patent Document 1 discloses an invention in which a dedicated telephone does not ring when a CAR signal arrives, but rings when an IR signal arrives, thereby connecting a telephone line to an emergency call receiving agency and enabling a call. The CAR signal has one second as one cycle, and is a succession of signals that are on for 0.5 seconds and off for 0.5 seconds. The IR signal has one three second cycle, and is a succession of signals that are on for 1 second and off for 2 seconds. The modem signal is a signal in which a data signal is carrier-modulated into an AC waveform within the voice band. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-50170 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] As mentioned above, in the operation of emergency call devices connected to IP networks, the function of holding the line after an emergency call is no longer available, and the adoption of a system that enables a caller to talk by connecting the telephone line by calling back has revealed the existence of further issues that must be resolved. Specifically, if an IR signal, which is a call signal, arrives in response to a callback operation, and then the IR signal is cut off (disappears) for some reason, if you go off-hook (answer operation), you may not be able to talk to the emergency call receiving agency.

[0011] In an emergency call system, the IR signal transmitted to the emergency call source in response to the callback operation of the emergency call receiving agency continues to be transmitted until the call from the emergency call receiving agency stops or the telephone connected to the emergency call device is taken off-hook. In the following, for the sake of simplicity, the IR signal, which is a call signal transmitted to the emergency call device of the emergency call source in response to the callback operation of the emergency call receiving agency, will be referred to as the "return call signal."

[0012] Possible causes of the interruption of the incoming IR signal after a callback operation include a malfunction of the gateway device that connects the emergency call device to the IP network, a malfunction of the IP network system, or a malfunction of the command desk system of the emergency call receiving agency. A malfunction of the command desk system may be, for example, a high number of emergency calls (emergency calls), which causes the system to malfunction due to capacity overload. It is also possible that the line may be disconnected due to an incorrect operation of the command desk.

[0013] When a call back signal arrives, the telephone connected to the emergency notification device rings, and by picking up the receiver of the telephone in response to this, the telephone is connected to the IP network and a call can be made. However, suppose that the IR signal is interrupted (disappeared) due to the above-mentioned event before the telephone rings in response to the call back signal and the off-hook operation is made. In this case, since the call back signal has been interrupted, the call line will not be connected even if the telephone is off-hook. Furthermore, if the telephone remains off-hook, the call will be in progress (busy), and the call line will not be connected even if the IR signal returns. Even in such a case, due to the nature of the emergency notification device, it is desirable to reliably connect the call line and make it possible to make a call.

[0014] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide an emergency call device connected to an IP network that can properly connect a call line to an emergency call receiving agency even if the return signal is interrupted after the arrival of the return signal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] In order to solve the above problem, the emergency call device of the invention described in claim 1 comprises: An emergency call device that makes an emergency call to a designated emergency call receiving agency via an IP (Internet Protocol) network, a callback signal discrimination means for discriminating whether or not a callback signal is transmitted in response to a callback operation at the emergency call receiving agency after the emergency call is made; A switching means for switching between connection / disconnection between a telephone connected to the device and the IP network; a pull-in control means for switching the switching means to a non-connected state when a determination result in the reverse signal determination means changes from the presence of the reverse signal to its disappearance; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0016] According to the emergency call device of the invention described in claim 1, the emergency call device is connectable to an emergency call receiving agency through an IP network, and after an emergency call, the presence or absence of a call back signal is determined by the call back signal determination means. When the determination result of the call back signal determination means changes from the presence of a call back signal to its disappearance, the switching means is switched to a non-connected state by the lead-in control means. Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to this invention, even if the telephone ringing due to the arrival of the call back signal after an emergency call is interrupted before the telephone is off-hooked and then off-hooked, the telephone and the IP network are disconnected and the line route is drawn into the emergency call device. As a result, the emergency call device connected to the IP network can properly connect the call line to the emergency call receiving agency by connecting the telephone to the call back signal that arrives again after the call back signal has stopped arriving. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of an emergency notification device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram for explaining the operation of the emergency notification device according to the embodiment; FIG. [Diagram 3] 4 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of an emergency call system including the emergency call device of the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a sequence diagram continuing from FIG. 3 for explaining a case where a telephone line is normally connected in response to the arrival of a return signal. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram continuing from FIG. 3 for explaining a case where the call back signal is interrupted after arrival of the call back signal and the telephone line cannot be connected. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram following FIG. 3 for explaining a case in which the telephone line can be connected even if the telephone is off-hook after the return signal arrives and then stops. [Figure 7]4 is a flowchart illustrating a process executed by the emergency notification device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the emergency call device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. After making an emergency call to an emergency call receiving agency through the emergency call device, there is a possibility that the call back signal arriving due to a callback operation at the emergency call receiving agency may be interrupted for some reason as described above. The emergency call device of the embodiment described below is capable of appropriately connecting a telephone line in response to the incoming call back signal even if the telephone is off-hooked after the call back signal is interrupted through the telephone connected to the device and the off-hook state is maintained.

[0020] In addition, the emergency call receiving organization to which the emergency call is made is generally a police organization, the Japan Coast Guard, a fire department, etc., but it is of course possible for any call destination, such as a security company, to be the emergency call receiving organization. In the embodiment described below, for the sake of simplicity, the emergency call device reports the occurrence of a fire, and the emergency call receiving organization is a fire department, as an example.

[0021] [Example of the configuration of emergency notification device 1] Fig. 1 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of an emergency call device 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the emergency call device 1 is capable of making an emergency call by connecting a telephone line to an emergency call receiving agency 5 via an IP network 4. The IP network 4 means a network interconnected using TCP / IP, and includes all of the facilities related to communication on the telephone company side.

[0022] In this specification, a gateway (analog line conversion device) 3 is connected to the IP network 4, and the emergency call device 1 is connected to the IP network 4 via the gateway 3. Therefore, the emergency call device 1 and the gateway 3 are connected by an analog line. In addition, in FIG. 1, the gateway 3 is abbreviated as GW3. In this embodiment, for the sake of simplicity, it is assumed that the emergency call device 1 is connected to the IP network 4 through a subscriber telephone line that is not contracted for a caller ID service.

[0023] A telephone 2 is connected to the emergency call device 1 of this embodiment. The telephone 2 is for responding to calls made during emergency calls in response to a callback from an emergency call receiving agency. The telephone 2 may be a dedicated telephone used only during emergency calls, or may be a general telephone connected to the emergency call device 1 and also to a main device such as a SIP server (not shown). Therefore, the general telephone is capable of responding to calls made during emergency calls, and is normally connected to an IP network via the main device, and is capable of making calls to desired recipients and answering incoming calls.

[0024] 1, the emergency notification device 1 includes a line control unit 101, a telephone control unit 102, a CPU unit 103, and a notification button 104. The line control unit 101 controls the connection of the line through the IP network 4, and includes a call back signal discrimination unit 1011, a lead-in control unit 1012, a response / disconnection control unit 1013, and a notification control unit 1014. The telephone control unit 102 controls the connection between the line connected to the emergency notification device 1 and the telephone 2, and includes a call control unit 1021, a switching unit 1022, and a hook state detection unit 1023.

[0025] The CPU section 103 is a main control section that controls each section of the emergency notification device 1, and is configured to include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a non-volatile memory, etc., although not shown. The notification button 104 is a button switch that is pressed by a caller. When the notification button 104 is pressed, a predetermined electric signal is supplied to the CPU section 103, and the CPU section 103 is notified that the notification button has been operated.

[0026] When the report button 104 is pressed, the CPU unit 103 instructs the line control unit 101 to make an emergency report. In response to this, the report control unit 1014 functions to make an emergency report to the emergency report receiving agency 5, which is a fire department in this embodiment. In response to a control signal from the report control unit 1014, the response / disconnection control unit 1013 performs control such as returning a response to the IP network 4 and disconnecting the connected line.

[0027] Specifically, the response / disconnection control unit 1013 connects the telephone line when an emergency call (alert) is made through the notification control unit 1014. Thereafter, under the control of the notification control unit 1014, the response / disconnection control unit 1013 transmits, for example, a notification message prepared in the non-volatile memory of the CPU unit 103 to the emergency call receiving agency 5. After completing transmission of the notification message, the response / disconnection control unit 1013 releases the telephone line connected to the emergency call receiving agency 5. In this way, the emergency call is made, and after the notification message is sent, the connected telephone line is released and the arrival of a return call signal is awaited.

[0028] After an emergency call is made, the callback signal discrimination unit 1011 discriminates whether a callback signal addressed to the own terminal transmitted through the IP network 4 has arrived, or whether the arriving callback signal has ceased (disappeared), in response to a callback operation at the emergency call receiving agency 5. In other words, the callback signal discrimination unit 1011 discriminates whether a callback signal addressed to the own terminal has arrived or disappeared. The discrimination result by the callback signal discrimination unit 1011 is notified to the CPU unit 103.

[0029] When the incoming call signal addressed to the emergency call device 1 is detected in the call back signal discrimination unit 1011, the CPU unit 103 controls the lead-in control unit 1012 (described later) to switch the switching unit 1022 (described later) to the connected state (on state). Also, under the control of the CPU unit 103, the call control unit 1021 of the telephone control unit 102 functions to ring the telephone 2 connected to the emergency call device 1. In this way, the call control unit 1021 controls the telephone 2 to ring (ring for incoming call) to notify that there is a call (an incoming call). When the telephone 2 rings for incoming call, the user of the telephone 2 (usually the caller who pressed the call button 104) performs an off-hook operation to pick up the receiver of the telephone 2.

[0030] The hook state detection unit 1023 of the telephone control unit 102 detects the hook state of the telephone 2, notifies the CPU unit 103 of the detection result, and controls the switching unit 1022 to switch to the off state (disconnected state) when the telephone 2 goes from the off-hook state to the on-hook state. The switching unit 1022 switches between connection / disconnection between the telephone 2 and the IP network 4. As described above, when a call back signal arrives, the switching unit 1022 is switched to the on state (connected state) by the lead-in control unit 1012 in response to the control of the CPU unit 103. Also, as described above, when the telephone 2 goes from the off-hook state to the on-hook state, the switching unit 1022 is switched to the off state (disconnected state) by the control of the hook state detection unit 1023.

[0031] Therefore, as described above, after an emergency call is made, when a callback signal arrives in response to a callback operation at the emergency call receiving agency, this is discriminated by the callback signal discriminator 1011 and notified to the CPU unit 103. The CPU unit 103 controls the lead-in controller 1012 to switch the switching unit 1022 to the on state, and controls the call controller 1021 of the telephone controller 102 to make the telephone 2 ring.

[0032] As a result, when the telephone 2 is off-hooked, the telephone 2 is connected to the IP network 4, and the telephone line is seized, the telephone 2 is connected to the emergency call receiving agency 5, and a call is made possible, and a person at the emergency call receiving agency 5 listens to the situation. In this way, in response to the arrival of a call back signal, the telephone 2 is connected to the emergency call receiving agency 5, and a call is made possible. After this, when the call ends and the telephone 2 is put on-hook, this is detected by the hook state detection unit 1023, which returns the switching unit 1022 to the off state. This makes it possible to respond to the arrival of another call back signal.

[0033] However, after the arrival of the back signal, there may be cases where the back signal is interrupted (lost) due to some malfunction, such as a malfunction of the gateway 3, a malfunction of the network system, a malfunction of the command desk system, or an incorrect operation of the command desk. The user of the telephone set 2 has no way of knowing that the back signal has been lost. In this case, even if the user goes off-hook on the telephone set 2 in response to the ringing notifying the incoming call, the back signal has been interrupted and the call line cannot be connected.

[0034] Also, if the telephone remains off-hook, the switch unit 1022 is turned on by the arrival of the call back signal, and this on state is maintained. In this case, the telephone set 2 remains connected to the IP network 4, so that the telephone line cannot be connected even if the call back signal arrives again. Therefore, in the emergency notification device 1, the call back signal discriminator 1011, the lead-in control unit 1012, and the CPU unit 103 cooperate to control the switch unit 1022, thereby preventing a problem in which the call line cannot be connected when the incoming call back signal is interrupted (disappeared).

[0035] [Operation of emergency notification device 1] The operation of the emergency call device will be described below with reference to Figures 2 to 6. First, a case where a call line is normally connected in response to a call back signal from an emergency call will be described below, followed by a case where a call back signal arrives, then a case where the call line cannot be connected because the call back signal is interrupted. After that, a case where the application of this invention enables a call line to be connected even if the call back signal arrives and is interrupted.

[0036] <Operation when the call line is normally connected through the emergency call device 1> Fig. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the operation of the emergency call device 1 of this embodiment. In Fig. 2, the switching unit 1022 of the telephone control unit 102 is shown as a switch circuit configuration to easily show its function, but it can be configured in various ways to switch between connection / disconnection between the telephone 2 and the IP network 4. Fig. 3 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the emergency call system including the emergency call device 1 of this embodiment, and Fig. 4 is a sequence diagram following Fig. 3 for explaining the case where the call line is normally connected in response to the arrival of a call back signal. In Fig. 3, the "gateway" is abbreviated as "GW".

[0037] As described above, it is assumed that the report button 104 of the emergency report device 1 is pressed (step S1). In this case, in response to a control signal from the CPU unit 103, the report control unit 1014 functions to seize the line (step S2), and dials and transmits a call to a predetermined emergency report receiving agency 5 (step S3). In response to this, the gateway 3 sends a call signal to the emergency report receiving agency 5 to the IP network 4 (step S4), and the IP network 4 transmits a bell ringing signal to the emergency report receiving agency 5 (step S5).

[0038] When the command console of the emergency call receiving agency 5 receives a bell ringing signal from the IP network, it rings to notify the occurrence of an emergency call (step S6), and a person in charge of the emergency call receiving agency 5 performs a reception operation on the command console (step S7). The command console of the emergency call receiving agency 5 that has received the reception operation sends a reception signal to the IP network 4 (step S8), and the IP network 4 forms a response signal and transmits this to the emergency call device 1 that is the source of the call (step S9). When the gateway 3 receives the response signal from the IP network 4, it forms a response signal (analog signal) to be provided to the emergency call device 1, and transmits this to the emergency call device 1 (step S10).

[0039] The response / disconnection control unit 1013 of the emergency call device 1 responds to the response signal from the gateway 3, connects a telephone line between the device itself and the emergency call receiving agency 5, and performs a guidance call (step S11). In step S11, the response / disconnection control unit 1013, under the control of the call control unit 1014, transmits a call message (audio signal) stored in the non-volatile memory of the CPU unit 103 to the emergency call receiving agency 5. The call message notifies, for example, an occurrence (such as a fire), an address, a telephone number, etc., as audio. As a result, the emergency call receiving agency 5 emits the call message (step S12), so that the person in charge at the emergency call receiving agency 5 can recognize it.

[0040] When the transmission of the report message is completed, the response / disconnection control unit 1013 of the emergency call device 1 releases (disconnects) the telephone line connected in step S11 (step S13). In response to this, the gateway 3 sends a disconnection signal to the IP network 4 (step S14), and the IP network 4 transmits a disconnection signal to the emergency call receiving agency 5 (step S15). The disconnection signal transmitted from the IP network 4 to the emergency call receiving agency 5 may be any signal indicating that the connected telephone line has been disconnected, for example, by agreement, and may be, for example, a so-called busy tone that is used when the telephone line is disconnected.

[0041] The emergency call receiving agency 5 that has received the disconnection signal issues a callback request message requesting the person in charge of the emergency call receiving agency 5 to call back the emergency call originator (step S16). In response to this, the person in charge of the emergency call receiving agency 5 performs a callback operation on the command console (step S17). The command console of the emergency call receiving agency 5 transmits a callback signal to the IP network 4 instructing the person in charge of the emergency call originator to call back (step S18).

[0042] When the IP network 4 receives the callback signal from the emergency call receiving agency 5, it forms an incoming call signal (incoming call request) and transmits it to the gateway 3 to which the emergency call device 1 is connected (step S19). The gateway 3 forms a call signal (IR signal) from the incoming call signal and transmits it as a call back signal to the emergency call device 1 (step S20). As shown in Fig. 3, after an emergency call, the period (time) required from when the emergency call device 1 releases the line in step S13 until when the emergency call device 1 receives the call back signal in step S20 is set to within 10 seconds. Therefore, a time limit is also set for the period (time) from when the gateway 3 sends a disconnection signal in step S14 until when the gateway 3 receives the incoming call signal in step S19.

[0043] In Fig. 4, which is a sequence diagram following Fig. 3, for the sake of simplicity, the sequence from step S20 shown at the bottom of Fig. 3 is described. In the emergency notification device 1 that has received the call back signal, the call back signal discrimination unit 1011 discriminates the arrival of the call back signal and notifies the CPU unit 103, and the CPU unit 103 turns on the switching unit 1022 via the lead-in control unit 1012 (step S21), and then controls the call control unit 1021 to ring the telephone set 2 (step S22).

[0044] When the user of the telephone 2 recognizes the incoming call by the ringing of the telephone 2 and performs an off-hook operation on the telephone 2 (step S23), the telephone 2 is connected to the IP network 4 and the communication line is seized (step S24). As shown in Fig. 4, the emergency notification device 1 needs to seize the line in step S24 within a certain time after receiving the return signal in step S20.

[0045] In response to the line capture in step S24, the gateway 3 sends a response signal to the IP network 4 to the emergency call receiving agency 5 that is the callback source (step S25), and the IP network 4 sends a response signal to the emergency call receiving agency 5 (step S26). This connects a call line between the emergency call receiving agency 5 and the telephone 2 connected to the emergency call device 1 that is the emergency call source (step S27). The person in charge of the emergency call receiving agency 5 can talk to the user of the telephone 2 (usually the caller) and ask about the situation (step S28). When the call between the person in charge of the emergency call receiving agency 5 and the user of the telephone 2 is finished, for example, the user of the telephone 2 performs an on-hook operation on the telephone 2.

[0046] This notifies the emergency call device 1 that the telephone 2 has gone on-hook (step S29). The hook state detection unit 1023 of the emergency call device 1 detects that the telephone 2 has gone on-hook and notifies the CPU unit 103 of this, while turning off the switching unit 1022 to disconnect the telephone 2 from the IP network 4 and release the communication line (step S30). In response to the line release in step S30, the gateway 3 sends a disconnection signal to the IP network 4 for the emergency call receiving agency 5 that is the callback source (step S31), and the IP network 4 sends a disconnection signal to the emergency call receiving agency 5 (step S32). The emergency call receiving agency 5 that receives the disconnection signal releases the communication line (step S33). This completes a series of call processing that began with the pressing of the call button 104.

[0047] <Operation when the back signal is cut off and the line cannot be connected> FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram following FIG. 3 for explaining a case where the call back signal is interrupted after the arrival of the call back signal and the telephone line cannot be connected. In FIG. 5, the sequence from step S20 shown at the bottom of FIG. 3 is also described for the sake of simplicity. After the emergency call is made, a call back signal is transmitted in response to a callback from the emergency call receiving agency 5 by a series of processes explained using FIG. 3 (step S20). In the emergency call device 1 that receives the call back signal, the call back signal discrimination unit 1011 discriminates the arrival of the call back signal and notifies the CPU unit 103, and the CPU unit 103 turns on the switching unit 1022 through the lead-in control unit 1012 (step S21), and controls the call control unit 1021 to ring the telephone 2 (step S22). Up to this point, the process is the same as that explained using FIG. 4.

[0048] However, suppose that the call back signal that arrived in step S20 is interrupted (lost) due to some reason such as a malfunction of the gateway 3 as described above (step S40). In this case, suppose that an off-hook operation is performed on the telephone 2 in response to the incoming call ringing in step S21 (step S51). However, since the call back signal has been lost, the telephone line cannot be connected to the emergency call receiving agency 5 even if the line is seized (step S52).

[0049] Furthermore, as a result of the back signal being cut off, a disconnection signal is sent from the gateway 3 to the IP network 4 (step S41), and a disconnection signal is sent from the IP network 4 to the emergency call receiving agency 5 that is the callback source (step S42). In response to this, similar to the case of step S16 in Fig. 3, the emergency call receiving agency 5 issues a callback request message requesting the person in charge of the emergency call receiving agency 5 to call back the emergency call source (step S43). In response to this, the person in charge of the emergency call receiving agency 5 performs a callback operation on the command console (step S44).

[0050] A callback signal is sent from the command console of the emergency call receiving agency 5 to the IP network 4, instructing the emergency caller to call back (step S45). When the IP network 4 receives the callback signal from the emergency call receiving agency 5, it forms an incoming call signal (incoming call request) and sends this to the gateway 3 to which the emergency call device 1 is connected (step S46). In this case, if the telephone 2 has been put on-hook and returned to an on-hook state, and the hook state detection unit 1023 has returned the switching unit 1022 to an off state and the line is released, it is possible to ring the telephone 2 to make a second call as described above.

[0051] However, since the user of the telephone 2 cannot know that the call back signal has disappeared, the user may wait with the telephone in an off-hook state. For this reason, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the telephone 2 connected to the emergency call device 1 is in an off-hook state, and the switching unit 1022 is in an on state, so that the telephone 2 and the IP network 4 remain connected (line capture state) (step S52). For this reason, the gateway 3 cannot transmit a call back signal to the emergency call device 1, and cannot connect a call line to the emergency call receiving agency 5. Therefore, a call cannot be made between the person in charge of the emergency call receiving agency 5 and the user of the telephone 2 connected to the emergency call device 1, and the person in charge of the emergency call receiving agency 5 cannot grasp the situation. The emergency call device 1 of this embodiment prevents such a situation from occurring.

[0052] <To enable connection of the line after the return signal is lost> Fig. 6 is a sequence diagram following Fig. 3 for explaining a case where the telephone line can be connected even if the telephone is off-hook after the return signal has arrived and the return signal has ceased. In Fig. 6, for the sake of simplicity, the sequence from step S20 shown at the bottom of Fig. 3 is also shown.

[0053] 3, after an emergency call is made, a callback signal is transmitted in response to a callback from the emergency call receiving agency 5 (step S20). In the emergency call device 1 that receives the callback signal, the callback signal discrimination unit 1011 discriminates the arrival of the callback signal and notifies the CPU unit 103, and the CPU unit 103 turns on the switching unit 1022 through the lead-in control unit 1012 (step S21), and controls the call control unit 1021 to ring the telephone set 2 (step S22). However, as described above, it is assumed that the callback signal that arrived in step S20 has been interrupted (disappeared) for some reason (step S40). These processes are the same as those described with reference to FIG. 5.

[0054] However, in the case of the emergency notification device 1 of this embodiment, the call back signal discrimination unit 1011 of the line control unit 101 determines that the received call back signal has been interrupted (lost), and notifies the CPU unit 103. In this case, the CPU unit 103 controls the lead-in control unit 1012 to turn off the switching unit 1022 of the telephone control unit 102 (step S61). This releases the connection between the telephone 2 and the IP network 4, so that even if the telephone 2 is put into an off-hook state (step S62), the line is not seized (step S63). Therefore, even if the telephone 2 is in an off-hook state, the emergency notification device 1 can respond to the return of the call back signal.

[0055] That is, similarly to the case described with reference to Fig. 4, when the return signal is cut off (step S40), a disconnection signal is sent from the gateway 3 to the IP network 4 (step S41), and a disconnection signal is sent from the IP network 4 to the emergency call receiving agency 5 that is the callback source (step S42). In response to this, the emergency call receiving agency 5 issues a sound of a callback request message requesting the person in charge of the emergency call receiving agency 5 to call back the emergency call source (step S43). The person in charge of the emergency call receiving agency 5 performs a callback operation on the command console (step S44).

[0056] As a result, the control desk of the emergency call receiving agency 5 transmits a callback signal to the IP network 4 instructing the emergency call source to call back (step S45). Upon receiving the callback signal from the emergency call receiving agency 5, the IP network 4 forms an incoming call signal (incoming call request) and transmits this to the gateway 3 to which the emergency call device 1 is connected (step S46). In this case, even if the telephone 2 remains in an off-hook state, the switching unit 1022 is turned off by the process of step S61, and the call line is released. Therefore, the gateway 3 can transmit a call back signal to the emergency call device 1 (step S47).

[0057] Therefore, the call back signal discrimination unit 1011 of the emergency notification device 1 detects the arrival of the call back signal and notifies the CPU unit 103 and the lead-in control unit 1012 (step S64). The lead-in control unit 1012, under the control of the CPU unit 103, switches the switching unit 1022 of the telephone control unit 102 to the ON state and seizes the line (step S65). That is, in step S65, the switching unit 1022, which was turned OFF in step S61 due to the disappearance of the call back signal, is turned ON in response to the return of the call back signal. As a result, the telephone 2 seizes the line of the IP network 4.

[0058] In response to the line capture in step S65, the gateway 3 sends a response signal to the IP network 4 to the emergency call receiving agency 5 that made the callback (step S66), and the IP network 4 transmits the response signal to the emergency call receiving agency 5 (step S67). This connects a call line between the emergency call receiving agency 5 and the telephone 2 connected to the emergency call device 1 that made the emergency call (step S68). A person in charge at the emergency call receiving agency 5 talks to the user of the telephone 2 (usually the caller) and asks about the situation (step S69).

[0059] The subsequent processes are the same as those in steps S29 to S33 described with reference to Fig. 4. That is, when the call between the person in charge of the emergency call receiving agency 5 and the user of the telephone 2 is finished, for example, the user of the telephone 2 puts the telephone 2 on-hook. This notifies the emergency call device 1 that the telephone 2 is on-hook (step S29). The hook state detection unit 1023 of the emergency call device 1 detects that the telephone 2 is on-hook and notifies the CPU unit 103 of this, while turning off the switching unit 1022, disconnecting the telephone 2 from the IP network 4, and releasing the call line (step S30).

[0060] In response to the line release in step S30, the gateway 3 sends a disconnection signal to the IP network 4 for the emergency call receiving agency 5 that originated the callback (step S31), and the IP network 4 transmits a disconnection signal to the emergency call receiving agency 5 (step S32). The emergency call receiving agency 5 that receives the disconnection signal releases the call line (step S33). This completes the series of reporting processes that began with the pressing of the report button 104.

[0061] In this way, in the emergency call device 1 of this embodiment, when a call back signal arrives after an emergency call, the lead-in control unit 1012 turns on the switching unit 1022, and when the telephone 2 is off-hook, the telephone line is immediately connected to enable a call. Furthermore, in the emergency call device 1 of this embodiment, when the incoming call back signal is interrupted (lost) for some reason after an emergency call, the lead-in control unit 1012 turns off the switching unit 1022. This allows the line route to be drawn into the emergency call device 1, making it possible to respond to the return of the call back signal.

[0062] [Summary of emergency notification device 1 processing] Next, the processing performed by the emergency notification device 1 of this embodiment will be summarized with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the processing executed by the emergency notification device 1 of this embodiment, and this processing is executed by the CPU unit 103 of the emergency notification device 1 controlling each unit.

[0063] When the report button 104 is pressed, the CPU unit 103 starts the process shown in Fig. 7. As described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3, the CPU unit 103 controls the report control unit 1014 and the response / disconnection control unit 1013 of the line control unit 101 to execute emergency report processing (step S101). By the process of step S101, the processes of steps S2 to S20 shown in Fig. 3 are performed in the emergency report system including the emergency report device 1.

[0064] Thereafter, under the control of the CPU section 103, the return signal discrimination section 1011 of the line control section 101 functions to receive the return signal, discriminates whether or not the return signal has arrived, and notifies the CPU section 103 and the lead-in control section 1012 of the discrimination result (step S102). The CPU section 103 discriminates whether or not the return signal has arrived based on the notification from the return signal discrimination section 1011 (step S103), and if it determines that the return signal has not arrived, repeats the process from step S102 and waits for the arrival of the return signal.

[0065] When it is determined in the determination process of step S103 that a call back signal has arrived, the CPU section 103 switches the switching section 1022 to the ON state through the lead-in control section 1012 of the line control section 101, and controls the call control section 1021 of the telephone control section 102 to ring the telephone 2 connected to the own device (step S104). After receiving the call back signal, the call back signal determination section 1011 determines whether the received call back signal has disappeared or not, and notifies the CPU section 103 of the determination result.

[0066] Therefore, the CPU unit 103 determines whether the received call back signal has been lost based on the notification from the call back signal determination unit 1011 (step S105). If it is determined in the determination process of step S105 that the call back signal has not been lost, the CPU unit 103 controls the hook state detection unit 1023 of the telephone control unit 102 to determine whether the telephone 2 connected to the own device has been put into an off-hook state (step S106). If it is determined in the determination process of step S106 that the telephone 2 has not been put into an off-hook state, the process from step S105 is repeated.

[0067] Assume that it is determined in the determination process of step S106 that the telephone 2 has been put into an off-hook state. In this case, since the power switching unit 1022 has been switched to the on state in step S104, the telephone 2 is connected to the IP network 4 and the line is seized (step S107). As a result, a call line is connected between the emergency call receiving agency 5 that is the callback source and the telephone 2 connected to the emergency call device 1, and a call is enabled (step S108).

[0068] After that, the CPU section 103 controls the hook state detection section 1023 of the telephone control section 102 to determine whether the telephone 2 connected to the own device is in an on-hook state (step S109). If it is determined in the determination process of step S109 that the telephone 2 is not in an on-hook state, the call is still ongoing, so the process from step S109 is repeated to wait for the telephone 2 to be in an on-hook state.

[0069] Assume that it is determined in the determination process of step S109 that the telephone 2 is in an on-hook state. In this case, the hook state detection unit 1023 of the telephone controller 102 switches the switching unit 1022 to off, and the line of the IP network 4 that the telephone 2 had captured is released (step S110), and the process shown in Fig. 7 is terminated. In this manner, the processes of steps S101 to S110 are the processes executed by the emergency notification device 1 among the processes shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

[0070] Also, assume that in the determination process of step S105, it is determined that the call back signal arriving at the own device has disappeared. In this case, since the switching unit 1022 is turned on in step S104, the telephone 2 is connected to the IP network 4 and the line is captured. However, since the call back signal has been interrupted at this point, even if the telephone 2 is off-hooked, the call line cannot be connected. Also, if the telephone 2 is off-hooked and remains in the off-hook state, the switching unit 1022 remains on. Therefore, the telephone 2 remains in a state of capturing the line of the IP network 4, and the call line cannot be connected even if the call back signal arrives again.

[0071] Therefore, the CPU unit 103 controls the lead-in control unit 1012 to switch the switching unit 1022 to the off state and executes line lead-in (step S111). That is, the process of step S111 cuts the connection between the telephone 2 and the IP network 4 and leads the line route to the emergency call device 1. In this way, the process of step S111 is a process that enables the emergency call device 1 to receive (accept) a callback signal in response to a callback from the emergency call receiving agency 5. Thereafter, the CPU unit 103 again performs a process of waiting for the arrival of a callback signal (steps S102, S103), and upon receiving the callback signal, performs the processes from step S104 onwards in the same manner as described above.

[0072] As a result, a communication line is connected between the telephone 2 and the emergency call receiving agency 5 that originated the callback, and the CPU section 103 performs processing from step S108, enabling a call between the person in charge of the emergency call receiving agency 5 and the user of the telephone 2. In this way, even if a call back signal that has arrived once is lost for some reason, the emergency call device 1 of this embodiment appropriately responds to the recurrence of the call back signal and connects the communication line, ensuring that a call can be made between the person in charge of the emergency call receiving agency 5 and the user of the telephone 2.

[0073] In this case, even if telephone 2 remains off-hook, the telephone line can be connected by returning switching unit 1022 from the off state to the on state. Therefore, the user of telephone 2 can reliably communicate with the person in charge at emergency call receiving agency 5 through the telephone line that is connected in response to the return of the call back signal.

[0074] [Effects of the embodiment] The emergency call device 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment can properly connect a communication line between the telephone 2 connected to the device itself and the emergency call receiving agency 5 and make a call even if the call back signal is interrupted after the call back signal arrives. In this case, the user of the telephone 2 connected to the emergency call device 1 can automatically respond to the returning call back signal to quickly connect the communication line and make a call with a person in charge at the emergency call receiving agency 5. This can further improve the reliability of the emergency call device 1 that is used while connected to the IP network 4.

[0075] [Modifications, etc.] The emergency notification device 1 of the above embodiment has been described as making an emergency notification when the notification button is pressed, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the case of an emergency notification device that reports the occurrence of a fire, the device may be configured to make a notification when a fire is detected by a heat sensor or a smoke sensor. Also, the device may be configured to make a notification when a suspicious person's intrusion is detected by a human presence sensor that detects the intrusion of a suspicious person. In this way, the emergency notification device may of course make an emergency notification when an emergency occurrence is detected by various sensors, not just when the notification button is pressed.

[0076] In the above embodiment, the emergency notification device 1 is described as being connected to the telephone 2. However, this is not limited to this. The emergency notification device 1 can be configured to be connected to either or both of a dedicated telephone and a general telephone. Simply put, it is sufficient to configure the device so that when a call back signal is lost after the call back signal arrives, a call line is connected to a telephone in an off-hook state.

[0077] Although omitted in Fig. 7, for example, in step S103, if it is determined that the return signal has not been received, and if the return signal does not arrive within 10 seconds after the line is released, the process ends as a timeout. In this case, it is possible to, for example, start again from the report.

[0078] Similarly, although not shown in Fig. 7, if it is determined in step S106 that the call is not off-hook, and if the line is not captured within a certain time from the arrival of the return signal, the process ends as a timeout. Even in this case, it is possible to, for example, start the process again from the report.

[0079] In the above embodiment, when a reverse call signal arrives, the switching of the switching unit 1022 is performed by the retraction control unit 1012 under the control of the CPU unit 103, but this is not limiting. The CPU unit 103 may directly perform the switching of the switching unit 1022. Alternatively, the result of the determination from the reverse call signal determination unit 1011 may be supplied to the retraction control unit 1012, and the retraction control unit 1012 may independently switch the switching unit 1022 based on the result of the determination.

[0080] Furthermore, the functions of each of the line control unit 101 and telephone control unit 102 can be realized as functions of the CPU unit 103 by a program executed by the CPU of the CPU unit 103. That is, the functions of each of the return signal discrimination unit 1011, lead-in control unit 1012, answer / disconnect control unit 1013, and report control unit 1014 can also be realized by software. Similarly, the functions of each of the call control unit 1021, switching unit 1022, and hook state detection unit 1023 can also be realized by software.

[0081] In the above embodiment, after an emergency call, the switching unit 1022 is turned on when a call back signal arrives, and turned off when the incoming call back signal is interrupted (lost). However, this is not limited to this. For example, when a call back signal arrives and the telephone 2 is off-hook, the switching unit 1022 is turned on under the control of the hook state detection unit 1023 or the CPU unit 103. When the telephone 2 is on-hook, the switching unit 1022 is turned off under the control of the hook state detection unit 1023 or the CPU unit 103. Furthermore, when the incoming call back signal is interrupted (lost), even if the telephone 2 is off-hook, the retraction control unit 1012 turns off the switching unit 1022 under the control of the CPU unit 103. In this way, except when the incoming call back signal is interrupted (lost), the switching of the switching unit 1022 may be performed in conjunction with the hook state of the telephone 2.

[0082] [others] As can be seen from the above description of the embodiment, the function of the return signal discrimination means in the claims is realized by the return signal discrimination unit 1011 of the emergency notification device 1 of the embodiment. The function of the switching means in the claims is realized by the switching unit 1022 of the emergency notification device 1 of the embodiment. Moreover, the function of the retraction control means in the claims is realized by the retraction control unit 1012 of the emergency notification device 1 of the embodiment. Moreover, the hook state detection means in the claims is realized by the hook state detection unit 1023 of the emergency notification device 1 of the embodiment. Moreover, the function of the call control means in the claims is realized by the call control unit 1021 of the embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 1...emergency call device, 101...line control unit, 1011...return signal discrimination unit, 1012...retraction control unit, 1013...answer / disconnection control unit, 1014...call control unit, 102...telephone control unit, 1021...call control unit, 1022...switching unit, 1023...hook state detection unit, 103...CPU unit, 104...call button, 2...telephone, 3...gateway, 4...IP network, 5...emergency call receiving agency

Claims

1. An emergency call device that makes an emergency call to a predetermined emergency call receiving agency through an IP (Internet Protocol) network, a callback signal discrimination means for discriminating whether or not a callback signal is transmitted in response to a callback operation at the emergency call receiving agency after the emergency call is made; A switching means for switching between connection / disconnection between a telephone connected to the device and the IP network; a pull-in control means for switching the switching means to a non-connected state when a determination result in the reverse signal determination means changes from the presence of the reverse signal to its disappearance; An emergency call device comprising:

2. 2. The emergency call device according to claim 1, When the reverse signal determination means determines that the reverse signal is present, the retraction control means switches the switching means to a connected state. An emergency call device comprising:

3. The emergency call device according to claim 1 or 2, a hook state detection means for detecting a hook state of the telephone set and controlling the switching means to switch to a non-connected state when the telephone set is in an on-hook state; An emergency call device comprising:

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