Alarm system and alarm volume control method

Abstract

To provide an alarm system and an alarm volume control method capable of adjusting an alarm sound generated from a mobile communication terminal in a densely-populated area or the like to an appropriate volume.SOLUTION: A mobile communication terminal 3 detects other terminals existing around its own terminal to identify the number of other terminals, sets so that the more the number of other terminals, the smaller the volume of an alarm sound of the own terminal, and generates the alarm sound with the set volume when emergency information is received.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an alarm system comprising a plurality of mobile communication terminals each having a function of emitting an alarm sound in response to emergency information, and a method for controlling the volume of the alarm sound emitted from the mobile communication terminals. [Background technology]

[0002] The Japan-wide Instantaneous Warning System (J-ALERT) has been established throughout Japan to provide emergency information to the public regarding natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis, and armed attacks, and to encourage the protection of life and limb. In addition, mobile communication devices such as mobile phones and smartphones are equipped as standard with a function to receive emergency information issued by J-ALERT via a push notification function and to generate an alarm (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-045250 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] By using "rapidly changing pitches" and "dissonant sounds," alarm sounds emitted from mobile communication devices can create a moderate sense of tension in listeners and encourage them to respond to emergencies. However, it has been reported that these alarm sounds can cause fear and stress in some listeners, and can even become traumatic when combined with experiences of natural disasters. In particular, when alarm sounds are emitted simultaneously from multiple mobile communication devices in densely populated areas, the volume of the alarm sounds becomes unnecessarily loud, exacerbating the adverse effects described above. Some mobile communication device users turn off alarm notifications or lower the volume to prevent such adverse effects. However, there is a concern that turning off alarm notifications can delay responses to emergency information.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an alarm system and an alarm volume control method that can adjust the volume of an alarm sound emitted from a mobile communication terminal to an appropriate level in areas where people are crowded together. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the invention of claim 1 provides an alarm system configured with a plurality of mobile communication terminals each having a receiving means for receiving emergency information and an alarm sound generating means for generating an alarm sound when the emergency information is received, wherein the mobile communication terminals are configured to: Within the specified range and a volume setting means for setting the volume of the alarm sound of the terminal to be lower the greater the number of other terminals present, wherein the alarm sound generating means generates an alarm sound at the volume set by the volume setting means when the emergency information is received.

[0007] The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the alarm system described in claim 1, the volume setting means sets the volume of the alarm sound of the own terminal so that the sum of the volume of the alarm sound emitted from the own terminal and the volume of the alarm sound emitted from the other terminal is a predetermined total required volume.

[0008] The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the warning system described in claim 2, the mobile communication terminal is equipped with a distance measurement means for measuring the distance between the own terminal and the other terminal, and the terminal number determination means performs weighting so as to reduce the number of the other terminals as the distance between the own terminal and the other terminal becomes longer.

[0009] The invention of claim 4 is characterized in that, in the alarm system described in claim 2 or 3, the mobile communication terminal is provided with a noise level estimation means for estimating the noise level in the surrounding environment of the terminal, and the volume setting means sets the total required volume based on the estimated noise level in the surrounding environment.

[0010] The invention of claim 5 is characterized in that, in the warning system described in claim 4, the noise level estimation means acquires location information of the terminal itself, identifies attributes related to noise in the location where the terminal itself is located, and estimates the noise level based on the identified attributes.

[0011] The invention of claim 6 is a method for controlling the volume of an alarm in an alarm system that is configured by a plurality of mobile communication terminals that generate an alarm sound when emergency information is received, and the mobile communication terminals each generate an alarm sound based on the mobile communication terminal itself. Within the specified range The alarm volume control method detects other terminals present in the vicinity of the terminal, identifies the number of such terminals, sets the volume of the alarm sound of the terminal to be lower the greater the number of such other terminals, and generates the alarm sound at the set volume when the emergency information is received. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the inventions described in claims 1 and 6, the terminal itself is the center Within the specified range The volume of the alarm sound of the terminal itself is set to be lower as the number of other terminals present in the area increases, so even if people carrying portable communication terminals are crowded together, the volume of the alarm sound in the crowded area does not become louder than necessary, and it is possible to prevent the alarm sound from increasing anxiety and fear among people in the vicinity.

[0013] According to the invention described in claim 2, the volume of the alarm sound of the own terminal is set so that the sum of the volume of the alarm sound emitted from the own terminal and the volume of the alarm sound emitted from other terminals is a predetermined total required volume. Therefore, even if alarm sounds are emitted simultaneously from multiple mobile communication terminals, the volume will not be louder than necessary, thereby preventing the alarm sounds from increasing anxiety or fear among people in the vicinity.

[0014] According to the invention of claim 3, weighting is performed so that the number of other terminals decreases as the distance between the own terminal and other terminals increases, so that the influence of other terminals located far from the own terminal can be reduced when setting the volume of the alarm sound of the own terminal. This makes it possible to appropriately adjust the volume of the alarm sound, and therefore prevents the alarm sound from increasing feelings of anxiety or fear among people in the vicinity.

[0015] According to the invention of claim 4, the total required volume is set based on the noise level in the surrounding environment of the terminal, so it is possible to prevent the alarm sound from becoming inaudible due to noise in the surrounding environment.

[0016] According to the invention described in claim 5, attributes related to noise in the surrounding environment are identified based on the location information of the terminal, and the noise volume is estimated based on the identified attributes, so that the total required volume used to set the volume of the alarm sound can be appropriately set, and it is possible to prevent the alarm sound from becoming inaudible due to noise in the surrounding environment. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an alarm system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the mobile communication terminal shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a data structure of a noise attribute database shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the number of other terminals around the own terminal is identified by the terminal number identification task shown in FIG. 2, and the distance between the own terminal and the other terminals is measured by the distance measurement task. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the surrounding environment of a mobile communication terminal. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for setting an alarm sound. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] The present invention will be described below based on the illustrated embodiments.

[0019] 1 to 6 show an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an alarm system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The alarm system 1 corresponds to the so-called J-ALERT, and includes an emergency information distribution server 2, a communication network NW, and a large number of users U (U1, U2 to U3). n ) are carried by a large number of mobile communication terminals 3 (31, 32 to 3 n ) and is equipped with.

[0020] The emergency information distribution server 2 is a server having a function of receiving emergency information such as earthquake early warnings, tsunami warnings, or armed attack information from the systems of relevant government ministries and agencies such as the Japan Meteorological Agency and the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, and a function of distributing (push notification) the received emergency information to the mobile communication terminal 3 via the communication network NW. The communication network NW is, for example, a telephone communication network such as a mobile phone network, or a public communication network such as the Internet, and may also be a LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), or other communication network. The communication network NW may also include a wireless communication network such as Wi-Fi.

[0021] The mobile communication terminal 3 is a portable terminal device equipped with communication functions such as a mobile phone or a smartphone. The mobile communication terminal 3 is equipped as a standard with a function to generate an alarm sound corresponding to the type of emergency information when it receives emergency information from the emergency information distribution server 2. The mobile communication terminal 3 also has a function to detect other mobile communication terminals (hereinafter also referred to as other terminals) 3 present within a predetermined range around the mobile communication terminal 3, identify the number of such terminals, set the volume of the alarm sound of the mobile communication terminal 3 to decrease as the number of identified other terminals increases, and generate the alarm sound at the set volume; that is, a function to cooperatively control the volume of the alarm sound among multiple mobile communication terminals 3. With this function of the mobile communication terminal 3, even when users U carrying mobile communication terminals 3 are densely packed, the volume of the alarm sound in the densely packed area is not increased more than necessary, thereby preventing the alarm sound from increasing anxiety or fear in surrounding people.

[0022] The predetermined range in which other terminals are detected is preferably the range in which the alarm sound can be heard. This makes it possible to control the volume of the alarm sound by taking into account only other terminals that are within the range in which the alarm sound can be heard. According to research by the inventors, it has been found that the alarm sound emitted from a typical mobile communication terminal 3 becomes almost inaudible at a distance of about 50 m. Therefore, it is preferable to detect other terminals that are within a radius of less than 50 m from the own terminal.

[0023] 2 is a functional block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the mobile communication terminal 3. The mobile communication terminal 3 mainly includes a touch panel display 31, a storage unit 32, a memory 33, a communication unit 34, a location information receiving unit 35, an amplifier 36, a speaker 37, a main task 38, and a central processing unit 39 that controls these components.

[0024] Storage unit 32 is configured with a flash ROM or the like that is capable of reading and writing data. Storage unit 32 stores an operating system for controlling the overall operation of mobile communication terminal 3, as well as an alarm program 321 and a noise attribute database 322. Mobile communication terminal 3 operates based on alarm program 321 to realize the function of appropriately setting the volume of an alarm sound and emitting an alarm sound in response to emergency information.

[0025] The noise attribute database 322 stores data used to set the volume of the alarm sound based on the alarm program 321. As shown in FIG. 3, the noise attribute database 322 stores a "noise level" indicating the degree of noise, a "noise attribute," and a general "sound pressure level (db)" for each "noise attribute," all associated with each other. The "noise attribute" stores noise attributes that indicate the characteristics and properties of noise, such as the location where the noise is generated, the source of the noise, the distance from the source, and the time period during which the noise is generated. Therefore, by referring to the noise attribute database 322, it is possible to identify the sound pressure level at the location where the mobile communication terminal 3 is located based on the noise attribute of that location, and to set the volume of the alarm sound based on the identified sound pressure level. The noise attribute database 322 corresponds to a part of the noise volume estimation means of the present invention.

[0026] The memory 33 is a storage area / storage device that functions as a working area for temporarily storing information and data generated when the central processing unit 39 sets the volume of the alarm sound and executes various processes to generate an alarm sound in response to emergency information, and is configured, for example, by a RAM.

[0027] The communication unit 34 is a communication interface having the function of transmitting and receiving / inputting and outputting signals and information transmitted via the communication line network NW. The communication unit 34 includes a wide-area wireless communication unit 341, a wireless LAN communication unit 342, and a short-range wireless communication unit 343. The wide-area wireless communication unit 341 is a communication circuit that performs LTE (Long Term Evolution) communication or the like via a telephone communication network of a mobile phone company. The wireless LAN communication unit 342 is a communication circuit that performs communication via a wireless LAN installed in each home, public facility, accommodation facility, etc. The short-range wireless communication unit 343 is a communication circuit that performs communication over a short distance of about several meters using Bluetooth (registered trademark) or the like. Emergency information distributed from the emergency information distribution server 2 is received by the communication unit 34. In other words, the communication unit 34 corresponds to a part of the receiving means of the present invention.

[0028] The location information receiving unit 35 is a communication interface that receives location information from positioning satellites that make up a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), such as a Global Positioning System (GPS). In this embodiment, the location information receiving unit 35 is used to identify the number of other terminals present within a predetermined range and to estimate the noise level in the surrounding environment where the mobile communication terminal 3 is located. Therefore, the location information receiving unit 35 corresponds to a part of the terminal number identifying means and noise level estimating means of the present invention.

[0029] The amplifier 36 and the speaker 37 are used to generate an alarm sound and correspond to a part of the alarm sound generating means of the present invention. The amplifier 36 amplifies the alarm sound under the control of the central processing unit 39, and causes the alarm sound to be generated from the speaker 37 at a set volume.

[0030] The main task 38 is a group of tasks that execute various processes for generating an alarm sound, which are realized when the alarm program 321 stored in the memory unit 32 is executed by the central processing unit 39. The main task 38 includes a terminal number identification task (terminal number identification means) 381, a distance measurement task (distance measurement means) 382, ​​a noise level estimation task (noise level estimation means) 383, a volume setting task (volume setting means) 384, an emergency information reception task (emergency information reception means) 385, and an alarm sound generation task (alarm sound generation means) 386.

[0031] The terminal number determination task 381 detects other terminals present within a predetermined range centered on the own terminal and determines the number of such terminals. Specifically, the terminal number determination task 381 detects other terminals by communicating with other terminals present in the vicinity using a P2P network of LTE communication by the wide-area wireless communication unit 341, and counts the number of detected other terminals to determine the number of other terminals present within the predetermined range. Note that because the communication range of the wide-area wireless communication unit 341 is wide, there is a possibility that other terminals that are in locations where an alarm sound cannot be heard may be detected. Therefore, in order to identify only other terminals present within the predetermined range, location information received by the location information receiving unit 35 may be communicated between the own terminal and other terminals, and only other terminals present within the predetermined range may be detected based on this location information.

[0032] The number of other terminals may be determined using the wireless LAN communication unit 342 or the short-range wireless communication unit 343. For example, when the wireless LAN communication unit 342 is used, other terminals are detected and counted by receiving signals output from the communication units of other terminals present in the vicinity using the wireless LAN communication unit 342. When the short-range wireless communication unit 343 is used, other terminals present within a communicable distance using Bluetooth (registered trademark) are detected and counted. Note that although the communication range of the wireless LAN communication unit 342 is narrower than that of the wide-area wireless communication unit 341, there is still a possibility that other terminals present in locations where the alarm sound cannot be heard may be detected. Therefore, as in the case of using the wide-area wireless communication unit 341, it is preferable to communicate location information received by the location information receiving unit 35 between the terminal itself and other terminals and to detect only other terminals present within a predetermined range based on this location information.

[0033] The distance measurement task 382 measures the distance between the own terminal and other terminals detected by the terminal number identification task 381. Specifically, the distance measurement task 382 measures the distance between the terminals based on the location information of the own terminal and the location information of other terminals used to detect the other terminals. Note that the signal strength of the received signal (RSSI: Received Signal Strength Indicator) may be used to measure the distance between the own terminal and other terminals. As is well known, the strength of a signal transmitted by wireless communication attenuates depending on the distance, so the distance between the own terminal and other terminals can be measured based on the received signal strength.

[0034] 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which terminal number determination task 381 and distance measurement task 382 detect other terminals present within a predetermined range centered on the own terminal, determine the number of such terminals, and measure the distance between the detected other terminals and the own terminal. Four mobile communication terminals 31, 32, 33, and 34 are shown in the figure. Also, circles C1, C2, C3, and C4 indicated by two-dot chain lines in the figure indicate predetermined ranges centered on each of mobile communication terminals 31, 32, 33, and 34.

[0035] As can be seen from this diagram, mobile communication terminals 32 and 33 are located within predetermined range C1 of mobile communication terminal 31, but mobile communication terminal 34 is not located within predetermined range C1 and therefore is not detected by mobile communication terminal 31. Therefore, mobile communication terminal 31 measures distance L1 between itself and mobile communication terminal 32 and distance L2 between itself and mobile communication terminal 33. Similarly, mobile communication terminals 32 and 33 are located within predetermined range C4 of mobile communication terminal 34, but mobile communication terminal 31 is not located within predetermined range C4 and therefore is not detected by mobile communication terminal 34. Therefore, mobile communication terminal 34 measures distance L3 between itself and mobile communication terminal 32 and distance L4 between itself and mobile communication terminal 33.

[0036] Furthermore, because mobile communication terminals 31, 33, and 34 are located within predetermined range C2 of mobile communication terminal 32, mobile communication terminal 32 detects mobile communication terminals 31, 33, and 34. Therefore, mobile communication terminal 32 measures distance L1 from mobile communication terminal 31, distance L5 from mobile communication terminal 33, and distance L3 from mobile communication terminal 34. Similarly, because mobile communication terminals 31, 32, and 34 are located within predetermined range C3 of mobile communication terminal 33, mobile communication terminal 33 detects mobile communication terminals 31, 33, and 34. Therefore, mobile communication terminal 33 measures distance L2 from mobile communication terminal 31, distance L5 from mobile communication terminal 32, and distance L4 from mobile communication terminal 34. In this way, terminal number identification task 381 and distance measurement task 382 can detect other terminals present within a predetermined range centered on the own terminal, identify the number of terminals, and measure the distances between the detected other terminals and the own terminal.

[0037] The terminal number determination task 381 performs weighting so that the number of other terminals decreases as the distance between the own terminal and the other terminals measured by the distance measurement task 382 increases. That is, the weighting calculation is performed to set the volume of the alarm sound of the own terminal so that the influence of other terminals located farther from the own terminal is reduced. As is well known, sound attenuates as the distance from the sound source increases; specifically, the volume attenuates by 6 dB for every doubling of the distance. Also, as described above, it is known that the alarm sound emitted from a typical mobile communication terminal 3 becomes almost inaudible at a distance of about 50 m. Therefore, the terminal number determination task 381 uses a weighting coefficient α of "100%" when the distance between the own terminal and the other terminal is 0 m and "0%" when the distance between the own terminal and the other terminal is 50 m as the weighting coefficient α used in the weighting calculation of the number of other terminals. That is, the terminal number specification task 381 uses, as the weighting coefficient α, for example, "0≦α≦100" when the distance between the terminal itself and other terminals is in the range of 0 to 50 m.

[0038] 4, for example, for mobile communication terminals 33 that are 10 m away (L5) from mobile communication terminal 32, which is the own terminal, terminal number identification task 381 multiplies the number of mobile communication terminals 33 by a weighting coefficient of 80% and counts them as 0.8. Also, for mobile communication terminals 31 that are 30 m away (L1) from mobile communication terminal 32, which is the own terminal, terminal number identification task 381 multiplies the number of mobile communication terminals 31 by a weighting coefficient of 40% and counts them as 0.4. Also, for mobile communication terminals 34 that are 50 m away (L3) from mobile communication terminal 32, which is the own terminal, terminal number identification task 381 multiplies the number of mobile communication terminals 33 by a weighting coefficient of 0% and counts them as 0. As a result, although there are three other terminals within predetermined range C2 of mobile communication terminal 32, which is the own terminal, these are counted as 1.2 due to the weighting calculation.

[0039] Furthermore, the terminal number determination task 381 determines the density based on the number of other terminals present within a predetermined range centered on the own terminal and the distance between the own terminal and the other terminals. This density is determined to be high when there are many other terminals close to the own terminal. Conversely, when there are few other terminals close to the own terminal, the density is determined to be low. Note that the distance between the own terminal and the other terminals used to determine the density can be, for example, approximately 0 to 10 m. Also, the number of other terminals used to determine the density can be, for example, three or more. Note that the distance and number used to determine the density described above are merely examples and are not limited to these.

[0040] The noise level estimation task 383 estimates the noise level in the surrounding environment of the terminal. Specifically, the noise level estimation task 383 acquires location information of the terminal from the location information receiving unit 35, acquires map information corresponding to the location information from a map information database (not shown), and identifies noise-related attributes of the location where the terminal is located (corresponding to the "noise attribute" in the noise attribute database 322) based on the acquired location information and map information. After identifying the noise attributes of the surrounding environment where the terminal is located based on the location information and map information, the noise level estimation task 383 references the noise attribute database 322, estimates the noise level (sound pressure level) corresponding to the noise attribute, and identifies the noise level. The map information database may be stored in the memory unit 32 of the mobile communication terminal 3, or a map information providing service such as Google Maps (registered trademark) may be used.

[0041] Note that a beacon system may be used instead of or in addition to GNSS location information as a method for determining the location of the terminal itself using the noise level estimation task 383. A beacon system is a system in which a transmitting device that transmits a Bluetooth (registered trademark) signal is installed at a predetermined location whose location information is known in advance, and when the mobile communication terminal 3 approaches the transmitting device, communication including location information is performed between the short-range wireless communication unit 343 of the mobile communication terminal 3 and the transmitting device. This beacon system allows the mobile communication terminal 3 to acquire location information, thereby identifying noise attributes based on map information and estimating the sound pressure level corresponding to this noise attribute from the noise attribute database 322. Note that when a beacon system is used, it is possible to know the noise level of the surrounding environment in advance along with the location information, so the transmitting device may transmit the sound pressure level of the surrounding environment together with the location information to the mobile communication terminal 3.

[0042] The volume setting task 384 sets the volume of the alarm sound of its own terminal to be lower as the number of other terminals identified by the terminal number identification task 381 increases. Also, the volume setting task 384 sets the volume of the alarm sound of its own terminal so that the sum of the volume of the alarm sound emitted from its own terminal and the volume of the alarm sounds emitted from the other terminals is a predetermined total required volume.

[0043] Specifically, volume setting task 384 sets the total required volume of the alarm sound based on the density of other terminals determined in terminal number identification task 381 and the noise level and sound pressure level identified in noise level estimation task 383. For example, when mobile information terminals 3 are present at a high density inside a public transportation vehicle such as a train or bus, as shown in Fig. 5(A), volume setting task 384 sets the total required volume of the alarm sound to be the optimum volume for the total of that crowded space. Specifically, when the density of mobile information terminals 3 is high, they are less affected by noise in the surrounding environment, so volume setting task 384 sets the sound pressure level (e.g., 80 db) found from noise attribute database 322 as the total required volume of the alarm sound.

[0044] 5(B), when mobile communication terminals 3 are present at a low density in a large store or on the street and the noise level at that location is "loud" or "extremely loud," the total required volume of the alarm sound is set so as to be less susceptible to the influence of noise in the surrounding environment. Specifically, when the density of mobile information terminals 3 is low and the sound pressure level of the surrounding environment is high, the terminals are more susceptible to the influence of noise in the surrounding environment. Therefore, the volume setting task 384 sets the total required volume of the alarm sound to a value obtained by adding a predetermined sound pressure difference (e.g., 3 to 10 db) to the sound pressure level (e.g., 70 db) found from the noise attribute database 322. As a result, the total required volume of the alarm sound is greater than the sound pressure level of the noise in the surrounding environment, so the alarm sound can be issued without being influenced by noise in the surrounding environment.

[0045] 5(C), if mobile communication terminals 3 are present in a suburban park or other location with a low density, the noise level in that location is "normal" or "quiet," and there are no buildings or roads that require consideration of the surrounding noise, the impact of the alarm sounds of other terminals will be small and the mobile communication terminal 3 will be less susceptible to the noise of the surrounding environment. In this case, the volume setting task 384 sets the volume of the alarm sound of the mobile communication terminal 3 to a normal volume that does not take into account the alarm sounds of other terminals.

[0046] When the volume setting task 384 sets the total required volume, which is the sum of the volume of the alarm sound emitted from its own terminal and the volume of the alarm sound emitted from other terminals, it calculates the required terminal volume, which is the volume of the alarm sound required for each mobile communication terminal 3, based on this total required volume and the number of mobile communication terminals 3. As shown in the following formula (1), the required terminal volume is a value obtained by dividing the total required volume by the number of terminals. Note that the number of terminals used here is a value obtained by applying a weighted calculation according to the distance between the own terminal and the number of other terminals identified by the terminal number identification task 381, and then adding the own terminal. [Number 1] Required volume for device = Total required volume / Number of devices (1) For example, in the train shown in Figure 5(A), if the total required volume is 90db and the number of terminals, including the user's own terminal and other terminals, is 3.2 according to a weighted calculation, the required terminal volume for each mobile communication terminal 3 is 28.1db. Also, in a large store or on the street shown in Figure 5(B), if the total required volume is 110db and the number of terminals, including the user's own terminal and other terminals, is 1.5 according to a weighted calculation, the required terminal volume for each mobile communication terminal 3 is 73.3db.

[0047] Next, based on the calculated required terminal volume, the volume setting task 384 calculates an adjusted volume for adjusting the volume of the alarm sound emitted from the mobile communication terminal 3. As shown in the following formula (2), the adjusted volume is a value obtained by subtracting the required terminal volume from the current volume setting of the mobile communication terminal 3. [Number 2] Adjusted volume = Current volume setting - Required volume for device... (2) For example, in the train shown in Figure 5(A), if the current volume setting of mobile communication terminal 31 is 80db and the required terminal volume is 28.1db, the adjusted volume will be 52db. Also, in a large store or on the street shown in Figure 5(B), if the current volume setting of mobile communication terminal 32 is 80db and the required terminal volume is 73.3db, the adjusted volume will be 6.7db. As described above, if the current volume setting is higher than the required terminal volume, the adjusted volume will be an adjustment value for lowering the current volume setting. However, if user U has set the volume of the alarm sound to be lower, the adjusted volume will be an adjustment value for increasing the current volume setting.

[0048] Emergency information reception task 385 receives emergency information distributed from emergency information distribution server 2. Furthermore, when emergency information reception task 385 receives emergency information, alarm sound generation task 386 adjusts the volume of the alarm sound amplified by amplifier 36 based on the adjusted volume calculated by volume setting task 384, and outputs the adjusted volume from speaker 37. The processing by terminal number identification task 381, distance measurement task 382, ​​noise level estimation task 383, volume setting task 384, emergency information reception task 385, and alarm sound generation task 386 described above is performed in each of multiple mobile communication terminals 3. Therefore, within the range where the alarm sounds generated from these mobile communication terminals 3 can be heard, the volume of the alarm sounds is not excessively loud but is an appropriate volume, and therefore it is possible to prevent the alarm sounds from increasing anxiety, fear, etc. among people in the vicinity.

[0049] Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 6. Terminal number determination task 381 of mobile communication terminal 3 detects other terminals present within a predetermined range centered on its own terminal at predetermined time intervals (for example, several seconds to several minutes) and determines the number of such terminals (step S1). Specifically, terminal number determination task 381 detects other terminals by communicating with other terminals present in the vicinity using a P2P network of LTE communication by wide area wireless communication unit 341, and counts the number of detected terminals to determine the number of other terminals present within the predetermined range.

[0050] Next, distance measurement task 382 of mobile communication terminal 3 measures the distance between the detected other terminal and its own terminal (step S2). Specifically, distance measurement task 382 measures the distance between the terminals based on the location information of its own terminal and the location information of the other terminal used to detect the other terminal, or based on the signal strength of the signal received from the other terminal.

[0051] Terminal number determination task 381 of mobile communication terminal 3 performs weighting so as to decrease the number of other terminals as the distance between the own terminal and other terminals measured by distance measurement task 382 increases (step S3). That is, weighting calculation is performed so as to reduce the influence of other terminals located farther from the own terminal in setting the volume of the alarm sound. Terminal number determination task 381 also determines the density of mobile communication terminals 3.

[0052] The noise level estimation task 383 of the mobile communication terminal 3 estimates the noise level in the surrounding environment of the terminal (step S4). Specifically, the noise level estimation task 383 acquires location information of the terminal from the location information receiving unit 35, acquires map information corresponding to the location information from a map information database (not shown), and identifies the noise attribute of the location where the terminal is located based on the acquired location information and map information. The noise level estimation task 383 also references the noise attribute database 322, estimates the sound pressure level corresponding to the identified noise attribute of the surrounding environment, and identifies the noise level.

[0053] The volume setting task 384 of the mobile communication terminal 3 sets the volume of the alarm sound of its own terminal to be lower as the number of other terminals identified by the terminal number identification task 381 increases. Furthermore, the volume setting task 384 sets the volume of the alarm sound of its own terminal so that the sum of the volume of the alarm sound emitted from its own terminal and the volumes of the alarm sounds emitted from the other terminals equals a predetermined total required volume (step S5). Specifically, the total required volume of the alarm sound is set based on the density of other terminals determined in the terminal number identification task 381 and the noise level and sound pressure level identified in the noise amount estimation task 383. Furthermore, the required terminal volume of each mobile communication terminal 3 is calculated based on the total required volume and the number of terminals weighted based on the distance between the terminals, and an adjustment volume for adjusting the volume of the alarm sound is calculated based on the required terminal volume and the current set volume of the alarm sound.

[0054] If emergency information is not received in the emergency information reception task 385 (NO in step S6), the mobile communication terminal 3 returns to step S1 and repeats the processes of steps S1 to S5. Furthermore, if emergency information is received in the emergency information reception task 385 (YES in step S6), the alarm sound generation task 386 adjusts the volume of the alarm sound based on the adjusted volume calculated in the volume setting task 384 and generates the alarm sound (step S7).

[0055] As explained above, according to the alarm system of this embodiment, the volume of the alarm sound of the own terminal is set to be lower the more other terminals there are around the own terminal. Therefore, even if users U of mobile communication terminals 3 are concentrated in the area, the volume of the alarm sound in the concentrated area will not be louder than necessary, and it is possible to prevent the alarm sound from increasing anxiety, fear, etc. among people in the vicinity.

[0056] Furthermore, according to the alarm system of this embodiment, the volume of the alarm sound of the terminal itself is set so that the sum of the volume of the alarm sound emitted from the terminal itself and the volume of the alarm sounds emitted from other terminals is a predetermined total required volume. Therefore, even if alarm sounds are emitted simultaneously from many mobile communication terminals 3, the volume will not be louder than necessary, preventing the alarm sounds from increasing anxiety or fear among people in the vicinity.

[0057] Furthermore, according to the alarm system of this embodiment, weighting is performed so that the number of other terminals decreases as the distance between the own terminal and other terminals increases, so that the influence of other terminals located farther from the own terminal can be reduced when setting the volume of the alarm sound of the own terminal. This allows the volume of the alarm sound to be adjusted appropriately, preventing the alarm sound from increasing feelings of anxiety or fear among people in the vicinity.

[0058] Furthermore, according to the alarm system of this embodiment, the total required volume is set based on the noise level in the surrounding environment of the terminal, so it is possible to prevent the alarm sound from becoming inaudible due to noise in the surrounding environment.

[0059] Furthermore, according to the alarm system of this embodiment, attributes related to noise in the surrounding environment are identified based on the location information of the terminal itself, and the noise volume is estimated based on the identified attributes, so that the total required volume used to set the volume of the alarm sound can be appropriately set, and it is possible to prevent the alarm sound from becoming inaudible due to noise in the surrounding environment.

[0060] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the specific configuration is not limited to the above embodiments, and design changes within the scope of the present invention are also included in the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the volume setting task 384 calculates an adjustment volume for adjusting the volume of the alarm sound. However, the volume after adjustment may be calculated, and the alarm sound may be generated based on the calculated adjusted volume. Furthermore, when estimating the noise level in the surrounding environment, noise attributes based on location information are used. However, noise attributes may also be determined taking into account, for example, the time of day (e.g., morning, afternoon, or night), the time of day, or the season. This is because, depending on the region, the noise level in the surrounding environment may vary significantly depending on the time of day or the season.

[0061] In addition, in the above description, communication is performed between the own terminal and another terminal to detect other terminals present in the vicinity of the own terminal, but during this communication, information regarding whether the alarm sound notification function is on or not may be transmitted from the other terminal to the own terminal. In this way, the volume of the alarm sound can be set excluding mobile communication terminals whose alarm sound notification function is off, thereby enabling the volume of the alarm sound to be set more appropriately. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1. Alarm system 2 Emergency information distribution server 3. Mobile communication devices 32 Storage section 321 Alarm Program 322 Noise Attribute Database 34 Communication unit (receiving means) 341 Wide Area Wireless Communication Division 342 Wireless LAN Communication Unit 343 Near Field Wireless Communication Department 35 Location information receiving unit 36 Amplifier (alarm sound generating means) 37 Speaker (alarm sound generating means) 38 Main Task 381 Terminal number identification task (terminal number identification means) 382 Distance Measurement Task (Distance Measurement Means) 383 Noise Estimation Task (Noise Estimation Method) 384 Volume Setting Task (Volume Setting Means) 385 Emergency Information Reception Task (Means for Receiving Emergency Information) 386 Alarm sound generation task (alarm sound generation means)

Claims

1. An alarm system including a plurality of mobile communication terminals, each of which includes a receiving means for receiving emergency information and an alarm sound generating means for generating an alarm sound when the emergency information is received, The mobile communication terminal a terminal number determination means for detecting other terminals present within a predetermined range centered on the own terminal and determining the number of such terminals; a volume setting means for setting the volume of the alarm sound of the terminal itself to be lower as the number of other terminals increases; the alarm sound generating means generates an alarm sound at the volume set by the volume setting means when receiving the emergency information; 1. An alarm system comprising:

2. 2. The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein the volume setting means sets the volume of the alarm sound of the terminal so that the sum of the volume of the alarm sound emitted from the terminal itself and the volume of the alarm sound emitted from the other terminals is a predetermined total required volume.

3. the mobile communication terminal includes a distance measuring means for measuring a distance between the mobile communication terminal itself and the other terminal; 3. The alarm system according to claim 2, wherein said terminal number specifying means performs weighting so as to decrease the number of other terminals as the distance between said own terminal and said other terminals increases.

4. the mobile communication terminal includes a noise level estimation means for estimating a noise level in a surrounding environment of the terminal; 4. The alarm system according to claim 2, wherein said volume setting means sets said total required volume based on the estimated noise level in said surrounding environment.

5. The noise amount estimation means Acquire location information of the terminal; Identifying attributes related to noise at a location where the terminal is located; 5. The alarm system according to claim 4, wherein the noise amount is estimated based on the identified attribute.

6. 1. A method for controlling an alarm volume of an alarm system configured by a plurality of mobile communication terminals that generate an alarm sound when emergency information is received, comprising: The mobile communication terminal Detecting other terminals within a predetermined range centered on the own terminal and identifying the number of such terminals; The volume of the alarm sound of the terminal is set to be lower as the number of other terminals increases, When the emergency information is received, an alarm sound is generated at a set volume.

10. A method for controlling an alarm volume, comprising:

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