Fire monitoring system

Abstract

To provide a fire monitoring device capable of distinguishing between the occurrence of a kitchen fire and contamination inside a duct and performing notification.SOLUTION: An automatic fire extinguishing device 2 detects a temperature inside a duct 4 by a detection unit 21, determines that a fire has occurred and performs a notification with high urgency when the temperature exceeds a first temperature, determines that contamination has adhered inside the duct and performs a notification with relatively low urgency when, within a first reference period, the number of times where the temperature exceeds a second temperature is equal to or greater than a first number (for example, three times in three days, FIG. 4), or when the total of the times during which the temperature exceeds the second temperature is equal to or greater than a first time, and relaxes the standard for contamination determination in the automatic fire extinguishing device 2 according to update information from a server 30 when the temperature rise rate inside the duct increase.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fire monitoring system for detecting fires in kitchens and dirt inside ducts installed in kitchens. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 below discloses an invention for a fire extinguisher that can be installed inside a range hood. The device of this invention is composed of a pressurized fire extinguisher body filled with extinguishing agent, a fire extinguishing agent discharge nozzle that is attached directly to the body and communicates with the interior of the fire extinguisher body, and a heat collecting plate that closes the nozzle opening and is attached with an adhesive such as solder that melts at a certain flame temperature. According to this invention, the entire device is compact so that it can be installed inside a range hood, occupies a significantly small amount of space, and is low-cost, highly reliable in terms of durability and maintainability. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-242993 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As cooking takes place in the kitchen, oil and other contaminants accumulate on the inside of the ducts and on the filters installed within the ducts. As the inside of the ducts becomes increasingly dirty and a large amount of oil and other contaminants accumulates, ventilation becomes more difficult than when the ducts are clean, making it easier for heat to accumulate within the ducts. In this state, heat from stoves and other sources (such as fire pillars) cannot be ventilated when the kitchen is in use, and the fire detection temperature may be exceeded even when no fire has occurred, which could cause the automatic fire extinguishing device to activate and accidentally spray extinguishing agent (risk of accidental spraying).

[0005] Furthermore, if a fire breaks out in the kitchen when dirt has accumulated inside the ducts, the fire will spread quickly as the dirt inside the ducts ignite, which could result in greater damage (fire risk) than if there was no dirt accumulation.

[0006] The invention of the fire extinguisher attached inside the range hood disclosed in the above Patent Document 1 cannot solve such problems.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the conventional technology and its problems described above, and aims to provide a fire monitoring system that can accurately distinguish and output information on the occurrence of a fire in a kitchen or oil stains inside a duct based on different reference temperatures, and in particular, in the case of oil stains, can accurately output information based on the frequency at which the reference temperature is detected. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, a fire monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a detection unit that detects the temperature inside a duct installed in the kitchen; a determination unit that determines a fire abnormality when the detection unit detects a temperature equal to or higher than a first temperature, and determines a dirt abnormality where dirt has adhered to the inside of the duct when the detection unit detects a temperature equal to or higher than a second temperature lower than the first temperature at a predetermined frequency or more; an output unit that outputs the fire abnormality and the dirt abnormality separately; It is characterized by having:

[0009] In the fire monitoring system, the determination unit When the number of times or the duration of time that a temperature equal to or higher than the second temperature is detected within a first period of time reaches a reference value, it is determined that the contamination abnormality has occurred.

[0010] In the fire monitoring system, the determination unit The method is characterized in that, for the first period separated by a plurality of first unit times, the number of first unit times during which a temperature equal to or higher than the second temperature is detected is counted, and when the count number reaches the reference value within the first period, it is determined that there is an abnormality in the contamination.

[0011] In the fire monitoring system, the determination unit Furthermore, for a second period divided by a plurality of second unit times, the number of second unit times during which a temperature equal to or higher than the second temperature is detected is counted, and if the count number reaches the reference value within the second period, it is determined that the contamination abnormality has occurred; The second period is set to be shorter than the first period, The second unit time is set to be shorter than the first unit time.

[0012] In the fire monitoring system, the output unit If the contamination abnormality is determined to exist in the second period, the contamination abnormality is output using an output method that indicates a higher degree of urgency than when the contamination abnormality is determined to exist in the first period.

[0013] In the fire monitoring system, the detection unit The air conditioner is characterized by being arranged inside the duct near the opening of the duct on the kitchen side.

[0014] The fire monitoring system includes: The system further includes a control unit that acquires environmental data of the kitchen, including the temperature inside the duct detected by the detection unit, and changes the reference value in accordance with changes in the environmental data. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] The fire monitoring device can accurately distinguish and output information about a fire in the kitchen or oil stains inside a duct based on different reference temperatures, and in the case of oil stains in particular, can accurately output information based on the frequency at which the reference temperature is detected. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing an automatic fire extinguishing device of a fire monitoring system according to an embodiment and a kitchen in which the automatic fire extinguishing device is installed. [Figure 2] 1 is a functional block diagram of a fire monitoring system according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] This is temperature data used by the automatic fire extinguishing device of the fire monitoring system of the embodiment to determine duct contamination under long-term conditions, and shows the change in temperature inside the duct detected by the detection unit over several days as a graph. [Figure 4] This is temperature data used by the automatic fire extinguishing device of the fire monitoring system of the embodiment to determine duct contamination under short-term conditions, and is a graph showing the daily change in temperature inside the duct detected by the detection unit. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure for determining whether a duct is dirty and determining whether a fire has occurred, which is executed by the automatic fire extinguishing device of the fire monitoring system according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for setting and updating the determination conditions for determining whether a duct is dirty, which is executed by the control unit of the fire monitoring system of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] A fire monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, an overview of the fire monitoring system and the kitchen equipment that is the object of monitoring by this system will be explained with reference to FIGS. As shown in Fig. 1, the fire monitoring system 1 of this embodiment includes an automatic fire extinguishing device 2 as a fire monitoring device installed in a kitchen. A cooking counter 3 equipped with a cooking fire source 17 such as a stove or range is installed in the kitchen, and an exhaust duct 4 is installed directly above the fire source 17 on the cooking counter 3. A grease filter 5 is installed at the entrance of the duct 4, and a hood 6 is installed to surround the entire grease filter 5. The duct 4 has a vertical pipe section 4a extending upward from the grease filter 5 and a horizontal pipe section 4b bent at a right angle from the vertical pipe section 4a and extending horizontally, and the horizontal pipe section 4b is connected to a smoke exhaust system (not shown) or the outside world from which exhaust can be performed.

[0018] The automatic fire extinguishing device 2 shown in FIG. 1 has the function of detecting a fire and determining whether the duct 4 is dirty and issuing an alarm (details will be described later). If a fire is detected, the extinguishing agent spraying unit 7 can be activated to extinguish the fire. The extinguishing agent spraying unit 7 includes two cylinders 8 filled with extinguishing agent, two fire extinguishing pipes 11 and 12 connected to regulators (details not shown) of the cylinders 8, and fire extinguishing nozzles (13-16) attached to the ends of the branched fire extinguishing pipes 11 and 12. The fire extinguishing nozzles attached to the end of the first fire extinguishing pipe 11 include two hood nozzles 13 arranged inside the hood 6 of the duct 4 and facing the fire source 17, a duct nozzle 14 arranged in the upper part of the duct 4 facing downward, and a grease filter nozzle 15 arranged in the lower part of the duct 4 facing downward. The fire extinguishing nozzle attached to the end of the second fire extinguishing pipe 12 is a spray nozzle 16 arranged inside the hood 6 and facing the fire source 17. Also, although not shown, a shut-off device may be provided in the supply path (gas pipe or power circuit) that supplies gas or electricity to the fire source 17 of the cooking table 3, so that when the automatic fire extinguishing device 2 determines that there is a fire, the shut-off device is activated to cut off the supply of energy, and the fire on the stove, etc. is extinguished.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 2, the fire monitoring system 1 of this embodiment has multiple automatic fire extinguishing devices 2, a server 30 which is a common control unit, and a communication line 40 which connects each automatic fire extinguishing device 2 to the server 30. Each of these multiple automatic fire extinguishing devices 2 is provided in a kitchen as shown in Fig. 1. The communication line 40 which connects the multiple automatic fire extinguishing devices 2 to the server 30 may be a dedicated line laid by the installer of the fire monitoring system 1, or it may be the Internet.

[0020] Next, the specific configuration of the automatic fire extinguishing device 2 in the fire monitoring system 1 will be explained with reference to Figures 1 and 2, and the fire detection and dirt detection in the duct 4 by the automatic fire extinguishing device 2 will be explained with reference to Figures 3 to 5 as needed.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the automatic fire extinguisher 2 has a detection unit 21, a determination unit 22, an output unit 23, an injection control unit 24, and a communication unit 25.

[0022] Detector 21 shown in FIG. 2 is a means for detecting the environment in the kitchen, and in this embodiment, a temperature sensor is used. As shown in FIG. 1, detector 21, which is a temperature sensor, is installed inside duct 4 installed in the kitchen, near the opening of duct 4 on the kitchen side (the side facing the cooking table, etc.). Specifically, detector 21 is installed at the top of vertical pipe section 4a, which is in front of horizontal pipe section 4b in the exhaust direction of duct 4. As such, detector 21 is located directly above fire source 17 in the kitchen and near the center of vertical pipe section 4a of duct 4, which is located behind grease filter 5. This is the optimal location for obtaining temperature data to determine whether duct 4 is dirty or whether a fire has occurred.

[0023] The determination unit 22 shown in Figure 2 determines whether a fire has occurred (fire determination) and whether an undesirable kitchen environment other than a fire, specifically, whether dirt has adhered to the inside of the duct 4 (dirt determination), based on the temperature inside the duct 4 detected by the detection unit 21.

[0024] In the fire judgment, when the temperature inside the duct 4 detected by the detection unit 21 exceeds a predetermined first temperature (for example, 180 degrees), the judgment unit 22 judges that a fire has occurred that requires the fire extinguisher injection unit 7 to inject a fire extinguisher.

[0025] In determining whether or not there is dirt, if the temperature inside duct 4 detected by detection unit 21 is equal to or higher than a predetermined second temperature (e.g., 120 degrees) that is lower than the first temperature at a frequency equal to or higher than a predetermined frequency set in advance, determination unit 22 determines that there is a dirt abnormality in that dirt beyond an allowable range has adhered to duct 4. Specifically, when the total number of times or the total detection time during which a temperature equal to or higher than the second temperature is detected reaches a predetermined reference value set in advance, determination unit 22 determines that there is a dirt abnormality.

[0026] Two detection conditions are set for measuring the predetermined frequency in determining dirt: a long-term condition and a short-term condition. The long-term condition is a condition for determining a relatively long period (referred to as the first period) to detect dirt in the duct 4 that gradually accumulates with daily kitchen use. The short-term condition is a condition for determining a relatively short period (referred to as the second period) to detect a situation in which dirt has accumulated rapidly in the duct 4. The short-term condition is a condition for early detection of a situation in which the risk of mis-injection or fire has increased when dirt has accumulated rapidly.

[0027] By setting two detection conditions for determining dirt, namely, long-term conditions and short-term conditions, the short-term conditions can be used to respond to cases where dirt accumulates suddenly, and the long-term conditions can be used to respond to cases where dirt is unlikely to accumulate in a short period of time, such as in restaurants with short business hours, but dirt accumulates over a long period of time.

[0028] The long-term condition is a condition for determining that dirt has adhered to the inside of the duct 4 when the first condition is satisfied in a first period. The first condition is that the number of times that the temperature detected by the detection unit 21 exceeds the second temperature is a first number or more.

[0029] It should be noted that "first number or more" in the above condition determination may be interpreted as "exceeding the first number" by appropriately setting the "first number" which is the reference value.

[0030] The number of times under the long-term conditions and the first conditions is the sum of the numerical values ​​for each interval (day) when the first period (e.g., several days) is divided into intervals of a predetermined length (first unit time, e.g., one day), counting any time the temperature exceeds the second temperature as 1.

[0031] FIG. 3 will be used to explain an example of a long-term soiling determination where the first period is three days and the first count is three. The graph in FIG. 3 is data acquired in a long-term soiling determination performed using a fire monitoring system 1 (device A) on a kitchen duct 4 of a certain store, and shows the change in temperature in the duct 4 over three days. In this example graph, the store is closed during the day and only operates at night, so the only time the temperature detected by the detection unit 21 exceeded 120 degrees on each day was around 8:00 PM. In this example, over three consecutive days from midnight on January 1, 2024, the start date of the first period, to midnight on January 4, 2024, the end date, the temperature detected by the detection unit 21 exceeded 120 degrees on three consecutive days. Therefore, the number of days (count) on which the temperature detected by the detection unit 21 exceeded 120 degrees at least once was three. Since this is equal to or greater than the first count of three, the soiling determination is valid.

[0032] In the contamination judgment based on the long-term conditions described above, if the first period is 7 days and the first number of times is 3, if there are three days in the first period in which the second temperature is exceeded within one day, the first condition can be satisfied and the contamination judgment can be established, even if the three days are not consecutive.

[0033] In determining contamination based on long-term conditions, the values ​​of the first period and the first count may be changed as appropriate to suit the usage of the kitchen monitored by the automatic fire extinguishing device 2, i.e., the business style of the restaurant, and the period may be set in blocks of a predetermined time width (e.g., 12 hours) rather than daily. For example, unlike the example shown in FIG. 3, in the case of a restaurant that is open day and night, it is likely that two peaks will occur in a day in the graph of the detected temperature, so the first period may be 36 hours, which is three 12-hour blocks. In this case, if the first count is set to 3, and an event in which the second temperature is exceeded at least once in a 12-hour block occurs in three consecutive 12-hour blocks, the first condition is considered to be satisfied and a contamination determination is made.

[0034] Furthermore, in determining whether a section is contaminated under a long-term condition, whether the second temperature is exceeded may be determined based on whether the total time during which the second temperature was exceeded within that section is equal to or longer than a reference time. For example, if the first period is three days, the first section (first unit time) is one day, and the reference time is 30 minutes, then if there are three consecutive days during which the total time during which the second temperature was exceeded is 30 minutes or longer, the first condition can be satisfied and the contamination determination can be established. Note that instead of counting the number of sections during which the total time during which the second temperature was exceeded is 30 minutes or longer, the time during which the second temperature was exceeded within each section may be totaled (counted) for multiple sections, with a predetermined first time as the upper limit, and if the total time is equal to or longer than the reference time, it may be determined that the first condition is satisfied. For example, if the first period is 3 days, the first section is 1 day, the first judgment time, which is the reference time, is 1 hour 30 minutes, and the upper limit time for each section is 30 minutes, if there are consecutive days in a day in which the total time during which the second temperature is exceeded is 30 minutes or more, the time during which the second temperature is exceeded on each day will be determined to be the upper limit time of 30 minutes, and therefore on the third day the total time during which the second temperature is exceeded will be 1 hour 30 minutes, which is more than the first judgment time, and the first condition will be met, allowing a determination of abnormal soiling to be made.

[0035] The short-term condition is a condition for determining that dirt has adhered to the inside of the duct 4 when the second condition is satisfied in a second period that is shorter than the first period. The second condition is that the number of times that the temperature detected by the detection unit 21 exceeds the second temperature is equal to or greater than the second number of times, which is greater than the first number of times.

[0036] Note that "the second number of times or more" in the above condition determination may be interpreted as "exceeding the second number of times" by appropriately setting the "second number of times" which is the reference value.

[0037] The number of times under the short-term conditions and the second conditions is the sum of the numerical values ​​when the second period (e.g., one day) is divided into sections of a predetermined length (second unit time, e.g., one hour), and when the temperature exceeds the second temperature, it is counted as 1 for each section.

[0038] An example of a contamination determination under short-term conditions where the second period is one day and the second count is five will be described. The graph in FIG. 4 shows data acquired in a contamination determination under short-term conditions performed using the fire monitoring system 1 (device B) for the kitchen duct 4 of a certain store, and shows the change in temperature in the duct 4 over one day. In this graph example, since the store is open day and night, the temperature detected by the detection unit 21 exceeded 120 degrees and peaked twice during that day, around noon and around 8 p.m. During those two peaks on that day, there were six intervals in which the temperature detected by the detection unit 21 was 120 degrees or higher. Because this number is greater than or equal to five, which is the first count, the contamination determination is established at the point in time when the fifth interval in which the temperature detected by the detection unit 21 was 120 degrees or higher occurred (around 8 p.m. in FIG. 4). In this case, the second period is set to be shorter than the first period, the second interval (second unit time) is set to be shorter than the first interval (first unit time), and the second number of times is set to be greater than the first number of times, thereby making it possible to appropriately determine the rapid accumulation of dirt, which is difficult to determine under long-term conditions.

[0039] Furthermore, in the short-term condition, the contamination judgment may be based on whether the total time during which the second temperature was exceeded within the second period is equal to or greater than a reference time. For example, if the second period is one day and the reference time is three hours, the second condition can be satisfied and the contamination judgment can be established if the total time during which the second temperature was exceeded within one day is equal to or greater than the reference time of three hours. The reference time in this case corresponds to the first judgment time in the first condition using the total time. Note that the judgment under the second condition using the total time is no different from the judgment under the first condition using the total time, in which the second period is divided into second sections of a predetermined length and judgment is made. In other words, the second period is divided into multiple second sections, and the time during which the second temperature was exceeded within each second section is counted within a predetermined upper limit time. If the total time obtained by adding up (counting) the time over the multiple sections is equal to or greater than the reference time, the second condition is judged to be satisfied. For example, if the second period is one day, the second section is one hour, the second judgment time as the reference time is three hours, and the upper limit time is the same as the second section, one hour, then if the total number of sections in one day during the second period during which the second temperature is exceeded is three hours or more (three or more sections), it can be determined that the second condition is met. In determining soiling under short-term conditions, the total time during which the second temperature is exceeded may be used as the criterion.

[0040] In determining contamination under short-term conditions, the values ​​of the second period and the second number of times may be changed as appropriate according to the usage pattern of the kitchen that is the monitoring target of the automatic fire extinguishing device 2. For example, unlike the example shown in Fig. 4, the second period may be set to 4 hours and the second number of times may be set to 3 times.

[0041] The above-described fire determination and contamination determination by the determination unit 22 are constantly repeated in accordance with the procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 as long as the automatic fire extinguishing device 2 is in operation.

[0042] That is, in step S1, when the detection unit 21 (temperature sensor) detects the temperature inside the duct 4, in step S2, the judgment unit 22 judges whether the contamination judgment conditions (first condition and second condition) are met, and in step S3, the judgment unit 22 judges whether the fire judgment conditions are met.

[0043] If the determination unit 22 determines in step S2 that the contamination determination condition is met (YES in S2), the output unit 23 outputs information regarding the occurrence of contamination in the duct 4 in step S4, and if the determination unit 22 determines in step S3 that the fire determination condition is met (YES in S3), the output unit 23 outputs information regarding the occurrence of a fire in step S5. Note that the form of the information output by the output unit 23 and the form in which the information is output are not particularly limited.

[0044] The reference values ​​or judgment conditions used in the contamination judgment in the judgment unit 22 of the automatic fire extinguishing device 2 described above, i.e., the first temperature, second temperature, first period, first number of times, first hour, second period, second number of times, and second hour, are set as predetermined default values ​​by the installer at the time of installation of the fire monitoring system 1 in the server 30 (see Figure 2) described below, which is the control unit for the entire system, and are read and used by each automatic fire extinguishing device 2, but may also be set individually in the automatic fire extinguishing device 2.

[0045] The determination unit 22 of the automatic fire extinguishing device 2 described above may be included in the server 30 (see FIG. 2). In this case, the information (temperature data, etc.) acquired by the detection unit 21 of the automatic fire extinguishing device 2 needs to be transmitted to the server 30 each time.

[0046] Furthermore, the start timing of the first period and the second period used in the contamination determination in the determination unit 22 of the automatic fire extinguishing device 2 described above may be other than midnight. For example, the start timing may be the timing when the second temperature is exceeded, and if the second temperature is exceeded at 11:00 AM on January 1, 2024, it is determined whether the short-term condition will be met by 11:00 AM on January 2, 2024, and whether the long-term condition will be met by 11:00 AM on January 4, 2024.

[0047] When the determination unit 22 determines that a fire has occurred or that the kitchen environment has changed to an undesirable state (the inside of the duct 4 has become dirty beyond a predetermined standard), the output unit 23 shown in FIG. 2 outputs necessary information to notify the user in either case and prompts the user to take action to deal with the fire or to clean the dirty inside of the duct 4.

[0048] When a fire is determined to have occurred (when the fire determination is established), the output unit 23 notifies the occurrence of a fire using a highly urgent method, mode, or notification means. For example, an alert means (such as an alarm) installed in the kitchen or at a key point in the building where the kitchen is located may be activated to strongly call people's attention.

[0049] Furthermore, the notification of a fire and the notification of contamination may be made by different output means with different levels of urgency. For example, the notification of a fire may be made by the alert means (such as an alarm) while the notification of contamination may be made by email.

[0050] Furthermore, the content and output means of the notification of contamination may be different depending on whether a long-term condition is met or a short-term condition is met. In the case of a short-term condition, contamination accumulates rapidly, and the risk of fire and accidental injection is considered to be higher than in the case of a long-term condition. Therefore, when a short-term condition is met, a notification is made using a method or mode with a higher level of urgency, or an output means with a higher level of urgency, compared to when a long-term condition is met. For example, when a long-term condition is met, notification is made only by email, but when a short-term condition is met, in addition to email, an alert means (such as an alarm) installed in the kitchen or in a key location in a building where a kitchen is located may be activated to strongly attract people's attention.

[0051] When the determination unit 22 determines that a fire has occurred, the injection control unit 24 shown in Fig. 2 activates the fire extinguishant injection unit 7. The fire extinguishant injection unit 7 can inject the fire extinguishant from each nozzle (13 to 16) to suppress and extinguish the fire.

[0052] The communication unit 25 of the automatic fire extinguishing device 2 shown in Fig. 2 transmits the temperature data inside the duct 4 detected by the detection unit 21, the determination result of the determination unit 22, the operating status of the output unit 23, etc. to the server 30 (see Fig. 2) described later via the communication line 40. In addition, the communication unit 25 receives the determination conditions of the determination unit 22 updated by the decision unit 33 of the server 30, as described later, by receiving them from the communication unit 31 of the server 30.

[0053] Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 6, a specific configuration of the server 30 as a control unit in the fire monitoring system 1 will be described, and further, a function of updating the determination conditions of the automatic fire extinguishing device 2 will be described.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 2, the server 30 includes a communication unit 31, an analysis unit 32, and a determination unit 33.

[0055] The communication unit 31 of the server 30 shown in Figure 2 receives data sent from the communication unit 25 of each automatic fire extinguishing device 2 connected via the communication line 40 and sends it to the analysis unit 32, and also transfers the results made by the decision unit 33 in response to the analysis results of the analysis unit 32 to each automatic fire extinguishing device 2.

[0056] The analysis unit 32 shown in Fig. 2 analyzes the kitchen environment based on data related to the kitchen environment received from each automatic fire extinguishing device 2. The temperature data inside the duct 4 acquired by the server 30 from each automatic fire extinguishing device 2 is data that represents the environment of the kitchen in which each automatic fire extinguishing device 2 is installed, and the degree of temperature rise is data that is affected by the amount or level of dirt accumulated inside the duct 4. Therefore, the analysis unit 32 calculates the change in temperature inside the duct 4 (temperature rise rate, average temperature, etc.) from the temperature data sent from the automatic fire extinguishing device 2, and analyzes the change in the kitchen environment.

[0057] 2 determines whether or not there is an undesirable change in the kitchen environment based on the analysis result of the analysis unit 32, and updates the criteria for determining whether or not to issue an alert by the automatic fire extinguishing device 2, as necessary. Specifically, the determination unit 33 compares whether or not the current temperature rise rate has increased beyond a predetermined standard with the past temperature rise rate, and if so, determines that the accumulation of dirt inside the duct 4 is progressing, and updates the criteria for when the automatic fire extinguishing device 2 should issue an alert to be more relaxed.

[0058] The analysis of the temperature data in the analysis unit 32 and the specific processing performed by the decision unit 33 using the analysis results will be described below. In this embodiment, the judgment conditions for a certain automatic fire extinguishing device 2 are relaxed because the temperature rise rate in the duct 4 targeted by that automatic fire extinguishing device 2 is higher than the past temperature rise rate.The past temperature data used for the comparison at this time may be the past temperature data of the automatic fire extinguishing device 2 in question (comparison of a single automatic fire extinguishing device 2), or the past temperature data of multiple automatic fire extinguishing devices 2 other than the automatic fire extinguishing device 2 in question connected to the server 30 (comparison with multiple automatic fire extinguishing devices 2).

[0059] The server 30 communicates with each automatic fire extinguishing device 2 in a predetermined short cycle, and repeatedly performs the following processing for each automatic fire extinguishing device 2 regarding the temperature inside the duct 4 (hereinafter simply referred to as temperature) sent from each automatic fire extinguishing device 2.

[0060] <Comparison with a single automatic fire extinguishing device 2> The analysis unit 32 calculates the average minimum temperature (e.g., 20 degrees) and the average maximum temperature (e.g., 100 degrees) for each day in the most recent week, and calculates the most recent temperature rise rate (e.g., (100 / 20) = 5 times) from these average values. It also calculates the average minimum temperature (e.g., 20 degrees) and the average maximum temperature (e.g., 50 degrees) for each day in the past month excluding the most recent week, and calculates a reference past temperature rise rate (reference temperature rise rate, e.g., (50 / 20) = 2.5 times).

[0061] The decision unit 33 compares the most recent temperature rise rate with the reference temperature rise rate, and if the rise rate over the most recent week is greater than the reference temperature rise rate, which is the rise rate over the past month, by a predetermined reference value (for example, twice as much), the decision unit 33 relaxes the judgment conditions for the automatic fire extinguishing device 2. In the numerical example shown above, the current temperature has doubled compared to the past, which is greater than the reference value, so the decision unit 33 makes the decision to relax the judgment conditions.

[0062] <Comparison with multiple automatic fire extinguishing devices2> As mentioned above, the server 30 communicates with a plurality of automatic fire extinguishing devices 2 (for example, 100 devices) in a predetermined short cycle. When a predetermined number of the automatic fire extinguishing devices 2 (for example, three devices, assumed to be devices A, B, and C) issue an alert about dirt in the duct 4, the analysis unit 32 performs the following analysis process.

[0063] For each of the multiple automatic fire extinguishing devices 2 (devices A, B, and C) that have been determined to have soiling, the analysis unit 32 calculates the average value (e.g., 112 degrees) of the lowest maximum temperatures (e.g., 105 degrees for device A, 113 degrees for device B, and 118 degrees for device C) of the daily maximum temperatures in the week prior to the week in which the soiling was reported. The analysis unit 32 also calculates the average value (e.g., 117 degrees) of the highest maximum temperatures (e.g., 115 degrees for device A, 117 degrees for device B, and 119 degrees for device C) of the daily maximum temperatures in the week prior to the week in which the soiling was reported. Then, from these two average values, the analysis unit 32 calculates a reference past temperature rise rate (reference temperature rise rate, e.g., (117 / 112) = 1.04 times). In addition, the most recent temperature rise rate (e.g., (115 / 105) = 1.09 times) is calculated from the lowest temperature (e.g., 105 degrees) and the highest temperature (e.g., 115 degrees) of the highest temperatures of each day in the most recent week for a single automatic fire extinguishing device 2.

[0064] The decision unit 33 compares the most recent temperature rise rate (1.09) of a certain automatic fire extinguisher 2 with the reference temperature rise rate (1.04). If the temperature rise rate of a certain automatic fire extinguisher 2 over the most recent week is greater than the reference temperature rise rate, which is the rise rate over the past week of multiple automatic fire extinguishers 2 (devices A, B, and C) that have actually been notified of dirt buildup, and is greater than a predetermined reference (for example, the value of the reference temperature rise rate), the decision unit 33 relaxes the judgment conditions for that automatic fire extinguisher 2. In the numerical example shown above, the temperature rise rate of the target automatic fire extinguisher 2 is higher than the reference temperature rise rate, so a decision is made to relax the judgment conditions for the target automatic fire extinguisher 2.

[0065] The standard temperature rise rate may be determined in advance for each season, and when comparing the most recent temperature rise rate of a certain automatic fire extinguishing device 2 with the standard temperature rise rate, the standard temperature rise rate determined in advance for the season to which the comparison is made is used. Furthermore, when the temperature rise rate is determined in advance for each season or area, the variation in the minimum temperature of each automatic fire extinguishing device 2 on each day is suppressed, so when comparing multiple automatic fire extinguishing devices 2, the average value may be determined from the minimum and maximum temperatures on each day.

[0066] Alternatively, the reference temperature rise rate may be calculated separately for the long-term and short-term conditions. In this case, the period for which the reference temperature rise rate is calculated is preferably longer for the long-term condition than for the short-term condition. For example, the long-term condition may be one week, and the short-term condition may be three days.

[0067] The reference temperature increase rate may also be calculated by taking into account the temperature on the day the dirt was detected. For example, the reference temperature increase rate may be calculated using temperature data from the past week, including the day the dirt was detected.

[0068] 2 determines whether there is an undesirable change in the kitchen environment based on the analysis result of the analysis unit 32, and updates the criteria for determining whether or not to issue an alert by the automatic fire extinguishing device 2, as necessary. Specifically, the determination unit 33 compares whether the current temperature rise rate has increased beyond a predetermined standard with the past temperature rise rate, and if it has increased, determines that the accumulation of dirt inside the duct 4 is progressing, and updates the criteria for determining whether or not the automatic fire extinguishing device 2 should issue an alert to be more lenient. Note that if the environmental change improves the kitchen environment (for example, the temperature rise rate is smaller than the standard temperature rise rate by at least a predetermined value), the determination criteria may be tightened (for example, by raising the second temperature).

[0069] When relaxing the determination conditions that are the criteria for the automatic fire extinguisher 2 to issue an alert, the decision unit 33 performs the following.

[0070] <For long-term conditions> 1. Lower the second temperature, which is the standard (threshold) for determining that dirt has adhered to the inside of duct 4. For example, if it is 120 degrees, lower it to 100 degrees. 2. If the first period consisted of three consecutive days, it would be updated to three days per week. If it consisted of three days per week, it would be updated to two days per week. 3. Reduce the first number of times, which is the standard for determining whether the inside of the duct 4 is dirty, i.e., the standard value for comparison with the number of times the temperature exceeds the second temperature. For example, if it is twice, reduce it to once. 4. The first time, which is the standard for determining contamination inside duct 4, i.e., the standard value to be compared with the total time during which the temperature exceeds the second temperature, is shortened. For example, if it is 30 minutes, it is shortened to 10 minutes.

[0071] <For short-term conditions> 1. Lower the second temperature, which is the standard (threshold) for determining that dirt has adhered to the inside of duct 4. For example, if it is 120 degrees, lower it to 100 degrees. 2. Decrease the second number of times, which is the standard for determining whether the inside of the duct 4 is dirty, i.e., the standard value for comparison with the number of times the temperature exceeds the second temperature. For example, if it is twice, decrease it to once. 3. Extend the second period. For example, if the second number of times is five and the soiling determination is established if the temperature reaches five or more times within 24 hours, extend the period from within 24 hours to within 48 hours. 4. Shorten the second period. For example, if it is three hours, shorten it to one hour.

[0072] The monitoring of the kitchen environment by the analysis unit 32 and decision unit 33 of the server 30 described above and the updating of the judgment conditions as necessary in the automatic fire extinguishing device 2 are constantly repeated as shown in the flowchart of Figure 6 as long as the fire monitoring system 1 is operating.

[0073] In step S20, which is performed when the automatic fire extinguishing system is installed, default values ​​for the judgment conditions for judging the dirtiness of the duct 4 (first temperature, second temperature, first period, first number of times, first hour, second period, second number of times, second hour, etc.) are set in the judgment unit 22 of the automatic fire extinguishing device 2. In addition, if there is any information that affects the kitchen environment, particularly various information that increases the risk of fire and the risk of erroneous injection due to dirt adhesion, etc., this information is registered in the server 30. Note that various information that increases the risk of erroneous injection may be set individually for each automatic fire extinguishing device 2 and read out by the server 30 as needed.

[0074] Various types of information that increase the risk of fire, etc., include whether or not a large flame is likely to rise from the fire source 17, the maximum heat output of the stove or range, the diameter of the vertical pipe section 4a of the duct 4, the distance from the cooking surface of the fire source 17 to the intake port of the grease filter 5, etc., which are known in advance when the system is set up or the kitchen is constructed, and which are generally unlikely to change.

[0075] As explained above, by further relaxing the judgment conditions based on changes in the rate of temperature rise based on this information, the risk of fire and the risk of mis-injection due to dirt adhesion, etc. can be sufficiently reduced.

[0076] For example, the reason for registering information that fire source 17 is likely to grow large is that the rate of temperature rise is high, and the temperature rise rate increases further as dirt accumulates, and further dirt accumulation increases the risk of fire and the risk of erroneous injection of fire extinguishing agent. Furthermore, the higher the heat output in a kitchen, the higher the risk of fire in duct 4 when dirt accumulates. Therefore, by using this information to relax the criteria for determining dirt, undesirable changes in the kitchen environment can be detected more quickly. The same reason applies to registering information on the maximum heat output of a stove, range, etc. Note that information on the maximum heat output of a stove, etc. is calculated and registered in wattage, etc., and if a charcoal fire is used as fire source 17, a higher wattage is registered than for a stove, range, etc. Specifically, the amount of relaxation of the criteria is determined in advance in response to the information that fire source 17 is likely to grow large, and the amount of relaxation of the criteria is also determined in accordance with the wattage of fire source 17.

[0077] The distance from the grilling surface of fire source 17 to the intake port of the grease filter is registered because if this distance is short, there is a high possibility that a fire in the kitchen will reach and spread to duct 4, increasing the risk of a fire breaking out in the duct, and there is also a high possibility that oil scattered by cooking or the like will accumulate in duct 4. When registering the distance, for example, 80 cm is used as the standard, and the relaxation amount is set so that the shorter the distance is, the more gradually the criteria for determining contamination are relaxed so that undesirable changes in the kitchen environment can be detected at an early stage.

[0078] The above-described multiple pieces of information affecting the kitchen environment registered in server 30 may be used in addition to relaxing the judgment criteria based on the analysis results by analysis unit 32 using the temperature inside duct 4. For example, the judgment criteria relaxed based on changes in the rate of temperature rise may be further updated by an arbitrarily determined amount of relaxation in response to information that fire source 17 is likely to become larger, then by an amount of relaxation set according to the wattage of fire source 17, and finally by further relaxing the criteria according to the distance. Further relaxation based on these pieces of information can be selectively used. Alternatively, the judgment criteria for determining contamination may be updated based only on the above information, without using the analysis results by analysis unit 32 using the temperature inside duct 4.

[0079] In step 21, information on the kitchen environment, at least temperature information, is acquired from each automatic fire extinguishing device 2 that constitutes the system.

[0080] In step S22, it is determined for each kitchen whether there is a high risk of fire or erroneous injection based on the acquired information on the kitchen environment, such as the temperature inside the duct 4. If it is determined that there is no high risk of fire or erroneous injection (NO in step S22), the process returns to step S21 and the acquisition of kitchen environment information is repeated.

[0081] If it is determined in step S22 that there is a high risk of fire or mis-injection (YES in step S22), then in step S23 the judgment criteria are updated to relaxed conditions that make it easier to detect the occurrence (or progression of accumulation) of dirt in the duct 4, and one cycle of the procedure for updating the judgment criteria is completed.

[0082] According to the fire monitoring system 1 and automatic fire extinguishing device 2 described above, the temperature detection temperature of the temperature sensor that has traditionally been used to determine fires is also used to determine dirt, so there is no need to add a new sensor, which reduces costs while reducing false alarms and erroneous injections due to dirt accumulation and the risk of fire.

[0083] Next, a modified example of the process performed by the decision unit 33 regarding the conditions for determining whether the automatic fire extinguisher 2 should issue a notification about dirt inside the duct 4 will be described. When the automatic fire extinguishing device 2 makes a decision to relax the judgment conditions, the data analyzed by the analysis unit 32 can be the temperature inside the duct 4 described in the embodiment, as well as the wind speed, wind volume, or wind pressure inside the duct 4. In this case, the rate of increase in the wind speed, wind volume, or wind pressure inside the duct 4, the average wind volume, wind pressure, etc. are used to analyze changes in each kitchen environment.

[0084] In this modified example, an air velocity sensor is placed in duct 4, and the air velocity within duct 4 is used instead of the temperature within duct 4 to determine whether to update the judgment criteria. The lower the air volume within duct 4 and the lower the rate of increase in air volume and air pressure, the more likely dirt will accumulate within duct 4, reducing ventilation efficiency. Therefore, even if a ventilation fan is installed, the air volume and air pressure will decrease. Furthermore, if the inner diameter of duct 4 is short, for example, especially if the inner diameter is 250 mm or less, the air volume and air pressure will decrease significantly. Insufficient air volume can easily trap heat within duct 4, increasing the risk of misfires. Furthermore, insufficient air volume can prevent smoke and other contaminants from being adequately drawn into duct 4, increasing the risk of fire. Therefore, using air velocity data instead of the temperature within duct 4 described above can relax the judgment criteria, achieving the same effect as using the temperature within duct 4.

[0085] Specifically, the judgment conditions for the automatic fire extinguishing device 2 are relaxed on the grounds that the increase in wind speed in the duct 4 targeted by the automatic fire extinguishing device 2 is currently lower than in the past. The past wind speed data used for the comparison at this time may be the past wind speed data of the automatic fire extinguishing device 2 in question (comparison of a single automatic fire extinguishing device 2), or the past wind speed data of multiple automatic fire extinguishing devices 2 other than the automatic fire extinguishing device 2 in question that are connected to the server 30 (comparison of multiple automatic fire extinguishing devices 2).

[0086] The server 30 communicates with each automatic fire extinguishing device 2 in a predetermined short cycle, and repeatedly performs the following process for each automatic fire extinguishing device 2 regarding the wind speed in the duct 4 sent from each automatic fire extinguishing device 2.

[0087] <Comparison with a single automatic fire extinguishing device 2> The analysis unit 32 calculates the average minimum wind speed (e.g., 0 m / s) and the average maximum wind speed (e.g., 0.19 m / s) for each day in the most recent week, and calculates the most recent wind speed increase (e.g., 0.19 m / s) from these average values. It also calculates the average minimum wind speed (e.g., 0 m / s) and the average maximum wind speed (e.g., 0.4 m / s) for each day in the past month excluding the most recent week, and calculates a reference past wind speed increase (reference wind speed increase, e.g., 0.4 m / s).

[0088] The decision unit 33 compares the most recent wind speed increase width with the reference wind speed increase width, and if the wind speed increase width over the most recent week is greater than the reference wind speed increase width, which is the wind speed increase width over the past month, by a predetermined reference value (for example, twice) or more, or is greater than a predetermined reference (for example, the value of the reference wind speed increase width), the decision unit 33 relaxes the judgment conditions for the automatic fire extinguishing device 2. In the numerical example shown above, the current wind speed is lower than in the past, so a decision is made to relax the judgment conditions for this automatic fire extinguishing device 2.

[0089] <Comparison with multiple automatic fire extinguishing devices2> As mentioned above, the server 30 communicates with a plurality of automatic fire extinguishing devices 2 (for example, 100 devices) in a predetermined short cycle. When a predetermined number of the automatic fire extinguishing devices 2 (for example, three devices, assumed to be devices A, B, and C) issue an alert about dirt in the duct 4, the analysis unit 32 performs the following analysis process.

[0090] The analysis unit 32 calculates, for each of the multiple automatic fire extinguishing devices 2 (devices A, B, and C) that have been determined to have dirt attached, an average value (e.g., 0.19 m / s) of the lowest maximum wind speeds (e.g., 0.19 m / s for device A, 0.2 m / s for device B, and 0.19 m / s for device C) among the maximum wind speeds for each day in the week prior to the week in which the dirt attachment was reported. The analysis unit 32 also calculates, for each of the multiple automatic fire extinguishing devices 2 (devices A, B, and C) that have been determined to have dirt attached, an average value (e.g., 0.25 m / s) of the highest maximum wind speeds (e.g., 0.3 m / s for device A, 0.24 m / s for device B, and 0.21 m / s for device C) among the maximum wind speeds for each day in the week prior to the week in which the dirt attachment was reported. Then, from these two average values, a reference past wind speed increase range (reference wind speed increase range, for example, 0.25-0.19=0.06m / s) is calculated. In addition, the most recent wind speed increase range (for example, 0.21-0.19=0.02m / s) is calculated from the lowest wind speed (for example, 0.19m / s) among the maximum wind speeds of each day in the most recent week for a single automatic fire extinguishing device 2 and the highest wind speed (for example, 0.21m / s) among the maximum wind speeds of each day.

[0091] The decision unit 33 compares the most recent wind speed increase width with the reference wind speed increase width. If the wind speed increase width over the most recent week is greater than a predetermined reference value (e.g., twice) or greater than a predetermined reference (e.g., the value of the reference wind speed increase width), which is the wind speed increase width over the past week for the multiple automatic fire extinguishers 2 (devices A, B, and C) for which dirt adhesion has been reported, or if the value is greater than a predetermined reference (e.g., the value of the reference wind speed increase width), the decision unit 33 relaxes the judgment conditions for the automatic fire extinguisher 2. In the numerical example shown above, the wind speed increase width of the target automatic fire extinguisher 2 is lower than the reference wind speed increase width, so a decision is made to relax the judgment conditions for the target automatic fire extinguisher 2. Note that when comparing multiple automatic fire extinguishers 2, an average value may be calculated from the minimum and maximum wind speeds for each day.

[0092] As in the previously described embodiment in which the judgment is based on temperature, the standard wind speed increase range may be calculated separately for each of the long-term and short-term conditions described above, or may be calculated including the wind speed on the day the dirt was detected. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 1. Fire monitoring system 2...Automatic fire extinguishing devices as fire monitoring devices 3...Cooking table 4...Duct 4a...Vertical pipe section 4b…Horizontal pipe part 6. Food 7...Fire extinguishing agent injection section 21: Detection unit 22: Determination unit 23...Output section 30...Server as control unit 32…Analysis Department 33...Decision Section 40...Communication lines

Claims

1. a detection unit that detects the temperature inside a duct installed in the kitchen; a determination unit that determines a fire abnormality when the detection unit detects a temperature equal to or higher than a first temperature, and determines a dirt abnormality where dirt has adhered to the inside of the duct when the detection unit detects a temperature equal to or higher than a second temperature lower than the first temperature at a predetermined frequency or more; an output unit that outputs the fire abnormality and the dirt abnormality separately; A fire monitoring system comprising:

2. The fire monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that the judgment unit judges that the contamination abnormality has occurred when the number of detections or the detection time during which a temperature equal to or higher than the second temperature is detected within a first period reaches a reference value.

3. The fire monitoring system described in claim 2, characterized in that the judgment unit counts the number of first unit times in which a temperature higher than the second temperature is detected for the first period, which is divided into multiple first unit times, and judges that the contamination abnormality has occurred if the count number reaches the reference value within the first period.

4. The determination unit further counts the number of second unit times during which a temperature equal to or higher than the second temperature is detected for a second period separated by a plurality of second unit times, and determines that the contamination abnormality has occurred when the count number reaches the reference value within the second period. The second period is set to be shorter than the first period, 4. The fire monitoring system according to claim 3, wherein the second unit time is set to be shorter than the first unit time.

5. The fire monitoring system described in claim 4, characterized in that when the output unit determines that the contamination abnormality occurs during the second period, it outputs the contamination abnormality using an output method that is more urgent than when the contamination abnormality is determined during the first period.

6. 6. The fire monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is disposed inside the duct near an opening of the duct on the kitchen side.

7. a control unit that acquires environmental data of the kitchen including the temperature inside the duct detected by the detection unit, and changes the reference value in response to a change in the environmental data; The fire monitoring system according to claim 2, further comprising:

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