Fire sensor

Abstract

To provide a fire sensor making it possible to efficiently perform sensitivity verification work.SOLUTION: A fire sensor in accordance with the present disclosure includes a sensing unit that senses a fire. The fire sensor further includes a sensitivity verification unit that, when externally receiving a sensitivity verification command, performs sensitivity verification on the sensing unit during a tentative sensitivity verification period designated to be shorter than a normal sensitivity verification period, and that outputs a result of sensitivity verification as a response to the sensitivity verification command. Thus, making sensitivity verification work efficient can be achieved.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a fire detector, and more particularly to a fire detector that can obtain a sensitivity confirmation result within a time period appropriate for the situation. [Background technology]

[0002] Fire alarm systems use various types of fire detectors to detect fires, including heat detectors, flame detectors, and smoke detectors, which include photoelectric split detectors and photoelectric spot detectors.

[0003] If the inside of the optical stand of a photoelectric spot detector installed on-site becomes dirty with dust, the sensitivity for detecting smoke generation will deviate from the initial setting, and accurate smoke detection cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, in order to remove the generated dirt, cleaning is performed using a vacuum cleaner, air duster, etc. (See, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-156127 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the conventional techniques have the following problems. For photoelectric spot detectors, taking into account that dust inside the optical table may move due to temperature changes throughout the day at the installation site and the effects of air conditioning, etc., we check the output value change over a 12-hour period, for example, to ensure that there are no problems with the sensitivity setting.

[0006] Therefore, after cleaning is completed, it will take 12 hours to know whether the cleaning has caused any problems with the sensitivity setting. Even if cleaning is completed during the day, if the cleaning is insufficient and there are problems with the sensitivity, false detection will occur again in the middle of the night.

[0007] In addition, it may be desirable to obtain simple sensitivity check results within a set time period, depending on the situation, not just after cleaning work.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a fire detector that allows sensitivity confirmation work to be performed efficiently. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The fire detector of the present disclosure is a fire detector equipped with a sensing unit that detects fires, and further equipped with a sensitivity confirmation unit that, when receiving a sensitivity confirmation command from outside, performs sensitivity confirmation by the sensing unit within a provisional sensitivity confirmation period that is set to a period shorter than the normal sensitivity confirmation period, and outputs the sensitivity confirmation result in response to the sensitivity confirmation command. In addition, the fire detector of the present disclosure is a fire detector that has a sensitivity confirmation period, number of judgments, and sensitivity failure detection level that are set in advance, and is equipped with a sensing unit that monitors the detection level, which is the sensor output, within the sensitivity confirmation period, and performs sensitivity confirmation by determining that there is a sensitivity failure when the number of occurrences of a detection level that is equal to or greater than the sensitivity failure detection level exceeds the number of judgments.The fire detector further includes a sensitivity confirmation unit that, when receiving a sensitivity confirmation command from the outside, performs sensitivity confirmation by the sensing unit using a temporary sensitivity confirmation period that is set to be shorter than the sensitivity confirmation period instead of the sensitivity confirmation period, and outputs the sensitivity confirmation result in response to the sensitivity confirmation command, thereby making it possible to obtain a simple sensitivity confirmation result within a time period that suits the situation. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present disclosure, a fire detector can be obtained that allows sensitivity confirmation work to be performed efficiently. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a fire alarm system including a fire detector according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram relating to a cleaning operation of the photoelectric spot type sensor according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 1 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration for improving the efficiency of sensitivity confirmation work in a photoelectric spot-type detector according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the fire detector of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The fire detector according to the present disclosure has a technical feature in that it is provided with a configuration that can obtain simple sensitivity confirmation results within a time period appropriate to the situation.

[0013] Embodiment 1 First, we will explain the overall picture of the system including the fire detector. Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a fire alarm system including fire detectors according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, the fire alarm system illustrated in Fig. 1 includes, as main components, a fire receiver 10 and a plurality of fire detectors.

[0014] The fire control receiver 10 is connected to the addressable transmitter 20, fire detectors 31 and 32, detector repeater 40, and smoke control repeater 50 via a signal line SG.

[0015] A plurality of fire detectors are connected to the detector repeater 40. In Fig. 1, four fire detectors 41 to 44 are shown as an example. In addition, a fire door 51, a smoke exhaust machine 52, a shutter 53, and a hanging wall 54 are connected to the smoke prevention and exhaust control repeater 50.

[0016] Here, the fire detectors 31, 32 and the fire detectors 41 to 44 correspond to a plurality of fire detectors that detect the occurrence of a fire in each of the preset fire monitoring areas. A plurality of fire detectors constitutes a detector group.

[0017] The fire detectors 41 to 44 may be so-called general-type detectors, and an address is assigned to the detector repeater 40, and the fire control panel 10 and the detector repeater 40 communicate with each other.

[0018] In addition, the fire door 51, the smoke exhauster 52, the shutter 53, and the hanging wall 54 correspond to a plurality of terminal equipment that operate in conjunction with the detection results of the plurality of fire detectors and function to prevent the spread of fire, smoke, etc. A terminal equipment group is made up of a plurality of terminal equipment.

[0019] Address information for identifying each individual fire detector is assigned in advance to each of the multiple fire detectors. Each of the multiple fire detectors can transmit fire-related information including the address information assigned to it to the fire control panel 10. Meanwhile, the fire control panel 10 can transmit required information to a desired fire detector by adding address information to the information.

[0020] Furthermore, 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 transmit a command to operate the desired terminal device by adding the address information and transmitting the information.

[0021] With this configuration, the fire receiving device 10 collects fire-related information from a plurality of fire detectors installed in various predetermined fire monitoring areas and the addressable transmitter 20. Then, the fire receiving device 10 can issue a fire alarm and activate a group of terminal equipment based on the collected fire-related information.

[0022] It is to be noted that each terminal equipment included in the terminal equipment group is specified in advance as to which fire detector detection result it should operate in conjunction with. For example, by setting in advance the correspondence between the interlocking operations of multiple fire detectors and multiple terminal equipment as an interlocking table, the fire receiving device 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.

[0023] Also, 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 extinguishing operations, issue a fire alarm or provide evacuation guidance using an emergency broadcast device, and transmit fire-related information to a higher-level device via a network.

[0024] In fire detectors, cleaning is performed to prevent deterioration of detection accuracy and to eliminate false fire alarms and missed alarms. Therefore, the following will use the photoelectric spot type detector 100 as a specific example of a fire detector, and will explain in detail the efficiency improvement measures related to the sensitivity confirmation work specific to the photoelectric spot type detector 100.

[0025] 2 is an explanatory diagram relating to a cleaning operation of the photoelectric spot type detector 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the existing photoelectric spot type detector 100 performs a fire detection based on the amount of light irradiated from the light-emitting unit 101 inside the optical stand and received by the light-receiving unit 102 as scattered light caused by smoke.

[0026] The photoelectric spot-type detector 100 determines the degree of contamination inside the light-emitting element 101, the light-receiving element 102, and the optical table by comparing the light reception level when factory-set or installed on-site in a smokeless state with the light reception level when monitoring.

[0027] Cleaning work is carried out by removing dust from inside the optical bench using a vacuum cleaner or air spray, but during such cleaning work, the dust inside the optical bench may become airborne, which may increase scattered light.

[0028] Furthermore, as mentioned above, the current situation is that the photoelectric spot detector 100 checks for changes in output value over a 12-hour period, for example, to ensure that there are no problems with the sensitivity setting, taking into consideration that dust inside the optical stand moves due to temperature changes throughout the day at the installation site, the effects of air conditioning, etc. Therefore, after cleaning is completed, it takes 12 hours to determine whether the effects of the cleaning have caused any problems with the sensitivity setting.

[0029] The photoelectric spot type detector 100 according to the first embodiment has a technical feature in that it is equipped with a configuration that enables sensitivity check to be performed simply and in a shorter time, and if there is a problem with the sensitivity, the cleaning work can be performed again quickly, thereby realizing an improvement in the efficiency of the sensitivity check work. Therefore, the photoelectric spot type detector 100 according to the first embodiment, which has such technical features, will be described in detail using FIG.

[0030] 3 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration for improving the efficiency of sensitivity confirmation work in photoelectric spot type sensor 100 according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. Photoelectric spot type sensor 100 according to embodiment 1 includes light emitting unit 101, light receiving unit 102, and sensing unit 103, and further includes sensitivity confirmation unit 104. Sensitivity confirmation unit 104 is provided with a timer for counting a sensitivity confirmation period, which will be described later.

[0031] The light-emitting unit 101 is installed inside the optical bench as shown in Fig. 2 above, and emits light for the purpose of detecting the occurrence of smoke. On the other hand, the light-receiving unit 102 is installed inside the optical bench as shown in Fig. 2 above, and receives light that is emitted from the light-emitting unit 101 and diffused by smoke.

[0032] The sensing unit 103 senses the generation of smoke when the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 102 reaches or exceeds a preset detection threshold.

[0033] The sensitivity confirmation unit 104 in this first embodiment has a function of, when receiving a sensitivity confirmation command from outside, simply executing sensitivity confirmation by the sensing unit 103 during a temporary sensitivity confirmation period that is set in advance as a period shorter than the normal sensitivity confirmation period. In other words, the photoelectric spot-type sensor 100 according to this first embodiment has a technical feature in that it is further equipped with a sensitivity confirmation unit 104 that has such a function.

[0034] Currently, taking into consideration daily temperature changes, the movement of dust inside the optical bench due to the effects of air conditioning, etc., the sensing unit 103 monitors the sensing level (also called sensor output) during a "normal sensitivity confirmation period." Then, the sensing unit 103 determines that a sensitivity failure has occurred if the number of occurrences of a sensing level equal to or higher than a "sensitivity failure detection level," which is set as a value lower than the actual smoke detection level, during the "normal sensitivity confirmation period" exceeds a preset number of determinations.

[0035] usually 、 Because the RAM of the microcomputer is cleared when the power is turned on, the counter used to determine sensitivity failure also starts from 0. Therefore, even when checking the sensitivity of a detector after cleaning, it is currently checked to see if the detection level exceeds a preset number of judgments within the "normal sensitivity check period." As a result, if the "normal sensitivity check period" is set to 12 hours, and the sensor output value is checked once per hour to see if it has reached the failure level, and the number of judgments is set to 12, the effect of the cleaning work will not be known until 12 hours later.

[0036] Therefore, since the power to the detector is turned off when the detector cleaning work is performed, the following can be considered when the power is turned on after the detector cleaning is completed: When the detector is turned on, the initial value of the number of occurrences that counts the number of times the sensitivity failure detection level is reached is set to a number that is greater than 0 and slightly less than the judgment threshold of 12 times, for example 11 times, and the sensitivity confirmation unit 104 monitors the results of the sensitivity confirmation that is simply performed by the detection unit during the provisional sensitivity confirmation period.

[0037] In other words, when a temporary sensitivity confirmation period is set by receiving a sensitivity confirmation command from outside, the sensitivity confirmation unit 104 sets the initial value of the number of occurrences to a value greater than 0 and smaller than the number of determinations, and executes sensitivity confirmation by the sensing unit 103. Then, when the number of occurrences of a sensing level equal to or greater than the sensitivity failure detection level during the temporary sensitivity confirmation period is equal to or greater than the number of determinations, the sensitivity confirmation unit 104 determines that a sensitivity failure has occurred, and outputs the determined sensitivity confirmation result as a response to the sensitivity confirmation command.

[0038] By doing this, if the sensor output is monitored once per hour, it is possible to virtually complete 11 hours of monitoring of the output value, and if it is determined that the sensor output has reached the sensitivity failure detection level the remaining time, it is possible to immediately output an abnormality signal indicating a sensitivity failure.

[0039] Therefore, as described above, the photoelectric spot-type sensor 100 according to the first embodiment further includes a sensitivity confirmation unit 104 that can easily perform sensitivity confirmation by the sensing unit 103 during a provisional sensitivity confirmation period that is preset as a period shorter than at least the normal sensitivity confirmation period.

[0040] The sensitivity check unit 104 has a function of executing a simple sensitivity check when triggered by receiving a sensitivity check command from an external device. For example, when a cleaning worker completes a cleaning job, the cleaning worker can execute the sensitivity check by issuing this sensitivity check command to the sensitivity check unit 104.

[0041] The cleaning worker can generate the sensitivity check command by manually operating a dedicated switch provided on the photoelectric spot detector 100. Alternatively, the cleaning worker can generate the sensitivity check command as a signal that is transmitted to the photoelectric spot detector 100 from the fire receiver 10 or a tester (not shown).

[0042] A temporary sensitivity confirmation period that is shorter than the normal sensitivity confirmation period and a number of temporary judgments that is fewer than the normal number of judgments are preset in the sensitivity confirmation unit 104. For example, the temporary sensitivity confirmation period can be set to one hour, and the number of temporary judgments can be set to one.

[0043] When the sensitivity check unit 104 receives a sensitivity check command, it monitors the sensing level of the sensing unit 103 during a provisional sensitivity check period. Then, when the sensing level that is equal to or higher than the sensitivity failure detection level during the provisional sensitivity check period reaches or exceeds the provisional determination count, the sensing unit 103 determines that a sensitivity failure has occurred.

[0044] Furthermore, the sensitivity confirmation unit 104 outputs the determination result when it receives the sensitivity confirmation command as a sensitivity confirmation result that is a response to the sensitivity confirmation command. For example, if the sensitivity confirmation unit 104 determines that the sensitivity is faulty, it can display the sensitivity confirmation result indicating that the sensitivity is faulty on the confirmation light of the detector body, or it can transmit the sensitivity confirmation result indicating that the sensitivity is faulty to the fire control panel 10.

[0045] In the example described above, the provisional sensitivity confirmation period is set to 1 / 12 of the normal sensitivity confirmation period, and the provisional judgment count is set to 1 / 12 of the normal judgment count, but the set values ​​for the provisional sensitivity confirmation period and the provisional judgment count are not limited to these. The provisional sensitivity confirmation period and the provisional judgment count can be individually set to appropriate values ​​depending on the installation environment of the photoelectric spot-type detector 100, the time it can be stopped for cleaning work, etc.

[0046] Furthermore, instead of the sensitivity failure detection level, the sensitivity confirmation unit 104 can use a provisional sensitivity failure detection level for checking the sensitivity after cleaning work. The provisional sensitivity failure detection level can also be set to an appropriate value depending on the installation environment of the photoelectric spot detector 100, the time it can be stopped for cleaning work, and the like.

[0047] 3, sensitivity can be easily checked by issuing a sensitivity check command from outside at any desired timing, not just after cleaning work. Furthermore, by setting the temporary sensitivity check period, the number of temporary judgments, and the temporary sensitivity fault detection level to appropriate values, simple sensitivity check results can be obtained within a time frame appropriate for the situation.

[0048] As described above, according to the first embodiment, a sensitivity confirmation unit is provided that, when a sensitivity confirmation command is received from outside, executes sensitivity confirmation by the sensing unit within a temporary sensitivity confirmation period that is preset as a period shorter than the normal sensitivity confirmation period. As a result, a photoelectric spot-type sensor can be realized that can obtain simple sensitivity confirmation results within a time period appropriate for the situation.

[0049] In this embodiment, a photoelectric smoke detector has been described as an example of a fire detector, but the present invention can also be applied to other fire detectors, such as heat detectors and flame detectors. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 10 Fire receiver, 100 Photoelectric spot type detector, 101 Light emitting unit, 102 Light receiving unit, 103 Detection unit, 104 Sensitivity confirmation unit.

Claims

1. A fire detector equipped with a detection unit that detects fires, a sensitivity confirmation unit that, when receiving a sensitivity confirmation command from the outside, executes sensitivity confirmation by the sensing unit during a temporary sensitivity confirmation period that is set to be shorter than a normal sensitivity confirmation period, and outputs a sensitivity confirmation result as a response to the sensitivity confirmation command; A fire detector further comprising:

2. A fire detector having a sensing unit that performs sensitivity confirmation by monitoring a sensing level, which is a sensor output, during the sensitivity confirmation period, and determining that a sensitivity failure has occurred when the number of occurrences of a sensing level equal to or greater than the sensitivity failure detection level exceeds the number of determinations, wherein a sensitivity confirmation period, a number of determinations, and a sensitivity failure detection level are set in advance, When a sensitivity check command is received from the outside, the sensitivity check unit executes the sensitivity check by the sensing unit using a temporary sensitivity check period set as a period shorter than the sensitivity check period instead of the sensitivity check period, and outputs the sensitivity check result as a response to the sensitivity check command, thereby making it possible to obtain a simple sensitivity check result within a time period appropriate for the situation. A fire detector further comprising:

3. When the sensitivity confirmation unit receives the sensitivity confirmation command, the sensitivity confirmation unit executes the sensitivity confirmation by the sensing unit by further using a predetermined number of provisional judgments, which is smaller than the number of judgments, instead of the number of judgments, and outputs the sensitivity confirmation result as a response to the sensitivity confirmation command, thereby making it possible to obtain a simple sensitivity confirmation result within a time period appropriate to the situation.

3. The fire detector according to claim 2.

4. When the sensitivity check unit receives the sensitivity check command, the sensitivity check unit executes the sensitivity check by the sensing unit by further using a preset tentative sensitivity fault detection level instead of the sensitivity fault detection level, and outputs the sensitivity check result as a response to the sensitivity check command, thereby making it possible to obtain a simple sensitivity check result within a time period appropriate for the situation.

4. A fire detector according to claim 2 or 3.

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