1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to emergency alarm systems and, more particularly, to an emergency alarm system effective for backing up lifesaving in an architectural structure under emergency conditions.
2. Related Art
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 2003-308585 discloses a disaster alarm device that includes a case, mountable on an architectural structure or equipment thereof, which accommodates therein a disaster sensing unit of at least one kind operative to output a detection signal when sensing a disaster of a predetermined kind, and an alarm unit started up in response to the detection signal outputted from the disaster sensing unit and operative to inform a location of installed properties for emergency, which is preliminarily prepared against disasters, in the form of an optical signal or a voice message.
The disaster alarm device, mentioned above, was configured in a structure in which information is distributed from the disaster alarm device to persons on one-sided basis to inform people with information about a location of emergency properties under the emergency conditions. However, during the occurrence of actual disasters, there is a need for information to be fed back from the person in the vicinity of the location where a disaster occurs and, in that sense, the disaster alarm device, mentioned above, encounters issues in which no consideration is made on an aspect of distributing information in a bi-directional fashion between the device and the person.
The present invention has been completed with the above issues in mind and has one aspect to provide an emergency alarm system comprising a base unit, adapted to be installed in an architectural structure at an area attracting public attention, which includes a temperature sensor, a gas sensor, a sound sensor, a vibration sensor, a transmitter, a receiver, a sound generator and a display board, a mobile handset carried by a person for self-defense and having a temperature sensor, a gas sensor, a transmitter, a receiver, a sound generator and a light source, and infrared ray sensors installed in respective rooms in the architectural structure and each having a temperature sensor, a gas sensor, a transmitter and a receiver, wherein when one of the sensors of the base unit, the mobile handset and the infrared ray sensors detects an abnormal signal under an emergency condition, the base unit, the mobile handset and the infrared ray sensors mutually communicate with each other through the transmitters and the receivers of the base unit, the mobile handset and the infrared ray sensors, respectively.
Hereinafter, an embodiment according to the present invention is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
A plurality of rooms 3 is disposed in various floors of the hotel 1 and an elevator 7 is located in a central area. As shown in
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With such a structure set forth above, if the receiver 41 of the base unit 9 receives rescue signals (SOS signals) from the transmitter 59 of the mobile handset 23 and the transmitter 73 of the infrared sensor 13, the speaker 37 is activated to generate a large sound while providing a display of a room number on a room number display of the display board 27 by flashing (lights). Then, laser beams are irradiated toward the emergency exit plates 21, each of which is written as an “EMERGENCY EXIT”, from the laser beam oscillator 43, and if the receivers 87, mounted on the respective display units 45, receives the laser beams, the light emitting plates 85 are activated to emit lights on the characters “EMERGENCY EXIT” for displays, respectively. At the same time, the speakers 89 are activated to generate sounds, which can be heard even from the emergency doorways 19, respectively. Also, the display board 27 is normally utilized as a clock and under an emergency condition, the room number can be displayed upon flashing of lights.
Further, in cases where any one of the temperature sensor 29, the gas sensor 31, the sound sensor 33 and the vibration sensor 35 provided in the base unit 9 senses a disaster, not only the base unit 9 executes the operations described above but also executes operations to allow the transmitter 39 to transmit the sensed result of the base unit 9 to the mobile handsets 23. Thus, the receivers 61 of the mobile handsets 23 receives the sensed result from the base unit 9 to be operative to generate sounds with the respective speakers 55 while generating lights with the respective light sources 57 to enable the inhabitants to be provided with information about the occurrence of the disaster. At the same time, the transmitter 39 of the base unit 9 transmits infrared ray signals to the infrared ray sensors 13, whose receivers 75 consequently receive the infrared ray signals to cause the associated speakers 77 to generate sounds, respectively, while causing the light sources 79 to emit lights to allow the inhabitants in the respective rooms 3 to be provided with notification of the occurrence of the disaster in a more reliable manner.
Under circumstances where any of the temperature sensors 51 and gas sensors 53 of the mobile handsets 23, owned by the inhabitants of the respective rooms 3, senses an abnormality, the relevant mobile 23 is automatically activated to provide the relevant inhabitant with information about the occurrence of a disaster while an output signal is transmitted from the transmitter 59 of the relevant mobile handset 23 to the base unit 9 whereby the receiver 41 of the base unit 9 receives the output signal. As a result, the speaker 37 generates a large sound and the relevant room number is displayed on the room number display of the display board 27 by flashing (of lights). Then, the laser beams are irradiated toward the left and right emergency exit plates 21, preliminarily written as “EMERGENCY EXIT”, from the laser beam generator 43 and if the receivers 87 disposed on the display units 45 receive the laser beams, the light emitting plates 85 are enabled to provide displays of the characters “EMERGENCY EXIT”. At the same time, the speakers 89 are activated to generate sounds, which can be heard from the emergency doorways 19. In the meantime, the retractable frame 49 of each mobile handset 23 is so configured that no signal is transmitted unless the retractable frame 49 is retracted from the case body 47 and the rescue transmission button 65 is depressed several times each for a predetermined time interval of, for instance, three seconds. That is, measures are taken to preclude erroneous operation caused under drunken conditions or involuntary manipulations.
Each infrared ray sensor 3 is automatically rendered operative upon detection of a criminal intruder who enters each room 3 and generates an alarm sound with the speaker 77 while rendering the light source 79 operative to cause flashing lights (strobe lights) whereby the inhabitant is provided with notification of an alarm state. In addition, the transmitter 73 transmits a signal to the base unit 9 and if the receiver 41 of the base unit 9 receives the signal, the speaker 37 generates a large sound while providing a display of the relevant room number on the room number display of the display board 27 by flashing. Then, the laser beams are irradiated toward the left and right emergency exit plates 21, preliminarily written as “EMERGENCY EXIT”, from the laser beam oscillator 43 and if the receivers 87, disposed on the display units 45, receives the laser beams, the light emitting plates 85 are enabled to provide displays of the characters “EMERGENCY EXIT”. At the same time, the speakers 89 are activated to generate sounds, which can be heard from the emergency doorways 19. Also, the display board 27 is normally utilized the clock and is enabled to display the room number display by flashing (of lights) under emergency conditions.
Further, if any of the temperature sensor 69 and the gas sensor 71 of the infrared sensor 13 in an uninhibited room 3 is rendered operative upon detection of an abnormality, then, the transmitter 73 automatically transmits a signal to the base unit 9 and upon receipt of this signal by the receiver 41 of the base unit 9, the speaker 37 generates a large sound while providing a display of a room number on the room number display of the display board 27 by flashing (of lights). Thereafter, the laser beams are irradiated toward the emergency exit plates 21, each of which is written as the “EMERGENCY EXIT”, from the laser beam oscillator 43 and, upon receipt of the laser beams by the receivers 87 mounted on the display units 45, the characters “EMERGENCY EXIT” are displayed over the light emitting plates 85 for display. At the same time, the speakers 89 are activated to generate sounds, which can be heard even from the emergency doorways 19. Concurrently, the transmitter 37 of the infrared ray sensor 13 transmits signals to the mobile handsets 23, whereby the receivers 61 of the mobile handsets 23 receive the signals, respectively, upon which the speakers 55 generate sounds while causing the light sources 57 to flash the lights such that inhabitants who carry the mobile handsets 23 can be notified with information about the occurrence of an emergency condition in the uninhibited room 3. Also, the display board 27 is normally utilized as the clock and is enabled to display the room number display by flashing (of lights) under the emergency condition.
Furthermore, in cases where an inhabitant enters the room 3, the inhabitant deactivates the cancel button 81 disposed on the infrared ray sensor 13 of the room 3 and walks in the room.
Accordingly, with the hotel 1 installed in an area, attracting public attention, with the rescue system comprised of the base unit 9, which incorporates the temperature sensor 29, the gas sensor 31, the sound sensor 33 and the vibration sensor 35 and includes the transmitter 39, the receiver 41, the sound generator and the display board 27, the mobile handsets 23, carried by the persons at all times for emergency assists, which incorporates the temperature sensor 51 and the gas sensor 53 and includes the transmitter 59, the receiver 61, the sound generator 55 and the light source 57, and the infrared ray sensors 13 installed on the respective rooms of the hotel 1 and each including the temperature sensor 69 and the gas sensor 71 while incorporating the transmitter 73, it becomes possible to provide a complete rescue system wherein all the base unit 9, the mobile handsets 23 and the infrared ray sensors 13 mutually cooperate with each other under emergency conditions resulting from abnormal results in temperature, gas, sound and vibration to be operative to notify the inhabitants in the hotel 1 with information about the occurrence of the emergency condition to avoid any disaster that may occur.
Also, while the presently filed embodiment has been described in connection with the hotel as an exemplary case of the architectural structure on which the emergency system is installed, it doesn't matter if the architectural structure includes condominiums, hospitals, nursing and personal care facilities and aged care facilities or the like. Also, the emergency system of the presently filed embodiment can be utilized not only for insides of architectural structures but also for social crime-busting measures. For instance, placing the base unit 9 in a police station and a fire station while placing the infrared ray sensors 13 in respective homes whereas individuals carry the mobile handsets 23, respectively, at all times makes it possible to utilize the emergency system for the social crime-busting measures. Especially, such a system is optimum for elementary and junior high school students when they are commuting to or from school.
The entire content of Japanese Patent Application No. P2004-082997 with a filing data of Mar. 22, 2004 is herein incorporated by reference.
Although the present invention has been described above by reference to certain embodiments of the invention, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, in light of the teachings. The scope of the invention is defined with reference to the following claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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P2004-082997 | Mar 2004 | JP | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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7091852 | Mason et al. | Aug 2006 | B1 |
20050174230 | Matoba | Aug 2005 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20050248451 A1 | Nov 2005 | US |