JP7780414B2 - Equipment operation panel - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an equipment control panel suitable for checking the operation of smoke control and exhaust terminal equipment.

In fire alarm systems equipped with various smoke and gas control terminal devices, the operation of the smoke and gas control terminal devices is checked during regular inspections. By selecting and activating the smoke and gas control terminal device to be inspected from a fire receiver or general control panel installed in the control room, the operation of the desired smoke and gas control terminal device can be checked from the control room.

In this disclosure, equipment such as fire receivers and general control panels that allow the selection and activation of smoke control terminal equipment to be inspected will be collectively referred to as equipment control panels.

Some such equipment control panels are equipped with a confirmation function that displays a confirmation message such as "Are you sure you want to start up?" on the screen where the start switch is located to remind the operator when the operator selects the desired smoke control and exhaust terminal device and starts it up.

By displaying this confirmation message, the operator can confirm whether they have correctly selected the correct smoke control and exhaust terminal device to activate, preventing the mistake of accidentally selecting and activating the wrong smoke control and exhaust terminal device in the control room (see, for example, non-patent document 1).

Nohmi Bosai Co., Ltd. website, general operation panel (URL: https://www.nohmi.co.jp/product/crt_display_system/c13_001.html)

However, the conventional techniques have the following problems.
When the start switch is operated, a start command is sent from the equipment control panel to the selected smoke control terminal device, and the inspection operation begins.In the fire alarm system to be inspected, it is possible that the same type of smoke control terminal device is installed in different locations on the same floor, or that the placement of smoke control terminal device is similar on multiple floors.

In such cases, simply displaying a confirmation message could lead to the operator failing to check properly and accidentally selecting and activating a smoke control and exhaust terminal device located in a different location on the same floor, or a smoke control and exhaust terminal device located on a floor other than the one being inspected. Activating an unexpected smoke control and exhaust terminal device could result in damage to property or injury.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an equipment control panel that can reduce the occurrence of mistakes such as operating smoke control and exhaust terminal equipment other than the one being checked when checking its operation by selecting and activating the smoke control and exhaust terminal equipment.

The equipment control panel according to the present disclosure is an equipment control panel equipped with an operation input processing unit having a display control function for an operator to execute a first operation of selecting a desired smoke prevention and exhaust terminal device from among a plurality of smoke prevention and exhaust terminal devices in order to check operation, and a second operation of transmitting an activation command to the selected desired smoke prevention and exhaust terminal device, and further equipped with a voice confirmation processing unit that outputs a voice to allow the operator to confirm , when the second operation is executed, whether the desired smoke prevention and exhaust terminal device selected by the first operation is the original smoke prevention and exhaust terminal device that should be activated , and in the first operation, the operator selects the name of the floor, area, and smoke prevention and exhaust terminal device. The desired smoke control and exhaust terminal device for operation confirmation is selected by this, and when the audio confirmation processing unit outputs audio data as audio output, it emphasizes the audio data portions relating to the names of the floor, area, and smoke control and exhaust terminal device, which are identification information audio data portions for distinguishing the selected desired smoke control and exhaust terminal device from other smoke control and exhaust terminal devices, so that they can be distinguished from other audio data portions that do not have identification power, and when emphasizing the identification information audio data portions, it divides the three audio data portions relating to the names of the floor, area, and smoke control and exhaust terminal device into multiple messages and outputs them as audio .
In addition, the equipment control panel of the present disclosure is an equipment control panel that has an operation input processing unit with a display control function that allows an operator to perform a first operation of selecting a desired smoke exhaust terminal device from a plurality of smoke exhaust terminal devices to perform an operation check, and a second operation of sending an activation command to the selected desired smoke exhaust terminal device, and further has a voice confirmation processing unit that outputs voice to allow the operator to confirm , when the second operation is performed, whether the desired smoke exhaust terminal device selected by the first operation is the original smoke exhaust terminal device that should be activated . In the first operation, the operator selects the desired smoke exhaust terminal device for operation check by selecting the name of the floor, area, and smoke exhaust terminal device, and when outputting voice data as voice output, the voice confirmation processing unit outputs voice data that emphasizes the voice data portion related to the names of the floor, area, and smoke exhaust terminal device, which is the identification information voice data portion for distinguishing the selected desired smoke exhaust terminal device from other smoke exhaust terminal devices, so that it can be distinguished from other voice data portions that do not have discrimination power, and changes the output pattern of the voice data to output voice each time the selection of the name of the smoke exhaust terminal device changes .

This disclosure provides an equipment control panel that can reduce the occurrence of mistakes such as operating smoke prevention and exhaust terminal devices other than those being checked when checking their operation by selecting and activating the smoke prevention and exhaust terminal devices.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a fire alarm system including a fire receiver and multiple fire detectors in a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an appliance control panel according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing a series of operations performed using the appliance control panel according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the equipment control panel of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.
The equipment control panel of the present disclosure has a technical feature in that when selecting and activating a smoke prevention and exhaust terminal device to check its operation, it uses a voice confirmation process in addition to a display confirmation process, thereby providing the operator with a function to remind them of the selection made.

Embodiment 1.
First, an overview of a fire alarm system including an appliance control panel according to the present disclosure will be described.
1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a fire alarm system including a fire receiver and multiple terminal devices according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. Note that FIG. 1 illustrates the specific equipment configuration on the first floor, and the second to fifth floors are omitted because they have the same equipment configuration as the first floor.

On each floor, the fire receiver 10, which corresponds to an equipment control panel, is connected via signal lines SG to the addressable transmitter 20, fire detectors 31 and 32, detector repeaters 40, and smoke control repeaters 50.

Multiple fire detectors are connected to the detector repeater 40. Figure 1 shows two fire detectors 41 and 42. Furthermore, a fire door 51, a smoke exhaust fan 52, a shutter 53, and a siding wall 54 are connected to the smoke prevention and exhaust control repeater 50.

Here, fire detectors 31, 32 and fire detectors 41, 42 correspond to multiple fire detectors that detect the occurrence of a fire in each of the pre-set fire monitoring areas. A detector group is made up of multiple fire detectors.

Furthermore, the fire door 51, smoke exhaust fan 52, shutter 53, and drop wall 54 correspond to multiple terminal equipment that operate in conjunction with the detection results of multiple fire detectors and function to prevent the spread of fire, smoke, etc. The multiple terminal equipment constitute a terminal equipment group.

Each of the multiple fire detectors is assigned address information in advance to identify the individual fire detector. Each of the multiple fire detectors can then transmit fire-related information to the fire receiver 10, including the address information assigned to that detector. Meanwhile, the fire receiver 10 can transmit the necessary information to the desired fire detector by adding address information when transmitting the information.

In addition, each of the multiple terminal devices is assigned address information in advance to identify the individual terminal device. Therefore, the fire control device 10 can send a command to operate the desired terminal device by adding address information and transmitting the information.

With this configuration, the fire receiver 10 collects fire-related information from multiple fire detectors and addressable transmitters 20 installed in various predetermined fire monitoring areas. Based on the collected fire-related information, the fire receiver 10 can then issue a fire alarm and activate a group of terminal equipment.

It is predefined that each piece of terminal equipment included in the group of terminal equipment should operate in conjunction with the detection results of a fire detector. For example, by pre-setting the correspondence between the interlocking operations of multiple fire detectors and multiple terminal equipment as an interlocking table, the fire receiver 10 can identify the appropriate terminal equipment from the interlocking table based on the detection results of each of the multiple fire detectors and perform interlocking operations.

In addition, although not shown in the figure, the fire receiver 10 can output an alarm signal based on the collected fire-related information, activate fire extinguishing equipment to begin fire-fighting operations, issue a fire alarm or provide evacuation guidance via an emergency broadcast device, and transmit fire-related information to a higher-level device via a network.

Next, the technical features of the equipment control panel according to the first embodiment will be described in detail. Note that each piece of terminal equipment included in the group of terminal equipment shown in Figure 1 corresponds to the smoke control and exhaust terminal equipment that is the subject of operation verification in this disclosure. Therefore, the configuration example shown in Figure 1 assumes that the arrangement of smoke control and exhaust terminal equipment is similar on multiple floors from the first to fifth floors.

Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of an equipment control panel in embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. Note that the equipment control panel in this disclosure corresponds to the fire receiver 10 shown in Figure 1 or a general control panel, and is used to remotely operate the smoke control terminal equipment whose operation is to be checked. In Figure 2, the equipment control panel is shown as the fire receiver 10, corresponding to Figure 1.

The fire control panel 10, which corresponds to an equipment operation panel, is configured to include an operation input processing section 11 and a voice confirmation processing section 12. The operation input processing section 11 has the following display control functions.
Function 1: A function to display the layout of each device for the floor selected by the operator.
Function 2: A function that displays a display to allow the operator to select the desired smoke control and exhaust terminal device for which operation checks are to be performed from among the multiple smoke control and exhaust terminal devices included in the layout-displayed floor, accepts operation input by the operator, and executes it as the first operation.

Function 3: A function to display a display for sending a start-up command to the desired smoke prevention and exhaust terminal device selected by the operator, accept operation input by the operator, and execute it as a second operation.
Function 4: When performing the second operation, a function to output a confirmation message to remind the operator whether the desired smoke prevention and exhaust terminal device selected by the first operation is the original smoke prevention and exhaust terminal device that should be activated.

The voice confirmation processing unit 12 also has the following voice guidance function.
Function 5: When the operation input processing unit 11 executes the second operation, a function of providing audio guidance to remind the operator whether the desired smoke prevention and exhaust terminal device selected by the first operation is the original smoke prevention and exhaust terminal device that should be activated.

Function 6: When outputting audio data via voice guidance, the identification information audio data portion of the audio data, which is used to distinguish the selected desired smoke control and evacuation terminal device from other smoke control and evacuation terminal devices, is distinguished from other audio data portions when providing audio guidance.

The fire receiver 10 executes various functions in response to operational inputs by the operator. In particular, in this disclosure, the operator can output a start command to the selected smoke control and evacuation terminal device after fully confirming that the selected device is correct through visual and audio confirmation processes.

In other words, the equipment operation panel according to this embodiment 1 can remind the operator that the smoke control terminal device that is outputting the activation command is correct by combining visual information provided by displaying a confirmation message with auditory information provided by a voice guide. The voice guide provided by function 5 may be the same as or different from the confirmation message output by function 4.

Furthermore, we will provide a supplementary explanation of Function 6, assuming that the desired smoke control and exhaust terminal device to be selected is the "fire door installed in Area A on the second floor," that a fire door is also installed in Area B on the second floor, and that fire doors in Area A and Area B are also installed on the first, third, and fifth floors.

If the operator makes the correct selection, a voice prompt will be heard saying, "Are you sure you want to activate the fire door in area A on the second floor?" However, if the operator, for example, accidentally selects the fire door in area A while still displaying the layout for the first floor, a voice prompt will be heard saying, "Are you sure you want to activate the fire door in area A on the first floor?"

In order for the audio guide to inform the operator that an incorrect selection has been made, it is important that the operator be able to distinguish between the audio data "Fire door on the second floor, area A" and the audio data "Fire door on the first floor, area A." Here, the first half of the audio data, "XX on the XX floor" corresponds to the identification information audio data portion for distinguishing the selected desired smoke control and exhaust terminal device 100 from other smoke control and exhaust terminal devices.

On the other hand, the latter part of the voice data, "May I start this?", is voice data that is commonly used regardless of which smoke control terminal device is selected, and has no distinguishing power. Therefore, the voice confirmation processing unit 12 can achieve function 6 by emphasizing the first part of the voice data, "XX on XX floor," which corresponds to the identification information voice data portion, by increasing the volume, using a different tone, outputting it repeatedly, etc., in order to distinguish it from the latter part of the voice data, "May I start this?".

In addition, the voice data that forms the identification information voice data portion, "XX floor, XX in □□," could be distinguished from other voice data that does not have discriminatory power by dividing it into multiple reminders, such as "The selected floor is the XX floor, is that okay?" and "The selected operation check target is XX in □□, is that okay?"

In addition, by changing the output pattern of the audio data, such as the tone, each time the selection of the smoke prevention and exhaust terminal device 100 is changed, it is possible to prevent the operator from unconsciously missing out on the audio data due to becoming bored.

Next, a series of processes performed by the equipment control panel according to the first embodiment will be described using Figure 3. Figure 3 is a flow diagram showing a series of operations performed by the equipment control panel according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 shows, as a flow diagram, a series of processes from when the operation input processing unit 11 and the voice confirmation processing unit 12 in the fire control receiver 10, which corresponds to the equipment control panel, execute each function based on the operation input by the operator, to when a startup command is output to the selected desired smoke control and evacuation terminal device 100.

In the following, we will explain a specific example in correspondence with Figure 1, where the fire door 51 on the first floor is the desired smoke control and exhaust terminal device 100 and an activation command is to be output.

In step S301, the operation input processing unit 11 displays a layout diagram for each piece of equipment on the selected floor, as shown in Figure 1, in response to a screen selection input by the operator. In this case, if the operator selects the first floor, the layout diagram for the first floor will be displayed.

Next, in step S302, the operation input processing unit 11 receives a first operation input in which the operator selects the fire door 51 from the layout drawing of the first floor, and thereby identifies the fire door 51 as the desired smoke control and exhaust terminal device 100.

Next, in step S303, the operation input processing unit 11 performs display processing of a startup command button so that the operator can select a startup command.

Next, in step S304, the operation input processing unit 11 displays a confirmation message stating "Fire door on the first floor has been selected" near the start command button to allow the operator to confirm that the fire door on the first floor has been selected as the smoke control terminal device 100 to which the start command is to be output. This display output allows the operator to confirm that their selection is correct based on visual information.

Furthermore, in step S305, after executing step S303, the voice confirmation processing unit 12 outputs voice data stating "The fire door on the first floor has been selected" to allow the operator to confirm that the fire door on the first floor has been selected as the smoke prevention and exhaust terminal device 100 to which the startup command is to be output.

In addition, when outputting this audio data, the audio confirmation processing unit 12 can emphasize the "fire door on the first floor" part to remind the operator. In other words, the above-mentioned function 6 can be executed as an optional function as needed. This type of audio output allows the operator to confirm that their selection is correct based on the auditory information.

Note that the display output of the confirmation message in step S304 and the audio output of the audio data in step S305 can be performed simultaneously, with a time lag, or repeatedly.

The confirmation message and audio data described above are merely examples, and other expressions may be used, such as "Have you confirmed the installation floor, installation location, and equipment to be checked for operation?" After confirming, the operator may also be prompted to press a "confirm button."

After confirming based on the visual and auditory information that the "fire door on the first floor" has been correctly selected as the desired smoke control and exhaust terminal device 100, the operator presses the activation command button. Then, in step S306, the operation input processing unit 11 receives the operator's pressing of the activation command button as a second operation input, and is able to send an activation command to the fire door on the first floor and perform an operation check.

If the operator determines based on the visual and auditory information that the "fire door on the first floor" has not been correctly selected as the desired smoke control and exhaust terminal device 100, step S306 will not be executed and the process from step S301 onwards will be repeated.

As a result, by performing a double confirmation process based on visual and auditory information, the operator can reduce the chance of accidentally operating smoke control and exhaust terminal equipment other than the one being checked for operation.

The timing for starting the display confirmation process in step S304 and the audio confirmation process in step S305 can also be the timing when the start command button is pressed for the first time. In this case, after the operator has performed confirmation based on visual and audio information, they can press the start command button again to execute step S306 and output a start command to the desired smoke control and exhaust terminal device 100.

Furthermore, by switching the order of steps S303, S304, and S305, and performing the display process of the start command button in step S303 after the display confirmation process in step S304 and the audio confirmation process in step S305 are completed, it is possible to prevent the start operation from being performed until the confirmation process is completed.

Audio output can be achieved through speakers, or it can be sent to earphones worn by the operator via Bluetooth (registered trademark).

As described above, according to embodiment 1, visual and auditory information can be used in combination to remind the operator whether the selected smoke control and evacuation terminal device is the correct device that should be activated. As a result, an equipment control panel can be obtained that can prevent the occurrence of mistakes such as activating a smoke control and evacuation terminal device other than the one targeted for operation confirmation.

Furthermore, with regard to audio output, by changing the output pattern or emphasizing the identification information audio data portion, it is expected that the occurrence of mistakes such as activating smoke control and exhaust terminal equipment other than the target for operation confirmation can be further reduced.

10 Fire receiver (equipment control panel), 11 Operation input processing unit, 12 Voice confirmation processing unit, 20 Addressable transmitter, 31 Fire detector, 40 Detector repeater, 41 Fire detector, 50 Smoke control repeater, 51 Fire door (smoke control terminal device), 52 Smoke exhaust machine (smoke control terminal device), 53 Shutter (smoke control terminal device), 54 Wall (smoke control terminal device), 100 Smoke control terminal device.

Claims (2)

An equipment operation panel having an operation input processing unit with a display control function for an operator to perform a first operation of selecting a desired smoke prevention and exhaust terminal device from a plurality of smoke prevention and exhaust terminal devices to perform an operation check, and a second operation of transmitting a start command to the selected desired smoke prevention and exhaust terminal device,
Further provided is a voice confirmation processing unit that outputs a voice to allow the operator to confirm , when the second operation is performed, whether the desired smoke prevention and exhaust terminal device selected by the first operation is the original smoke prevention and exhaust terminal device that should be activated ;
In the first operation, the operator selects the desired smoke control and exhaust terminal device for operation confirmation by selecting a floor, an area, and a name of the smoke control and exhaust terminal device;
The voice confirmation processing unit
When outputting the voice data as the voice output, the voice data portions relating to the names of the floor, the area, and the smoke control and exhaust terminal device, which are identification information voice data portions for distinguishing the selected desired smoke control and exhaust terminal device from other smoke control and exhaust terminal devices, are emphasized in the voice data so as to be distinguishable from other voice data portions that do not have identification power, and the voice output is performed;
When emphasizing the identification information voice data portion, three voice data portions relating to the names of the floor, the area, and the smoke prevention and exhaust terminal device are divided into a plurality of messages and the voice output is performed.
Equipment operation panel. An equipment operation panel having an operation input processing unit with a display control function for an operator to perform a first operation of selecting a desired smoke prevention and exhaust terminal device from a plurality of smoke prevention and exhaust terminal devices to perform an operation check, and a second operation of transmitting a start command to the selected desired smoke prevention and exhaust terminal device,
Further provided is a voice confirmation processing unit that outputs a voice to allow the operator to confirm , when the second operation is performed, whether the desired smoke prevention and exhaust terminal device selected by the first operation is the original smoke prevention and exhaust terminal device that should be activated ;
In the first operation, the operator selects the desired smoke control and exhaust terminal device for operation confirmation by selecting a floor, an area, and a name of the smoke control and exhaust terminal device;
The voice confirmation processing unit
When outputting the voice data as the voice output, the voice data portions relating to the names of the floor, the area, and the smoke control and exhaust terminal device, which are identification information voice data portions for distinguishing the selected desired smoke control and exhaust terminal device from other smoke control and exhaust terminal devices, are emphasized in the voice data so as to be distinguishable from other voice data portions that do not have identification power, and the voice output is performed;
Each time the name of the smoke prevention and exhaust terminal device is selected, the output pattern of the voice data is changed and the voice output is performed.
Equipment operation panel.