alarm

Abstract

To provide an alarm capable of improving a degree of freedom of arrangement of a push button on a side surface.SOLUTION: A gas alarm includes: a communication switch 30 provided with a depression direction directed to a side with respect to a substrate plane; a housing 2 for housing the communication switch 30 together with a control substrate 22; a push button 10 provided on a side surface of the housing 2 with a depression direction directed to the side; and a second lever member L2 that is arranged inside the housing 2 and between the push button 10 and the communication switch 30, and being bent when the push button 10 is depressed to depress the communication switch 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an alarm device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an alarm device that detects an abnormal state in a monitoring area and alerts a user is known. Such an alarm device has a push button for performing operations such as stopping the alarm (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Here, in an alarm device as described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, when a push button is provided on the side surface of the alarm device, there is a problem that the degree of freedom in arranging the push button is small.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve such conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide an alarm device capable of improving the degree of freedom in arranging a push button on the side surface.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The alarm device according to the present invention comprises a switch portion provided with the pressing direction facing laterally with respect to the plane of the circuit board, a housing that houses the switch portion together with the circuit board, a push button provided on the side of the housing with the pressing direction facing laterally, and a component disposed inside the housing and between the push button and the switch portion. It extends in a specific direction, A lever member that bends when the push button is pressed and presses the switch portion, The push button has a hollow portion which is a through portion extending in the specific direction, and a part of the housing is inserted into the hollow portion. . [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an alarm device that allows for greater flexibility in the placement of side-mounted push buttons. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the usage state of a gas alarm according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing how a gas alarm according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed. [Figure 3] This is a front view showing a gas alarm according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a side view showing a gas alarm according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] Figures 1 to 4 show disassembled perspective views of the gas alarm. [Figure 6] Figures 1 to 4 are front views showing the gas alarm with the panel component removed. [Figure 7] Figures 1 to 4 are front views showing the gas alarm with the cover and panel components removed. [Figure 8] Figure 3 shows cross-sectional views AA, where (a) shows the cross-section when the push button is not pressed, and (b) shows the cross-section when the push button is pressed. [Figure 9] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view, where (a) shows the B1-B1 section of Figure 8(a), and (b) shows the B2-B2 section of Figure 8(b). [Figure 10]This is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the area near the second lever member, where (a) shows this embodiment and (b) shows a comparative example. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The present invention will be described below in accordance with preferred embodiments. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown below, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, in the embodiments shown below, a gas alarm is described as an example of an alarm, but it is not limited to a gas alarm; it may also be a fire alarm or a gas and fire integrated alarm capable of detecting and alarming both gas and fire. Furthermore, it may also be a security alarm that detects intruders, etc. Also, in the embodiments shown below, some components are not illustrated or described, but it goes without saying that the details of the omitted technologies are appropriately based on publicly known or well-known technologies, to the extent that they do not contradict the content described below.

[0010] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the gas alarm in use according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a perspective view showing how the gas alarm according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed. Figure 3 is a front view showing the gas alarm according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 4 is a side view showing the gas alarm according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, the gas alarm 1 according to this embodiment is a ceiling-mounted alarm that is attached to a rotating mounting part A provided on the ceiling. As shown in Figure 2, the gas alarm 1 has a structure that allows it to be attached to the rotating mounting part A by rotating it, similar to existing lighting devices.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 4, the gas alarm 1 has a contact C on the back side that faces the ceiling. The contact C is a metal member that protrudes to the back side. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the rotary mounting portion A also has an electrical contact B. The electrical contact B is located at the bottom of the first groove G1 provided in the rotary mounting portion A. When the gas alarm 1 is attached to the rotary mounting portion A, the contact C on the gas alarm 1 side contacts the electrical contact B of the rotary mounting portion A. As a result, the power supply of the gas alarm 1 is turned on.

[0013] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, in addition to the contact C, the gas alarm 1 includes a signal terminal (voltage contact) D on the back side. This signal terminal D is configured to fit into the second groove G2 shown in FIG. 2 in the attached state to the rotary mounting portion A, and functions to transmit a so-called voltage signal. The voltage signal becomes a 0V signal, for example, when the gas alarm 1 is removed from the rotary mounting portion A or during disconnection, a 6V signal when the gas alarm 1 is in a normal monitoring state, and a 12V signal when the gas alarm 1 is in an alarm state. The voltage signal is transmitted to, for example, an alarm monitoring panel such as a management room of an apartment building.

[0014] Such a gas alarm 1 includes a housing 2 that houses at least a communication switch (switch unit) 30, a control board (board) 22, a speaker 34, and a gas sensor 24 (see FIG. 7 described later). The housing 2 has a thin, substantially cylindrical shape in appearance, and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, includes a housing body 2a, a lid body 2b, and a panel member 2c. The housing body 2a is a lower case that constitutes the back side of the housing 2 and is a bottomed cylindrical member with an open front side. The lid body 2b is an upper case that covers the housing body 2a from the front side (the lower side in the attached state to the rotary mounting portion A) that is the open side. The panel member 2c is a plate material that fits into a recess D1 (see FIG. 6 described later) formed on the front side of the lid body 2b. The panel member 2c is substantially circular in accordance with the shape of the housing 2.

[0015] Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the gas alarm 1 includes a push button 10 on the side surface of the housing 2. The gas alarm 1 according to the present embodiment has a function of communicating with an external server (not shown). The push button 10 is an operation unit for performing communication settings so as to be communicatively connected to the external server. As shown in FIG. 5 to be described later, the push button 10 is formed separately from the housing 2, and the pressing direction is lateral. When the push button 10 is pressed, the communication switch 30 is turned on.

[0016] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the gas alarm 1 includes a stop button 12 on the front side. The stop button 12 is an operation unit for stopping the alarm operation when the gas alarm 1 is performing an alarm operation (sound output and light emission). The stop button 12 is formed by a part (lower right part) of the panel member 2c, and is elastically deformable in the back direction by providing a recess D2 (see FIG. 6 to be described later) in the lid body 2b. An alarm stop switch 32 (see FIG. 7 to be described later) is provided on the back side of the stop button 12. When the stop button 12 is elastically deformed, the first lever member L1 (see FIG. 6 to be described later) is bent and the alarm stop switch 32 is turned on.

[0017] Thus, the gas alarm 1 according to the present embodiment separately provides the push button 10 and the stop button 12. Here, if the push button 10 and the stop button 12 are formed as one operation unit, it is necessary to differentiate the communication setting and the operation of stopping the alarm, and each operation tends to become complicated. However, by providing them separately, the complication of the operation can be suppressed.

[0018] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the gas alarm 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 6 is a front view showing the state when the panel member 2c is removed from the gas alarm 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, and FIG. 7 is a front view showing the state when the lid body 2b and the panel member 2c are removed from the gas alarm 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4.

[0019] As shown in Figure 5, the panel member 2c is equipped with multiple claws CL (only one is shown in Figure 5). The multiple claws CL engage with claw engagement portions 2d (see Figures 5 and 6) formed in the recess D1 by utilizing the hooks of the claws CL. Through this engagement, the panel member 2c is assembled to the lid 2b. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the housing body 2a has a through hole TH (see Figures 5 and 7). A screw (not shown) is inserted into the through hole TH from the rear side, and the panel member 2c is also assembled to the housing 2 by the screw inserted into the through hole TH.

[0020] As shown in Figures 3 and 6, the gas alarm 1 includes a first lens 14 and a second lens 16. The first lens 14 is a light-transmitting member that is located on the upper front side of the gas alarm 1 and is circular when viewed from the front (plan view from the front). A human presence sensor 26 (see Figure 7) is provided on the back side of the first lens 14. The first lens 14 serves to guide light from the front side of the housing 2 to the human presence sensor 26.

[0021] The second lens 16 is a light-transmitting member that is located on the upper front side of the gas alarm 1 and has an arc shape when viewed from the front. A light guide lens (not shown) is provided on the back side of the second lens 16. A light-emitting part 36 (see Figure 7) is provided on the back side of the light guide lens. Light emitted by the light-emitting part 36 enters the light guide lens, passes through the light guide lens to the second lens 16, and is emitted from the second lens 16 to the front side of the housing 2.

[0022] As shown in Figure 3, the gas alarm 1 has a speaker hole 18 and a gas hole 20 on its front side. The speaker hole 18 is an arc-shaped hole formed approximately to the right of the stop button 12 when viewed from the front. A speaker 34 (see Figures 5 and 6) is provided on the back side of the speaker hole 18. The gas hole 20 is an arc-shaped hole formed on the lower left side of the gas alarm 1 when viewed from the front. A gas sensor 24 (see Figures 5 and 7) is provided on the back side of the gas hole 20. These speaker hole 18 and gas hole 20 allow sound from the speaker 34 and the target gas to pass through smoothly.

[0023] As shown in Figures 5 and 7, the gas alarm 1 includes a control board 22 within the housing body 2a that extends horizontally when mounted on the rotating mounting part A (see Figures 1 and 2). Also, as shown in Figures 5 to 7, the gas alarm 1 includes a gas sensor 24, a human presence sensor 26, a communication module 28, a communication switch 30, an alarm stop switch 32, a speaker 34, and a light-emitting part 36.

[0024] The control board 22 shown in Figures 5 and 7 mounts the main components of the gas alarm 1. The gas sensor 24 shown in Figure 7 is for detecting abnormalities in the monitoring area. In this embodiment, the gas sensor 24 is a semiconductor gas sensor that reacts to target gases such as city gas and carbon monoxide, and outputs a signal corresponding to the concentration of the target gas to a control unit (not shown), such as a main microcontroller. This gas sensor 24 is provided in correspondence with the notch 22a formed in the control board 22. The gas introduction portion 24a of the gas sensor 24 is installed so as to face the gas storage chamber GR formed in correspondence with the gas hole 20.

[0025] The human presence sensor 26 shown in Figure 7 is for detecting the presence of people in the surrounding area. A first lens 14 is provided on the front side of the human presence sensor 26, and infrared rays from, for example, living organisms (light from outside the housing 2) are guided to the human presence sensor 26 by the first lens 14. The human presence sensor 26 outputs a signal corresponding to the infrared rays guided by the first lens 14 to a control unit such as a main microcontroller. The control unit determines the presence or absence of people based on the signal from the human presence sensor 26. Note that the human presence sensor 26 is not limited to one that uses infrared rays; for example, it may be one that detects moving objects using ultrasound and determines that the moving object is a living organism.

[0026] The communication module 28 shown in Figure 7 communicates with an external server owned by a gas company or the like via a communication line. This communication module 28 communicates with the external server by wirelessly connecting to a home router (not shown) using, for example, the wireless communication standard Wi-Fi (registered trademark), enabling the sending and receiving of information with the external server.

[0027] The communication switch 30 shown in Figure 7 is an operation switch that starts a setting mode for performing communication settings. This communication switch 30 is mounted on the control board 22 facing the direction of the push button 10, that is, with the pressing direction facing sideways relative to the board plane. This communication switch 30 turns on when the push button 10 is pressed. In this embodiment, the gas alarm 1 starts the setting mode when the communication switch 30 is turned on when the power is turned on. In this setting mode, the communication module 28 is wirelessly connected to the in-house router and communicates with an external server.

[0028] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of AA shown in Figure 3, where (a) shows the cross-section of the push button 10 when it is not pressed, and (b) shows the cross-section of the push button 10 when it is pressed.

[0029] As shown in Figures 8(a) and 8(b), the gas alarm 1 is equipped with a second lever member (lever member) L2 that extends from the rear side of the cover 2b and is located inside the housing 2. The second lever member L2 is a cantilevered member that extends from the cover 2b toward the control board 22, and its tip is interposed between the push button 10 and the communication switch 30. As shown in Figure 8(a), the second lever member L2 is positioned so as not to press the communication switch 30 when no external force is applied. Also, as shown in Figure 8(b), when the push button 10 is pressed, the second lever member L2 bends toward the communication switch 30 to turn on the communication switch 30. When the pressing operation is released, the second lever member L2 elastically returns to the position shown in Figure 8(a). In this operation, the second lever member L2 provides a click sensation when the push button 10 is pressed and also prevents the push button 10 from remaining pressed (i.e., stuck down).

[0030] Furthermore, the gas alarm 1 according to this embodiment includes a second lever member L2, thereby improving the flexibility of the push button 10's placement. First, in the gas alarm 1 according to this embodiment, the push button 10 is provided on the side, and the communication switch 30 is provided laterally relative to the control board 22. If the gas alarm 1 does not include the second lever member L2, it is necessary to directly operate the communication switch 30 with the push button 10, and the push button 10 must also be installed relatively close to the control board 22 in line with the communication switch 30 on the control board 22. Therefore, the placement of the push button 10 becomes more restricted. However, if the gas alarm 1 includes the second lever member L2, the push button 10 only needs to be in a position that bends the second lever member L2, and can be placed at a position somewhat far from the control board 22. Thus, the flexibility of the push button 10's placement is increased.

[0031] Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 8, where (a) shows the B1-B1 cross-section of Figure 8(a) and (b) shows the B2-B2 cross-section of Figure 8(b).

[0032] The push button 10 shown in Figures 5, 9(a), and 9(b) comprises an operating part 10a, an action part 10b, a hollow part 10c, and a lateral notch 10d. The operating part 10a is the part that is pressed by workers or users when installing the gas alarm 1. This operating part 10a is a rectangular plate material when viewed from above, and is structured to roughly fit into a recess D3 formed on the side surface of the housing body 2a. The operating part 10a also has a curved bulge structure that bulges slightly outward from the center towards the outside of the gas alarm 1. The bulging part 10a1 has an area that covers the hollow part 10c. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 9(a), the bulging part 10a1 is structured to protrude from the side surface of the housing body 2a when not pressed. Therefore, workers can also confirm the position of the operating part 10a by touch.

[0033] The operating part 10b is located on the pressing side of the operating part 10a and is the part that contacts the second lever member L2 when pressed. The operating part 10b is composed of two plate materials aligned in the width direction of the second lever member L2 (in the direction perpendicular to the pressing direction). The operating part 10b ensures stable switch operation and protects the second lever member L2 with these two plate materials.

[0034] Figure 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the second lever member L2, where (a) shows this embodiment and (b) shows a comparative example. As shown in the comparative example in Figure 10(b), if the working part 10b' is made of a single plate, assume that the single plate is misaligned from the center position of the second lever member L2 due to dimensional tolerances, etc. In this case, the working part 10b' will apply a rotational force to the second lever member L2. This will cause a torsional force to be applied to the second lever member L2, increasing the possibility of damage. Furthermore, since the second lever member L2 flexes while rotating, it will also come into contact with the communication switch 30 in a rotated state, which may result in the switch not turning on properly or requiring a lot of force to turn it on.

[0035] In contrast, in this embodiment shown in Figure 10(a), the working part 10b is composed of two plates. Therefore, even if the centers of the two plates are misaligned from the center of the second lever member L2 due to dimensional tolerances, it becomes difficult to apply a rotational force to the second lever member L2. As a result, problems such as being unable to properly turn on the communication switch 30 or requiring a lot of force to turn it on are less likely to occur, and operability can be further improved.

[0036] Refer to Figure 9 again. The hollow section 10c is located between the operating section 10a and the action section 10b, and is formed as a through section extending in the height direction (an example of a specific direction) as shown in Figure 5. A part of the housing body 2a (hereinafter referred to as the insertion section) 2e is inserted into this hollow section 10c. This prevents the push button 10 from falling out to the side. In particular, the width of the insertion section 2e is approximately the same as the width of the hollow section 10c, which prevents the push button 10 from rotating around the insertion section 2e when the push button 10 is pressed.

[0037] The lateral notches 10d are located on both sides of the hollow section 10c in the width direction, and as shown in Figure 9, these are the parts into which the protruding portion 2f, which protrudes towards the center within the recess D3, is inserted. The insertion of this protruding portion 2f suppresses play in the width direction of the push button 10. In particular, in this embodiment, the protruding portion 2f is positioned close to the lateral notches 10d to minimize play.

[0038] Next, the operation of the gas alarm 1 according to this embodiment will be explained. First, the gas alarm 1 according to this embodiment is provided with a push button 10 on the side of the housing 2. In particular, the gas alarm 1 according to this embodiment is a ceiling-mounted type, and communication settings are made by pressing the push button 10 when rotating it to the rotating mounting part A. For this reason, by providing the push button 10 on the side where the fingers of the worker or others can easily position themselves when rotating it, communication settings are made easier.

[0039] Furthermore, a communication switch 30 is provided on the control board 22, facing the push button 10. In addition, a second lever member L2 is provided between the push button 10 and the communication switch 30. If the second lever member L2 were not present, the height of the operating part 10a and the working part 10b would be closer to the control board 22, making it easier to be constrained by the position of the communication switch 30. However, in this embodiment, since the gas alarm 1 is provided with a second lever member L2 between the push button 10 and the communication switch 30, the push button 10 only needs to be in a position where it can flex the second lever member L2, thus being less constrained by structural limitations. In particular, in this embodiment, since the second lever member L2 is formed to extend in the height direction, the push button 10 can be made less constrained in the height direction.

[0040] Furthermore, in devices such as the gas alarm 1, static electricity can flow into the components of the control board 22 through the fingers of workers, for example, during winter, potentially causing malfunctions. Since the gas alarm 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with a second lever member L2, creepage distance is ensured, and electrostatic discharge resistance is also improved.

[0041] Furthermore, since the push button 10 is constructed separately from the housing 2, it is not necessary to thin a portion of the outer wall of the housing 2 in order to allow the outer wall of the housing 2 to flex, as would be the case when the push button 10 is integrated with the housing 2, thus suppressing a decrease in the strength of the housing 2.

[0042] Furthermore, since the insertion part 2e of the push button 10 is inserted into the hollow part 10c, the possibility of it falling out is greatly reduced. In particular, the width of the hollow part 10c and the insertion part 2e are almost the same, which also suppresses play in the width direction. In addition, the protruding part 2f of the push button 10 is close to the lateral notch 10d, so that play is minimized as much as possible.

[0043] Thus, according to the gas alarm 1 of this embodiment, since it is equipped with a second lever member L2 that is positioned between the push button 10 and the communication switch 30 and flexes when the push button 10 is pressed to press the communication switch 30, it is not necessary to position the push button 10 itself near the control board 22, and it is sufficient to position it in a position where the second lever member L2 can be flexed. Therefore, the degree of freedom in positioning the side push button 10 can be improved.

[0044] Furthermore, since the push button 10 is constructed separately from the housing 2, there is no need to flex the outer wall of the housing 2 as would be the case if the push button 10 were integrated with the housing 2. Therefore, there is no need to make the outer wall thin to improve operability, and it is easier to ensure the strength of the outer wall of the gas alarm 1.

[0045] Furthermore, since the push button 10 has a hollow portion 10c and a part of the housing 2 is inserted into the hollow portion 10c, the possibility of the push button 10 falling out can be reduced.

[0046] Although the present invention has been described above based on embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and other technologies may be combined as appropriate to the extent possible.

[0047] For example, although the gas alarm 1 according to this embodiment has been described as an alarm for city gas where the reducing gas to be detected is methane gas, it is not limited to this, and may also be an alarm for LP gas where the gas to be detected is propane gas or butane gas, etc. Furthermore, the gas alarm 1 may be configured as a gas fire alarm that also has a fire alarm function. In addition, the gas alarm 1 according to this embodiment is not limited to a ceiling-mounted type, but may also be a stationary alarm installed in other locations such as near the ceiling or on the wall at floor level.

[0048] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the gas alarm 1 has a second lever member L2 that extends from the cover 2b, but it is not limited to this, and may also be formed extending from the housing body 2a or the panel member 2c. Moreover, the second lever member L2 may be formed from a component other than the housing 2, such as the control board 22. Also, the second lever member L2 is not limited to extending in the height direction, but may also extend laterally. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0049] 1: Gas alarm (alarm) 2: Cabinet 2e: Insertion part (part) 10: Push button 10c: Hollow part 22: Control board (circuit board) 30: Communication switch (switch unit) L2: Second lever member (lever member)

Claims

1. A switch section is provided with the pressing direction facing sideways relative to the plane of the circuit board, A housing that houses the aforementioned switch unit together with the circuit board, A push button provided on the side of the housing, with a pressing direction set to the side, The device comprises a lever member located inside the housing and between the push button and the switch portion, extending in a specific direction, and bending to press the switch portion when the push button is pressed. The push button has a hollow portion that serves as a through-hole extending in the specific direction, and a part of the housing is inserted into the hollow portion. A warning device characterized by the following features.

2. The push button has an operating part which is the part that is pressed, and an action part located on the side of the operating part in the direction of pressing and which contacts the lever member when pressed. The operating part is composed of two plates arranged in a width direction perpendicular to the pressing direction and the specific direction, and the two plates come into contact with the lever member when the pressing operation is performed. The alarm device according to feature 1.

3. The push button has a hollow portion between the operating portion and the action portion, and has lateral notches located on both sides of the hollow portion in the width direction, with grooves formed therein that extend in the specific direction. The alarm device according to feature 2.

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