Fire detection system

Abstract

To find a fire from stacked cargoes during storage or the like in an early stage. It is also an object of the present invention to facilitate identification of an fire origin.SOLUTION: This physical distribution pallet has an insertion port for inserting a claw of a forklift, and has a fire sensor, and is characterized in that the fire sensor notifies fire information by radio.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a logistics pallet on which cargo can be placed for handling, transporting, and storing, and to a fire detection system for the logistics pallet. [Background technology]

[0002] Due to the tendency of smoke and heat to rise, fire detectors are installed in the upper part of a room. In warehouses and the like, fire detectors are also generally installed in the upper part of the ceiling or the like (Patent Document 1). Meanwhile, logistics pallets with insertion openings on the sides are used to facilitate the movement of cargo (Patent Document 2). By placing cargo on the logistics pallet and inserting the forklift's tines into the insertion openings on the side of the logistics pallet, the logistics pallet and the cargo on it can be lifted together and the cargo can be moved. Logistics pallets are often made of wood or resin. When cargo is stored in a warehouse or the like, it is often stored with the cargo placed on the logistics pallet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-80953

[0004] [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-118337 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Figure 1 shows an image of a situation in which cargo 7 is stored in warehouse 8. Warehouse 8 has a fire detector 81 installed on its ceiling. When cargo 7 are stacked and stored in warehouse 8, there are no or very small gaps between the cargo 7. If a fire breaks out in a lower cargo 7, as shown in Figure 1, the upper cargo 7 blocks the upward flow of smoke S, and it takes time for the smoke S and fire F to reach the upper space of warehouse 8. Fire detector 81, such as a smoke detector, is installed in the upper part of warehouse 8, and in such a case, it takes time to detect the fire. Furthermore, smoke generated by a fire spreads as it rises, making it difficult to determine the location of the fire. In such a case, extinguishing the fire requires spraying fire extinguishing liquid on all of the cargo in the warehouse, resulting in the loss of all of the cargo.

[0006] The present invention aims to detect a fire occurring in piled up luggage during storage at an early stage, and also aims to make it easier to identify the location of the fire. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One embodiment of the present invention provides a logistics pallet that has an insertion port for inserting the forklift claws, is equipped with a fire detector, and is capable of wirelessly reporting fire information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, if a fire breaks out among the cargo placed on logistics pallets that are stacked and stored, the fire can be detected early by the fire detector provided on the logistics pallet. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] A diagram showing the situation when a fire breaks out from luggage stored in a conventional manner. [Figure 2] Top and bottom views (a) and side views (b) of a logistics pallet. [Figure 3] 1A and 1B are top and bottom views and a side view, respectively, of a logistics pallet according to the present invention. [Figure 4]Top and bottom views (a) and side views (b) of a fire detector. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a situation in which a fire breaks out from stored luggage in an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram showing a case where a fire breaks out from stored luggage in an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Flat pallets made of wood or resin are commonly used as logistics pallets. A flat resin pallet is shown as logistics pallet 6 in Figure 2. The top and bottom surfaces of logistics pallet 6 are the same, and Figure 2(a) is a top and bottom view of logistics pallet 6. The four side surfaces of logistics pallet 6 are also the same, and Figure 2(b) is a side view. Logistics pallet 6 is configured by joining two deck boards 61, which make up the upper and lower plates, with spacers. Deck board 61 is a mesh-like plate with numerous holes 611. The spacers connecting the two deck boards 61 in Figure 2 are block-shaped pieces. The spacers consist of corner spacers 62 provided at the four corners, end spacers 63 provided between the two corner spacers 62 facing the side, and a center spacer 64 provided inward.

[0011] As shown in Figure 2(b), two slots 65 are provided on the side of the logistics pallet 6, between the end spacer 63 and the corner spacer 62. Cargo is placed on the logistics pallet 6, and it can be easily moved by inserting the forklift claws into the slots 65. The slots 65 are provided in two perpendicular directions. In this way, the logistics pallet 6 has many holes, and the space inside can be used to install a fire detector 2.

[0012] FIG. 3 shows a logistics pallet 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The top and bottom surfaces of the logistics pallet 1 are identical, and FIG. 3(a) is a top-bottom view of the logistics pallet 1. The four side surfaces of the logistics pallet 1 are identical, and FIG. 3(b) is a side view. The logistics pallet 1 is configured by connecting two deck boards 11, the upper and lower boards, with spacers. The deck board 11 is a mesh-like plate with numerous holes 111. The spacers connecting the two deck boards 11 in FIG. 3 are block-shaped pieces, consisting of corner spacers 12 provided at the four corners, end spacers 13 provided between the two corner spacers 12 facing the side, and a middle spacer 14 provided inside. The middle spacer 14, the central piece, is open on all four sides and has a space in the center. A fire detector 2 is installed in the space within the middle spacer 14.

[0013] FIG. 4 shows a fire detector 2 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4(a) is a top and bottom view of the fire detector 2. The four sides of the fire detector 2 are identical, and FIG. 4(b) is a side view. The fire detector 2 is a flat, cylindrical structure with multiple sensing holes 22 on the side of an outer frame 21. The fire detector 2 includes a sensor unit 23, a battery 24, a transmitter 25, and an IC tag 26 for logistics. The sensor unit 23, battery 24, and transmitter 25 are located inside the outer frame 21 and are not shown. The fire detector 2 is a smoke detector powered by an internal battery 24, and detects smoke that enters through the sensing holes 22 using the sensor unit 23. When the sensor unit 23 detects smoke, smoke detection information is transmitted wirelessly from the transmitter 25. The wireless smoke detection information is received by a fire receiver 42. If the warehouse 4 is so large that the wireless signal from the fire detector 2 cannot reach the fire receiver 42, a wireless signal relay amplifier may be installed within the warehouse 4 to amplify the wireless signal so that it does not attenuate until it reaches the fire receiver 42. The smoke detection information also includes identification information for the IC tag 26. This allows the logistics pallet 1 equipped with the fire detector 2 that detected smoke to be identified.

[0014] FIG. 5 shows a situation in which a fire breaks out from cargo 3 in a warehouse equipped with the fire detection system and warehouse management system of this embodiment. In this embodiment, the warehouse management system constitutes part of the fire detection system. Warehouse 4 is equipped with a fire receiver 42 of the fire detection system and a warehouse management device 43 of the warehouse management system. Fire receiver 42 is connected to warehouse management device 43. Fire receiver 42 issues a fire alarm when smoke S is detected by fire detector 41 installed on the ceiling of warehouse 4. In addition, lighting fixtures 44 with controllable illumination direction are installed on the upper part of warehouse 4. Lighting fixtures 44 can direct their illumination toward the location of a reported fire to indicate the approximate location of the fire.

[0015] In the warehouse management system of this embodiment, the storage location within the warehouse 4 is stored in the warehouse management device 43 using the IC tag 26 of the fire detector 2 attached to the logistics pallet 1. The storage location is obtained, for example, by the warehouse management system constantly tracking the position of the forklift, the height of its tines, etc., and by using the position of the forklift, the height of its tines, etc. when a receiving device (not shown) attached to the forklift stops detecting the signal from the IC tag 26. The receiving device attached to the forklift wirelessly receives the code from the IC tag 26 only when the IC tag 26 is relatively close by.

[0016] 5 shows a state in which a package 3 placed on a logistics pallet 1 is carried into a warehouse 4 by a forklift and placed on top of another package 3. Therefore, the logistics pallet 1 is placed on top of the package 3.

[0017] As shown in Figure 5, when a fire F breaks out in cargo 3 stored below in a warehouse 4, smoke S rises. As shown in Figure 3, the logistics pallet 1 has multiple holes 111 in the deck board 11 on its underside, and also has insertion ports 15 on its side. The insertion ports 15 are provided in two perpendicular directions and lead to the interior space of the logistics pallet 1. The interior space leads to the detection hole 22 of the fire detector. Therefore, smoke S enters the interior space of the logistics pallet 1 and reaches the sensor unit 23 through the detection hole 22 of the fire detector 2.

[0018] Fig. 6 shows a flow diagram of what happens when a fire breaks out from luggage 3 stored in warehouse 4. When smoke S is detected by sensor unit 23 of fire detector 2 (step S1), fire information with identification information from IC tag 26 added is generated (step S2), and the fire information is wirelessly transmitted from transmitter 25 (step S3). The fire receiver 42 then receives the fire, detects it, and issues a fire alarm (step S4).

[0019] The fire receiver 42 acquires the location information of the IC tag 26 from the warehouse management device 43 and derives the location of the IC tag 26 in the received identification information as the location of the fire (step S5). The fire location is then notified by displaying it on a display unit (not shown) of the fire receiver 42 (step S6). The information on the fire location is also transmitted from the fire receiver 42 to the lighting fixture 44 (step S7). The lighting fixture 44 illuminates the notified fire location by directing its irradiation direction (step S8). This illumination makes it possible to indicate the approximate location of the fire F.

[0020] If a fire F breaks out in the uppermost luggage 3, smoke S is detected by the fire detector 41 installed on the ceiling, and a fire alarm is issued from the fire receiver 42. In this case, the location of the fire F can be found visually.

[0021] The logistics pallets used in the fire detection system of the present invention may be made of wood, but the fire detectors are installed in a position where they will not be hit by the forklift claws inserted through the slot. The warehouse may be an automated warehouse that automatically stores the logistics pallets 1 loaded with cargo on shelves. The fire detection system may also be used in the cargo hold of a ship or truck, or outdoors, rather than in a warehouse. The fire extinguishing device may be activated to spray fire extinguishing liquid only at the location of a detected fire. Alternatively, multiple receiving terminals connected to a fire receiver may be installed in the warehouse, and the location of the fire may be calculated and reported by receiving smoke detection information wirelessly transmitted from the fire detector 2 on the logistics pallet 1 at the multiple receiving terminals.

[0022] Furthermore, the specific configuration is not limited to the embodiments, and the present invention also includes design changes within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0023] Finally, we will explain the warehouse management device. The warehouse management device is a device for managing the location information of pallets within a warehouse. In the embodiment, an IC tag 26 is provided on the fire detector 2. However, IC tags may be provided directly on logistics pallets without providing IC tags on the fire detectors themselves. Pallets within a warehouse are provided with these IC tags, and the identification information on the IC tags is read by a forklift. When the forklift passes through a warehouse entrance, the identification information is read by a reading device provided at the entrance, and the information in the warehouse inventory database is updated. A warehouse management device 43 manages this inventory database and keeps track of the location information of pallets within the warehouse. This location information may be obtained from the forklift's position and the height of its tines when the receiving device provided on the forklift stops detecting the IC tag signal, as in the embodiment.

[0024] This allows the fire receiver and warehouse management device to be connected and to send and receive information to each other. The fire receiver has a correspondence table between IC tags and fire detectors. In the event of a fire among cargo stacked on a pallet, the warehouse management device can obtain the location of the pallet using the IC tag identification information from the IC tag, thereby determining the location of the fire within the warehouse. The fire receiver 42 can also recognize that a fire has occurred using the fire detector 2. To determine the location of the pallet, the fire receiver receives a fire signal containing an address from the fire detector when a fire breaks out, and identifies the IC tag corresponding to the fire detector that received the fire signal using the correspondence table stored in the fire receiver. The IC tag identification information can then be sent to the warehouse management device, which queries the location information for that identification information, receives the location information, and determines the location of the fire. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] 1 logistics pallet, 11 deck board, 111 hole, 12 corner spacer, 13 end spacer, 14 middle spacer, 15 insertion hole, 2 Fire detector, 21 Outer frame, 22 Sensing hole, 23 Sensor unit, 24 Battery, 25 Transmitter unit, 26 IC tag, 3 luggage, 4 Warehouse, 41 Fire detector, 42 Fire receiver, 43 Warehouse management equipment, 44 Lighting equipment 6 Logistics pallet, 61 Deck board, 611 Hole, 62 Corner spacer, 63 End spacer, 64 Middle spacer, 65 Insertion hole, 7 Luggage, 8 Warehouse, 81 Fire detector, F fire, S smoke

Claims

1. It has an insertion port for inserting the forklift claws, Equipped with fire detectors, The fire detector notifies fire information wirelessly. A logistics pallet characterized by:

2. The top plate and The bottom plate and a spacer that connects the upper plate and the lower plate, The housing is surrounded by the upper plate, the lower plate, and the spacer, and has the insertion port on a side thereof; the lower plate has a plurality of holes; 2. The logistics pallet according to claim 1, wherein the fire detector is located between the upper plate and the lower plate.

3. The insertion ports are provided in two orthogonal directions, The spacer is a block-shaped top, 3. A logistics pallet according to claim 2, wherein the fire detector is provided in the central piece.

4. In the logistics pallet according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the fire detector is provided with an IC tag for logistics and a warehouse management device for managing position information of the logistics pallet in the warehouse, A fire detection system that detects the position of the IC tag and notifies the location of a fire.

5. Equipped with lighting equipment that can control the direction of illumination, 5. The fire detection system according to claim 4, wherein the lighting device directs light toward the location of the reported fire.

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