Outdoor water discharge device

Abstract

To provide an outdoor water discharge device capable of performing effective water discharge cooling according to the progress of a fire.SOLUTION: The outdoor water discharge device 100a includes a water supply pipe 102a connected to the tip of the water supply hose 103 in a substantially T shape, a first water discharge section 102a and a second water discharge section 102a which are disposed at both ends of the water supply pipe 131a in the axial direction and discharge the water supplied via the water supply pipe 131b to the outside from the respective water discharge ports, a first drive section 131a which adjusts the amount of water discharged to the outside from the water discharge port of the first water discharge section 132a (first water discharge port 141a), a second drive section which adjusts the amount of water discharged to the outside from the water discharge port of the second water discharge section (second water discharge port), a control unit 120 which controls the first drive section and the second drive section, and a drone 180 connected to the water supply pipe. 102a 131b 141b 132b 141a 141b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an outdoor water discharge device that is installed outside a building. [Background technology]

[0002] Wooden buildings are highly flammable, and if a fire breaks out in the vicinity, they are prone to spreading due to sparks and radiant heat. In particular, if a fire breaks out in an area densely populated with wooden buildings, sparks or embers blown by the wind from the building where the fire started can spread to the roofs of surrounding buildings, creating a high risk of escalating into a large-scale fire. Therefore, drencher systems and sprinkler systems are used to prevent the spread of fire in buildings and to protect against sparks and radiant heat from nearby fires and prevent the spread of fires.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a roof water spraying device that sprays water above the roof ridge using a spray nozzle from a high position on the extension line of the roof ridge away from the building. Also, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a water mist spraying device for preventing the spread of fire in which multiple water mist nozzles are arranged around the building (for example, the eaves and walls) and on the roof so that the spray ranges partially overlap. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4551989 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-004902 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the water-discharging device described in Patent Document 1 has a fixed position for the spray nozzle, making it difficult to spray water uniformly over the entire roof. Also, the water-discharging device described in Patent Document 1 is designed to spray water onto the roof, and is therefore unable to spray water onto the wall surfaces of a building. Therefore, it is difficult to say that the water-discharging device described in Patent Document 1 can effectively perform water-discharging cooling in accordance with the progress of the fire (in other words, the progress or progression of the fire).

[0006] Furthermore, the water mist spraying device described in Patent Document 2 can spray water to cool the periphery of a building (for example, the eaves and wall surfaces), but it is difficult to spray water over the entire roof. Therefore, it is difficult to say that the water mist spraying device described in Patent Document 2 can effectively spray water to cool the area according to the progress of a fire.

[0007] Therefore, the present disclosure provides an outdoor water-discharge device that can effectively discharge water to cool the area according to the progress of the fire. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, an outdoor water-discharging device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a water supply pipe connected to the end of a water supply hose in an approximately T-shape, a first water-discharging unit and a second water-discharging unit arranged at both axial ends of the water supply pipe and discharging water supplied through the water supply pipe to the outside from their respective water outlets, a first drive unit that adjusts the amount of water discharged to the outside from the water outlet of the first water-discharging unit, a second drive unit that adjusts the amount of water discharged to the outside from the water outlet of the second water-discharging unit, a control unit that controls the first drive unit and the second drive unit, and a drone connected to the water supply pipe. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, an outdoor water-discharge device can be provided that can effectively discharge water to cool the fire depending on the progression of the fire. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an outdoor water-discharging system to which an outdoor water-discharging apparatus according to an embodiment is applied. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the outdoor water-discharging device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a first example of the operation of the outdoor water-discharging apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a second example of the operation of the outdoor water-discharging apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an outdoor water-discharging system to which an outdoor water-discharging apparatus according to another embodiment is applied. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of an outdoor water-discharging device according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] (Findings that led to this disclosure) Japan has many urban areas densely populated with dilapidated wooden buildings, and fires that break out there run the risk of developing into large-scale fires that engulf surrounding buildings. To prevent this, drencher systems or sprinkler systems are used. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a water-spraying device that sprays water upward from a spray nozzle from a high position on the extension line of the roof ridge, away from the building. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a water-mist spraying device for fire prevention, in which multiple water-mist nozzles are arranged around the building, on the roof, etc., so that the spray areas partially overlap.

[0012] Furthermore, buildings have areas vulnerable to fire spread, and these areas change depending on the progress of the fire (in other words, the progression of the fire or the progress of the fire). A vulnerable area is an area that is easily affected by the fire as the fire progresses. For example, it is an area that is easily affected by sparks from a fire in the building or an area that is easily affected by radiation from a fire in a neighboring house. Therefore, preventing the fire from spreading from vulnerable areas of a building as the fire progresses leads to cutting off the fire's path that could cause further expansion. For example, when the fire is far from the building, the vulnerable area is the roof. Also, when the fire is approaching the building, the vulnerable areas are the eaves and walls (especially areas with openings such as doors or windows). As such, the vulnerable areas vary depending on the progress of the fire (i.e., the progress of the fire), so effective water cooling is required depending on the progress of the fire.

[0013] For example, when the fire is far from the building, it is necessary to prevent the fire from spreading to the roof. Furthermore, it is also important to prevent the fire from spreading to the roofs of neighboring buildings, as this will help prevent the fire from spreading in a chain reaction.

[0014] In order to prevent the spread of fire due to sparks flying to the roof, it is considered effective to spray water toward the roof, as in the water spraying device described in Patent Document 1, for example. However, the water spraying device described in Patent Document 1 has only one water spray nozzle, which is fixed at one point, making it difficult to spray water uniformly over the entire roof. Furthermore, the water spraying device described in Patent Document 1 cannot spray water on the roofs of buildings surrounding the building. Also, for example, when the source of the fire approaches a building, it is necessary to prevent the fire from spreading due to radiant heat to the eaves and walls. Furthermore, if the fire spreads to a neighboring house, spraying water into the space between the building and the neighboring house to reduce radiant heat is also important in preventing the fire from spreading to the building due to radiant heat.

[0015] In order to prevent the spread of fire due to radiant heat to the eaves and walls, it is believed to be effective to spray mist-like water around the perimeter of the building (eaves and walls), as with the spraying device described in Patent Document 2. However, it is difficult for the spraying device described in Patent Document 2 to spray water over the entire roof. Furthermore, the spraying device described in Patent Document 2 cannot spray mist-like water into the space between a building and its neighboring house.

[0016] Therefore, the inventors of the present application conducted extensive research in consideration of the above-mentioned problems and discovered that by arranging two or more independently controllable water-discharging units spaced apart in the axial direction of a water supply pipe installed outside a building (i.e., on the ground), it is possible to effectively perform water-discharge cooling according to the progress of the fire. Specifically, each of the two or more water-discharging units has at least one water-discharging nozzle, and the operation of each of the two or more water-discharging units is independently controlled. More specifically, each of the two or more water-discharging units is controlled to perform at least one of the following actions: moving up and down in the axial direction of the water supply pipe (in other words, moving up and down in the axial direction), rotating around an axis (capable of 360-degree rotation), and adjusting the amount of water discharged from the water-discharging nozzle. As a result, the outdoor water-discharging device disclosed herein can uniformly discharge water to cool the entire roof when the source of a fire is far from the building, and can focus water-discharge cooling on the eaves and wall surfaces (especially openings such as doors and windows) when the source of the fire is close to the building. Furthermore, if the fire spreads to a neighboring house, water can be sprayed into the space between the two houses to reduce the radiant heat received by the building. Furthermore, water can be sprayed on the neighboring house, which is the source of the fire, to extinguish the source of the fire. For example, water can be sprayed on the unburned part of the neighboring house to prevent the fire from spreading, or water can be sprayed towards the flames of the fire.

[0017] Furthermore, the outdoor water-discharging apparatus according to the present disclosure may acquire information on the progress of the fire spread from an external terminal such as a smartphone or a fire department communication terminal, and control the operation of two or more water-discharging units based on the acquired information. Also, the outdoor water-discharging apparatus according to the present disclosure may be equipped with a sensor unit, for example, to acquire sensing data such as wind speed, and control the operation of two or more water-discharging units based on the acquired sensing information. Also, the outdoor water-discharging apparatus according to the present disclosure may be remotely controlled from the external terminal to control the operation of two or more water-discharging units according to the progress of the fire spread.

[0018] As described above, the outdoor water-discharging device according to the present disclosure can appropriately discharge water to cool parts vulnerable to the spread of fire, such as the roof, eaves, under-eaves, and wall surfaces (particularly parts including openings) of a building, depending on the progress of the spread of the fire (i.e., the progress of the fire). Therefore, the present disclosure can provide an outdoor water-discharging device that can effectively discharge water to cool the building depending on the progress of the fire.

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component placement and connection configurations, steps, and step sequences shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not described in the independent claims that represent the highest concepts are described as optional components. Furthermore, each drawing is not necessarily an exact illustration. In each drawing, substantially identical components are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions may be omitted or simplified.

[0020] Furthermore, in this disclosure, terms indicating the relationship between elements, such as parallel and perpendicular, terms indicating the shape of elements, such as rectangle, and numerical values ​​do not only represent the strict meaning, but also include a substantially equivalent range, for example, a difference of about a few percent.

[0021] (Embodiment) Hereinafter, the embodiments will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[0022] [Outdoor water discharge system] First, the outdoor water-discharging system will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an outdoor water-discharging system 300 to which an outdoor water-discharging device 100 according to an embodiment is applied.

[0023] 1, the outdoor water-discharging system 300 includes, for example, an outdoor water-discharging device 100 and an external terminal 200. The outdoor water-discharging device 100 and the external terminal 200 are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other. The communication may be wired communication or wireless communication.

[0024] In the outdoor water-discharge system 300, the outdoor water-discharge device 100 determines the operation of each of two or more water-discharge units (e.g., the first water-discharge unit 130a, the second water-discharge unit 130b) of the outdoor water-discharge device 100 based on information acquired from the external terminal 200, for example, information regarding the progress of the spread of the fire (i.e., the progress of the fire), and controls the operation of the two or more water-discharge units. This allows the outdoor water-discharge system 300 to effectively perform water-discharge cooling in accordance with the progress of the fire.

[0025] The progress of a fire refers to, for example, the progress of the spread of the fire, and is expressed by the distance from the location where the outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100 is installed to the building where the fire is spreading (i.e., the source of the fire), the speed of the fire spreading, the range of the fire spreading, etc. In other words, the progress of a fire refers to the degree of approach of the fire to the building where the outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100 is installed, and the risk of the fire spreading to the building where the outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100 is installed.

[0026] Examples of buildings include houses, apartment buildings, stores, commercial facilities, offices, office buildings, hospitals, warehouses, factories, research facilities, shrines, temples, and churches.

[0027] Furthermore, for example, the outdoor water discharge system 300 may determine the operation of each of the two or more water discharge units based on data sensed by the sensor unit 150 in addition to information about the progress of the fire. This allows the outdoor water discharge system 300 to perform more appropriate water discharge cooling. Note that the information about the progress of the fire may include, for example, information indicating the progress of the fire as well as information related to the progress of the fire. Information indicating the progress of the fire may include, for example, the location of the fire's origin, an area where the fire is spreading, and the speed or direction at which the fire is progressing (in other words, spreading). Information related to the progress of the fire may include, for example, information about fire extinguishing activities, information about fire prevention activities, or information about damage caused by the fire, such as injuries.

[0028] Each component of the outdoor water-discharge system 300 will be described below.

[0029] [External terminal] The external terminal 200 outputs information to the outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100. The information is, for example, information acquired by the external terminal 200 or information derived based on the information acquired by the external terminal 200. For example, when a fire breaks out around the outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100 or when there is a possibility that the fire will spread to the outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100, the external terminal 200 outputs information about the progress of the fire to the outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100. The vicinity of the outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100 may be, for example, within a range of one to several blocks including the building in which the outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100 is installed. Furthermore, there is a possibility that the fire will spread when, for example, the possibility is equal to or greater than a predetermined probability value. One or more predetermined probability values ​​may be set. In this case, the external terminal 200 may change the type of information to be output, for example, as the set probability value increases. The type of information to be output by the external terminal 200 may be set in advance, or may be appropriately selected by the user of the external terminal 200 when outputting the information.

[0030] The external terminal 200 may be, for example, a mobile terminal or a computer device. The mobile terminal may be, for example, a general-purpose mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal, as shown in FIG. 1 . An application program for controlling the outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100 may be installed in the external terminal 200. This allows a user to control the outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100 by operating the external terminal 200.

[0031] The external terminal 200 may be a dedicated remote controller for the outdoor water-discharging device 100. The dedicated remote controller is an infrared remote controller that is operated by a user to control the outdoor water-discharging device 100.

[0032] The external terminal 200 may be a server device. For example, the external terminal 200 may be a server device of a company that provides outdoor water discharge systems, or may be a server device of a local fire department headquarters.

[0033] Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which the outdoor water-discharge system 300 includes one external terminal 200, the outdoor water-discharge system 300 may include two or more external terminals 200.

[0034] [Outdoor water spray device] Next, the outdoor water-discharging device 100 will be described. The outdoor water-discharging device 100 is erected outside a building (hereinafter simply referred to as the building) to which water is to be discharged, and discharges water onto the building by individually controlling the operation of two or more water-discharging units that are arranged at a distance in the axial direction (here, the vertical direction). More specifically, the outdoor water-discharging device 100 controls at least one of the following operations: (i) rotating each of the two or more water-discharging units around its axis; (ii) moving each of the two or more water-discharging units up and down along the axial direction; and (iii) adjusting the amount of water discharged to the outside from each of the water discharge outlets of the two or more water-discharging units. Hereinafter, the discharge of water to the outside from each of the water discharge outlets of the two or more water-discharging units by the outdoor water-discharging device 100 is also referred to as "discharging water to the outside from two or more water-discharging units."

[0035] At least one outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100 may be installed per building, and the number of outdoor water-discharging apparatuses 100 to be installed is not particularly limited. For example, one outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100 may be installed at each of the four corners of the building. The number of outdoor water-discharging apparatuses 100 to be installed may be adjusted as appropriate depending on the surrounding environment of the outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100. The surrounding environment of the outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100 may be evaluated based on, for example, the fire resistance of the building and the buildings surrounding it, the distance between the building and adjacent buildings, the width of the road facing the building, the distance from the fire station, or the presence or absence of a fire hydrant. For example, the surrounding environment may be evaluated from the perspective of whether or not a fire is likely to spread in the event of a fire. For example, if the surrounding environment is evaluated poorly (in other words, if the environment is likely to allow a fire to spread), the outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100 may be installed on each side of the building in addition to the four corners of the building.

[0036] In particular, buildings constructed using traditional construction methods (more specifically, so-called historic buildings constructed using traditional construction methods before the enactment of the Building Standards Act in 1950) that do not meet current standards are called existing non-compliant buildings, and restrictions are placed on their expansion, renovation, major repairs, or changes of use. However, in recent years, in order to preserve and actively utilize historic buildings, there has been a movement by local governments to exempt these buildings (more specifically, buildings designated as Important Cultural Properties or Designated Cultural Properties, or buildings with historical value in the area) from the application of the Building Standards Act through ordinances. This is likely to increase the likelihood that buildings that do not meet current fire safety standards will remain. In other words, historic buildings that have been certified as exempt from the Building Standards Act are unlikely to have their certification revoked, and therefore cannot be expected to be rebuilt in the future. Therefore, if there are historic buildings around the outdoor water discharge system 100, the environment will be rated lower in terms of whether it is susceptible to the spread of fire. In other words, historic buildings can be considered as targets for reducing the risk of fire spread, especially with the outdoor water discharge system 100. Therefore, it is advisable to proactively install the outdoor water-discharge device 100 in historic buildings that have been certified as exempt from the Building Standards Act and in historic buildings that may be certified as such in the future.

[0037] Furthermore, from the perspective of preserving the historical character of historical buildings, installing a water-discharging device such as that described in Patent Document 1 on the roof of the building may damage the traditional design. However, the outdoor water-discharging device 100 is installed on the ground rather than on the building, so it is possible to improve fire prevention while preserving the historical character of historical buildings.

[0038] 1 shows an example in which the outdoor water-discharging device 100 has three water-discharging sections (first water-discharging section 130a, second water-discharging section 130b, and third water-discharging section 130c), but it is preferable that the outdoor water-discharging device 100 has at least two water-discharging sections (for example, first water-discharging section 130a and second water-discharging section 130b). The number of water-discharging sections provided in the outdoor water-discharging device 100 may be adjusted as appropriate depending on the size of the building and the environment surrounding the outdoor water-discharging device 100.

[0039] The height of the outdoor water-discharging device 100 may be set, for example, depending on the type and height of the building to which water is to be discharged. For example, if the building is a detached house, office, shop, shrine, temple, factory, or church, the outdoor water-discharging device 100 may be higher than the ridge of the roof. Alternatively, if the building is an office building, commercial facility, or research facility, the outdoor water-discharging device 100 may be tall enough to reach the second or third floor of the building. For example, the height of the outdoor water-discharging device 100 is 8 meters or more and 10 meters or less. Furthermore, each water-discharging unit (e.g., the first water-discharging unit 130a, the second water-discharging unit 130b, and the third water-discharging unit 130c) may be movable, for example, 1 meter up and down along the axial direction. In this case, the length of each water-discharging unit is, for example, 2 meters or more and 2.5 meters or less. Furthermore, a support unit 108 for supporting each water-discharging unit may be disposed between two adjacent water-discharging units. The support parts 108 are arranged, for example, at intervals equal to the length of the vertical movement of each water-discharging part. The length of each support part 108 may be any length that does not interfere with the vertical movement of each water-discharging part, and if each water-discharging part moves up and down by 1 meter, the length of each support part 108 is, for example, between 2 meters and 2.5 meters.

[0040] The above numerical values ​​are merely examples and may be adjusted as appropriate depending on the design.

[0041] Below, we will explain each component of the outdoor water-discharging device 100. Since the outdoor water-discharging device 100 only needs to have at least two water-discharging units, we will omit the explanation of the third water-discharging unit 130c below and will explain the first water-discharging unit 130a and the second water-discharging unit 130b.

[0042] [1. Configuration] Next, each component of the outdoor water-discharging device 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the outdoor water-discharging device 100 according to an embodiment.

[0043] 2 and 3, the outdoor water-discharging device 100 includes a water supply pipe 102 erected outside a building, a first water-discharging unit 130a and a second water-discharging unit 130b spaced apart in the axial direction of the water supply pipe 102, a first drive unit 140a that drives the first water-discharging unit 130a, a second drive unit 140b that drives the second water-discharging unit 130b, and a control unit 120 that controls the first drive unit 140a and the second drive unit 140b. The outdoor water-discharging device 100 may further include a communication unit 110, a sensor unit 150, and a memory unit 160.

[0044] [Water supply pipe] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the water supply pipe 102 is installed on the ground outside the building and includes a first supply unit 104a and a second supply unit 104b that supply water to the first water discharge unit 130a and the second water discharge unit 130b, respectively. The first supply unit 104a and the second supply unit 104b include an extendable first hose unit 106a and a second hose unit 106b, respectively. The first supply unit 104a and the second supply unit 104b are connected to the water supply pipe 102 and rotate in response to the rotation of the first water discharge unit 130a and the second water discharge unit 130b. The first hose unit 106a and the second hose unit 106b extend and contract in response to the vertical movement of the first water discharge unit 130a and the second water discharge unit 130b in the axial direction. Note that the water supply pipe 102 is not limited to the above example. For example, the water supply pipe 102 may be configured to include only the first hose portion 106a and the second hose portion 106b that are extendable and retractable in response to the operation of the first water-discharging portion 130a and the second water-discharging portion 130b, respectively.

[0045] The water supplied to the water-discharging unit 130 via the water supply pipe 102 may be pressurized by a pump (not shown) or by blowing compressed air around the water in the water supply pipe 102 using a compressor (not shown). An open valve (not shown) may be provided in the water supply pipe 102. The open valve may reduce the primary pressure depending on the valve opening and supply discharge water at secondary pressure to the water-discharging unit 130 for discharge. A pressure-regulating valve (not shown) may be provided for the open valve. The pressure-regulating valve may perform automatic mechanical pressure control to adjust the secondary pressure of the open valve so that the discharge pressure from the water-discharging unit 130, which becomes the secondary pressure of the open valve, is maintained at a predetermined discharge pressure corresponding to the distance to the water-discharging position (i.e., the water-discharging distance). The pressure-regulating valve may include a pressure-setting spring that determines the set pressure based on the spring load.

[0046] [Water discharge part] The outdoor water-discharging device 100 includes two or more water-discharging sections 130, such as a first water-discharging section 130a and a second water-discharging section 130b. The first water-discharging section 130a and the second water-discharging section 130b are arranged on the water supply pipe 102 at a distance from each other in the axial direction of the water supply pipe 102, and discharge water supplied through the water supply pipe 102 from their respective water outlets (e.g., first water-discharging outlet 132a, second water-discharging outlet 132b) to the outside.

[0047] The first water discharge unit 130a and the second water discharge unit 130b may each include a water discharge outlet and a cylindrical housing to which the water discharge outlet is attached. For example, as shown in Fig. 2, the first water discharge unit 130a includes a first water discharge outlet 132a and a cylindrical housing 134a having an opening 136a to which the first water discharge outlet 132a is attached. The second water discharge unit 130b includes a second water discharge outlet 132b and a cylindrical housing 134b having an opening 136b to which the second water discharge outlet 132b is attached.

[0048] While FIG. 2 shows an example in which the first water discharge unit 130a and the second water discharge unit 130b each have one water discharge outlet, each water discharge unit may have two or more water discharge outlets. In this case, the two or more water discharge outlets are positioned to cancel out the pressure caused by the water discharge. For example, if each water discharge unit has two water discharge outlets, the two water discharge outlets are positioned 180 degrees apart. Also, for example, if each water discharge unit has three water discharge outlets, the three water discharge outlets are positioned at angles obtained by dividing 360 degrees into thirds, that is, at 120-degree intervals. In this way, by providing two or more water discharge outlets in each water discharge unit at positions that cancel out the water discharge pressure, the outdoor water discharge device 100 is less susceptible to the effects of the water discharge pressure because the pressure caused by the water discharge is canceled out, allowing it to discharge water more stably.

[0049] The water outlets may be nozzles, for example. In this case, the first water outlet 132a and the second water outlet 132b may each include a base (e.g., the curved portion shown in FIG. 2) and a nozzle. For example, the first water outlet 132a has a first water volume adjuster 146a installed on the water supply pipe 102 side of the base of the first water outlet 132a (e.g., the base of the nozzle in the case of a nozzle). Furthermore, for example, the first water outlet 132a has a first tilt adjuster 148a installed so as to contact the outer surface of the base (i.e., the surface opposite the water supply pipe 102 side). Here, the base is shown as being hemispherical, but the shape is not particularly limited as long as the first tilt adjuster 148a can press against the outer surface of the base to adjust the orientation of the first water outlet 132a. For example, the base may be conical, polygonal pyramidal, or tapered. The second water outlet 132b has a similar configuration to the first water outlet 132a. The first water volume adjuster 146a and the first tilt adjuster 148a will be described later.

[0050] The first water discharger 130a and the second water discharger 130b are driven by a first drive unit 140a and a second drive unit 140b, respectively. For example, the first water discharger 130a and the second water discharger 130b each perform at least one of the following actions: (i) moving up and down in the axial direction of the water supply pipe 102, (ii) rotating around the axis, and (iii) adjusting the amount of water discharge. Note that the adjustment of the amount of water discharge (iii) may include adjusting the amount of water discharge to zero, i.e., not discharging water. Furthermore, the first water discharger 130a and the second water discharger 130b may perform an action of tilting the first water discharge outlet 132a and the second water discharge outlet 132b in the up and down direction, respectively.

[0051] The first water discharger 130a and the second water discharger 130b are not limited to the example shown in FIG. 1 as long as they have a structure that can perform at least one of the above actions (i) to (iii). For example, the first water discharger 130a and the second water discharger 130b may each be doughnut-shaped. In this case, the water supply pipe 102 passes through a hole in the doughnut, and magnets are arranged at predetermined intervals on the surface of the doughnut, and multiple electromagnetic coils are discretely arranged on the inner wall of the housing 134a (the wall surface on the water supply pipe 102 side). Then, by applying an electric current to attract or repel predetermined electromagnetic coils and magnets, the first water discharger 130a may perform at least one of the above actions (i) to (iii).

[0052] [Drive unit] The outdoor water-discharging device 100 includes a first driving unit 140a and a second driving unit 140b as the driving unit 140 that drives the first water-discharging unit 130a and the second water-discharging unit 130b, respectively. The first driving unit 140a and the second driving unit 140b drive the first water-discharging unit 130a and the second water-discharging unit 130b so that the first water-discharging unit 130a and the second water-discharging unit 130b perform the operations determined by the control unit 120.

[0053] The first drive unit 140a includes, for example, at least a pair of first lift drive units 142a that move the first water discharge unit 130a up and down in the axial direction of the water supply pipe 102, at least one first rotation drive unit 144a that rotates the first water discharge unit 130a about its axis, and a first water volume adjustment unit 146a that adjusts the volume of water supplied from the water supply pipe 102 to the first water discharge outlet 132a of the first water discharge unit 130a. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, the first drive unit 140a may include at least one first tilt adjustment unit 148a that enables the first water discharge outlet 132a to be tilted in the up and down direction.

[0054] The second drive unit 140b includes, for example, at least a pair of second lift drive units 142b that move the second water discharge unit 130b up and down in the axial direction of the water supply pipe 102, at least one second rotation drive unit 144b that rotates the second water discharge unit 130b about its axis, and a second water volume adjustment unit 146b that adjusts the volume of water supplied from the water supply pipe 102 to the second water discharge outlet 132b of the second water discharge unit 130b. As shown in FIG. 2, the second drive unit 140b may also include at least one second tilt adjustment unit 148b that enables the second water discharge outlet 132b to be tilted up and down.

[0055] The first lifting / lowering drive unit 142a and the second lifting / lowering drive unit 142b are installed, for example, on the inner wall of the support unit 108, and move the lifting platform up and down using a hydraulic pump, thereby moving the first water discharge unit 130a and the second water discharge unit 130b up and down in the axial direction of the water supply pipe 102.

[0056] The first rotational drive unit 144a and the second rotational drive unit 144b are, for example, electric drive units powered by an electric motor, and generate rotational torque in response to the supply of electricity, thereby rotating the first water discharge unit 130a and the second water discharge unit 130b around the axis of the water supply pipe 102.

[0057] The first water volume regulator 146a and the second water volume regulator 146b are, for example, electromagnetic valves or throttles.

[0058] The first tilt adjustment unit 148a is installed, for example, at the opening 136a of the housing 134a to which the first water outlet 132a is attached so as to overlap the curved surface of the first water outlet 132a. The first tilt adjustment unit 148a may include, for example, a shaft (not shown) protruding from one end of the opening 136a of the housing 134a, a blade (not shown) having a groove that fits into the shaft, and a rotating unit (not shown) that rotates the shaft. The rotating unit may be rotated by torque generated electrically or hydraulically. The first tilt adjustment unit 148a can tilt the first water outlet 132a up and down, for example, by pressing the blade against the base of the first water outlet 132a (the curved portion in FIG. 3).

[0059] Furthermore, the second tilt adjustment part 148b is installed, for example, at the opening 136b of the housing 134b to which the second water outlet 132b is attached so as to overlap with the curved surface of the second water outlet 132b. The second tilt adjustment part 148b has a configuration similar to that of the first tilt adjustment part 148a, and allows the second water outlet 132b to be tilted in the up and down direction.

[0060] The above-described configurations of the first driving section 140a and the second driving section 140b are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described examples.

[0061] [Communications Department] The communication unit 110 is a communication module (communication line) that enables the outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100 to communicate with the external terminal 200. The communication unit 110 communicates with the external terminal 200, for example, via a network. The network may be a wide-area communication network such as the Internet, or a local communication network. The communication performed by the communication unit 110 may be, for example, wireless communication or wired communication. There is no particular limitation on the communication standard used for the communication.

[0062] [Control Unit] The control unit 120 performs information processing to control the operation of the first drive unit 140a and the second drive unit 140b. More specifically, the control unit 120 determines the operation of the first water discharge unit 130a and the second water discharge unit 130b, and controls the operation of the first drive unit 140a and the second drive unit 140b so that the first water discharge unit 130a and the second water discharge unit 130b each perform the determined operation.

[0063] The control unit 120 may be realized by, for example, a microcomputer, a processor, or a dedicated circuit.

[0064] For example, the control unit 120 determines that each of the first water discharge unit 130a and the second water discharge unit 130b will perform at least one of the following actions: (i) moving up and down in the axial direction of the water supply pipe 102, (ii) rotating around the axis, and (iii) adjusting the amount of water discharge. The control unit 120 may also determine that each of the first water discharge outlet 132a and the second water discharge outlet 132b will perform an action of tilting up and down.

[0065] For example, when the control unit 120 acquires information about the progress of the fire from the external terminal 200, the control unit 120 may determine the operation of each of the first water-discharging unit 130a and the second water-discharging unit 130b based on the information about the progress of the fire. The control unit 120 may further determine the operation of each of the first water-discharging unit 130a and the second water-discharging unit 130b based on at least one of data of temperature, wind direction, and wind speed sensed by the sensor unit 150. The temperature may be, for example, the temperature of the space around the outdoor water-discharging device 100 or the surface temperature of a building around the outdoor water-discharging device 100 (for example, the building to which water is to be discharged or a building adjacent to that building).

[0066] Furthermore, for example, the control unit 120 may output at least one of the data sensed by the sensor unit 150 and information regarding the control of the operation of each of the first water-discharging unit 130a and the second water-discharging unit 130b to the external terminal 200 via the communication unit 110.

[0067] Furthermore, for example, when the control unit 120 detects the occurrence of a fire around the outdoor water-discharging device 100 based on data sensed by the sensor unit 150, the control unit 120 may output notification information for notifying the occurrence of a fire and the data sensed by the sensor unit 150 to the external terminal 200 via the communication unit 110.

[0068] Furthermore, for example, when the control unit 120 acquires information regarding instructions for the operation of the outdoor water-discharging device 100 from the external terminal 200, the control unit 120 may control at least one of the sensor unit 150, the first driving unit 140a, and the second driving unit 140b based on the information regarding the instructions.

[0069] [Sensor section] The sensor unit 150 includes, for example, a sensor that senses at least one of temperature, wind direction, and wind speed. For example, as shown in Fig. 1, the sensor unit 150 may be installed on the top of the outdoor water-discharging device 100. The sensor unit 150 may include, for example, a sensor that senses the outside air temperature, a sensor that senses the surface temperature of the building around the outdoor water-discharging device 100, a sensor that senses wind direction and wind speed, a camera that captures moving or still images, or a sensor that senses the concentration of fine particles in the air (for example, charcoal generated by a fire).

[0070] For example, the sensor unit 150 outputs the sensed data to the control unit 120 at predetermined intervals. Furthermore, the sensor unit 150 may perform sensing in accordance with an instruction regarding the operation from the control unit 120, and output the data obtained by the sensing to the control unit 120.

[0071] [Storage] The storage unit 160 is a storage device that stores computer programs and the like executed by the control unit 120. The storage unit 160 is realized by a semiconductor memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), or the like.

[0072] [2. Operation] Next, the operation of the outdoor water-discharging device 100 will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0073] [Example 1] First, there will be described a first example of the operation of the outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a first example of the operation of the outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100 according to the embodiment.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 4, the outdoor water-discharging device 100 determines whether or not information regarding a fire has been acquired from the external terminal 200 (step S101), and if it determines that the information has not been acquired (No in step S101), the process ends.

[0075] On the other hand, when the control unit 120 determines that information regarding the progress of the fire has been acquired from the external terminal 200 (Yes in step S101), it determines whether or not data sensed by the sensor unit 150 (hereinafter also referred to as sensing data) has been acquired (step S102). When the control unit 120 determines that sensing data has been acquired from the sensor unit 150 (Yes in step S102), it determines the operation of each of the first water-discharging unit 130a and the second water-discharging unit 130b based on the information regarding the progress of the fire and the sensing data (step S103). More specifically, in step S103, the control unit 120 determines, based on the information regarding the progress of the fire and the sensing data, that each of the first water discharge unit 130a and the second water discharge unit 130b will perform at least one of the following actions: (i) moving up and down in the axial direction of the water supply pipe 102, (ii) rotating around the axis, and (iii) adjusting the amount of water (i.e., the water discharge amount) discharged to the outside from the water discharge outlets (first water discharge outlet 132a and second water discharge outlet 132b) of the first water discharge unit 130a and the second water discharge unit 130b. Note that the action of adjusting the water discharge amount in (iii) also includes adjusting the water discharge amount to zero.

[0076] For example, if the information regarding the progress of the fire indicates that the source of the fire is far from the outdoor water-discharge device 100 (for example, several blocks away), and if the wind speed indicated in the sensing data is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the control unit 120 determines the operation of the first water-discharge unit 130a, for example, to adjust the amount of water discharged from the first water-discharge outlet 132a of the first water-discharge unit 130a to the maximum value and move the first water-discharge unit 130a to the highest position to which it can be moved, so that water is discharged over the entire roof. Furthermore, the control unit 120 may determine the operation of the first water-discharge unit 130a to adjust the vertical tilt of the first water-discharge outlet 132a, in addition to at least one of the operations (i) to (iii) above.

[0077] Furthermore, for example, when the information regarding the progress of a fire indicates that the source of the fire is close to the outdoor water-discharging device 100 (for example, the source of the fire is within several buildings of the building), and when the wind speed indicated in the sensing data is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the control unit 120 determines the operation of the second water-discharging unit 130b to, for example, rotate the second water-discharging unit 130b in the axial direction, move the position of the second water-discharging unit 130b back and forth in the vertical direction at a predetermined speed, and adjust the amount of water discharged from the second water-discharging outlet 132b to a maximum value so that water is discharged evenly into the space between the building where the outdoor water-discharging device 100 is installed outside and the building adjacent to that building. Furthermore, the control unit 120 may determine the operation of the second water-discharging unit 130b to adjust the vertical tilt of the second water-discharging outlet 132b in addition to at least one of the operations (i) to (iii) above.

[0078] Next, the control unit 120 controls the first driving unit 140a and the second driving unit 140b so that the first water discharging unit 130a and the second water discharging unit 130b perform the operation determined in step S103 (step S105). For example, when the operation of at least one of the first water discharging unit 130a and the second water discharging unit 130b is determined in step S103, the control unit 120 controls at least one of the first driving unit 140a and the second driving unit 140b so that the operation determined in step S103 is performed.

[0079] 2, in step S105, for example, when moving the first water discharger 130a upward, the control unit 120 controls the first lifting drive unit 142a of the first drive unit 140a to push the housing 134a of the first water discharger 130a upward. Also, for example, when rotating the first water discharger 130a in the axial direction of the water supply pipe 102, the control unit 120 controls the first rotation drive unit 144a of the first drive unit 140a to rotate the housing 134a. Also, for example, when adjusting the amount of water discharged from the first water discharger 130a, the control unit 120 controls the first water volume adjustment unit 146a of the first drive unit 140a to adjust the amount of water supplied from the first supply unit 104a to the first water discharge outlet 132a. Also, for example, when adjusting the vertical tilt of the first water discharge outlet 132a of the first water discharge section 130a, the control section 120 controls the first tilt adjustment section 148a of the first drive section 140a to adjust the vertical tilt of the first water discharge outlet 132a.

[0080] On the other hand, if the control unit 120 determines that it has not acquired sensing data from the sensor unit 150 (No in step S102), it determines the operation of each of the first water-discharging unit 130a and the second water-discharging unit 130b based on information regarding the progress of the fire (step S104).

[0081] For example, if the information regarding the progress of the fire indicates that the source of the fire is far from the outdoor water-discharging device 100 (for example, several blocks away), the control unit 120 determines the operation of the first water-discharging unit 130a, for example, to adjust the amount of water discharged from the first water-discharging outlet 132a of the first water-discharging unit 130a to a predetermined value (for example, ⅔ of the maximum value) and move the first water-discharging unit 130a to the highest position to which it can move in the vertical direction so that water is discharged over the entire roof. Furthermore, the control unit 120 may determine the operation of the first water-discharging unit 130a to adjust the vertical tilt of the first water-discharging outlet 132a in addition to at least one of the above operations (i) to (iii).

[0082] Furthermore, for example, when the information regarding the progress of the fire indicates that the source of the fire is close to the outdoor water-discharging device 100 (for example, the source of the fire is within several buildings of the building), the control unit 120 determines the operation of the second water-discharging unit 130b to rotate the second water-discharging unit 130b in the axial direction so that water is discharged into the space between the building where the outdoor water-discharging device 100 is installed outside and the building adjacent to that building, to move the second water-discharging unit 130b upward along the axial direction so that the second water-discharging unit 130b moves to a position on the extension line of the eaves of the building, and to adjust the amount of water discharged from the second water-discharging outlet 132b to a predetermined value (for example, ⅔ of the maximum value). Furthermore, the control unit 120 may determine the operation of the second water-discharging unit 130b so as to adjust the vertical tilt of the second water-discharging outlet 132b in addition to at least one of the operations (i) to (iii) above.

[0083] Next, the control unit 120 controls the first driving unit 140a and the second driving unit 140b so that the first water discharging unit 130a and the second water discharging unit 130b perform the operations determined in step S104 (step S105).

[0084] As described above, when the source of the fire is far from the outdoor water-discharge device 100, the outdoor water-discharge device 100 can effectively cool the roof of the house by discharging water, thereby increasing the possibility of preventing the spread of fire due to sparks. Furthermore, when the source of the fire is close to the outdoor water-discharge device 100, the outdoor water-discharge device 100 can effectively cool the eaves, under-eaves, and walls of the building and the space between it and adjacent buildings by discharging water, thereby making it possible to prevent the spread of fire due to heat buildup. Therefore, the outdoor water-discharge device 100 can effectively cool the area by discharging water according to the progress of the fire.

[0085] In addition, if the control unit 120 has not acquired sensing data, when sensing data is acquired during the processing of step S104 or step S105, the operation of each of the first water-discharging unit 130a and the second water-discharging unit 130b may be changed based on the acquired sensing data.

[0086] In steps S103 and S104, an example has been shown in which the control unit 120 determines the operation of the first water-discharging unit 130a when the source of the fire is far from the outdoor water-discharging device 100, and determines the operation of the second water-discharging unit 130b when the source of the fire is close to the outdoor water-discharging device 100, but in each case, the control unit 120 may determine the operation of both the first water-discharging unit 130a and the second water-discharging unit 130b.

[0087] [Modification of the first example] In a modified example of the first example, after processing of step S105, the control unit 120 may output to the external terminal 200 at least one of the data sensed by the sensor unit 150 (so-called sensing data) and information regarding control of the operation of the first water-discharging unit 130a and the second water-discharging unit 130b.

[0088] Next, when the control unit 120 acquires information regarding instructions for operating the outdoor water-discharging device from the external terminal 200, it may control at least one of the sensor unit 150, the first driving unit 140a, and the second driving unit 140b based on the information regarding the instructions.

[0089] If the information regarding instructions for the operation of the outdoor water-discharging device 100 is an instruction regarding the operation of the sensor unit 150, the control unit 120 may control the operation of the sensor unit 150 in accordance with the instruction and output the sensing data to the external terminal 200. Next, when the control unit 120 acquires information regarding instructions for the operation of the first driving unit 140a and the second driving unit 140b from the external terminal 200, the control unit 120 may control the first driving unit 140a and the second driving unit 140b based on the acquired instructions.

[0090] If the information regarding an instruction for the operation of the outdoor water-discharging device 100 is an instruction to control the operations of the sensor unit 150, the first driving unit 140a, and the second driving unit 140b, the control unit 120 may control the operation of the sensor unit 150 in accordance with the instruction and control at least one of the first driving unit 140a and the second driving unit 140b based on the obtained sensing data. The control unit 120 may also control at least one of the first driving unit 140a and the second driving unit 140b in accordance with the instruction and control the sensor unit 150. In this case, the control unit 120 may change the control of the first driving unit 140a and the second driving unit 140b based on the sensing data. The control unit 120 may then output the sensing data and information regarding the change in control of the first driving unit 140a and the second driving unit 140b to the external terminal 200.

[0091] In addition, if the information regarding instructions for the operation of the outdoor water-discharging device 100 is an instruction to control the operation of at least one of the first drive unit 140a and the second drive unit 140b, the control unit 120 controls at least one of the first drive unit 140a and the second drive unit 140b in accordance with the instruction.

[0092] [Example 2] Next, a description will be given of a second example of the operation of the outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing a second example of the operation of the outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100 according to the embodiment.

[0093] In the first example and the variant of the first example, an example of the operation of the outdoor water-discharging device 100 when it acquires information about the progress of a fire from the external terminal 200 is described, whereas in the second example, an example of the operation when it detects the outbreak of a fire based on sensing data is described.

[0094] 5, when the control unit 120 acquires sensing data using the sensor unit 150 (step S201), it determines whether or not a fire has occurred around the outdoor water-discharging device 100 (for example, the building to be discharged or an adjacent building) based on the sensing data (step S202). When the control unit 120 determines that no fire has occurred around the outdoor water-discharging device 100 (No in step S202), it ends the process.

[0095] On the other hand, if the control unit 120 determines based on the sensing data that a fire has broken out around the outdoor water-discharging device 100 (Yes in step S202), it outputs notification information (also called a fire notification) to the external terminal 200 to notify that a fire has broken out around the outdoor water-discharging device 100, and the sensing data (step S203).

[0096] Next, the control unit 120 determines whether or not information regarding an instruction to operate the outdoor water-discharging device 100 has been acquired from the external terminal 200 (step S204). If the control unit 120 determines that information regarding an instruction to operate the outdoor water-discharging device 100 has been acquired from the external terminal 200 (Yes in step S204), the control unit 120 controls at least one of the sensor unit 150, the first driving unit 140a, and the second driving unit 140b based on the information regarding the instruction to operate (step S205).

[0097] On the other hand, if the control unit 120 determines that it has not received information regarding instructions for the operation of the outdoor water-discharging device 100 from the external terminal 200 (No in step S204), it determines the operation of each of the first water-discharging unit 130a and the second water-discharging unit 130b based on the sensing data (step S206).

[0098] Next, the control unit 120 controls the first drive unit 140a and the second drive unit 140b so that the first water discharge unit 130a and the second water discharge unit 130b perform the operation determined in step S206 (step S207). In the process of step S207, similarly to the process of step S105, for example, when the control unit 120 determines the operation of at least one of the first water discharge unit 130a and the second water discharge unit 130b, it controls at least one of the first drive unit 140a and the second drive unit 140b.

[0099] Next, the control unit 120 returns to the process of step S204.

[0100] The control unit 120 may repeat the above processing flow until it receives an instruction from the external terminal 200 to end the control of the operation of the outdoor water-discharging device 100.

[0101] In addition, in step S205, if the information regarding instructions for the operation of the outdoor water-discharging device 100 is an instruction regarding the operation of the sensor unit 150, an instruction to control the operation of at least one of the sensor unit 150, the first drive unit 140a, and the second drive unit 140b, or an instruction to control the operation of at least one of the first drive unit 140a and the second drive unit 140b, the control unit 120 may perform an operation similar to that described in the modified example of the first example.

[0102] [4. Effects, etc.] As described above, the outdoor water-discharging device 100 includes a water supply pipe 102 erected outside a building, a first water-discharging unit 130a and a second water-discharging unit 130b that are disposed on the water supply pipe 102 at a distance in the axial direction of the water supply pipe 102 and that discharge water supplied via the water supply pipe 102 from their respective water-discharging outlets (e.g., a first water-discharging outlet 132a and a second water-discharging outlet 132b) to the outside, and a control unit that (i) rotates the first water-discharging unit 130a around the axis of the water supply pipe 102, (ii) moves the first water-discharging unit 130a up and down along the axial direction of the water supply pipe 102, and (iii) moves the first water-discharging unit 130a. and (iii) adjusting the amount of water discharged to the outside from the water discharge outlet (second water discharge outlet 132b) of the second water discharge unit 130b; and a control unit 120 that controls the first drive unit 140a and the second drive unit 140b.

[0103] Such an outdoor water-discharging device 100 can control the movements of the first water-discharging section 130a and the second water-discharging section 130b individually, and therefore can perform effective water-discharging cooling in accordance with the progress of the fire.

[0104] For example, the outdoor water-discharging device 100 may further include a communication unit 110 that communicates with an external terminal 200 via a network, and the control unit 120 may control at least one of the first driving unit 140a and the second driving unit 140b based on information acquired by the communication unit 110.

[0105] Such an outdoor water-discharging device 100 determines the operation of each of the first water-discharging section 130a and the second water-discharging section 130b based on information obtained from the external terminal 200, and therefore can perform water-discharging cooling more effectively depending on the progress of the fire.

[0106] For example, in the outdoor water-discharging device 100, the communication unit 110 acquires information regarding the progress of the fire from the external terminal 200, and the control unit 120 determines the operation of each of the first water-discharging unit 130a and the second water-discharging unit 130b based on the information regarding the progress of the fire acquired by the communication unit 110, and may control at least one of the first drive unit 140a and the second drive unit 140b so that the first water-discharging unit 130a and the second water-discharging unit 130b perform the determined operation.

[0107] Such an outdoor water-discharging device 100 determines the operation of each of the first water-discharging section 130a and the second water-discharging section 130b based on information regarding the progress of the fire, and therefore can perform water-discharging cooling more effectively according to the progress of the fire.

[0108] For example, the outdoor water-discharging device 100 may further include a sensor unit 150 that senses at least one of temperature, wind direction, and wind speed, and the control unit 120 may further determine the operation of each of the first water-discharging unit 130a and the second water-discharging unit 130b based on the data sensed by the sensor unit 150, and control at least one of the first drive unit 140a and the second drive unit 140b so that the first water-discharging unit 130a and the second water-discharging unit 130b perform the determined operation.

[0109] Such an outdoor water-discharging device 100 further determines the operation of each of the first water-discharging section 130a and the second water-discharging section 130b based on data such as wind speed sensed by the sensor section 150, thereby enabling appropriate water-discharging cooling.

[0110] For example, in the outdoor water-discharging device 100, the control unit 120 may output at least one of the data sensed by the sensor unit 150 and information regarding the control of the operation of each of the first water-discharging unit 130a and the second water-discharging unit 130b to the external terminal 200 via the communication unit 110.

[0111] Such an outdoor water-discharging device 100 outputs at least one of sensing data and control information to the external terminal 200, allowing the user to grasp the progress of the fire spreading around the outdoor water-discharging device 100 and the operating status of the outdoor water-discharging device 100.

[0112] For example, in the outdoor water-discharging device 100, when the control unit 120 detects the occurrence of a fire based on data sensed by the sensor unit 150, the control unit 120 may output notification information and data to notify the occurrence of a fire to the external terminal 200 via the communication unit 110.

[0113] When such an outdoor water-discharging device 100 detects that a fire has broken out around the outdoor water-discharging device 100, it notifies the external terminal 200 of the fire and outputs sensing data, allowing the user to quickly understand the situation of the fire.

[0114] For example, in the outdoor water-discharging device 100, the communication unit 110 may further acquire information regarding instructions for the operation of the outdoor water-discharging device 100 from the external terminal 200, and the control unit 120 may control at least one of the sensor unit 150, the first drive unit 140a, and the second drive unit 140b based on the information regarding the instructions acquired by the communication unit 110.

[0115] Such an outdoor water-discharging device 100 can perform more advanced treatment because the amount of treatment is reduced.

[0116] For example, in the outdoor water discharge device 100, the first drive unit 140a includes a first water volume adjustment unit 146a that adjusts the amount of water supplied from the water supply pipe 102 to the water outlet (first water outlet 132a) of the first water discharge unit 130a, and the second drive unit 140b includes a second water volume adjustment unit 146b that adjusts the amount of water supplied from the water supply pipe 102 to the water outlet (second water outlet 132b) of the second water discharge unit 130b, and the control unit 120 may adjust the amount of water discharged from each of the water outlets (first water outlet 132a and second water outlet 132b) of the first water discharge unit 130a and the second water discharge unit 130b by controlling the first water volume adjustment unit 146a and the second water volume adjustment unit 146b in controlling the first drive unit 140a and the second drive unit 140b.

[0117] Such an outdoor water-discharging device 100 can adjust the amount of water discharged to the outside from each of the water discharge outlets of the first water-discharging section 130a and the second water-discharging section 130b, thereby enabling effective water-discharging cooling according to the progress of the fire.

[0118] For example, in the outdoor water-discharging device 100, the first drive unit 140a further includes a first tilt adjustment unit 148a that enables the water discharge outlet (first water discharge outlet 132a) of the first water discharge unit 130a to be tilted in the vertical direction, and the second drive unit 140b further includes a second tilt adjustment unit 148b that enables the water discharge outlet (second water discharge outlet 132b) of the second water discharge unit 130b to be tilted in the vertical direction, and the control unit 120 may further adjust the arrival position of the water discharged from each of the water discharge outlets (first water discharge outlet 132a and second water discharge outlet 132b) of the first water discharge unit 130a and the second water discharge unit 130b by controlling the first tilt adjustment unit 148a and the second tilt adjustment unit 148b.

[0119] Such an outdoor water-discharge device 100 can individually adjust the vertical tilt, i.e., elevation angle, of the water discharge outlets (first water discharge outlet 132a and second water discharge outlet 132b) of the first water-discharge section 130a and the second water-discharge section 130b, thereby enabling more effective water-discharge cooling according to the progress of the fire.

[0120] (Other embodiments) Next, other embodiments will be described. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an outdoor water-discharging system 300a to which an outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100a according to another embodiment is applied. Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of an outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100a according to another embodiment. The following description will focus on differences from the embodiment, and explanations of overlapping content will be omitted or simplified.

[0121] The outdoor water-discharging system 300a in this embodiment differs from the outdoor water-discharging system 300 in the embodiment (see FIG. 1) in that it includes an outdoor water-discharging device 100a instead of the outdoor water-discharging device 100. The outdoor water-discharging device 100a and the external terminal 200 are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other. The communication is wireless communication.

[0122] In the outdoor water-discharging system 300a, the outdoor water-discharging device 100a determines the operation of each of the first water-discharging section 130a and the second water-discharging section of the outdoor water-discharging device 100a and controls the operation of these water-discharging sections based on information acquired from the external terminal 200, for example, information on the progress of the fire. This allows the outdoor water-discharging system 300a to effectively perform water-discharging cooling in accordance with the progress of the fire.

[0123] An application program for controlling the outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100a may be installed in the external terminal 200. This allows a user to control the outdoor water-discharging apparatus 100a by operating the external terminal 200. The outdoor water-discharging system 300a may include two or more external terminals 200. The external terminal 200 is the same as that described in the embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0124] The outdoor water-discharging device 100a according to another embodiment differs from the outdoor water-discharging device 100 according to the embodiment in that it includes a water supply pipe 102a connected in a substantially T-shaped configuration to the tip of a water supply hose 103 extending from a water supply tank, and a drone 180 connected to the water supply pipe 102a. In FIG. 6, the water supply tank is installed on a vehicle, but this is not limiting and the water supply tank may be installed, for example, above ground, underground, or on the bed of the vehicle. The water supplied from the water supply tank to the water supply hose 103 may be pressurized by a pump (not shown), or may be pressurized by blowing compressed air around the water in the water tank using a compressor (not shown). In the outdoor water-discharging device 100a, the water supply pipe 102a is rotated horizontally, for example, by the drone 180 rotating horizontally. In the example of FIG. 6, the outdoor water-discharging system 300a includes one outdoor water-discharging device 100a, but may include two or more outdoor water-discharging devices 100a.

[0125] As shown in Figure 7, the outdoor water-discharging device 100a includes a water supply pipe 102a connected to the tip of the water supply hose 103 in an approximately T-shape, a first water-discharging unit 131a and a second water-discharging unit 131b arranged at both axial ends of the water supply pipe 102a and discharging water supplied via the water supply pipe 102a from their respective water outlets to the outside, a first drive unit 141a that adjusts the amount of water discharged to the outside from the water outlet (e.g., first water outlet 132a) of the first water-discharging unit 131a, a second drive unit 141b that adjusts the amount of water discharged to the outside from the water outlet (e.g., second water outlet 132b) of the second water-discharging unit 131b, a control unit 120 that controls the first drive unit 141a and the second drive unit 141b, and a drone 180 connected to the water supply pipe 102a.

[0126] Although not shown in Fig. 7, the outdoor water-discharging device 100a may further include a communication unit 110, a sensor unit 150 that senses at least one of temperature, wind direction, and wind speed, and a memory unit 160, similar to the outdoor water-discharging device 100 (see Fig. 3). The communication unit 110, the control unit 120, the sensor unit 150, and the memory unit 160 are the same as those described in the embodiment, and therefore will not be described here.

[0127] A support 109 may be disposed between the first water-discharging section 131a and the second water-discharging section 131b to support each water-discharging section. The water supply pipe 102a includes a first supply section 105a and a second supply section 105b that supply water to the first water-discharging section 131a and the second water-discharging section 131b, respectively. The first supply section 105a and the second supply section 105b include an extendable first hose section 107a and a second hose section 107b, respectively. The first supply section 105a and the second supply section 105b are each connected to the water supply pipe 102a. For example, if the first water-discharging section 131a and the second water-discharging section 131b move back and forth along the axial direction of the water supply pipe 102a, the first supply section 105a and the second supply section 105b may move back and forth in response to the movement of the first water-discharging section 131a and the second water-discharging section 131b. The mechanism for moving the first supply unit 105a and the second supply unit 105b back and forth is not particularly limited and may be selected appropriately depending on the design. Note that the water supply pipe 102a is not limited to the above example.

[0128] The first water discharge unit 131a and the second water discharge unit 131b may each include a water discharge outlet and a cylindrical housing to which the water discharge outlet is attached. For example, as shown in the blow-out portion of Fig. 7, the first water discharge unit 131a includes a first water discharge outlet 132a and a cylindrical housing 135a having an opening to which the first water discharge outlet 132a is attached. The second water discharge unit 131b includes a second water discharge outlet 132b and a cylindrical housing 135b having an opening to which the second water discharge outlet 132b is attached. The first water discharge outlet 131a and the second water discharge outlet 131b are similar to the water discharge outlets of the outdoor water discharge device 100 according to the embodiment, and therefore will not be described here. The first water volume adjuster 146a, the second water volume adjuster 146b, the first tilt adjuster 148a and the second tilt adjuster 148b are similar to those described in the embodiment.

[0129] The outdoor water-discharging device 100a includes a first driving unit 141a and a second driving unit 141b as driving units for driving the first water-discharging unit 131a and the second water-discharging unit 131b, respectively. The first driving unit 141a and the second driving unit 141b drive the first water-discharging unit 131a and the second water-discharging unit 131b so that the first water-discharging unit 131a and the second water-discharging unit 131b perform the operations determined by the control unit 120.

[0130] The first drive unit 141a may include, for example, a first water volume adjustment unit 146a that adjusts the volume of water supplied from the water supply pipe 102a to the first water outlet 132a of the first water outlet 131a, and at least one first tilt adjustment unit 148a that allows the first water outlet 132a to tilt in the vertical direction. The second drive unit 141b may include, for example, a second water volume adjustment unit 146b that adjusts the volume of water supplied from the water supply pipe 102a to the second water outlet 132b of the second water outlet 131b, and at least one second tilt adjustment unit 148b that allows the second water outlet 132b to tilt in the vertical direction. This allows the outdoor water-discharge device 100a to individually adjust the amount of water discharged to the outside from each water outlet (first water outlet 132a, second water outlet 132b) and the vertical tilt of each water outlet, i.e., the elevation angle, thereby enabling more effective water-discharge cooling according to the progress of the fire.

[0131] The first water volume adjustment unit 146a, the second water volume adjustment unit 146b, the first tilt adjustment unit 148a and the second tilt adjustment unit 148b are the same as those described in the embodiment, so description thereof will be omitted here.

[0132] The outdoor water-discharging device 100a may further include a sprinkler unit 170 that is installed on top of the main body of the drone 180 and that sprays water onto the drone 180, and a connector 103a that connects the water supply pipe 102a and the sprinkler unit 170. Water is supplied to the sprinkler unit 170 from the water supply pipe 102a via the connector 103a, and the sprinkler unit 170 sprays water from the sprinkler nozzles 172 while rotating around a vertical axis. This allows the outdoor water-discharging device 100a to form a water film on the main body of the drone 180, thereby protecting the main body of the drone 180 from the flames and heat of a fire.

[0133] As described above, according to the outdoor water-discharging device 100a of another embodiment, the movements of the first water-discharging section 131a and the second water-discharging section 131b can be controlled individually, so that effective water-discharging cooling can be performed according to the progress of the fire.

[0134] In the outdoor water-discharging device 100a according to another embodiment, an example has been shown in which the water supply pipe 102a is connected in a substantially T-shape to the tip of the water supply hose 103 extending from the water supply tank, but this is not limiting. For example, the outdoor water-discharging device 100a may be provided with two or more water supply pipes 102a connected in a substantially T-shape. In this case, two or more water-discharge pipes 102a may be provided so that the water discharge pressures from the water discharge outlets provided at both ends of each water supply pipe 102a are canceled out. Specifically, the water discharge outlets are arranged at intervals of an angle obtained by dividing 360 degrees by the number of water discharge outlets.

[0135] Although the outdoor water-discharging device according to the embodiment has been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the present disclosure may be embodied in another embodiment by arbitrarily combining the components described in this specification or by excluding some of the components. Furthermore, the present disclosure also includes various modifications that would occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure, i.e., the meaning of the wording of the claims.

[0136] In the above-described embodiment, the processing performed by a specific processing unit may be performed by another processing unit. The order of multiple processing operations may be changed, or multiple processing operations may be performed in parallel.

[0137] In the above-described embodiments, each component may be realized by executing a software program suitable for that component, or by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

[0138] Furthermore, each component may be realized by hardware. Each component may be a circuit (or integrated circuit). These circuits may form a single circuit as a whole, or each may be a separate circuit. Furthermore, each of these circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit.

[0139] Furthermore, the general or specific aspects of the present disclosure may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, or may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0140] For example, the present disclosure may be realized as an outdoor water-discharging method, as a program for causing a computer to execute the outdoor water-discharging method, or as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium on which such a program is recorded. [Industrial Applicability]

[0141] According to the present disclosure, effective water cooling can be performed according to the progression of the fire, and therefore it can be used in a variety of locations such as urban areas, residential areas, schools, commercial facilities, or cultural properties such as shrines and temples. [Explanation of symbols]

[0142] 100, 100a outdoor water discharge device 102, 102a Water supply pipe 103 Water supply hose 104a, 105a 1st supply section 104b, 105b 2nd supply section 106a, 107a First hose section 106b, 107a Second hose section 108, 109 Support part 110 Communications Department 120 control section 130 Water discharge section 130a, 131a 1st water discharge section 130b, 131b 2nd water discharge section 130c 3rd water discharge section 132a 1st water outlet 132b 2nd water outlet 134a, 134b, 135a, 135b housing 136a, 136b opening 140 Drive unit 140a, 141a First drive unit 140b, 141b Second drive unit 142a First lifting drive unit 142b Second lifting drive unit 144a First rotary drive unit 144b Second rotary drive unit 146a 1st water volume adjustment section 146b 2nd water volume adjustment section 148a 1st tilt adjustment section 148b 2nd tilt adjustment section 150 Sensor unit 160 Storage section 180 Drone 200 External Terminal 300 Outdoor Water Discharge System

Claims

1. a water supply pipe connected to the tip of the water supply hose in a substantially T-shape; a first water discharge section and a second water discharge section disposed at both ends of the water supply pipe in the axial direction and configured to discharge water supplied through the water supply pipe to the outside from respective water discharge ports; a first driving unit that adjusts the amount of water discharged to the outside from the water discharge port of the first water discharge unit; a second driving unit that adjusts the amount of water discharged to the outside from the water discharge port of the second water discharge unit; a control unit that controls the first drive unit and the second drive unit; a drone connected to the water supply pipe; Equipped with Outdoor water spray device.

2. Furthermore, a water spray unit installed on the top of the drone body and spraying water on the drone; A connection portion that connects the water supply pipe and the sprinkler portion; Equipped with The sprinkler unit rotates around a vertical axis to sprinkle water when water is supplied from the water supply pipe via the connection unit. The outdoor water discharge device according to claim 1.

3. The outdoor water-discharging device further includes a communication unit that communicates with an external terminal via a network, the control unit controls at least one of the first drive unit and the second drive unit based on the information acquired by the communication unit. The outdoor water-discharging device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the communication unit acquires information about the progress of a fire from the external terminal; The control unit controls at least one of the first drive unit and the second drive unit based on information regarding the progress of the fire acquired by the communication unit. The outdoor water-discharging device according to claim 3.

5. The outdoor water-discharging device further includes a sensor unit that senses at least one of temperature, wind direction, and wind speed, The control unit further controls at least one of the first driving unit and the second driving unit based on data sensed by the sensor unit. The outdoor water-discharging device according to claim 3 or 4.

6. the control unit outputs at least one of the data sensed by the sensor unit and information relating to control of the operations of the first water-discharging unit and the second water-discharging unit to the external terminal via the communication unit. The outdoor water-discharging device according to claim 5.

7. When the control unit detects the occurrence of a fire based on the data sensed by the sensor unit, the control unit outputs notification information for notifying the occurrence of a fire and the data to the external terminal via the communication unit.

7. The outdoor water-discharging device according to claim 5 or 6.

8. The communication unit further acquires information relating to an instruction to operate the outdoor water-discharging device from the external terminal, the control unit controls at least one of the sensor unit, the first drive unit, and the second drive unit based on information regarding the instruction acquired by the communication unit. The outdoor water-discharging device according to any one of claims 5 to 7.

9. the first drive unit includes a first water volume adjustment unit that adjusts the volume of water supplied from the water supply pipe to the water outlet of the first water discharge unit, the second drive unit includes a second water volume adjustment unit that adjusts the volume of water supplied from the water supply pipe to the water outlet of the second water discharge unit, The control unit controls the first water volume adjustment unit and the second water volume adjustment unit in controlling the first drive unit and the second drive unit, thereby adjusting the amount of water discharged from the water discharge ports of the first water discharge unit and the second water discharge unit, respectively. The outdoor water-discharging device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The first drive unit further includes a first tilt adjustment unit that allows the water discharge port of the first water discharge unit to be tilted in a vertical direction, The second drive unit further includes a second tilt adjustment unit that allows the water discharge port of the second water discharge unit to be tilted in the vertical direction, The control unit further controls the first tilt adjustment unit and the second tilt adjustment unit to adjust the arrival positions of water discharged from the water discharge ports of the first water discharge unit and the second water discharge unit, respectively. The outdoor water-discharging device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images