Fire hydrant device

Abstract

To provide a fire hydrant device capable of quickly starting extinction of a fire generated in front of the fire hydrant device.SOLUTION: A fire hydrant device 1 including a fire extinguishing hose 7 and a housing 3 that houses the fire extinguishing hose 7 includes: a branch pipe 33 that branches from a primary side of a fire hydrant valve 27 in a water supply pipe 25 that supplies fire extinguishing water to the fire extinguishing hose 7; a thermosensitive opening joint 35 that is provided in a path of the branch pipe 33; and a fixed nozzle 37 that is provided on a secondary side of the thermosensitive opening joint 35 in the branch pipe 33 and discharges the fire extinguishing water supplied from the branch pipe 33 toward the front of the housing 3. The thermosensitive opening joint 35 closes the path in normal time, and opens the path so that water flows on a fixed nozzle 37 side by the heat of a fire when a fire occurs in front of the housing 3 and its vicinity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fire hydrant device installed in a tunnel or the like of an expressway or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] In tunnels of expressways and the like, fire hydrant devices are installed, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1. A conventional fire hydrant device will be specifically described with reference to Figs. FIG. 6 is a front view showing an example of a conventional fire hydrant device 59 installed in a tunnel. Fig. 7 is a side view of the fire hydrant device 59 shown in Fig. 6. For convenience, in Fig. 7, the internal piping system is shown by solid lines.

[0003] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, a conventional fire hydrant device 59 includes a fire hose 7 (only part of which is shown) with a nozzle at the tip, a housing 3 that houses the fire hose 7, and a front panel 5 provided on the front of the housing 3. Also provided within the housing 3 is a piping system 9 having a water supply pipe 25, a fire hydrant valve 27, an automatic pressure regulating valve 29, etc. One end of the water supply pipe 25 is connected to the base end of a fire hose, and the other end is connected to a riser pipe 31 (see Figure 8) branching off from a main water supply pipe 23 arranged within the tunnel 21. An opening is provided in the front panel 5 at a position facing the fire hose 7 and the piping system 9, and a fire hydrant door 11 is provided in the opening so as to be able to open and close.

[0004] In such a conventional fire hydrant device 59, a firefighter opens the hydrant door 11, removes the nozzle held inside the hydrant door 11, moves to a location suitable for firefighting activities while pulling out the fire hose 7, and operates the operating part provided on the nozzle to open the hydrant valve 27 and discharge water. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-36942 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The above-mentioned conventional fire hydrant devices 59 are installed at intervals of 50 m on the side walls of the tunnel 21, as shown in Fig. 8, for example. When a vehicle fire breaks out inside the tunnel 21, the fire hose 7 is pulled out from the fire hydrant device 59 closest to the fire to carry out firefighting activities.

[0007] However, when a vehicle fire breaks out in front of the fire hydrant device 59, as in Fire F in Figure 8, the area around the fire hydrant device 59 closest to the fire becomes so hot that people cannot get close. Therefore, it is necessary to pull out the fire hose 7 from the adjacent fire hydrant device 59 50 m away, which poses a problem of taking time before fire extinguishing can begin. Furthermore, if it takes a long time to start extinguishing the fire, the fire hydrant device 59 closest to the fire may be severely damaged, and the fire hydrant device 59 may need to be replaced, resulting in a large cost.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a fire hydrant device that can quickly begin extinguishing a fire that occurs in front of or near the fire hydrant device, and that can protect the fire hydrant device from fire. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] (1) The fire hydrant device according to the present invention has a fire hose and a housing for accommodating the fire hose, a branch pipe branching from a primary side of a fire hydrant valve in a water supply pipe for supplying fire extinguishing water to the fire hose; a heat-sensitive release joint provided in the path of the branch pipe; a fixed nozzle provided on the secondary side of the heat-sensitive open joint in the branch pipe, for discharging the fire extinguishing water supplied from the branch pipe toward the front of the housing; The heat-sensitive release joint is characterized in that it closes the path under normal circumstances, and when a fire breaks out in front of or near the housing, it opens the path so that water flows toward the fixed nozzle due to the heat of the fire.

[0010] (2) Furthermore, in the device described in (1) above, an opening window is provided on the front panel of the housing or on a door body provided on the front panel, and the fixed nozzle discharges fire extinguishing water from the opening window.

[0011] (3) Furthermore, in the device described in (2) above, it is characterized in that it further comprises a cover member that covers the opening window portion, and the cover member is configured to open by the water pressure of the fire extinguishing water discharged from the fixed nozzle.

[0012] (4) Furthermore, in any of the above (1) to (3), the fire extinguishing device is characterized by further comprising a pump starting means for detecting the discharge of water from the fixed nozzle and starting a pump for supplying fire extinguishing water to the water supply pipe.

[0013] (5) Furthermore, the device described in (3) above is characterized in that it further comprises a pump start-up means for detecting the opening of the cover member and starting a pump that supplies fire extinguishing water to the water supply pipe. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] In this invention, water can be automatically discharged using the fire extinguishing water supplied to the fire hose when a fire breaks out in front of or near the fire hydrant device. This allows the fire to begin extinguishing more quickly than before, and helps prevent the fire from spreading. In addition, by shortening the time for fire extinguishing to begin, damage to the fire hydrant equipment caused by the heat of the fire can be reduced, thereby reducing the costs required to replace the fire hydrant equipment. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1]1 is a front view showing a fire hydrant device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the fire hydrant device shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the area surrounded by the dashed line in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the normal state of the heat-sensitive opening joint. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the heat-sensitive opening joint in an actuated state. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a conventional fire hydrant device. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a side view of the conventional fire hydrant device shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a problem with a conventional fire hydrant device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] A fire hydrant device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Fig. 1 is a front view of the fire hydrant device 1, and Fig. 2 is a side view of the fire hydrant device 1 shown in Fig. 1. For convenience, in Fig. 2, the internal piping system is shown by solid lines.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fire hydrant device 1 of this embodiment has a box-shaped housing 3 that opens at the front, and a front panel 5 that closes the front opening of the housing 3. Inside the housing 3 are housed a fire hose 7 (only part of which is shown) with a nozzle at the end, a piping system 9 for supplying water to the fire hose 7, a fire extinguisher (not shown), and electrical equipment used for reporting, etc.

[0018] A rectangular opening is provided in the front panel 5 at a position facing the fire hose 7 and piping system 9, and a fire hydrant door 11 that is approximately flush with the front panel 5 is attached to this opening so that it can be opened and closed. A rectangular opening is also provided in the front panel 5 at a position facing the fire extinguisher, and a fire extinguisher door 13 that is substantially flush with the front panel 5 is attached to this opening so that it can be opened and closed.

[0019] In addition, on the right side of the fire extinguisher door 13, a red indicator light 15, a transmitter 17 which is a manual notification device, etc. are attached to the front panel 5.

[0020] Furthermore, an opening window portion 19 is formed on the upper side of the fire hydrant door 11 on the front panel 5, specifically at a position facing the fixed nozzle 37 described later, exposing the fixed nozzle 37 arranged within the housing 3.

[0021] Although the above example shows an example in which an opening window portion 19 is provided in the front panel 5, if the fixed nozzle 37 is arranged on the back side of a door body (such as a fire hydrant door 11) provided in the front panel 5, the opening window portion 19 may also be provided in the door body. In another embodiment, an openable and closable maintenance door may be provided above the fire hydrant door 11, in which case an opening window portion 19 may be provided in the maintenance door.

[0022] The piping system 9 receives water from a water supply main 23 (see Figure 8) installed inside the tunnel 21 and supplies fire water to the fire hose 7. As shown in Figure 2, the piping system 9 includes a water supply pipe 25, a fire hydrant valve 27 installed in the route of the water supply pipe 25, an automatic pressure regulating valve 29, and the like. The base end of the water supply pipe 25 is connected to a riser pipe 31 (see FIG. 8) that branches off from the main water supply pipe 23 and rises, and the tip end is connected to the base end of the fire hose 7.

[0023] The main water supply pipe 23 is filled with fire extinguishing water pressurized to a predetermined pressure, and this fire extinguishing water flows from the main water supply pipe 23 through a riser pipe 31 into the water supply piping 25. Normally, the fire hydrant valve 27 is closed, so that the fire water flowing into the water supply pipe 25 fills the primary side of the fire hydrant valve 27.

[0024] When the hydrant valve 27 is opened, the fire water filling the primary side of the hydrant valve 27 is supplied to the fire hose 7, and the fire water is discharged from a nozzle attached to the tip of the fire hose 7. In addition, when the hydrant valve 27 is opened, a pump start signal is sent to a pump (not shown) connected to the main water supply pipe 23. When the pump is started in response to this, the pump draws fire water from a water tank (not shown) installed outside the tunnel 21 and delivers it to the main water supply pipe 23.

[0025] Another feature of this embodiment is that the fire hydrant device 1 is equipped with a branch pipe 33 that branches off from the primary side of the fire hydrant valve 27 in the water supply pipe 25 and extends upward, a heat-sensitive release joint 35 provided in the path of the branch pipe 33, and a fixed nozzle 37 provided on the secondary side of the heat-sensitive release joint 35 and at the tip of the branch pipe 33.

[0026] The branch pipe 33 has a primary side branch pipe 33 a connected to the primary side of the heat-sensitive release joint 35 and a secondary side branch pipe 33 b connected to the secondary side of the heat-sensitive release joint 35 . As shown in Figure 2, the primary side branch pipe 33a is arranged to branch off and rise from the primary side of the fire hydrant valve 27 in the water supply pipe 25, and its upper end is bent toward the front panel 5, and a heat-sensitive release joint 35 is connected to its tip. The secondary branch pipe 33b has its lower end rising from the secondary side of the heat-sensitive open joint 35, and its upper end bent toward the center of the width of the front panel 5, with a fixed nozzle 37 provided at its tip.

[0027] As mentioned above, the opening window portion 19 of the front panel 5 is formed in a position facing the fixed nozzle 37, and the fixed nozzle 37 sprays fire-extinguishing water from this opening window portion 19 toward the front of the front panel 5. In this embodiment, fixed nozzle 37 is disposed inside front panel 5, but fixed nozzle 37 may be disposed so that its tip projects from opening window 19.

[0028] The heat-sensitive release joint 35 is provided between the primary branch pipe 33a and the secondary branch pipe 33b, and closes the path of the branch pipe 33 so that the primary branch pipe 33a and the secondary branch pipe 33b do not communicate with each other under normal conditions. When a fire breaks out in front of or near the front panel, the heat of the fire opens the heat-sensitive release joint 35, opening the closed flow path and allowing fire-extinguishing water to flow toward the fixed nozzle 37. A well-known joint that can sense heat and open a closed flow path can be used as the heat-sensitive release joint 35, and an example will be shown in Figures 3 and 4 and explained below.

[0029] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the area surrounded by the dashed line in FIG. 2, showing the appearance of the heat-sensitive release joint 35. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the heat-sensitive release joint 35 in a normal state (during monitoring), and the extinguishing water is shown in gray in the drawing. As shown in Figure 4, the heat-sensitive release joint 35 has a main body 39 that is provided in the path of the branch pipe 33 and forms a flow path for the fire extinguishing water, a valve body 41 that closes the flow path of the main body 39, and a heat-sensitive part 43 that presses the valve body 41 in the closing direction under normal conditions and releases this pressing force when heat is detected.

[0030] The main body 39 has three connection ports, the connection port that opens to the right in the figure is connected to the primary side branch pipe 33a, the connection port that opens to the top in the figure is connected to the secondary side branch pipe 33b, and the connection port that opens to the left in the figure is attached to the heat sensing part 43.

[0031] The valve body 41 is configured by attaching a disc spring 47 to the right end of a piston 45. When the piston 45 is pressed to the right in the figure, the disc spring 47 is pressed against a valve seat 49 of the main body 39, closing the flow path within the main body 39.

[0032] The heat-sensing unit 43 has a horseshoe-shaped frame 51 screwed onto the main body 39, a glass bulb 53 provided inside the frame 51, a fixing screw 55 screwed onto the frame 51 to support the glass bulb 53, and a protective cover 57 provided outside the frame 51 to protect the glass bulb 53. The piston 45 is inserted into a through hole formed in the frame 51, and an insertion hole is formed at the end of the inserted portion, into which the tip of the glass bulb 53 can be inserted.

[0033] The glass bulb 53 is a heat-sensing element for detecting the heat of a fire. The glass bulb 53 is made of a glass tube sealed with alcohol, and when the alcohol inside expands due to heat, the glass tube breaks. The tip of the glass bulb 53 is inserted into an insertion hole of the piston 45 that passes through the frame 51 , and the other end is supported by a fixing screw 55 .

[0034] As shown in FIG. 2, a heat-sensing portion 43 is disposed near the rear side of the front panel 5 so that the glass bulb 53 can easily sense the heat of a fire that has broken out in front of the front panel 5. In this embodiment, the heat-sensing unit 43 is disposed on the back side of the front panel 5, but to make it easier to detect the heat of a fire, an opening window may be provided in the front panel 5 at a position facing the heat-sensing unit 43 to expose the heat-sensing unit 43. The heat-sensing unit 43 may also be disposed so that it protrudes from the opening to the front side of the front panel 5.

[0035] During normal times (monitoring) before a fire occurs, the glass bulb 53 supported by the fixing screw 55 presses against the valve body 41, thereby pressing the disc spring 47 of the valve body 41 against the valve seat 49 of the main body 39, closing the flow path within the main body 39. As mentioned above, the primary side of the fire hydrant valve 27 in the water supply pipe 25 is filled with fire water, so fire water also flows into the primary branch pipe 33a branching off from the primary side of the fire hydrant valve 27. However, since the heat-sensitive release joint 35 closes the path between the primary branch pipe 33a and the secondary branch pipe 33b, fire water does not flow into the secondary branch pipe 33b.

[0036] Details will be explained in the operation explanation below, but when the heat-sensitive release joint 35 opens due to heat, the fire extinguishing water that has filled the primary branch pipe 33a flows into the secondary branch pipe 33b through the main body 39 of the heat-sensitive release joint 35, and the fire extinguishing water is supplied to the fixed nozzle 37. Therefore, in the event of a fire occurring in front of or near the fire hydrant device 1, water is automatically discharged from the fixed nozzle 37, so initial fire extinguishing can be quickly initiated even when people cannot approach the fire hydrant device 1.

[0037] As mentioned above, when the fire hydrant valve 27 is opened, a pump start signal is sent to the pump connected to the main water supply pipe 23. However, the fire hydrant device 1 of this embodiment is also provided with a pump start means (not shown) that detects the discharge of water from the fixed nozzle 37 and starts the pump.

[0038] The method by which the pump starting means detects the discharge of water from the fixed nozzle 37 is not important, but examples include a method of detecting the discharge of water by detecting a drop in internal pressure in the primary branch pipe 33a, or a method of directly detecting the extinguishing water discharged from the fixed nozzle 37.

[0039] The pump starting means, which detects the discharge of water from the fixed nozzle 37, sends a pump start signal to the pump connected to the main water supply pipe 23. When the pump receives the pump start signal and starts up, it draws fire extinguishing water from a water tank (not shown) and sends it to the main water supply pipe 23, just as when the fire hydrant valve 27 is opened.

[0040] The operation when a fire occurs in front of the fire hydrant device 1 configured as above will be described. Similar to the conventional fire hydrant device 59 shown in Figure 8, the fire hydrant device 1 is installed at a predetermined interval (for example, 50 m) on the concrete wall surface above the guard passage 61 constructed on one shoulder of the tunnel 21. When a fire F occurs in front of a fire hydrant device 1, as in the case of fire F in the figure, the heat from the fire F causes the area around the fire hydrant device 1 to become very hot.

[0041] The heat of the fire causes the alcohol inside the glass bulb 53 of the heat-sensitive opening joint 35 provided in the fire hydrant device 1 to expand and break. When the glass bulb 53 that was pressing the valve body 41 breaks, the valve body 41 is pressed by the fire extinguishing water that has filled the primary side branch pipe 33a, and slides in the opening direction, as shown in Figure 5.

[0042] When the heat-sensitive release joint 35 is opened as described above, the primary branch pipe 33a and the secondary branch pipe 33b are connected, and the fire-extinguishing water flows into the secondary branch pipe 33b. As a result, the fire-extinguishing water is supplied to the fixed nozzle 37, and the fire-extinguishing water is sprayed from the opening window 19 formed in the front panel 5 onto the fire F occurring in front of or near the front panel 5.

[0043] At this time, the internal pressure of the primary branch pipe 33a drops due to the inflow of fire extinguishing water into the secondary branch pipe 33b. The pump starting means detects this and sends a pump start signal to the pump connected to the main water supply pipe 23. When the pump is started by the pump start signal, fire extinguishing water is supplied to the main water supply pipe 23, and fire extinguishing water is continuously supplied to the fixed nozzles 37.

[0044] While water is being automatically discharged from the fire hydrant device 1 as described above, firefighters can pull out a fire hose from an adjacent fire hydrant device 1 and carry out further firefighting activities against the fire F.

[0045] As described above, in this embodiment, water is automatically discharged from the fire hydrant device 1 in response to a fire that breaks out in front of the fire hydrant device 1, so fire extinguishing can begin earlier than conventional methods, and the spread of the fire can be suppressed. Furthermore, by quickly starting to discharge water from the fire hydrant device toward the front, damage to the fire hydrant device 1 caused by the heat of the fire can be reduced, thereby reducing the cost required to replace the fire hydrant device 1.

[0046] Furthermore, in the fire hydrant device 1 of the present embodiment, the fixed nozzle 37 is always exposed from the opening window portion 19, but in another aspect, a cover member that closes this opening window portion 19 may be further provided. The cover member may be provided so as to open in response to the discharge of water from the fixed nozzle 37, and may be provided so as to open due to the water pressure of the fire extinguishing water discharged from the fixed nozzle 37, for example.

[0047] In one such example, the cover member is formed in a plate shape having the same size as the opening window portion 19 and is attached by fitting it into the opening window portion 19. When fire extinguishing water is released from the fixed nozzle 37, the cover member fitted into the opening window portion 19 is pushed outward from the front panel 5 by the water pressure and falls into the guard passage 61, etc., thereby opening the opening window portion 19. In addition, the cover member may be attached to a hinge at the lower edge of the opening window portion 19, or the cover member may be tied to the front panel 5 or the secondary branch pipe 33b with a string or the like to prevent the cover member from falling.

[0048] By providing a cover member over the open window portion 19, dust floating in the tunnel and water sprayed from a tunnel cleaning vehicle can be prevented from entering the housing 3.

[0049] In addition, when a cover member is provided on the opening window portion 19, instead of the pump starting means that detects the discharge of water from the fixed nozzle 37 and starts the pump, it is also possible to provide a pump starting means that detects the opening of the cover member and starts the pump.

[0050] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example was shown in which the fixed nozzle 37 is provided inside the housing 3, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the present invention is applied to an exposed-type fire hydrant device in which the housing 3 is not embedded in a wall, the branch pipe 33 may be extended to the outside of the housing 3 by penetrating the side or top of the housing 3, and the fixed nozzle 37 may be provided at the end of the branch pipe 33. When the fixed nozzle 37 is provided outside the housing 3 in this way, it is not necessary to provide the opening window 19 in the front panel 5 of the housing 3.

[0051] The installation location of the fire hydrant device of the present invention is not limited to inside a tunnel, and the device can be installed in any location where a fire could break out in front of or near the device and still be effective. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1. Fire hydrant equipment 3. Housing 5 Front Panel 7. Fire hose 9 Piping system 11 Fire hydrant door 13 Fire extinguisher door 15 Red indicator light 17 Transmitter 19 Opening window 21 Tunnel 23 Water main 25 Water supply piping 27 Fire hydrant valve 29 Automatic pressure regulating valve 31 riser pipe 33 Branch piping 33a Primary branch piping 33b Secondary branch piping 35 Heat-sensitive release joint 37 Fixed nozzle 39 Main body 41 Valve body 43 Thermal sensor 45 piston 47 Disc spring 49 Valve seat 51 frames 53 Glass bulb 55 fixing screw 57 Protective cover 59 Fire hydrant equipment (conventional example) 61 Lifeguard Passage

Claims

1. A fire hydrant device having a fire hose and a housing for accommodating the fire hose, a branch pipe branching from a primary side of a fire hydrant valve in a water supply pipe for supplying fire extinguishing water to the fire hose; a heat-sensitive release joint provided in the path of the branch pipe; a fixed nozzle provided on the secondary side of the heat-sensitive open joint in the branch pipe, for discharging the fire extinguishing water supplied from the branch pipe toward the front of the housing; The heat-sensitive opening joint closes the path under normal circumstances, and when a fire breaks out in front of or near the housing, opens the path so that water flows toward the fixed nozzle due to the heat of the fire.

2. The fire hydrant device according to claim 1, characterized in that it has an opening window formed in the front panel of the housing or in a door body provided on the front panel, and the fixed nozzle discharges fire extinguishing water from the opening window.

3. The fire hydrant device according to claim 2, further comprising a cover member that closes the opening window, the cover member being configured to be opened by the water pressure of the fire extinguishing water discharged from the fixed nozzle.

4. The fire hydrant device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a pump activation means for detecting the discharge of water from the fixed nozzle and activating a pump that supplies fire extinguishing water to the water supply pipe.

5. The fire hydrant device according to claim 3, further comprising a pump activation means for detecting the opening of the cover member and activating a pump for supplying fire extinguishing water to the water supply pipe.

Images