Fire Monitoring System

Abstract

To make it possible to locally monitor a fire of a machine tool.SOLUTION: A flame sensor 21 is attached to a machine tool 4, and outputs an activation signal when detecting flame. A wireless alarm panel slave machine 22 is attached to the machine tool 4, and outputs a fire signal on receipt of the activation signal from the flame sensor 21. A wireless alarm panel master machine 31 is installed in a place apart from the machine tool 4, and outputs an alarm sound on receipt of the fire signal from the wireless alarm panel slave machine 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for monitoring fires on machine tools. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, automatic fire alarm systems have been used as equipment for detecting and notifying fires occurring within factories (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This automatic fire alarm system is generally composed of a smoke detector, a transmitter, a receiver, and a local sounding device. Of these components, the smoke detector is installed on the ceiling of the factory, and outputs a fire signal to the receiver when it detects smoke. The transmitter is installed on the wall of the factory, and outputs a fire signal to the receiver when operated by a person who discovers a fire. The receiver is installed in a disaster prevention center, and when it receives a fire signal from the smoke detector or the transmitter, it activates the local sounding device installed on the wall of the factory. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-037457 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a fire breaks out in a machine tool installed in a factory, the smoke rises and reaches the ceiling. The smoke that reaches the ceiling continues to flow along the ceiling and is eventually detected by a smoke detector. The smoke detector that detects the smoke outputs a fire signal to a receiver, and the receiver that receives this fire signal activates the local sound device. As a result, workers in the factory are able to notice the fire.

[0005] However, with conventional fire detection methods, it was not possible to detect a fire until it broke out in a machine tool and the smoke was detected by a smoke detector on the ceiling. As a result, the fire was discovered late, and the machine tool where the fire broke out could become unusable. Since many machine tools are expensive, there has long been a need to detect fires before they become unusable.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to make it possible to locally monitor fires in machine tools. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the fire monitoring system of the present invention is a system for monitoring fires in a mobile machine tool, and comprises a flame detector attached to the machine tool and outputting an activation signal when it detects a flame, an alarm panel sub-unit attached to the machine tool, connected to the flame detector by a wire, and outputting a fire signal when it receives an activation signal from the flame detector, and an alarm panel master unit installed at a location away from the machine tool, connected wirelessly to the alarm panel sub-unit, and outputting an alarm sound when it receives a fire signal from the alarm panel sub-unit. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, fires in machine tools can be monitored locally. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] Block diagram showing the configuration of the fire monitoring system 1 [Diagram 2] A diagram showing an example of a method for installing the fire monitoring system 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 shows an example of a method for installing a flame detector 21. [Figure 4] Sequence diagram showing the operation of the fire monitoring system 1 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] 1. Embodiment 1-1.Configuration A fire monitoring system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The fire monitoring system 1 according to this embodiment is a system for monitoring fires in machine tools in a factory, and in particular, a system for monitoring fires in mobile machine tools. Here, the mobile machine tool is specifically a laser cutting device. As will be described later, this fire monitoring system 1 includes a fire detection unit 2, which is directly attached to the machine tool. Therefore, this fire monitoring system 1 can locally monitor fires in the machine tool.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of this fire monitoring system 1. As shown in the figure, this fire monitoring system 1 generally comprises a plurality of fire detection units 2 and a fire alarm unit 3. Each unit will be described below.

[0012] The fire detection unit 2 is attached to a machine tool, and when it detects a fire in the machine tool, it wirelessly transmits a fire signal to the fire alarm unit 3. As shown in Fig. 1, this fire detection unit 2 is composed of a plurality of flame detectors 21, a wireless alarm panel slave unit 22, and an AC power source 23. Each component will be described below.

[0013] The flame detector 21 is connected to the wireless alarm panel slave unit 22 by wire, and transmits an activation signal to the wireless alarm panel slave unit 22 upon detecting a flame.

[0014] The wireless alarm panel slave unit 22 is connected by wire to the AC power source 23 and receives power from the AC power source 23. In addition, the wireless alarm panel slave unit 22 supplies the power provided from the AC power source 23 to the flame detector 21. The wireless alarm panel slave unit 22 is also wirelessly connected to the wireless alarm panel master unit 31 of the fire alarm unit 3, which will be described later, and transmits a fire signal to the wireless alarm panel master unit 31 upon receiving an activation signal from the flame detector 21.

[0015] Next, the fire alarm unit 3 will be described. The fire alarm unit 3 is installed at a location away from the machine tools, and upon receiving a fire signal from the fire detection unit 2, it alerts workers in the factory of a fire. As shown in Fig. 1, the fire alarm unit 3 is composed of a wireless alarm panel master unit 31, a fire receiver 32, and an AC power source 33. Each component will be described below.

[0016] The wireless alarm panel master unit 31 is installed on a wall in the factory. This wireless alarm panel master unit 31 is connected to an AC power source 33 by wire, and receives power from the AC power source 33. In addition, this wireless alarm panel master unit 31 supplies power from the AC power source 33 to the fire receiver 32. Furthermore, when this wireless alarm panel master unit 31 receives a fire signal from the wireless alarm panel slave unit 22, it outputs an alarm sound and turns on a fire light on the panel. As a result, workers in the factory can notice the occurrence of a fire. Furthermore, this wireless alarm panel master unit 31 is connected to the fire receiver 32 by wire, and when it receives a fire signal from the wireless alarm panel slave unit 22, it transmits a notification signal to the fire receiver 32 notifying that a fire has occurred.

[0017] The fire receiver 32 is installed in the disaster prevention center of the factory. When the fire receiver 32 receives a notification signal from the wireless alarm panel master unit 31, it outputs an alarm sound and turns on the fire light on the panel. As a result, the center personnel can notice the occurrence of a fire. In addition, the fire receiver 32 is connected to an external device via a communication network (not shown), and when it receives a notification signal from the wireless alarm panel master unit 31, it transmits a notification signal to the external device notifying that a fire has occurred.

[0018] Next, we will explain a method for installing the fire monitoring system 1. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a method for installing the fire monitoring system 1.

[0019] In the installation method shown in the figure, the fire detection unit 2 is attached to a machine tool 4. More specifically, a flame detector 21, a wireless alarm panel slave unit 22, and an AC power source 23 are attached to the machine tool 4.

[0020] Here, the machine tool 4 to which the fire detection unit 2 is attached is specifically a laser cutting device. More specifically, it is a device for cutting a workpiece M placed between a pair of traveling rails R while traveling along the traveling rails R. The fire detection unit 2 attached to this machine tool 4 moves together with this machine tool 4 and constantly monitors this machine tool 4 for fires.

[0021] On the other hand, for the fire alarm unit 3, the wireless alarm panel master unit 31 and AC power supply 33 are attached to the wall W of the factory. As described above, the wireless alarm panel master unit 31 is wirelessly connected to the wireless alarm panel slave unit 22, and receives a fire signal from the wireless alarm panel slave unit 22. On the other hand, the fire receiver 32 is installed in a disaster prevention center (not shown). As described above, the fire receiver 32 is wiredly connected to the wireless alarm panel master unit 31, and receives a report signal from the wireless alarm panel master unit 31.

[0022] Next, a more specific description will be given of a method for installing the flame detector 21. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a method for installing the flame detector 21.

[0023] In the installation method shown in the figure, the flame detector 21 is attached to the above-mentioned machine tool 4. The machine tool 4 to which the flame detector 21 is attached includes a cart 41 that travels along a pair of traveling rails R, a pair of lateral rails 42 arranged in front of the cart 41 so as to be perpendicular to the pair of traveling rails R, a lateral carriage 43 that travels lateral along the pair of lateral rails 42, a torch 44 mounted on the lateral carriage 43, and a control device 45 mounted on the cart 41. While traveling along the pair of traveling rails R, the machine tool 4 cuts the workpiece M placed between the traveling rails R with the torch 44. At that time, the traveling speed of the cart 41 of the machine tool 4 and the traveling speed and traveling direction of the lateral carriage 43 are controlled by the control device 45.

[0024] The flame detector 21 is attached to the housing of the control device 45 of the machine tool 4 via the swivel fitting 5. Among the hoses connected to the machine tool 4, the flame detector 21 monitors, in particular, the hose H. The hose H being monitored is a pipe for supplying lubricating oil to the machine tool 4. The hose H is made of resin, and oil leakage occurs as the hose deteriorates with age. If sparks flying from the workpiece M ignite the oil leaking from the hose H, a fire will break out. For this reason, the flame detector 21 monitors the hose H.

[0025] The flame detector 21 is installed so as not to include the tip of the torch 44 (in other words, the processing point) in the monitoring target. This is to prevent sparks flying from the workpiece M from being mistakenly detected as a fire. The flame detector 21 is also installed facing downward. This is to prevent dust from accumulating on the light receiving window cover of the flame detector 21.

[0026] In the installation method shown in Figure 3, only one flame detector 21 is attached to the machine tool 4, but if there are multiple objects to be monitored on the machine tool 4, multiple flame detectors 21 may be attached to the machine tool 4.

[0027] 1-2.Operation The following describes the operation of the fire monitoring system 1. Fig. 4 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the fire monitoring system 1.

[0028] In the operation shown in the figure, when a fire breaks out from the machine tool and the flame detector 21 detects the fire (step S1), it transmits an activation signal to the wireless alarm panel slave 22 (step S2). When the wireless alarm panel slave 22 receives the activation signal transmitted from the flame detector 21, it transmits a fire signal to the wireless alarm panel master 31 (step S3). When the wireless alarm panel master 31 receives the fire signal transmitted from the wireless alarm panel slave 22, it outputs an alarm sound and turns on the fire light on the panel (step S4). As a result, workers in the factory can notice the occurrence of a fire. In addition, the wireless alarm panel master 31 transmits a report signal to the fire receiver 32 notifying that a fire has occurred (step S5). When the fire receiver 32 receives the report signal transmitted from the wireless alarm panel master 31, it outputs an alarm sound and turns on the fire light on the panel (step S6). As a result, the center personnel can notice the occurrence of a fire. In addition, the fire receiver 32 transmits a notification signal notifying an external device that a fire has occurred via a communication network (not shown) (step S7). The above is a description of the operation of the fire monitoring system 1.

[0029] In the fire monitoring system 1 described above, the flame detector 21 is directly attached to the machine tool to be monitored. Therefore, a fire in the machine tool can be detected earlier than when a fire is detected using only a smoke detector installed on the ceiling surface.

[0030] In addition, in this fire monitoring system 1, the wireless alarm panel slave unit 22 and the wireless alarm panel master unit 31 communicate wirelessly. Therefore, compared to wired communication, no wiring is required. This advantage is particularly notable in laser cutting devices that run on long rails and are used in shipyards, etc. This is because wiring would be an obstacle to the running of a laser cutting device that runs on long rails.

[0031] In addition, in this fire monitoring system 1, a fire signal is transmitted from the wireless alarm panel slave unit 22 to the wireless alarm panel master unit 31, which then outputs an alarm sound and turns on a fire light. This makes it possible to notify a worker at a location away from the machine tool of the occurrence of a fire.

[0032] In addition, in this fire monitoring system 1, a plurality of wireless alarm panel slave units 22 can be connected to the wireless alarm panel master unit 31. Therefore, a plurality of machine tools can be centrally monitored by one wireless alarm panel master unit 31.

[0033] 2. Variations The above embodiment may be modified as follows: The modifications described below may be combined with each other.

[0034] 2-1. Variation 1 The flame detector 21 may be attached to a mobile machine tool other than a laser cutting device. The mobile machine tool envisioned here is a machine tool for processing materials while moving. For example, the flame detector 21 may be attached to a gas cutting device, a plasma cutting device, or a cutting machine.

[0035] When the flame detector 21 is attached to a cutting machine, the flame detector 21 may be attached so as to monitor not the processing point but a pipe for passing the cutting oil used in the cutting machine. The reason for attaching the flame detector 21 in this way is that if the cutting oil is not sufficiently supplied to the processing point and the processing point temperature rises, the cutting oil leaking from the pipe may ignite and cause a fire. As another example, the flame detector 21 may be attached so as to monitor the path through which the cutting chips cut by the cutting machine are discharged. The reason for attaching the flame detector 21 in this way is that if the cutting oil is not sufficiently supplied to the processing point and the processing point temperature rises, the cutting chips may ignite and cause a fire.

[0036] The flame detector 21 may also be attached to a fixed, non-mobile machine tool.

[0037] 2-2. Variation 2 The wireless alarm panel master unit 31 may be installed in a location other than a wall surface within a factory. For example, it may be installed outside the factory in a facility where the manager of the factory is always present.

[0038] 2-3. Variation 3 The wireless alarm panel slave unit 22 may be configured to output an alarm sound and turn on a fire light on the panel when it receives an activation signal from the flame detector 21. By operating in this manner, when there are multiple machine tools to be monitored in a factory, it becomes easy to identify the machine tool that is the source of the fire.

[0039] 2-4. Variation 4 The flame detector 21 and the wireless alarm panel slave unit 22 may receive power from the power supply of the machine tool to be monitored, instead of from the AC power supply 23.

[0040] 2-5. Variation 5 If the distance between the wireless alarm panel slave unit 22 and the wireless alarm panel master unit 31 is long and sufficient radio wave strength cannot be obtained, a wireless repeater may be installed between the wireless alarm panel slave unit 22 and the wireless alarm panel master unit 31. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1...fire monitoring system, 2...fire detection unit, 3...fire alarm unit, 4...machine tool, 5...swivel bracket, 21...flame detector, 22...wireless alarm panel slave unit, 23...AC power source, 31...wireless alarm panel master unit, 32...fire receiver, 41...cart, 42...traversing rail, 43...traversing carriage, 44...torch, 45...control device

Claims

1. A system for monitoring fires in a mobile machine tool that processes materials while moving, comprising: a flame detector attached to the machine tool, adapted to move with the machine tool during machining of the material, and adapted to transmit an activation signal upon detecting a flame; an alarm panel slave unit attached to the machine tool, the alarm panel slave unit being connected to the flame detector by a wire, moving together with the machine tool during the processing of the material, and wirelessly transmitting a fire signal upon receiving an activation signal from the flame detector; an alarm panel master unit that is installed at a location away from the machine tool, wirelessly connected to the alarm panel slave units, and that outputs an alarm sound when it wirelessly receives a fire signal from the alarm panel slave unit; A fire monitoring system equipped with:

2. A system for monitoring fires on a mobile machine tool, comprising: a flame detector attached to the machine tool and transmitting an activation signal when a flame is detected; an alarm panel slave unit attached to the machine tool, the alarm panel slave unit being connected to the flame detector by a wire and transmitting a fire signal when an activation signal is received from the flame detector; an alarm panel master unit that is installed at a location away from the machine tool, wirelessly connected to the alarm panel slave units, and that outputs an alarm sound when it receives a fire signal from the alarm panel slave unit; Equipped with A fire monitoring system, characterized in that the machine tool is a device for processing a material placed between a pair of traveling rails while traveling along the pair of traveling rails.

3. A system for monitoring fires on a mobile machine tool, comprising: a flame detector attached to the machine tool and transmitting an activation signal when a flame is detected; an alarm panel slave unit attached to the machine tool, the alarm panel slave unit being connected to the flame detector by a wire and transmitting a fire signal when an activation signal is received from the flame detector; an alarm panel master unit that is installed at a location away from the machine tool, wirelessly connected to the alarm panel slave units, and that outputs an alarm sound when it receives a fire signal from the alarm panel slave unit; Equipped with A fire monitoring system characterized in that the flame detector is attached to the machine tool so as to monitor a pipe for passing an oil used in the machine tool or a path through which cutting chips cut by the machine tool are discharged.

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