Portable smoke detection device and method for identifying smoke location

Abstract

To provide a portable smoke detection device and a method for specifying a smoke generated position, which enable work for specifying a smoke generated position in a monitoring area to be performed immediately, efficiently, and reliably.SOLUTION: After a fixed smoke detection device 100 detects generation of smoke, a portable smoke detection device 10 is used to detect smoke included in air suctioned during movement in a monitoring area, thereby specifying a smoke generated position. At the start of detection, a sensitivity such that a detection sensitivity of detecting smoke is higher than a detection sensitivity of the fixed smoke detection device 100 is fixed at an initial sensitivity. When a predetermined smoke detection signal is detected, fixing of the initial sensitivity is canceled.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a portable smoke detection device that detects minute amounts of smoke contained in the air drawn into a monitored area, and a method for identifying the location of smoke source. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, fixed smoke detectors that detect smoke with high sensitivity are installed in computer rooms where servers and the like are installed, and in clean rooms in semiconductor manufacturing facilities, etc. These fixed smoke detectors are designed to be activated by sucking in air from a sampling tube installed in the monitored area and detecting extremely low concentrations of smoke suspended in the air.

[0003] When such a fixed smoke detection device is activated, the location of the smoke source may not be visible to the naked eye, so a portable smoke detection device with a sampling tube attached to the end of a hose is used to identify the location of the smoke source while moving around the monitored area.

[0004] Furthermore, in conventional fixed smoke detectors, there is a problem in that, because the sampling tube has a plurality of sampling holes, even if smoke is detected, the location from which the smoke originates cannot be identified.

[0005] To solve this problem, photoelectric smoke detectors with suction ports are placed, for example at predetermined intervals, in a sampling tube that draws in air from the protected space, and an address is assigned to each photoelectric smoke detector, making it possible to identify the location where the smoke is originating from based on the address of the photoelectric smoke detector that detects the smoke. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-106678 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2017-062820 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2017-062821 A [Patent Document 4] JP 2016-057791 A [Patent Document 5] JP 2004-078807 A [Patent Document 6] International Publication No. W02013-031016 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, in the task of identifying the source of smoke using a conventional portable smoke detector, the smoke detection sensitivity of the portable smoke detector is set lower than that of a fixed smoke detector, but the smoke in the monitored area is often so thin that it cannot be seen by the naked eye. Also, since the area where such thin smoke is present locally is often a small area of ​​the entire monitored area, if the smoke detection sensitivity is set lower than that of the fixed smoke detector from the beginning, the location of the smoke source may be overlooked, and there is a problem that the task of identifying the source of smoke while moving around the monitored area is time-consuming and laborious.

[0008] Furthermore, there has been no proposal for a method of using a conventional fixed smoke detection device to identify the area within a monitored area where smoke is occurring and then using a portable smoke detection device to identify the exact location where the smoke is occurring.

[0009] Furthermore, in conventional fixed smoke detection devices, in order to identify the smoke generating area, a photoelectric smoke detector must be installed at each suction position of the sampling tube. This means that the number of photoelectric smoke detectors increases according to the number of suction ports installed in the sampling tube, complicating the equipment configuration and significantly increasing equipment costs.

[0010] An object of the present invention is to provide a portable smoke detection device that enables the task of identifying the location of smoke generation quickly, efficiently and reliably while moving around a monitored area.

[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a fixed smoke detection device that can identify the area from which smoke is originating, without requiring a significant increase in equipment configuration and at low equipment cost, thereby avoiding complexity.

[0012] Furthermore, the present invention aims to provide a method for identifying the location of a smoke source, which can quickly, efficiently, and reliably narrow down and identify the location of the smoke source by using a portable smoke detection device to move around the smoke source area within a monitoring area identified by a fixed smoke detection device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] [First invention: Portable smoke detection device] The first invention of the present application is a portable smoke detection device that moves within a monitoring area, sucks in air within the monitoring area through a sampling hole, detects smoke contained in the sucked air, and identifies the location where the smoke is originating, A sensitivity switching control unit is provided for switching and controlling the smoke detection sensitivity, The sensitivity switching control unit, when starting operation, sets the initial sensitivity to a smoke detection sensitivity that is the same as or higher than the smoke detection sensitivity of a fixed smoke detection device that detects smoke in the monitored area, and at this time, the smoke detection sensitivity switching does not function, and when the fixed smoke detection device is used to identify the location of the smoke source while moving within the monitored area after detecting the generation of smoke, operation begins from the initial sensitivity, and when a specified smoke detection signal is detected during use to identify the location of the smoke source, the smoke detection sensitivity switching function is activated.

[0014] Here, the smoke detection sensitivity of a fixed smoke detection device means, for example, the detection sensitivity that detects and activates smoke within a predetermined time when a predetermined concentration of smoke is present at a predetermined position in a monitoring area under conditions where the total length of the sampling pipe connected to the fixed smoke detection device is the longest possible and the sampling pipe has the greatest number of sampling holes, i.e., the detection sensitivity that detects and activates smoke within a predetermined time when a predetermined concentration of smoke is present at a predetermined position in a monitoring area corresponding to a sampling hole located at the very end of a sampling pipe with multiple sampling holes (the smoke concentration (% / m) that can be detected at this time, i.e. the above-mentioned predetermined concentration). Note that, if the sampling pipe is provided with branches, etc., the sensitivity is set to be the sensitivity that detects and activates smoke of a predetermined concentration within a predetermined time at a position corresponding to the sampling hole located at the position with the most severe conditions after taking these factors into consideration (similarly, the above-mentioned predetermined concentration).

[0015] (Smoke detection sensitivity switching function) The sensitivity switching control unit has at least one of a function of manually switching the smoke detection sensitivity and a function of automatically switching the smoke detection sensitivity when a predetermined smoke detection signal is detected.

[0016] (Combination of manual and automatic smoke detection sensitivity switching functions) The sensitivity switching control unit is A manual sensitivity switching function that allows you to manually switch the smoke detection sensitivity, Automatic sensitivity switching function that automatically switches the smoke detection sensitivity, A selection means for selecting a manual sensitivity switching function or an automatic sensitivity switching function; Equipped with When operation begins and when selection is made by the selection means, the sensitivity switching control unit sets the initial sensitivity to a smoke detection sensitivity that is the same as or higher than the smoke detection sensitivity of a fixed smoke detection device that detects smoke in the monitored area, and at this time, the smoke detection sensitivity switching does not function, and when a specified smoke detection signal is detected during use to identify the location of the smoke source, the manual sensitivity switching function or automatic sensitivity switching function selected by the selection means becomes functional.

[0017] (Resets the automatic sensitivity switching function) The sensitivity switching control unit is Automatic sensitivity switching function that automatically switches the smoke detection sensitivity, A reset means for resetting the sensitivity automatically switched by the automatic sensitivity switching function; Equipped with When operation begins and when reset by the resetting means, the sensitivity switching control unit sets the initial sensitivity to a smoke detection sensitivity that is the same as or higher than the smoke detection sensitivity of a fixed smoke detection device that detects smoke in the monitored area, and at this time, the smoke detection sensitivity switching does not function, but when a specified smoke detection signal is detected during use to identify the location of the smoke source, the automatic sensitivity switching function is set to a state in which it functions.

[0018] (Function to start with automatic switching and then manually switch sensitivity) The sensitivity switching control unit is Automatic sensitivity switching function that automatically switches the smoke detection sensitivity, A manual sensitivity switching function that allows you to manually switch the smoke detection sensitivity, Equipped with At the start of operation, the sensitivity switching control unit sets the initial sensitivity to a smoke detection sensitivity that is the same as or higher than the smoke detection sensitivity of a fixed smoke detection device that detects smoke in the monitored area, and at this time, the smoke detection sensitivity switching does not function, and when a specified smoke detection signal is detected during use to identify the location of the smoke source, the automatic sensitivity switching function and manual sensitivity switching function function, and at this time, when manual sensitivity switching is performed, the sensitivity switching control unit automatically switches the smoke detection sensitivity, using the smoke detection sensitivity switched by the manual sensitivity switching function as the initial sensitivity.

[0019] (How to identify the location of smoke) The present invention provides a method for identifying a smoke generation location, which comprises, after a fixed smoke detection device for detecting smoke in a monitoring area detects generation of smoke, using a portable smoke detection device to move within the monitoring area while sucking in air within the monitoring area through a sampling hole, detecting smoke contained in the sucked in air, and identifying the smoke generation location, The portable smoke detection device has a switchable smoke detection sensitivity, and when it starts operating, the initial sensitivity is set to a smoke detection sensitivity that is the same as or higher than that of the fixed smoke detection device, and the smoke detection sensitivity switch does not function at this time.When it is used to identify the source of smoke, operation begins from the initial sensitivity, and when a specified smoke detection signal is detected while the device is being used to identify the source of smoke while moving through a monitored area, the smoke detection sensitivity switch becomes functional, and the location of the smoke source is identified while switching the smoke detection sensitivity.

[0020] [Second invention: Portable smoke detection device that notifies smoke concentration by sound and / or vibration] The second invention of the present application is a portable smoke detection device that moves within a monitoring area, sucks in air within the monitoring area through a sampling hole, detects smoke contained in the sucked air, and identifies the location of the smoke source, The device is characterized by being equipped with an alarm means that issues an alarm by sound and / or vibration in response to a change in the detected smoke concentration.

[0021] (Notification of changes in smoke density) The notification means changes the output form of sound and / or vibration in response to a change in the detected smoke concentration.

[0022] (Notification of changes in smoke concentration) The notification means varies the output form of sound and / or vibration depending on the change trend of the detected smoke concentration.

[0023] (Notification of rising smoke concentration) The notification means is capable of identifying at least an upward trend among the predetermined change trends of the detected smoke concentration, which are an upward trend, a stagnation, and a downward trend, by sound and / or vibration.

[0024] (Changes in sound and / or vibration output period) The notification means is The output period of the predetermined sound and / or the predetermined vibration is changed, When the detected smoke density increases, the output period of the predetermined sound and / or the predetermined vibration is set to a predetermined short period, or the period is shortened in accordance with the increase in smoke density; When the smoke density decreases, the output period of the predetermined sound and / or the predetermined vibration is set to a predetermined long period, or the period is lengthened according to the downward trend of the smoke density; When the change in smoke density tends to stagnate, the output period of the predetermined sound and / or the predetermined vibration is set to a predetermined period between a predetermined short period and a predetermined long period, or is fixed at a predetermined period and is not changed.

[0025] (Changes in sound and / or vibration output duty) The notification means is The output duty of the predetermined sound and / or the predetermined vibration is changed every predetermined repetition period, When the detected smoke density increases, the output duty of the predetermined sound and / or the predetermined vibration is set to a predetermined maximum output duty, or the output duty is increased according to the increase in the smoke density; When the smoke density decreases, the output duty of the predetermined sound and / or the predetermined vibration is set to a predetermined minimum output duty, or the output duty is reduced in accordance with the decrease in the smoke density; When the change in smoke density tends to stagnate, the output duty of the predetermined sound and / or the predetermined vibration is set to a predetermined output duty between the maximum output duty and the minimum output duty, or is fixed at the predetermined output duty and is not changed.

[0026] [Third invention: fixed smoke detection device] The third invention of the present application is A fixed smoke detection device that is placed in a monitoring area and detects smoke contained in the air drawn in through a sampling tube, an on-off valve provided corresponding to each of a predetermined number of sampling holes of the sampling pipe; an on-off valve control unit that controls the on-off valve so as to keep the amount of air sucked through the sampling tube substantially constant; a smoke detection control unit that, when detecting smoke contained in the air sucked through the sampling tube, identifies a smoke generation position based on a control state of the on-off valve by the on-off valve control unit; The present invention is characterized in that:

[0027] (Sequential opening of on-off valves) the on-off valve control unit sequentially repeats control of driving the on-off valves in a predetermined order for a predetermined time in a predetermined sequence and driving the remaining on-off valves in a closed state; The smoke detection control unit identifies the position corresponding to the on-off valve that is driven to be open when smoke is detected as the smoke generation position.

[0028] (Opening time of on-off valve) The open drive time for driving the multiple on-off valves to open is set based on the time it takes for air drawn through the on-off valves to reach the smoke detection device main body via the sampling pipe.

[0029] (Sequential closing of on-off valves) the on-off valve control unit drives the on-off valves in a predetermined order for a predetermined time in a closed state for each predetermined number of on-off valves, and sequentially repeats control of driving the remaining on-off valves in an open state; When a state changes from one in which smoke is detected to one in which smoke is not detected, the smoke detection control unit specifies the position corresponding to the on-off valve being driven to close as the smoke generation position.

[0030] (Opening time of on-off valve) The closing drive time for driving the multiple on-off valves to close is set based on the time it takes for air drawn through the on-off valves to reach the smoke detection device main body via the sampling pipe.

[0031] (Individual setting of the number of on-off valves to be opened and closed) The predetermined number of on-off valves to be controlled to open and close is set individually according to the number of times the control is sequentially repeated.

[0032] [Fourth invention: Method for identifying smoke generation location] The fourth invention of the present application is characterized in that a fixed smoke detection device is used to identify a smoke-producing area within a monitored area, and then a portable smoke detection device is used to identify the location of the smoke within that smoke-producing area.

[0033] (Another embodiment of the fourth aspect of the invention) In another aspect of the fourth invention of the present application, there is provided a method for identifying a smoke generation location, which identifies a smoke generation area using a fixed smoke detection device, and identifies a smoke generation location in the smoke generation area using a portable smoke detection device, comprising: When a portable smoke detection device is used to identify the location of a fire, the initial sensitivity is set to a higher level than the smoke detection sensitivity of a fixed smoke detection device, and the smoke detection sensitivity switching does not function at this time.When the portable smoke detection device is used to identify the location of the smoke source while moving within the smoke generating area, operation begins from the initial sensitivity, and when a specified smoke detection signal is detected during use to identify the location of the smoke source, the smoke detection sensitivity switching becomes functional, and then the smoke detection sensitivity is lowered to narrow down and identify the location of the smoke source.

[0034] (Valve opening and closing control) A fixed smoke detection device controls the opening and closing of on-off valves provided corresponding to a predetermined number of sampling holes in a sampling pipe placed in a security area so as to keep the amount of air sucked in by the sampling pipe approximately constant, and when smoke contained in the air sucked in through the sampling pipe is detected, the smoke generation area is identified based on the control state of the on-off valve.

[0035] (Smoke generating area warning by on-off valve indicator light) The fixed smoke detection device notifies the user of the identified smoke generating area by means of a display provided at the location of the on-off valve.

[0036] (Identifying areas where smoke is occurring using smoke detectors) Fixed smoke detection devices are equipped with smoke detectors that detect smoke contained in the sucked air at each suction position of sampling tubes placed in the alert area, and identify the smoke-generating area based on the ID information of the smoke detector. Effect of the Invention

[0037] [Basic effect of the first invention of the present application] According to the portable smoke detection device and method for identifying the smoke source position of the present invention, when starting the task of identifying the smoke source position while moving around a monitored area, the smoke detection sensitivity of the portable smoke detection device is always set to the same smoke detection sensitivity as the fixed smoke detection device, or to a higher smoke detection sensitivity as the initial sensitivity. This prevents mistakes in setting the sensitivity at the start of work involving switching operations, and prevents the conventional method of starting work with a low sensitivity to set a narrow detection range and then missing the smoke source position. This makes it possible to quickly, efficiently, and reliably identify the smoke source position while moving around a monitored area.

[0038] In addition, the initial sensitivity is set to a detection sensitivity equal to or higher than the smoke detection sensitivity of the main body of the smoke detection device in the fixed smoke detection device, and the detection sensitivity switching does not function at this time, and when used to identify the smoke source location, the work is started from the initial smoke detection sensitivity, and when a specified smoke detection signal is detected during use to identify the smoke source location, the smoke detection sensitivity switching function is activated, so that it is possible to reliably prevent the work from being started with a lower smoke detection sensitivity than that of the fixed smoke detection device when starting work, and further, when a specified smoke detection signal is detected with the initial smoke detection sensitivity, the smoke detection sensitivity switching function is activated, and thereafter, the smoke detection sensitivity can be manually or automatically, or manually and automatically, lowered, and the detection sensitivity can be manually or automatically, or manually and automatically, raised or lowered as necessary, to narrow down the smoke source location. This makes it possible to quickly, efficiently, and reliably identify the smoke source location.

[0039] In addition, by selectively combining the manual sensitivity switching function and the automatic sensitivity switching function for smoke detection sensitivity, for example, the manual sensitivity switching function can be selected initially and started with the initial sensitivity (high sensitivity), and the smoke generation location can be searched for while moving while watching the reaction, and when a specified smoke detection signal is obtained, the sensitivity can be manually switched to low sensitivity as necessary to narrow down the location. After the smoke generation location has been significantly narrowed down, the automatic sensitivity switching function can be selected and restarted from the initial sensitivity, so that the reaction is not suddenly lost, and the automatic sensitivity switching function immediately switches to an appropriate sensitivity (low sensitivity), and since the smoke generation location has already been significantly narrowed down, the work of identifying the smoke generation location can be proceeded with automatically without the hassle of switching operations.

[0040] In addition, the automatic sensitivity switching function can be selected initially, starting with the initial sensitivity (high sensitivity), and the search for the location of the smoke source can be carried out while moving and watching for a reaction. When a specified smoke detection signal is obtained, the sensitivity automatically switches to low sensitivity, thus narrowing down the range. If, in the middle of the search, the smoke detection signal suddenly becomes unable to be obtained, the manual sensitivity switching function can be selected again, at which point the search for the smoke source can be restarted from the initial sensitivity (high sensitivity), making it possible to efficiently proceed with the search for the location of the smoke source according to the situation.

[0041] In addition, by providing a reset means for resetting the sensitivity automatically switched by the automatic sensitivity switching function, the automatic sensitivity switching function is selected at the start of operation and starts at the initial sensitivity (high sensitivity), and the location of the smoke generation is searched for while moving while watching the reaction, and when a specified smoke detection signal is obtained, the sensitivity is automatically switched to low sensitivity, thus narrowing down the range, and if the smoke detection signal suddenly becomes unable to be obtained midway, the automatic sensitivity switching function can be reset by the reset means, forcibly returning to the initial sensitivity (high sensitivity), and the operation is restarted from the initial sensitivity (high sensitivity), so that the search for the location of the smoke generation can be carried out efficiently according to the situation.

[0042] In addition, if the automatic sensitivity switching function starts at the initial sensitivity (high sensitivity) and then a manual switching operation is received using the manual sensitivity switching function during operation, the automatic sensitivity switching function will restart the automatic sensitivity switching from the sensitivity that was manually forcibly switched rather than restarting from the initial sensitivity.In this way, it becomes possible to skip the switching step in the automatic sensitivity switching function, and by carefully combining the automatic sensitivity switching function and the manual switching operation of the manual sensitivity switching function, it becomes possible to efficiently proceed with the search for the location of the smoke source.

[0043] [Basic effect of the second invention] The second invention of the present application is a portable smoke detection device that moves within a monitored area, sucks in the air within the area through a sampling hole, detects smoke contained in the sucked in air, and locates the location of the smoke source.The device is equipped with an alarm means that alerts with sound and / or vibration in response to changes in the detected smoke concentration, so that when an operator begins the task of identifying the location of the smoke source while moving within the monitored area, the operator can be notified of the change in smoke concentration by the sound and / or vibration alarm without having to look at the smoke concentration indicator.By moving while searching in the direction of increasing smoke concentration based on the sound and / or vibration alarm, the location of the smoke source can be efficiently narrowed down and identified.

[0044] (Effect of notifying changes in smoke density) In addition, the alarm means changes the output form of sound and / or vibration depending on changes in the detected smoke concentration, so that an operator can efficiently narrow down and identify the location where the smoke is coming from while moving through the alert area, while recognizing changes in smoke concentration in real time from the sound and / or vibration that is notified.

[0045] (Effect of notifying the trend of changes in smoke density) In addition, the alarm means changes the output form of sound and / or vibration depending on the detected trend of change in smoke concentration, so that when an operator notices a downward trend in smoke concentration through the sound and / or vibration alarm, the operator can move away from that direction, and when an operator notices an upward trend in smoke concentration, the operator can move toward the direction indicating that trend, thereby efficiently narrowing down and identifying the location where the smoke is coming from.

[0046] (Effect of notifying the rising trend of smoke concentration) The alarm means is designed to identify at least an upward trend among the predetermined change trends of the detected smoke concentration, that is, rising, stagnating, and falling, by sound and / or vibration.Therefore, by being notified by sound and / or vibration, the worker can at least recognize the upward trend of the smoke concentration and move in that direction, thereby efficiently narrowing down and identifying the location where the smoke is coming from.

[0047] (Effects of changing the output frequency of sound and / or vibration) In addition, the alarm means changes the output period of the specified sound and / or vibration, and when the detected smoke density increases, the output period of the sound and / or vibration is set to a predetermined short period, or the period is shortened in accordance with the increase in smoke density, and when the smoke density decreases, the output period of the specified sound and / or vibration is set to a predetermined long period, or the period is lengthened in accordance with the downward trend in smoke density, and when the change in smoke density tends to stagnate, the output period of the specified sound and / or vibration is set to a predetermined period between the predetermined short period and the predetermined long period, or is fixed at the predetermined period and does not change.As a result, while moving within the alert area, the worker can efficiently narrow down and identify the location of the smoke generation while recognizing in real time changing conditions such as an increase, stagnation, or decrease in smoke density from the length of the output period of the specified sound and / or vibration that is notified.

[0048] (Effect of changing the output duty of sound and / or vibration) In addition, the alarm means changes the output duty of the specified sound and / or specified vibration at each predetermined repeating period, and when the detected smoke density increases, the output duty of the specified sound and / or specified vibration is set to a predetermined maximum output duty, or the output duty is increased in accordance with the increase in smoke density, and when the smoke density decreases, the output duty of the specified sound and / or specified vibration is set to a predetermined minimum output duty, or the output duty is decreased in accordance with the decrease in smoke density, and when the smoke density change tends to stagnate, the output duty of the specified sound and / or specified vibration is set to a predetermined output duty between the maximum output duty and the minimum output duty, or is fixed at the predetermined output duty and does not change. Therefore, for example, while moving through the alert area, a worker can efficiently narrow down and identify the location of the smoke generation while recognizing in real time the changing situation such as an increase, stagnation, or decrease in smoke density from the change in the output duty of the specified sound or specified vibration that is notified.

[0049] [Basic effect of the third invention] The present invention relates to a fixed smoke detection device that is placed in a monitored area and detects smoke contained in air sucked in through a sampling tube. The device is provided with an on-off valve provided corresponding to each of a predetermined number of sampling holes in the sampling tube, an on-off valve control unit that controls the opening and closing of the on-off valve so as to keep the amount of air sucked in through the sampling tube approximately constant, and a smoke detection control unit that, when smoke contained in the air sucked in through the sampling tube is detected, identifies the smoke generation location based on the control state of the on-off valve by the on-off valve control unit.Therefore, when smoke is detected, the smoke generation location is identified based on the control state of the multiple on-off valves that are controlled to open and close so as to keep the amount of air sucked in through the sampling tube approximately constant, and by reporting this, even if the smoke cannot be seen with the naked eye, the equipment generating the smoke can be identified and appropriate action can be taken by investigating the target equipment present at the smoke generation location.

[0050] Furthermore, even if multiple on-off valves are controlled to open and close in order to identify the location where the smoke is coming from, the amount of air sucked in by the sampling tube is kept approximately constant, so there is no need to perform complex control such as varying the suction volume of the suction pump provided in the smoke detection device main body, making it possible to simplify the device configuration.

[0051] (Effect of sequential opening of on-off valves) In addition, the on-off valve control unit repeatedly controls the opening and closing of a predetermined number of on-off valves in a predetermined order for a predetermined time and the remaining on-off valves to be closed, and the smoke detection control unit identifies the position corresponding to the on-off valve that is opened when smoke is detected as the smoke generation position.Therefore, by repeating the on-off control that opens and closes multiple on-off valves that are normally closed in sequence for a predetermined time and then closes them, smoke is detected when an on-off valve close to the smoke generation position is opened for a certain period of time, and the smoke generation position can be identified and notified from the on-off valve that is opened when smoke is detected.

[0052] In addition, of the multiple on-off valves provided in the sampling tube, at least one is driven open to suck in air, and the remaining on-off valves are driven closed, so the amount of air sucked through the sampling tube only needs to be the amount sucked in by at least one on-off valve, which corresponds to the sampling hole.This significantly reduces the amount of air sucked in through the sampling tube, and requires only a small suction pump, making it possible to reduce the size and cost of the device.

[0053] (Effect of valve open operation time) In addition, the open drive time for driving the multiple opening and closing valves open is set based on the time it takes for air sucked in through the opening and closing valves to reach the smoke detection device main body via the sampling tube, so that between the time the opening and closing valves are opened and closed, the air sucked in through the opening and closing valves that have been driven open reliably reaches the smoke detection device main body, allowing the presence or absence of smoke to be detected.

[0054] (Effect of sequential closing of on-off valves) In addition, the on-off valve control unit sequentially repeats control of driving a predetermined number of on-off valves to close for a predetermined time in a predetermined order and driving the remaining on-off valves to open, and the smoke detection control unit is configured to identify the position corresponding to the on-off valve that is driven closed as the smoke generation position when a state changes from one in which smoke is detected to one in which smoke is not detected.Therefore, by repeating the on-off control that drives multiple on-off valves that are always open in order to close for a predetermined time, smoke detection is cut off when an on-off valve close to the smoke generation position is driven closed for a certain period of time, and the smoke generation position can be identified and notified when a state changes to one in which smoke is not detected.

[0055] In addition, at least one of the multiple on-off valves installed in the sampling pipe is driven closed, while the remaining on-off valves are all open to draw in air, so that even when the on-off valves are driven open and closed, smoke detection is performed quickly and reliably, and at the same time, the location of the smoke source can be reliably identified and notified because smoke detection is cut off when the valves are driven closed.

[0056] (Effect of closing time of on-off valve) In addition, the closing drive time for driving the multiple opening and closing valves to close is set based on the time it takes for the air sucked in through the opening and closing valves to reach the smoke detection device main body via the sampling tube, so that between the time the opening and closing valves are closed and opened, the air containing the detected smoke that was sucked in through the opening and closing valves does not reach the smoke detection device main body, and smoke detection is reliably cut off, making it possible to identify the location where the smoke is originating.

[0057] (Effect of individually setting the number of on-off valves) In addition, the specified number of on-off valves to be controlled to open and close can be set individually according to the number of control times to be repeated sequentially, so that suction conditions can be maintained optimally according to the equipment installation status, the environment of the alert area, the position of the sampling hole, etc.

[0058] (Basic effect of the fourth invention) The fourth invention of the present application is adapted to identify a smoke generating area within a monitored area using a fixed smoke detection device, and then to identify the location of the smoke within that smoke generating area using a portable smoke detection device.Therefore, since a specific smoke generating area within a monitored area is identified by the fixed smoke detection device, and the smoke generating location can be identified using the portable smoke detection device from within or near that area, the task of identifying the smoke generating location is made efficient.

[0059] (Effects of another embodiment of the fourth aspect of the invention) In another form of the fourth invention of the present application, in a method for locating a smoke source location, which locates a smoke source area with a fixed smoke detection device and then locates the smoke source location in the smoke source area using a portable smoke detection device, when the portable smoke detection device is used to locate the location of a fire, an initial sensitivity is set to a higher sensitivity than the smoke detection sensitivity of the fixed smoke detection device, and at this time, the smoke detection sensitivity switching does not function, and when the portable smoke detection device is used to locate the smoke source location while moving within the smoke source area, operation begins from the initial sensitivity, and when a specified smoke detection signal is detected during use to locate the smoke source location, the smoke detection sensitivity switching becomes functional, and then the smoke detection sensitivity is lowered, Since the location of the smoke source is narrowed down and identified, when a smoke source area is identified by a fixed smoke detection device, when the work of identifying the smoke source area is started while moving around the smoke source area identified by the portable smoke detection device, the smoke detection sensitivity of the portable smoke detection device is always the same as that of the fixed smoke detection device, or a higher smoke detection sensitivity is always started as the initial sensitivity, thereby preventing errors in setting the sensitivity when starting work related to the switching operation, and preventing the smoke source area from being overlooked by starting work at a low sensitivity as in the past, and making it possible to quickly, efficiently and reliably identify the smoke source area while moving around the monitored area.

[0060] In addition, when starting work to identify the source of smoke using a portable smoke detection device, it is possible to reliably prevent the smoke detection sensitivity from being switched to a lower sensitivity than that of a fixed smoke detection device and start the work.Furthermore, when a specified smoke detection signal is detected at the initial sensitivity of the smoke detection sensitivity, the smoke detection sensitivity switching becomes functional, and thereafter, it becomes possible to narrow down the source of smoke while lowering the smoke detection sensitivity, thereby making it possible to identify the source of smoke quickly, efficiently, and reliably.

[0061] (Effect of valve opening and closing control) In addition, the fixed smoke detection device is provided with on-off valves provided corresponding to a predetermined number of sampling holes in the sampling tube, an on-off valve control unit that controls the opening and closing of the on-off valves so as to keep the amount of air sucked through the sampling tube approximately constant, and a smoke detection control unit that identifies the smoke generation location based on the control state of the on-off valve by the on-off valve control unit when smoke contained in the air sucked through the sampling tube is detected.Therefore, when smoke is detected, the smoke generation location is identified based on the control state of the multiple on-off valves that are controlled to open and close so as to keep the amount of air sucked through the sampling tube approximately constant, and by reporting this, even if the smoke cannot be seen with the naked eye, the equipment generating the smoke can be identified and appropriate action can be taken by investigating the target equipment present at the smoke generation location.

[0062] Furthermore, even if multiple on-off valves are controlled to open and close in order to identify the location where the smoke is coming from, the amount of air sucked in by the sampling tube is kept approximately constant, so there is no need to perform complex control such as varying the suction volume of the suction pump provided in the smoke detection device main body, making it possible to simplify the device configuration.

[0063] (Effect of warning smoke-producing compartments by indicator lights on opening and closing valves) In addition, the fixed smoke detection device is designed to indicate the identified smoke generation area by a display provided at the location of the opening and closing valve, and the indicator light on the opening and closing valve lights up or flashes to indicate the identified smoke detection area.This means that even in a large alert area, it is easy and simple to know where the smoke generation area is and you can begin the work of narrowing down the location of the smoke generation using the portable smoke detection device.

[0064] (Effect of identifying areas where smoke is originating using smoke detectors) In addition, the fixed smoke detection device is equipped with a smoke detector that detects smoke contained in the sucked-in air at each suction position of the sampling tube placed in the alert area, and the smoke-generating area is identified based on the ID information of the smoke detector. Therefore, although the installation costs increase by installing multiple smoke detectors, the smoke-generating area can be reliably identified by the smoke detection of the smoke detector through the simple control of sucking in air through the sampling tube. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0065] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a portable smoke detection device. [Diagram 2] An explanatory diagram showing the operation and display unit provided on the portable smoke detector body. [Diagram 3] A block diagram showing the functional configuration of a portable smoke detection device that switches between different smoke detection sensitivity settings. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of identifying a smoke source location using a portable smoke detection device according to the present embodiment in a monitoring area of ​​a fixed smoke detection device. [Diagram 5] Block diagram showing the functional configuration of a portable smoke detection device that allows the selection of automatic and manual switching of smoke detection sensitivity. [Figure 6] An explanatory diagram showing the operation display unit of Figure 5, which allows the selection of automatic and manual switching of smoke detection sensitivity. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a portable smoke detection device. [Figure 8] Block diagram showing the functional configuration of the portable device that notifies changes in smoke concentration by sound. [Figure 9]Time chart showing the buzzer sound output pattern corresponding to the decrease and increase in smoke concentration [Figure 10] A block diagram showing the functional configuration of a portable smoke detector that uses vibration to notify of changes in smoke concentration. [Figure 11] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a fixed type smoke detection device according to the third invention of the present application. [Figure 12] A block diagram showing the functional configuration of a smoke detection device that detects smoke and identifies the location where the smoke is originating. [Figure 13] A time chart showing valve control in which normally closed valves are temporarily opened in sequence. [Figure 14] A flowchart showing smoke detection control for identifying the smoke source position by controlling the opening and closing valve of FIG. 13. [Figure 15] A time chart showing valve control in which normally open valves are temporarily closed in sequence. [Figure 16] A flowchart showing smoke detection control for identifying the smoke source position by controlling the opening and closing valve of FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment for identifying the location of smoke using a fixed smoke detection device and a portable smoke detection device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0066] [Embodiment of the first invention] (Basic Concept of the Embodiment) Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a portable smoke detection device, Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation display unit provided on the portable smoke detection device main body, and Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the portable smoke detection device main body, which switches the smoke detection sensitivity.

[0067] The basic concept of the embodiment of the portable smoke detection device according to the first invention of the present application is that the portable smoke detection device 10 moves within a monitoring area, sucks in air within the monitoring area through a sampling hole, detects smoke contained in the sucked in air, and locates the source of the smoke, and is equipped with a sensitivity switching control unit 42 that controls switching of the smoke detection sensitivity, and when the sensitivity switching control unit 42 starts operation, it sets the initial sensitivity to a smoke detection sensitivity that is the same as or higher than the smoke detection sensitivity of a fixed smoke detection device 100 (described later in Figure 3) that detects smoke in the monitoring area, and at this time, the smoke detection sensitivity switching does not function, and when the fixed smoke detection device 100 is used to locate the source of smoke while moving within the monitoring area after detecting the generation of smoke, operation starts from the initial sensitivity, and when a specified smoke detection signal is detected during use to locate the source of smoke, the smoke detection sensitivity switching function is activated.

[0068] With such a portable smoke detection device 10, when starting the task of identifying the source of smoke while moving around the monitored area, the smoke detection sensitivity of the portable smoke detection device 10 is always set to the same smoke detection sensitivity as the fixed smoke detection device 100, or to a higher smoke detection sensitivity as the initial sensitivity. This prevents mistakes in setting the sensitivity when starting work related to switching operations, and prevents the location of the smoke being overlooked by starting work with a narrow detection range by starting with a low sensitivity as in the conventional method. This makes it possible to quickly, efficiently, and reliably identify the source of smoke while moving around the monitored area.

[0069] In another embodiment of the first invention of the present application, a method for locating a smoke source position includes, after a fixed smoke detection device 100 for detecting smoke in a monitoring area detects smoke generation, moving within the monitoring area using a portable smoke detection device 10 to suck in air within the monitoring area through a sampling hole, and detecting smoke contained in the sucked air to locate the smoke source position, in which the portable smoke detection device 10 is switchable in smoke detection sensitivity, and when the portable smoke detection device 10 starts operation, the initial sensitivity is set to a smoke detection sensitivity equal to or higher than that of the fixed smoke detection device 10, and at this time, the switching of the smoke detection sensitivity does not function, and when the portable smoke detection device 10 is used to locate the smoke source position, the operation starts from the initial sensitivity, and when a predetermined smoke detection signal is detected during use to locate the smoke source position while moving within the monitoring area, the switching of the smoke detection sensitivity becomes functional, and the smoke detection sensitivity is switched to locate the smoke source position. This will be described in detail below.

[0070] (Configuration of smoke detection device) 1 to 3, an embodiment of a portable smoke detection device according to the present invention will be described.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 1, a portable smoke detector 10 in this embodiment has a sampling tube 14 detachably attached to a smoke detector main body 12 which is freely portable.

[0072] The sampling tube 14 has a suction pipe 14a connected to the tip of a holder portion 14c equipped with a handle 14d, and a sampling hole (suction hole) 14b is opened at the tip of the suction pipe 14a. A flexible hose 14e is connected to the base end of the holder portion 14c, and the hose 14e is detachably connected to a hose connection port 16 of the smoke detection device main body 12.

[0073] The smoke detection device main body 12 can be carried by hand using a handle 18 or hung on the shoulder using a hanger belt or the like while identifying the location of smoke emission, and a power switch 20 is provided on the top and an operation display unit 22 is provided on the front.

[0074] 2, the operation display unit 22 has an alarm display unit 24 and a sensitivity switching operation unit 26. The alarm display unit 24 is provided with a caution light 24c, a warning light 24b, and a warning light 24a that are turned on in response to an increase in smoke concentration, as well as a suction check light 24d, a fault representative light 24e, and a power light 24f. The operation display unit 22 may be provided in whole or in part in the holder unit 14c. In that case, electrical wiring is provided to connect the smoke detection device main body 12 and the holder unit 14c as necessary.

[0075] The sensitivity switching operation unit 26 is a sensitivity switching means having a function of switching the sensitivity, and includes sensitivity switching buttons (switch buttons) 26a, 26b, 26c, and 26d, and allows the smoke detection sensitivity to be manually switched between four levels. For example, the sensitivity switching button 26a selects the highest smoke detection sensitivity that operates at a smoke concentration of 0.005 to 0.1% / m, the sensitivity switching button 26b selects the second smoke detection sensitivity that operates at a smoke concentration of 0.1 to 0.2% / m, the sensitivity switching button 26c selects the third smoke detection sensitivity that operates at a smoke concentration of 0.2 to 0.5% / m, and the sensitivity switching button 26d selects the lowest smoke detection sensitivity that operates at a smoke concentration of 0.5 to 5.0% / m. Each sensitivity switching button is a self-illuminating (illuminating) switch, and the selected sensitivity is displayed.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 3, the smoke detection device main body 12 has a control unit 30, a smoke detection unit 32, a suction unit 34, a battery power supply unit 36, a power switch 20, a sensitivity switching operation unit 26, and an alarm display unit 24.

[0077] The suction unit 34 is equipped with a suction fan driven by a motor, and when the suction fan is rotated, air containing smoke particles is sucked in from the target space, i.e., the monitored area, through the sampling hole 14b, and taken into the smoke detection unit 32 via the suction pipe 14a and hose 14e, and then exhausted from the exhaust hole.

[0078] The smoke detection unit 32 forms a smoke detection point by, for example, focusing laser light from a laser light source on the air flow that it has sucked in, and receives scattered light generated when smoke particles pass through this smoke detection point with a photodiode, outputs a detection pulse, and counts it at a predetermined time interval.Based on this count, the unit detects smoke and outputs a smoke detection signal.

[0079] In addition, a light source such as an LED may be used instead of a laser light source. The light receiving sensor is not limited to a photodiode, and various light receiving sensors may be used.

[0080] The battery power supply unit 36 ​​includes a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery, and can be charged by connecting a charging unit to a connector 38. Power is supplied from the battery power supply unit 36 ​​to each of the other units.

[0081] The control unit 30 is composed of hardware such as a computer circuit equipped with a CPU, memory, various input / output ports, etc., and is provided with the functions of a smoke detection control unit 40 and a sensitivity switching control unit 42 that are realized by the CPU executing a program.

[0082] When a smoke detection signal detected according to the initial sensitivity or the smoke detection sensitivity set by the sensitivity switching control unit 42 is output from the smoke detection unit 32, the smoke detection control unit 40 sequentially lights up the caution light 24c, the warning light 24b, and the warning light 24a provided in the warning display unit 24 according to the caution level, the warning level, and the warning level indicating an increase in the smoke concentration of the smoke detection signal to notify the smoke detection and the change in the smoke concentration. Instead of or in addition to these display lights, an indicator may be provided that variably displays the detected smoke concentration according to the detection pulse count situation. The smoke detection control unit 40 can roughly know the currently detected smoke concentration from the currently set smoke detection sensitivity and the smoke detection signal (pulse count situation, etc.). Based on this, the above display corresponding to the currently detected smoke concentration can be performed.

[0083] Here, for example, when the sensitivity switching button 26a is used to select the highest first smoke detection sensitivity that operates at a smoke concentration of 0.005 to 0.1% / m, the attention light 24c is turned on when a smoke detection signal corresponding to a smoke concentration of 0.005% / m is output from the smoke detection unit 32, the warning light 24b is turned on when a smoke detection signal corresponding to a smoke concentration of 0.05% / m is output, and the alarm light 24a is turned on when a smoke detection signal of a level corresponding to a higher predetermined concentration is detected. For example, when a smoke detection signal corresponding to a smoke concentration of 0.1% / m is output, the alarm light 24a is turned on. In this embodiment, the lighting of the alarm light 24a is described as being equivalent to operation. This point is similar to the other embodiments of the present invention.

[0084] The sensitivity switching control unit 42 is equipped with a manual sensitivity switching function 43, and when operation begins after power is turned on by operating the power switch 20, as will be described later in FIG. 4, sets a smoke detection sensitivity that is the same as or higher than the smoke detection sensitivity of a fixed smoke detection device installed in a monitored area such as a computer room as the initial sensitivity, and at this time, the smoke detection sensitivity switching does not function, so that when used to identify the location of smoke in a monitored area when the fixed smoke detection device is activated, operation begins with a smoke detection sensitivity that is the same as or higher than the smoke detection sensitivity of the fixed smoke detection device set as the initial sensitivity in the smoke detection device main body 12, and when a specified smoke detection signal is detected during use to identify the location of smoke, the sensitivity switching operation unit 26 performs control to switch the smoke detection sensitivity.

[0085] The initial sensitivity is registered in the memory of the control unit 30 by a dedicated setting device, for example, at the time of shipment from the factory. Alternatively, the set sensitivity may be read out from a fixed smoke detection device, and a sensitivity higher than this may be registered in the memory of the control unit 30 as the initial sensitivity. When the power is turned on, the control unit 30 reads out the initial sensitivity registered in the memory using the manual sensitivity switching function 43 of the sensitivity switching control unit 42, sets it in the smoke detection control unit 40, and then starts operation. Note that the initial sensitivity can be set by a dip switch or the like, other than by storing it in the memory.

[0086] Also, for example, after the power is turned on, a separately provided detection start switch or the like is operated, and when this operation is performed, a suction fan or the like is started to be driven, and before electrical software sampling begins, the manual sensitivity switching function 43 of the sensitivity switching control unit 42 automatically sets an initial sensitivity pre-stored in memory in the smoke detection control unit 40, and smoke detection based on the initial sensitivity is started.

[0087] For example, if the smoke detection sensitivity of a fixed smoke detector installed to detect smoke in a monitored area is a detection sensitivity that activates at a smoke concentration of 0.1% / m (for example, the above-mentioned "alarm level"), the initial sensitivity corresponds to a sensitivity higher than this, that is, a sensitivity that activates at a smoke concentration of 0.005 to 0.1% / m, which is selected by the sensitivity switching button 26a, for example. Note that the initial sensitivity does not necessarily have to match the sensitivity that can be selected by the sensitivity switching buttons 26a to 26d, and may be a higher sensitivity than the sensitivity selected by the sensitivity switching button 26a, for example.

[0088] Here, the total length of the sampling tube 14 and hose (flexible tube) 14e connected to the portable smoke detection device 10 is made shorter than that of the sampling tube connected to a fixed smoke detection device, the number of sampling holes is reduced, the suction flow rate per unit time is made the same, etc., so that the spatial spread (smoke detection range) in which smoke can be effectively detected based on the amount of air suctioned per unit time from the sampling holes is made larger than that of a fixed smoke detection device. Therefore, the portable smoke detection device 10 can efficiently identify the location of smoke that is localized within a wide monitoring area.

[0089] In addition, in the portable smoke detection device 10, whose initial sensitivity is set to a smoke detection sensitivity that is the same as or higher than that of a fixed smoke detection device, when starting initial sensitivity work, the sensitivity switching does not function and the sensitivity cannot be switched until a predetermined smoke detection signal, for example a smoke detection signal equivalent to the level that activates with the initial sensitivity, is obtained from the start of work with the initial sensitivity, so it is possible to reliably prevent work from being started by switching to a sensitivity lower than that of the fixed smoke detection device.

[0090] Furthermore, when the portable smoke detection device 10 detects a predetermined smoke detection signal corresponding to the smoke detection sensitivity set as the initial sensitivity during the operation to identify the source of smoke, it sets, for example, a software flag, and only when this flag is set, the sensitivity switching operation unit 26 is enabled to switch the detection sensitivity. After that, the smoke detection sensitivity can be gradually lowered (up or down as necessary) to narrow down the source of smoke.

[0091] The manual sensitivity switching function 43 of the sensitivity switching control unit 42 may set the above-mentioned initial sensitivity in the smoke detection control unit 40 at the start of operation and prohibit or disable switching of the smoke detection sensitivity, and perform control to release the prohibition or disablement of sensitivity switching when a predetermined smoke detection signal is detected at the initial sensitivity during use to identify the source of smoke. Here, prohibiting or disabling sensitivity switching includes cases where a switching operation is possible but the manual sensitivity switching function 43 of the sensitivity switching control unit 42 does not effectively accept the switching operation, or where a detection operation associated with sensitivity switching is performed but the detection result is not displayed on the alarm display unit 24, etc.

[0092] In addition, when prohibiting / cancelling sensitivity switching, a method can be adopted in which the manual sensitivity switching function 43 of the sensitivity switching control unit 42 controls, for example, a shutter mechanism to open and close the covers provided on the sensitivity switching buttons 26a to 26d, thereby switching between prohibition / cancellation of sensitivity switching operation, i.e., when the cover is closed, operation is disabled, and when the cover is open, operation is enabled.

[0093] Based on FIG. 4, an operation of identifying a smoke source position by the portable smoke detection device of this embodiment in a monitoring area of ​​a fixed smoke detection device will be described.

[0094] 4, a fixed smoke detection device 100 is installed in a computer room 104 in which a server rack 106 housing servers is located, with the monitored area being the area. A sampling pipe 102 is drawn out from the fixed smoke detection device main body 101 into the monitored area, and sampling holes are formed in the sampling pipe 102 at predetermined intervals, so that air in the monitored area is drawn in through the sampling holes and sent to the fixed smoke detection device main body 101, which, with the same configuration as the smoke detection device main body 12 in the portable smoke detection device 10, detects extremely thin (low concentration) smoke that cannot be seen with the naked eye and issues an alarm.

[0095] As described above, the smoke detection sensitivity of the fixed smoke detection device 100 is set so as to detect and activate when smoke of a predetermined concentration, for example 0.1% / m, is present in the space corresponding to the position of the sampling hole farthest from the fixed smoke detection device main body 101 among the multiple sampling holes provided in the sampling tube 102 (the spatial region where the air present therein is effectively sucked in through the sampling hole).

[0096] When the fixed smoke detector main body 101 detects smoke and is activated, an alarm signal is sent to an ultra-high sensitivity smoke monitor panel 110 installed in a monitoring room 108, and a fire alarm is output.

[0097] When a specified smoke detection signal is detected by the fixed smoke detection device main body 101 and a fire alarm is output, an attendant brings the portable smoke detection device 10 of this embodiment into the computer room 104, which is the monitored area, and while moving around the computer room 104, begins the task of sucking in air through the sampling hole 14b at the tip of the sampling tube 14 to identify the location where the smoke is coming from.

[0098] At this time, the smoke detection sensitivity of the portable smoke detection device 10 is set to an initial sensitivity which is the same as or higher than the smoke detection sensitivity of the fixed smoke detection device 100, and in this state the sensitivity switching does not function, so that even if work is started from a location away from the source of the smoke, smoke can be detected quickly, and there is no risk of starting work and missing the source of the smoke, as in the conventional method, by setting the sensitivity to a low level in advance.

[0099] Furthermore, when the portable smoke detection device 10 is activated by detecting a specified smoke detection signal after work has begun, the sensitivity switching function of the sensitivity switching operation unit 26, which had not functioned until then, becomes functional, and the staff member can narrow down the location where the smoke is coming from, for example, by gradually lowering the smoke detection sensitivity from the first smoke detection sensitivity of 0.005 to 0.1% / m corresponding to the sensitivity switching button 26a, which was set as the initial sensitivity, to the second, third, and fourth smoke detection sensitivity.

[0100] [Another embodiment for automatically switching detection sensitivity] Another embodiment of the portable smoke detection device main body that allows selection between automatic switching and manual switching of the smoke detection sensitivity will be described with reference to Figs. 5 and 6.

[0101] The smoke detection device main body 12 in the portable smoke detection device 10 is equipped with a control unit 30, a smoke detection unit 32, a suction unit 34, a battery power supply unit 36, a power switch 20, an alarm display unit 24, and a sensitivity switching operation unit 26, as in Figure 3, and the control unit 30 is provided with a smoke detection control unit 40 and a sensitivity switching control unit 42, as in Figure 3, but the sensitivity switching control unit 42 is provided with an automatic sensitivity switching function 44 in addition to the manual sensitivity switching function 43 in Figure 3, and as shown in Figure 6, the sensitivity switching operation unit 26 is provided with a manual sensitivity switching button 48 and an automatic sensitivity switching button 50 which function as a selection means.

[0102] When manual switching of the smoke detection sensitivity is selected with manual sensitivity switching button 48, manual switching of the smoke detection sensitivity is possible by manual sensitivity switching function 43 based on operation of sensitivity switching buttons 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d, as in the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3. When automatic switching of the smoke detection sensitivity is selected with automatic sensitivity switching button 50, sensitivity switching control is performed by automatic sensitivity switching function 44, which automatically switches the smoke detection sensitivity based on the smoke detection signal.

[0103] In addition, whether the smoke detection sensitivity is manually or automatically switched using the manual sensitivity switching function 43 or the automatic sensitivity switching function 44, the caution light 24c, the warning light 24b and the alarm light 24a will light up in sequence in response to an increase in smoke concentration, allowing the user to be notified of smoke detection and changes in smoke concentration.

[0104] 2 to 3, in this embodiment, a smoke detection sensitivity equal to or higher than that of a fixed smoke detection device is registered as the initial sensitivity, and after power is turned on, the manual sensitivity switching function 43 or the automatic sensitivity switching function 44 selected by operating the manual sensitivity switching button 48 or the automatic sensitivity switching button 50 starts from the initial sensitivity when the fixed smoke detection device is used to detect smoke and identify the location of the smoke in a monitored area, and at this time the sensitivity switching of the manual sensitivity switching function 43 or the automatic sensitivity switching function 44 is inactive. Then, when a specified smoke detection signal is detected during use to identify the location of smoke with the initial sensitivity, the sensitivity switching of the manual sensitivity switching function 43 or the automatic sensitivity switching function 44 becomes active.

[0105] When the sensitivity switching is enabled, if manual switching of the smoke detection sensitivity is selected by the manual sensitivity switching button 48, smoke is detected using the smoke detection sensitivity selected by switching using one of the sensitivity switching buttons 26a, 26b, 26c, and 26d, as in the embodiments of Figures 2 to 3. On the other hand, if automatic switching of the smoke detection sensitivity is selected by the automatic sensitivity switching button 50, automatic sensitivity switching control is performed, in which the detection sensitivity is automatically switched based on the smoke detection signal.

[0106] The automatic sensitivity switching control by the automatic sensitivity switching function 44 automatically switches and controls the smoke detection sensitivity by, for example, AGC (Automatic Gain Control) so that the signal level of the smoke detection signal falls within a predetermined level range.

[0107] In other words, the automatic sensitivity switching function 44 automatically switches the smoke detection sensitivity to fall within a predetermined level range by, for example, lowering the gain of the signal amplification amplifier when the signal level of the smoke detection signal output from the smoke detection unit 32 exceeds a predetermined upper threshold, and by, for example, increasing the gain of the amplifier to raise the detection sensitivity when the signal level of the smoke detection signal falls below a predetermined lower threshold, through electrical software processing.The automatic sensitivity switching function 44 controls the smoke detection sensitivity to remain within a predetermined level range if the signal level of the smoke detection signal is within the predetermined level range, and switches the smoke detection sensitivity to low sensitivity when the signal level exceeds the upper threshold, and switches to high sensitivity when the signal level falls below the lower threshold.

[0108] In addition, the AGC control of automatic sensitivity switching by the automatic sensitivity switching function 44 is configured to control an analog switch, digital potentiometer, or electronic volume for switching the gain of an amplifier provided in the smoke detection unit 32 from the control unit 30 (these correspond to sensitivity switching means).

[0109] As a result, the automatic sensitivity switching function 44 automatically lowers the smoke detection sensitivity as the location of the smoke source approaches, allowing the location of the smoke source to be narrowed down.

[0110] [Embodiment combining manual and automatic switching of smoke detection sensitivity] As another embodiment of the portable smoke detection device shown in Figures 5 and 6, the sensitivity switching control unit 42 can efficiently perform the task of identifying the location of smoke generation by an appropriate combination of manual switching and automatic switching of the smoke detection sensitivity.

[0111] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, a manual sensitivity switching function 43 and an automatic sensitivity switching function 44 are provided in a sensitivity switching control unit 42, and a manual sensitivity switching button 48 and an automatic sensitivity switching button 50 which function as a selection means are provided in the sensitivity switching operation unit 26 shown in Figure 6.

[0112] When operation starts and when selection is made using the manual sensitivity switching button 48 and the automatic sensitivity switching button 50, the sensitivity switching control unit 42 sets the initial sensitivity to a smoke detection sensitivity that is the same as or higher than the smoke detection sensitivity of a fixed smoke detection device that detects smoke in the monitored area, and at this time the smoke detection sensitivity switching does not function. During use to identify the source of smoke, when a specified smoke detection signal is detected, control is performed to put into a state where the manual sensitivity switching function 43 or the automatic sensitivity switching function 44 selected using the manual sensitivity switching button 48 or the automatic sensitivity switching button 50 is functional, and by appropriately combining the manual sensitivity switching function 43 and the automatic sensitivity switching function 44 by selecting using the manual sensitivity switching button 48 and the automatic sensitivity switching button 50, the efficiency of the search for the source of smoke is improved.

[0113] For example, the manual sensitivity switching function 43 is selected by operating the manual sensitivity switching button 48 to start the operation at the initial sensitivity (high sensitivity), and the position of the smoke source is searched for while watching the reaction and moving. Since the manual sensitivity switching function 43 can be manually switched to a low sensitivity when a predetermined smoke detection signal is obtained, the sensitivity switching buttons 26a to 26d are appropriately switched to a low sensitivity to narrow down the search.

[0114] After the smoke generation location has been narrowed down considerably in this way, if the automatic sensitivity switching button 50 is operated to select and change to the automatic sensitivity switching function 44, the sensitivity will be restarted from the initial sensitivity (high sensitivity), so there will be no sudden loss of response and the sensitivity will be switched to an appropriate sensitivity (low sensitivity) by the automatic sensitivity switching function 44. At this point, the smoke generation location has already been narrowed down considerably, so that the smoke generation location can be identified by the automatic sensitivity switching function 44 without the hassle of switching operations.

[0115] Also, for example, the automatic sensitivity switching function 44 is selected by operating the automatic sensitivity switching button 50 to start with the initial sensitivity (high sensitivity), and the smoke generation position is searched for while moving while watching the reaction. When a predetermined smoke detection signal is obtained, the automatic sensitivity switching function 44 automatically switches to low sensitivity, thus narrowing the range. If there is a sudden change in the middle of the search, such as the smoke detection signal suddenly disappearing or becoming considerably large, the manual sensitivity switching function 43 can be selected by operating the manual sensitivity switching button 48, and at this time, the sensitivity is restarted from the initial sensitivity (high sensitivity), so there is a low possibility of losing sight of the smoke. In addition, the sensitivity can be manually switched to an appropriate level and fixed, so the search work can be performed while suppressing the influence of large changes. This makes it possible to efficiently proceed with the search work for the smoke generation position.

[0116] [Embodiment with automatic sensitivity switching function and reset function] As another embodiment of the portable smoke detection device in which the sensitivity switching control unit 42 shown in FIG. 5 is provided with an automatic sensitivity switching function 44, the sensitivity switching operation unit 26 is further provided with a reset switch that functions as a resetting means.

[0117] The sensitivity switching control unit 42 of this embodiment is equipped with an automatic sensitivity switching function 44 that automatically switches the smoke detection sensitivity, and a reset switch that resets the sensitivity automatically switched by the automatic sensitivity switching function 44. When operation begins and when reset by the reset switch, the initial sensitivity is set to a smoke detection sensitivity that is the same as or higher than the smoke detection sensitivity of a fixed smoke detection device that detects smoke in the monitored area, and at this time, the smoke detection sensitivity switching does not function, and when a specified smoke detection signal is detected during use to identify the source of smoke, control is performed to put the automatic sensitivity switching function 44 into a functional state.

[0118] For this reason, for example, when the portable smoke detection device is turned on and operation begins, it starts with the initial sensitivity (high sensitivity) due to the automatic sensitivity switching function 44, searches for the smoke source location while watching the reaction, and automatically switches to low sensitivity when a predetermined smoke detection signal is obtained, thus narrowing down the range. If the smoke detection signal suddenly becomes impossible to obtain during this process, the automatic sensitivity switching function 44 can be reset by operating the reset switch, and the sensitivity can be forcibly returned to the initial sensitivity (high sensitivity), and the operation is restarted from the initial sensitivity (high sensitivity), so that a smoke detection signal can be obtained again, making it possible to efficiently proceed with the search for the smoke source location.

[0119] [An embodiment in which the sensitivity is switched manually after starting with automatic switching] As another embodiment of a portable smoke detection device in which the sensitivity switching control unit 42 shown in Figure 5 is provided with a manual sensitivity switching function 43 and an automatic sensitivity switching function 44, manual sensitivity switching by the manual sensitivity switching function 43 is combined with initial sensitivity switching by the automatic sensitivity switching function 44.

[0120] The sensitivity switching control unit 42 of this embodiment is equipped with an automatic sensitivity switching function 44 that automatically switches the smoke detection sensitivity, and a manual sensitivity switching function 43 that manually switches the smoke detection sensitivity, and when operation starts, the initial sensitivity is set to a smoke detection sensitivity that is the same as or higher than the smoke detection sensitivity of a fixed smoke detection device that detects smoke in the monitored area, and at this time, the smoke detection sensitivity switching does not function, and when a specified smoke detection signal is detected, the automatic sensitivity switching function 44 and the manual sensitivity switching function 43 are put into a functional state, and when manual sensitivity switching is performed at this time, control is performed to automatically switch the smoke detection sensitivity, with the smoke detection sensitivity switched by the manual sensitivity switching function 43 being set as the initial sensitivity.

[0121] For this reason, the search operation to identify the smoke generation location in this embodiment starts, for example, from an initial sensitivity (high sensitivity) by the automatic sensitivity switching function 44, and at this time, switching to low sensitivity by the automatic sensitivity switching function 44 and the manual sensitivity switching function 43 does not function, and when a specified smoke detection signal is obtained, the automatic sensitivity switching function 44 and the manual sensitivity switching function 43 become functional.

[0122] In this manner, the task of searching for the location of the smoke source proceeds, and if a manual switching operation is received during the task using sensitivity switching buttons 26a-26d for manual sensitivity switching function 43, automatic sensitivity switching function 44 will not restart from the initial sensitivity, but will restart automatic sensitivity switching from the sensitivity that was manually forcibly switched.

[0123] This makes it possible to skip the switching steps in the automatic sensitivity switching function 44 by switching the manual sensitivity switching function 43, and by carefully combining the manual switching operations of the automatic sensitivity switching function 44 and the manual sensitivity switching function 43, it becomes possible to efficiently proceed with the search work to identify the location where the smoke is originating.

[0124] [Modification of the first aspect] In the embodiments of Figs. 5 and 6, the smoke detection sensitivity is switched manually or automatically, but the smoke detection sensitivity may be switched automatically. The sensitivity switching by the automatic sensitivity switching function 44 switches the sensitivity to smoke, and includes various methods other than those mentioned above. For example, instead of the amplifier gain, a threshold value (such as an activation threshold value) for the smoke detection signal level may be switched, or the count threshold value of the received light pulses may be switched. Furthermore, light emission conditions such as the drive current of the light emission source in the smoke detection unit may be switched. These may also be combined. These may also be combined as appropriate.

[0125] Furthermore, the present invention includes appropriate modifications that do not impair the objects and advantages of the present invention, and is not limited to the numerical values ​​shown in the above embodiment.

[0126] [Embodiment of the second invention] (Basic Concept of the Embodiment) Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a portable smoke detection device related to the second invention of the present application, Figure 8 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the portable smoke detection device main body that notifies of changes in smoke concentration by sound, Figure 9 is a time chart showing the output pattern of a buzzer sound corresponding to a decrease and increase in smoke concentration, and Figure 10 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the portable smoke detection device main body that notifies of changes in smoke concentration by vibration.

[0127] The basic concept of the portable smoke detection device in the second invention of the present application is that the portable smoke detection device 10 moves within a monitored area, sucks in the air within the monitored area through a sampling hole, detects the smoke contained in the sucked in air, and locates the location of the smoke source, and is equipped with an acoustic alarm unit 70 of Figure 8 or a vibration alarm unit 72 of Figure 9 that functions as an alarm means that alerts by sound or vibration in response to changes in the detected smoke concentration. Therefore, when starting to identify the location of the smoke source while moving within a monitored area, the worker can be notified of the change in smoke concentration by the sound and / or vibration alarm without having to look at the smoke concentration indicator 60, and by moving while searching in the direction of increasing smoke concentration based on the sound and / or vibration alarm, the location of the smoke source can be efficiently narrowed down and identified.

[0128] For example, the audio alarm unit 70 or the vibration alarm unit 72 changes the form of the alarm by sound or vibration depending on the rising, stagnant, or declining trend of the smoke concentration detected by the smoke detection unit 32, so that the worker can know the stagnant trend of the smoke concentration change in the rising or falling trend in addition to the declining or rising trend of the smoke concentration, and when the smoke concentration changes from an increasing trend to a stagnant trend, for example, the worker can recognize that he has moved close to the smoke generation position, and can efficiently narrow down and identify the smoke generation position. This will be explained in detail below.

[0129] [Outline of portable smoke detection device] 7(A), the portable smoke detector 10 of this embodiment has a sampling tube 14 detachably attached to a portable smoke detector main body 12, and a smoke density indicator 60 that displays smoke density by a bar graph is provided on a holder portion 14c of the sampling tube 14. Note that the smoke density indicator 60 may display the smoke density numerically, or may display the smoke density as a pointer or numerically on an indicator, other than as a bar graph.

[0130] Moreover, the smoke density indicator 60 is provided with an acoustic hole 62, and an acoustic alarm unit such as a speaker or buzzer is provided inside. Correspondingly, a signal line is embedded in the hose 14e for connecting the smoke density indicator 60 and the acoustic alarm unit provided in the holder portion 14c to the portable smoke detection device main body 12. Since the other configurations are the same as those in the embodiment of Fig. 1, the same reference numerals are used and the description will be omitted.

[0131] (Functional configuration of portable smoke detector unit) As shown in FIG. 8, the portable smoke detection device main body 12 is provided with a control unit 30, a smoke detection unit 32, a suction unit 34, a battery power supply unit 36, a power switch 20, a sensitivity switching operation unit 26, and an alarm display unit 28, and the configurations and functions of these are the same as those of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3.

[0132] In addition, in this embodiment, a transmission unit 64 is provided, and on the side of the sampling tube 14 connected by a hose, a transmission unit 66, a smoke concentration indicator 60, and an acoustic alarm unit 70 that functions as an acoustic alarm means are provided.

[0133] The smoke detection control section 40 instructs the transmission section 64 to transmit the smoke density detection signal output based on the number of detection pulses counted by the smoke detection unit 32 to the transmission section 66 of the sampling tube 14, and controls the smoke density display 60 to display the smoke density as a bar graph. The smoke density display 60 can switch the display range of the smoke density in conjunction with a switching operation or manual or automatic switching of the smoke detection sensitivity.

[0134] (Audible notification of smoke concentration) The smoke detection control unit 40 of the portable smoke detector main body 12 controls the acoustic alarm unit 70 provided on the sampling tube 14 side to change the sound in response to a change in smoke concentration in the smoke concentration detection signal output from the smoke detection unit 32. The change in smoke concentration may be determined based on a moving average process or the like.

[0135] The control by the smoke detection control unit 40 to change the sound from the acoustic alarm unit 70 in response to changes in smoke concentration alerts the user of a predetermined change in the smoke concentration detected by the smoke detection unit 32 using sound and / or vibration, and for example changes the form of the sound alert depending on whether the detected smoke concentration is increasing, stagnating, or decreasing.

[0136] The control by the smoke detection control unit 40 to change the sound from the audio notification unit 70 in response to a change in smoke concentration is, for example, the following controls A1 to A3. (Control A1) When the detected smoke density is increasing (when there is a predetermined increasing trend), the output period of the sound is set to a predetermined short period, or the output period is shortened according to the increase in smoke density. (Control A2) When the detected smoke density is decreasing (when there is a predetermined decreasing trend), the output period of the sound is set to a predetermined long period, or the output period is lengthened according to the decreasing trend of the smoke density. (Control A3) When the detected change in smoke density shows a predetermined tendency to stagnate, the sound output period is set to a predetermined period between a predetermined long period and a predetermined short period wave, or is fixed at a predetermined period and does not change.

[0137] Due to the change in the sound output period by controls A1 to A3 in response to changes in smoke concentration detected by such a smoke detection unit 32, a worker who is working to identify the location of the smoke source while moving the portable smoke detection device 10 within the restricted area can intuitively recognize changes in the smoke concentration, such as an increase, stagnation, or decrease, in real time from the change in the sound output period, and efficiently narrow down and identify the location of the smoke source.

[0138] As another embodiment of the control for changing the sound from the acoustic alarm unit 70 in response to a change in smoke concentration by the smoke detection control unit 40, the output duty of a predetermined buzzer sound from the acoustic alarm unit 50 is changed at predetermined intervals, for example as follows: control B1 to B3. (Control B1) When the detected smoke density increases, the output duty of the buzzer sound is set to a predetermined maximum output duty, or the output duty of the buzzer sound is increased in accordance with the increase in smoke density. (Control B2) When the detected smoke density decreases, the output duty of the buzzer sound is set to a predetermined minimum output duty, or the output duty of the buzzer sound is reduced in accordance with the decrease in smoke density. (Control B3) If the detected change in smoke density tends to stagnate, the output duty of the buzzer sound is fixed to a predetermined output duty between a predetermined maximum output duty and a predetermined minimum output duty, or is fixed to a predetermined output duty and not changed.

[0139] Figure 9 is a time chart showing the output pattern of the buzzer sound in response to a decrease and increase in smoke density. Figure 9(A) shows the case where the smoke density is decreasing, and the output duty is reduced by making the on-time T1 shorter than the off-time (T-T1) in the repeat period T. Figure 9(B) shows the case where the smoke density is increasing, and the on-time T2 and off-time (T-T2) are made the same, increasing the output duty.

[0140] By changing the output duty of the buzzer sounds of controls B1 to B3 in response to changes in smoke concentration detected by this smoke detection unit 32, an operator who is identifying the location of the smoke source while moving the portable smoke detection device 10 within the security zone can intuitively recognize changes in the smoke concentration, such as an increase, stagnation, or decrease, in real time from the change in the output duty of the specified sound, and efficiently narrow down and identify the location of the smoke source.

[0141] In addition, as a change in sound from the acoustic alarm unit 70 in response to a change in smoke density, the output pitch of a predetermined sound such as "beep," "beep," "beep beep,"... "beep...beep" may be increased in response to an increase in smoke density and decreased in response to a decrease in smoke density, or the frequency or pitch of the sound may be changed.

[0142] (Vibration notification of smoke concentration) In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, a vibration notification section 72 including, for example, a piezoelectric vibrator is provided on the side of the sampling pipe 14 connected to the portable smoke detector body 12 by a hose.

[0143] The smoke detection control unit 40 of the portable smoke detection device main body 12 controls the change of vibration from the vibration alarm unit 72 provided on the sampling tube 14 side in response to changes in smoke concentration in the smoke concentration detection signal output from the smoke detection unit 32.

[0144] The control by the smoke detection control unit 40 to change the vibration from the vibration notification unit 72 in response to changes in smoke concentration is to notify by vibration of a predetermined change trend in the smoke concentration detected by the smoke detection unit 32, for example, by changing the form of the vibration notification in response to an increasing, stagnant, or decreasing trend in the detected smoke concentration.

[0145] The control by the smoke detection control unit 40 to change the vibration from the vibration notification unit 72 in response to a change in smoke concentration is, for example, the following controls C1 to C3. (Control C1) When the detected smoke density increases (when there is a predetermined increasing trend), the output period of the vibration is set to a predetermined short period, or the output period is shortened in accordance with the increase in smoke density. (Control C2) When the detected smoke density is decreasing (has a predetermined downward trend), the output period of the vibration is set to a predetermined long period, or the output period is lengthened according to the downward trend of the smoke density. (Control C3) When the detected smoke concentration change shows a predetermined stagnation tendency, the output period of the vibration is set to a predetermined period between a predetermined long period and a predetermined short period wave, or is fixed at a predetermined period and not changed. The output period of the vibration to be changed is set to an output period corresponding to a frequency range of, for example, 10 Hz or less that can be sensed by an operator holding the holder portion 14c of the sampling tube 14 in his / her hand.

[0146] Due to the change in the vibration output period by controls C1 to C3 in response to changes in smoke concentration detected by this smoke detection unit 32, a worker who is identifying the location of the smoke source while moving the portable smoke detection device 10 within the restricted area can intuitively recognize changes in the smoke concentration, such as an increase, stagnation, or decrease, in real time from the change in the vibration output period, and efficiently narrow down and identify the location of the smoke source.

[0147] As another embodiment of the control for changing the vibration from the vibration notification unit 72 in response to a change in smoke concentration by the smoke detection control unit 40, when the output duty of a predetermined vibration from the vibration notification unit 72 is changed at every predetermined period, the following controls D1 to D3 are used, for example. (Control D1) When the detected smoke density increases, the output duty of the vibration is set to a predetermined maximum output duty, or the output duty of the vibration is increased in accordance with the increase in the smoke density. (Control D2) When the detected smoke density decreases, the output duty of the vibration is set to a predetermined minimum output duty, or the output duty of the vibration is reduced in accordance with the decrease in the smoke density. (Control D3) If the detected smoke concentration change tends to stagnate, the vibration output duty is fixed to a predetermined output duty between a predetermined maximum output duty and a predetermined minimum output duty, or is fixed to a predetermined output duty and not changed.

[0148] Due to the change in the output duty of the specified vibration of controls D1 to D3 in response to changes in smoke concentration detected by such smoke detection unit 32, an operator who is working to identify the location of the smoke source while moving the portable smoke detection device 10 within the security zone can intuitively recognize changes in the smoke concentration, such as an increase, stagnation, or decrease, in real time from the change in the output duty of the specified vibration, and efficiently narrow down and identify the location of the smoke source.

[0149] In addition, both the acoustic notification unit 70 shown in Figure 8 and the vibration notification unit 72 shown in Figure 10 may be provided in the holder portion 14c of the sampling tube 14 so that changes in the detected smoke concentration are notified by both sound and vibration.

[0150] [Embodiment of the third invention of the present application] (Basic Concept of an Embodiment of a Smoke Detection Device) FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a fixed type smoke detection device according to the third invention of the present application, and FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a smoke detection device main body that detects smoke and identifies the location where the smoke is originating.

[0151] The smoke detection device 100 of this embodiment is placed in a security area such as a computer room 122, and detects smoke contained in the air sucked in through the sampling pipe 14. On-off valves 116-1 to 116-8 are provided for a predetermined number of sampling holes in the sampling pipe 14, for example corresponding to each sampling hole. The on-off valve control unit 46 repeatedly controls the on-off valves 116-1 to 116-8 to be open for a predetermined time in a predetermined order for a predetermined number of valves, for example one by one, and the remaining on-off valves to be closed, so as to keep the amount of air sucked in per unit time through the sampling pipe 14 approximately constant. When the smoke detection control unit 44 detects smoke contained in the air sucked in through the sampling pipe 14, it identifies the location of the smoke generation based on the control state of the on-off valves 116-1 to 116-8 and notifies the user.

[0152] As a result, when smoke is detected, the smoke generation position is identified based on the position of the control valve that is being driven open among the on-off valves 116-1 to 116-8. Specifically, for example, the position of the sampling hole that sucked in the smoke can be determined depending on the control state of the on-off valve, i.e., which on-off valve is being controlled to be open when smoke is detected, so the position in the alert area corresponding to the sampling hole is identified as the smoke generation position.

[0153] Furthermore, even if the on-off valves 116-1 to 116-8 are controlled to open and close in order to identify the location where the smoke is coming from, the amount of air sucked per unit time by the sampling tube 14 is kept approximately constant, so there is no need to perform complex control such as varying the suction volume of the suction pump provided in the fixed smoke detection device main body, and the configuration of the device can be simplified.

[0154] In addition, in another smoke detection device 100 according to this embodiment, the on-off valve control unit 146 repeatedly controls the on-off valves 116-1 to 116-8 to be closed for a predetermined time in a predetermined order for a predetermined number of units, for example, one unit at a time, so as to keep the amount of air per unit time sucked in by the sampling tube 14 approximately constant, and the remaining on-off valves are repeatedly controlled to be open, and the smoke generation location is identified and notified based on the control state of the on-off valves 116-1 to 116-8 when the smoke detection control unit 44 changes from a state in which smoke is detected to a state in which smoke is not detected.

[0155] In this case as well, when the state changes from a state in which smoke is detected to a state in which smoke is not detected, the smoke generation position is identified based on the position of the control valve among the multiple on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 that is being driven to close. Specifically, for example, the position of the sampling hole that sucked in the smoke can be determined depending on the control state of the on-off valve, i.e., which on-off valve is being driven to close when the state changes from a state in which smoke is detected to a state in which smoke is not detected, and therefore the position in the alert area that corresponds to that sampling hole can be identified as the smoke generation position.

[0156] Furthermore, since the amount of air sucked by the sampling pipe 114 is kept substantially constant, there is no need to perform complex control such as varying the amount of air sucked by the suction pump provided in the fixed smoke detector main body 112 .

[0157] Although an example is shown here in which the on-off valves are sequentially driven to open or close one by one, multiple valves may be driven at a time. In order to keep the amount of air sucked by the sampling pipe 114 approximately constant, the number of valves to be driven may be set individually for each control operation, instead of a fixed number, according to a control table or the like registered in advance in the on-off valve control unit 46, as necessary.

[0158] In this way, even if the smoke cannot be seen with the naked eye, for example, the device emitting the smoke can be identified and appropriate measures taken by examining the target device present at the location where the smoke is emitted.

[0159] The smoke detection device 100 according to this embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0160] [Fixed smoke detection device overview] 11, a fixed smoke detection device 100 according to this embodiment is installed in a monitored area such as a computer room 122 in which a server rack 124 is located. The fixed smoke detection device 100 is composed of a fixed smoke detection device main body 112 fixed to a wall surface and a sampling pipe 114 installed in the monitored area.

[0161] The sampling pipe 114 is pulled upward from the top of the fixed smoke detection device main body 112, bent horizontally near the ceiling surface, and arranged horizontally along the ceiling surface above the server rack 124, and on the horizontal part of the sampling pipe 114, on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 with sampling holes at predetermined intervals are arranged, for example facing downward.

[0162] The on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 are, for example, solenoid valves, and normally closed solenoid valves are used, which are closed when de-energized and open when energized. Signal lines (control lines) 120 are individually connected to the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 from the fixed smoke detector main body 112 as shown by dotted lines, so that the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 can be individually driven to open and close under the control of the fixed smoke detector main body 112.

[0163] In addition to being arranged as a straight pipe as in this embodiment, the sampling pipe 114 may be appropriately arranged in accordance with the protection target in the monitoring area, for example, by dividing it into a plurality of systems and branching it. Also, a suction pipe may be further connected to the sampling holes of the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 provided in the sampling pipe 114 and linked to the housing of the server rack 124, so that the air inside the housing is sucked in for each server rack 124.

[0164] In this embodiment, the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 are provided corresponding to one of the sampling holes of the sampling pipe 114, but an on-off valve may be provided corresponding to every two or more predetermined number of sampling holes.

[0165] The fixed smoke detector main body 112 detects smoke contained in the air sucked in through the sampling tube 114. The smoke concentration detected by the fixed smoke detector main body 112 is in the range of, for example, 0.005% / m to 5.0% / m.

[0166] Furthermore, the fixed smoke detection device main body 112 repeats an opening and closing operation of opening the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 provided in the sampling pipe 114, for example, one by one in sequence starting from the on-off valve 16-1, for a predetermined open drive time T1 to T8, and then closing the same. As a result, the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 are opened one by one in sequence for a predetermined open drive time T1 to T8, and air is sucked in from the sampling hole of the open on-off valve 16-1 during each of the open drive times T1 to T8 and reaches the fixed smoke detection device main body 112 via the sampling pipe 114, where the presence or absence of smoke is detected.

[0167] The on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 are preset with addresses A1 to A8 as ID information indicating the smoke generation location, and when the fixed smoke detection device main body 112 detects smoke, it identifies the smoke generation location based on the address Ai of the on-off valve 16-i (i is any value from 1 to 8) that is currently open, and sends a signal indicating the smoke detection and the smoke generation location to an ultra-high sensitivity smoke monitoring panel 128 installed in a monitoring room 126 or the like, which outputs (alerts) a smoke detection alarm (e.g., a fire alarm display, a fire alarm sound, etc.) indicating the smoke detection and the smoke generation location.

[0168] [Configuration of the smoke detector body] As shown in FIG. 12, the fixed smoke detector main body 112 includes a control unit 130 , a smoke detection unit 132 , a suction unit 134 , an on-off valve drive unit 136 , an operation unit 138 , an alarm display unit 140 and a transmission unit 142 .

[0169] The suction unit 134 is equipped with a suction fan driven by a motor, and when the suction fan is rotated, air is sucked in from the sampling tube 114, passed through the smoke detection unit 132, and exhausted from the exhaust port.

[0170] The smoke detection unit 132 forms a smoke detection point by, for example, focusing laser light from a laser light source on the sucked-in air flow, and when the sucked-in air contains smoke particles, the scattered light generated when the smoke particles pass through this smoke detection point is received by a photodiode, which outputs a detection pulse and counts it at a predetermined time interval, and detects smoke based on the count number and outputs a smoke detection signal.

[0171] In addition, a light source such as an LED may be used instead of a laser light source. The light receiving sensor is not limited to a photodiode, and various light receiving sensors may be used.

[0172] The on-off valve driving unit 136 connects a signal line 120 to the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 of FIG. 7 provided in the sampling pipe 114, and drives the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 to open individually one by one by outputting an open drive signal to the signal line 120.

[0173] The operation unit 138 is provided with various operation switches necessary for smoke detection, such as a power switch, a reset switch, a sensitivity changeover switch, etc. The sensitivity changeover switch changes the detection sensitivity of smoke by the fixed smoke detection device main body 112.

[0174] An alarm display unit 140 displays an alarm upon detection of smoke and displays a fault upon detection of a fault such as a blockage in the sampling pipe 114. A transmission unit 142 transmits a signal indicating the smoke detection and the position of the smoke generation to the ultra-high sensitivity smoke monitoring panel 128 shown in FIG.

[0175] The control unit 130 is composed of hardware such as a computer circuit equipped with a CPU, memory, various input / output ports, etc., and is provided with the functions of a smoke detection control unit 144 and an on-off valve control unit 46 that are realized by the CPU executing a program.

[0176] The smoke detection control section 144 detects smoke when the smoke detection signal output from the smoke detection unit 132 reaches a predetermined condition (here, a predetermined count number) corresponding to the smoke detection sensitivity (a predetermined concentration of smoke to be detected), and notifies the smoke detection by turning on or blinking an alarm light provided in the alarm display section 140, which is an alarm output means, and also instructs the transmission section 142 to transmit a signal indicating the smoke detection to the ultra-high sensitivity smoke monitoring panel 128 and output a smoke detection alarm (fire alarm). Alternatively or in addition to this, an alarm sound may be output.

[0177] In addition, the smoke detection control unit 144 identifies the smoke generation location based on the opening / closing control state of the opening / closing valves 16-1 to 16-8 by the opening / closing valve control unit 46 when smoke is detected, in other words, it identifies the position corresponding to the opening / closing valve that is driven open when smoke is detected as the smoke detection position, and instructs the transmission unit 142 to transmit a signal indicating the smoke generation location to the ultra-high sensitivity smoke monitoring panel 128 to control the display of the smoke generation location (fire generation location).

[0178] The on-off valve control unit 46 targets the normally closed on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 and repeats control to open the valves for predetermined open drive times T1 to T8 for each of the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 in a cycle T0, starting from the on-off valve 16-1 closest to the fixed smoke detection device main body 112 to the on-off valve 16-8 at the furthest position, as shown in the time chart of Figure 13.

[0179] Here, the open drive times T1 to T8 of the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 are set as the time from when each of the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 is opened as a sampling hole to when the sucked air travels a distance corresponding to the distance it travels to reach the smoke detection unit 132 of the fixed smoke detection device main body 112, plus a predetermined smoke detection time.

[0180] The open drive times T1 to T8 can be calculated from the distance the suction air travels from the sampling hole, the amount of air suctioned per hour by the suction unit 134, and the air movement speed, which is determined by the inner diameter of the sampling tube 114. Furthermore, since the arrangement of the sampling tube 114 differs depending on the alert area, the open drive times T1 to T8 can be set based on a test to suction smoke from the sampling holes of the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 after installation and to measure the time until smoke is detected.

[0181] Furthermore, by controlling the opening and closing of the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 in sequence, the number of sampling holes, which is determined by the number of open on-off valves, is always one. Therefore, even if controlling the opening and closing of the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 in sequence, the suction amount per hour of the sampling tube 114 is always roughly constant, and there is no need for complex control such as varying the suction amount according to the number of sampling holes, allowing the suction unit 134 to stably suction air from the monitored area.

[0182] Furthermore, by controlling the opening and closing of the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 by the on-off valve control unit 46, one on-off valve is always open for the sampling pipe 114 and air is sucked in from only one sampling hole. Therefore, the amount of air sucked in by the suction unit 134 need only be a small amount corresponding to one sampling hole. As a result, the suction fan can be made smaller and the inner diameter of the sampling pipe 114 can also be made smaller, simplifying the equipment configuration and reducing costs.

[0183] [Smoke detection control with sequential opening control of on-off valves] Smoke detection control by the control unit 130 of Fig. 11 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 14. As shown in Fig. 14, in step S1, the control unit 130 of the fixed smoke detection device main body 112 initializes the addresses Ai and open drive times Ti of the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 provided in the sampling pipe 114 to the address A1 and open drive time T1 of the on-off valve 16-1 that is driven open first, for example.

[0184] Next, the control unit 130 proceeds to step S2 and drives the on-off valve 16-1 at address A1 to open while the other on-off valves 16-2 to 16-8 are closed, and monitors whether or not smoke has been detected in step S3, and if smoke has been detected, transmits a signal indicating smoke detection to the ultra-high sensitivity smoke monitoring panel 128 to output a smoke detection alarm (fire alarm). On the other hand, if no smoke is detected in step S3, the control unit 130 monitors the passage of the open drive time T1 in step S4.

[0185] If the control unit 130 determines that smoke is detected in step S3 during the open drive time T1, it proceeds to step S5, and because the on-off valve 16-1 is open at this time, it identifies the smoke generation position as a position corresponding to the sampling hole by the on-off valve 16-1 at address A1, transmits a signal indicating smoke detection and the identified smoke generation position to the ultra-high sensitivity smoke monitoring panel 128, and outputs a smoke detection alarm indicating the identified smoke generation position. At the same time, it also causes its own alarm display unit 140 to output a smoke detection alarm.

[0186] On the other hand, when the open drive time T1 has elapsed without detecting smoke in steps S3 and S5, or after smoke is detected in steps S3 and S4 and a smoke detection alarm has been issued identifying the location of the smoke, the control unit 130 determines in step S6 whether the address is the final address A8, and if it is not the final address A8, in step S7, updates the address A1 to the next address A2 and the open drive time T1 to T2, then returns to step S2, and similarly performs smoke detection by opening the next on-off valve 16-2.

[0187] Furthermore, when the control unit 130 determines the final address A8 in step S6, it returns to step S1, and again initializes the address A1 and the open drive time T1, and repeats the process from step S2.

[0188] In the above embodiment, the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 are repeatedly driven open for a predetermined time T1 to T8 in a predetermined order, while the remaining on-off valves are repeatedly driven closed, but it is also possible to repeatedly drive a predetermined number of the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8, for example, every two valves, open for a predetermined time in a predetermined order, while the remaining on-off valves are repeatedly driven closed. In this case, the position corresponding to the sampling holes of the two on-off valves that are open when smoke detection is determined is identified as the smoke generation position.

[0189] Incidentally, even if smoke is detected in steps S3 and S5 and the smoke source position is identified, once the open drive time Ti has elapsed, the process may be repeated from step S1 via step S6.

[0190] In the above control example, a smoke detection alarm is output when smoke is detected in step S3, and a smoke detection alarm specifying the smoke generation position is output when the smoke generation position is identified in step S5, but it is also possible not to output a smoke detection alarm when smoke is detected in step S13, but to output a smoke detection alarm specifying the smoke generation position when the smoke generation position is identified in step S5. In this way, the smoke generation status can be repeatedly checked, improving reliability.

[0191] [Another embodiment for identifying the smoke generation position by sequentially closing the on-off valve] Next, another embodiment of a smoke detection device for identifying a smoke generation position based on the sequential closing drive of an on-off valve will be described.

[0192] In this embodiment, the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 provided in the sampling pipe 114 in Fig. 11 are normally open solenoid valves. For this reason, the on-off valve control section 46 of the control section 130 instructs the on-off valve driving section 136 to output a close drive signal, thereby controlling the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 that are normally open to be driven to close one by one in a predetermined order for a predetermined time, and the remaining on-off valves to be in an open state.

[0193] As shown in the time chart of Figure 15, the on-off valve control unit 46 of the control unit 130 repeats control to close the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 one by one in sequence, from the on-off valve 16-1 closest to the fixed smoke detection device main body 112 to the on-off valve 16-8 located at the furthest position, for a predetermined closing drive time T11 to T18 in a cycle T10.

[0194] In addition, when smoke is detected from the sucked-in air while any of the on-off valves 16-i among the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 is open, and the state changes to one where no smoke is detected when the on-off valve 16-i is next temporarily closed to block the suction of air from there, the smoke detection control unit 144 identifies the smoke generation location corresponding to the on-off valve 16-i and instructs the transmission unit 142 to transmit a signal indicating smoke detection and the smoke generation location to the ultra-high sensitivity smoke monitoring panel 128, thereby controlling the output of a smoke detection alarm with the smoke generation location identified.

[0195] More specifically, when smoke is detected, a notice of smoke occurrence is sent to the ultra-high sensitivity smoke monitoring panel 128, and then the location of the smoke occurrence is identified and the smoke occurrence location information is sent to the ultra-high sensitivity smoke monitoring panel 128. The ultra-high sensitivity smoke monitoring panel 128 sequentially displays an alarm on these.

[0196] Here, the closing drive times T11 to T18 of the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 are set as a time obtained by adding a predetermined smoke detection time to a travel time according to a distance from when each of the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 is closed as a sampling hole until the air sucked in before the valves are closed reaches the smoke detection unit 132 of the fixed smoke detection device main body 112. Note that the closing drive times T11 to T18 are set to be constant, but they may be different times, may be set by calculation, or may be set based on actual measurement.

[0197] In this manner, by controlling the opening and closing of the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 in sequence to close one by one, the number of sampling holes, determined by the number of open on-off valves, is always seven. Therefore, even if the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 are controlled to close one by one in sequence, the suction amount per hour of the sampling tube 114 is always roughly constant, and there is no need for complex control such as varying the suction amount according to the number of sampling holes, enabling the suction unit 134 to stably suction air from the monitored area.

[0198] [Smoke detection control with sequential closing control of on-off valves] Smoke detection control associated with the sequential closing control of the on-off valves by the control unit 130 in FIG. 14 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0199] As shown in FIG. 16, in step S11, the control unit 130 of the fixed smoke detection device main body 112 initializes the addresses Ai and close drive times T1i of the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 provided in the sampling pipe 114 to the address A1 and close drive time T11 of the on-off valve 16-1 that is to be driven closed first, for example.

[0200] Next, the control unit 130 proceeds to step S12 and drives the on-off valve 16-1 at address A1 to close while the other on-off valves 16-2 to 16-8 are open, and monitors whether or not smoke has been detected in step S13, and if smoke has been detected, transmits a signal indicating smoke detection to the ultra-high sensitivity smoke monitoring panel 128 to output a smoke detection alarm. On the other hand, if no smoke is detected in step S13, the control unit 130 monitors the passage of the close drive time T11 in step S16.

[0201] Next, when the control unit 130 determines in step S16 that the close drive time T11 has elapsed, it determines in step S15 whether or not it is the final address, and since it is not the final address in this case, it proceeds to step S16, updates the address A1 to address A2, and the close drive time T11 to close drive time T, and drives the on-off valve 16-2 to close in step S12, while the other on-off valves 16-1, 16-3 to 16-4 are open. In this control state, it monitors the elapse of drive time T12 by processing in steps S13 and S16, and if it is determined in step S13 that the state has changed to a state in which smoke is not detected before the elapse, it specifies in step S14 the position corresponding to the on-off valve 16-2 at address A2 as the smoke generation position, and transmits smoke generation position information to the ultra-high sensitivity smoke monitoring panel 128 to output a smoke detection alarm specifying the smoke generation position.

[0202] Furthermore, if the control unit 130 determines in step S16 that smoke detection continues even after the closing drive time T12 has elapsed, it does not identify the location where the smoke is generated, but proceeds to step S17 via step S15, and updates address A2 to address A3 and close drive time T12 to close drive time T13.

[0203] Thereafter, the control unit 130 repeats the process from step S12 while sequentially updating the address and the close drive time in step S17, and when the final address A8 is determined in step S15, the control unit 130 returns to step S11, where it again initializes the address A1 and the open drive time T11 and repeats the process from step S12.

[0204] In addition, even if smoke is detected and the smoke generation position is identified in steps S13 and S14, once the closing drive time Ti has elapsed, the process may be repeated from step S1 via step S6. In this way, the smoke generation status can be repeatedly checked, improving reliability.

[0205] In the above control example, a smoke detection alarm is output when smoke is detected in step S13, and a smoke detection alarm specifying the smoke generation location is output when the smoke generation location is identified in step S14, but it is also possible not to output a smoke detection alarm when smoke is detected in step S13, but to output a smoke detection alarm specifying the smoke generation location when the smoke generation location is identified in step S5. For example, the smoke detection alarm may be accompanied by a buzzer sound and a display corresponding to the smoke generation area. Also, the occurrence of smoke and its area may be announced by a voice message or the like.

[0206] In the above embodiment, the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8 are repeatedly driven to close for a predetermined time T11 to T18 in a predetermined order, while the remaining on-off valves are repeatedly driven to open, but it is also possible to repeatedly drive a predetermined number of the on-off valves 16-1 to 16-8, for example every two valves, to close for a predetermined time in a predetermined order, while the remaining on-off valves are repeatedly driven to open. In this case, when it is determined that the state has changed to one in which smoke is not detected, the position corresponding to the sampling hole of the two on-off valves that are being driven to close is identified as the smoke generation position.

[0207] [Selection between open drive control and closed drive control] Either the open drive control for identifying the smoke generation position by driving the on-off valve to open as shown in the time chart of Fig. 13 or the close drive control for identifying the smoke generation position by driving the on-off valve to close as shown in the time chart of Fig. 15 can be selected in consideration of the power required for controlling the on-off valve, etc. Also, the device may be able to select between the open drive control and the close drive control.

[0208] [Modification of the third aspect of the invention] In the above embodiment, a solenoid valve is used as the normally closed or normally open on-off valve, but an electric valve that is opened and closed by a motor may also be used. When an electric valve is used as the on-off valve, the sampling hole is opened and closed gradually over time, which suppresses fluctuations in the constant suction amount through the sampling tube, and enables stable suction even when the on-off valve is opened and closed.

[0209] In addition, in the above embodiment, the opening and closing valves are opened or closed in order starting from the side closest to the smoke detection device main body, but since it is sufficient that a predetermined number of the multiple opening and closing valves are opened or closed in order, the order in which the opening and closing valves are opened or closed can be appropriately determined as needed.

[0210] In addition, the above-described form of determination based on open drive and form of determination based on close drive may be selectable on the device side.

[0211] Furthermore, the present invention includes appropriate modifications that do not impair the objects and advantages of the present invention, and is not limited to the numerical values ​​shown in the above embodiment.

[0212] [Basic concept of the embodiment according to the fourth invention] FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a method for identifying a smoke source location using a fixed smoke detection device and a portable smoke detection device.

[0213] The basic concept of the embodiment for realizing the method for identifying the smoke origin position of the present invention is to identify the smoke origin section by using the fixed smoke detection device 10 by sucking in air from a sampling tube 14 arranged in a security area such as a computer room 122, and to identify the smoke origin position by moving the portable smoke detection device 100 equipped with the sampling tube 14 in the smoke origin section identified by the fixed smoke detection device 10. When the portable smoke detection device 100 is used to identify the fire origin position, an initial sensitivity is set to a higher sensitivity than the smoke detection sensitivity of the fixed smoke detection device 10, and at this time, the smoke detection sensitivity switching does not function. When the portable smoke detection device 100 is used to identify the smoke origin position while moving within the smoke origin section, the operation starts from the initial sensitivity, and when a predetermined smoke detection signal is detected during use to identify the smoke origin position, the smoke detection sensitivity switching becomes functional, and then the smoke detection sensitivity is lowered to narrow down and identify the smoke origin position ... When a smoke generation area is identified, when work to identify the source of smoke is started while moving the portable smoke detection device 100 through the identified smoke generation area, the smoke detection sensitivity of the portable smoke detection device 100 is always the same as the smoke detection sensitivity of the fixed smoke detection device 10, or a higher smoke detection sensitivity is always started as the initial sensitivity. Therefore, when a smoke generation area is identified with a fixed smoke detection device, when work to identify the source of smoke is started while moving within or near the smoke generation area identified by the portable smoke detection device, the smoke detection sensitivity of the portable smoke detection device is always the same as the smoke detection sensitivity of the fixed smoke detection device, or a higher smoke detection sensitivity is always started as the initial sensitivity. This prevents mistakes in sensitivity setting at the start of work related to switching operation, and prevents the location of the smoke source from being overlooked by starting work with a low sensitivity from the beginning as in the conventional case, and makes it possible to quickly, efficiently, and reliably identify the source of smoke while moving through a monitored area.

[0214] Furthermore, when starting work to pinpoint the source of smoke using a portable smoke detector, it is possible to reliably prevent the smoke detection sensitivity from being switched to a lower sensitivity than that of a fixed smoke detector and, further, when a predetermined smoke detection signal is detected at the initial sensitivity of the smoke detection sensitivity, the smoke detection sensitivity switching function is activated, and thereafter, work can be done to narrow down the source of smoke while lowering the smoke detection sensitivity, thereby enabling the source of smoke to be pinpointed quickly, efficiently and reliably. This will be explained in detail below.

[0215] (Fixed smoke detection device) The fixed smoke detection device 10 shown in Fig. 17 is the same as that shown in Fig. 11, and differs in that indicator lights 15 for indicating the smoke generating section are provided on the on-off valves 116-1 to 116-8. Signal lines (control lines) 120 are individually connected to the on-off valves 116-1 to 116-8 as shown by dotted lines from the fixed smoke detection device main body 112, and the on-off valves 116-1 to 116-8 can be individually driven to open and close under the control of the fixed smoke detection device main body 112, and the indicator lights 150 are lit or flashed to indicate the identified smoke generating section. The portable smoke detection device 10 is the same as the embodiment shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

[0216] (Work to identify the location of smoke generation) The operation of the method for identifying a smoke generation position according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0217] 17, a fixed smoke detection device 100 is installed in a computer room 122 in which a server rack 124 housing servers is arranged, with the monitored area being a computer room 122. A sampling pipe 114 is drawn from a fixed smoke detection device main body 112 into the monitored area, and on-off valves 116-1 to 116-8 are provided corresponding to each sampling hole of the sampling pipe 114. In order to keep the amount of air sucked per unit time by the sampling pipe 114 substantially constant, the on-off valves 116-1 to 116-8 are repeatedly driven to open for a predetermined time in a predetermined order for a predetermined number of units, for example, one by one, and the remaining on-off valves are repeatedly driven to close, and when smoke contained in the air sucked through the sampling pipe 114 is detected, the smoke generation position is identified and reported based on the control state of the on-off valves 116-1 to 116-8.

[0218] When the fixed smoke detection device main body 112 detects smoke and activates, an alarm signal including smoke generating area information is sent to an ultra-high sensitivity smoke monitoring panel 128 installed in the monitoring room 126, and a fire alarm indicating the smoke generating area is output. Also, among the indicator lights 150 provided at the locations of the on-off valves 116-1 to 116-8 provided on the sampling pipe 114, the indicator light 150 for the identified smoke generating area flashes, for example, to indicate the smoke generating area.

[0219] In this way, when smoke is detected by the fixed smoke detection device main body 112 and a fire alarm is output, an attendant brings in, for example, a portable smoke detection device 10 as shown in FIG. 7 into the computer room 122, which is the monitored area, and finds out that the location of the on-off valve 116-i where the indicator light 150 is flashing is the smoke generating area. While moving the portable smoke detection device 10 around the smoke generating area, the attendant begins the task of sucking in air from the sampling hole at the end of the sampling tube 14 to identify the location where the smoke is generating.

[0220] At this time, the smoke detection sensitivity of the portable smoke detection device 10 is set to an initial sensitivity which is the same as or higher than the smoke detection sensitivity of the fixed smoke detection device 100, and in this state the sensitivity switching does not function, so that even if work is started from a location away from the source of the smoke, smoke can be detected quickly, and there is no risk of starting work and missing the source of the smoke, as in the conventional method, by setting the sensitivity to a low level in advance.

[0221] Furthermore, when the portable smoke detection device 10 is activated by detecting a specified smoke detection signal after work has begun, the sensitivity switch, which had not functioned until then, becomes functional, and the staff member can narrow down the location where the smoke is coming from by, for example, gradually lowering the smoke detection sensitivity from the first smoke detection sensitivity of 0.005 to 0.1% / m, which corresponds to the sensitivity switch button 26a shown in Figure 2 and which has been set as the initial sensitivity, to the second, third, and fourth smoke detection sensitivity.

[0222] As the staff member moves the portable smoke detection device 10 in this manner to narrow down the location of the smoke source, the smoke density currently detected is displayed as a bar graph on the smoke density indicator 60 and is shown on the smoke density indicator 46 mounted on the sampling tube 14 side of the portable smoke detection device 10. At the same time, a sound corresponding to the change in smoke density is output from the acoustic alarm unit 70 shown in FIG. 8. For example, if the sound output period becomes longer while the staff member is moving, it means that the staff member is approaching the smoke source, and if the sound output period becomes shorter, it means that the staff member is moving away from the smoke source. Using these sound changes as a basis, the staff member can efficiently move to and narrow down the location of the smoke source, and discover and confirm the location of the fire.

[0223] (Fixed smoke detection device with a smoke detector installed at the suction point of the sampling tube) As the fixed smoke detection device 100 used in the method for identifying a smoke origin according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a photoelectric smoke detector may be provided instead of the on-off valves 116-1 to 116-8 provided in the sampling pipe 114 in FIG.

[0224] When a smoke detector installed at the suction position of the sampling tube 114 detects smoke contained in the sucked air, it outputs a smoke detection signal to the fixed smoke detection device main body 112, which causes the fixed smoke detection device main body 12 to output a fire alarm signal identifying the smoke generating area to the ultra-high sensitivity smoke monitoring panel 128, and outputs a fire alarm identifying the fire generating area (smoke generating area) based on the ID information of the smoke detector.

[0225] Furthermore, the smoke detector provided in the sampling pipe 114 is equipped with an alarm indicator light, and when smoke is detected, the alarm indicator light turns on or flashes, thereby making it possible to indicate the area where smoke is occurring.

[0226] In this way, a fixed smoke detection device 100 in which a smoke detector is installed at the suction position of the sampling tube 114 increases equipment costs by installing multiple smoke detectors, but the smoke generating area can be reliably identified by the smoke detector's detection of smoke through simple control of sucking air through the sampling tube 114.

[0227] In addition, when the smoke generation area is identified using a fixed smoke detection device 10 having a smoke detector installed at the suction position of the sampling pipe 114, the operations for identifying the smoke generation location using a portable smoke detection device 10 are the same as those in the case of a fixed smoke detection device 100 having opening / closing valves 116-1 to 116-8 installed in the sampling pipe 114.

[0228] Furthermore, the portable smoke detection device 10 used to identify the location of smoke generation in Figure 16 is not limited to the embodiment in Figure 7, and there is no prohibition on using portable smoke detection device 10 in other embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0229] 10: Portable smoke detector 12: Smoke detector body 14: Sampling tube 14b: Sampling hole 16: Hose connection port 18: Handle 20: Power switch 22: Operation display section 24: Alarm display section 26: Sensitivity switching operation section 26a~26d: Sensitivity switching buttons 30: Control unit 32: Smoke detection unit 34: Suction unit 36:Battery power supply section 40: Smoke detection control unit 42: Sensitivity switching control section 43: Manual sensitivity switching function 44: Automatic sensitivity switching function 48: Manual sensitivity switching button 50: Automatic sensitivity switching button 60:Smoke concentration indicator 62: Acoustic hole 64,66:Transmission section 70: Sound notification section 72: Vibration alarm unit 100: Fixed smoke detection device 112: Fixed smoke detector body 114: Sampling tube 116-1~116-8: On-off valves 120: Signal line 122: Computer Room 124: Server rack 126: Surveillance room 128: Ultra-high sensitivity smoke monitoring panel 130: Control unit 132: Smoke detection unit 134: Suction unit 136: Opening and closing valve drive unit 138:Operation unit 140: Alarm display section 142: Transmission section 144: Smoke detection control unit 146: Opening and closing valve control section 150: Indicator light

Claims

1. A portable smoke detection device that is used in combination with a fixed smoke detection device that detects smoke in a monitoring area, detects smoke contained in the air sucked in while moving within the monitoring area, and identifies the location of the smoke source, A portable smoke detection device characterized in that, when detection begins, the detection sensitivity for detecting smoke is fixed to an initial sensitivity that is higher than the detection sensitivity of the fixed smoke detection device, and when a specified smoke detection signal is detected, the initial sensitivity is released.

2. A method for identifying a smoke generation location, comprising: identifying a smoke generation location using a portable smoke detection device after a fixed smoke detection device that detects smoke in a monitoring area detects smoke generation; A method for identifying the location of a smoke source, characterized in that when the fixed smoke detection device begins detection, the detection sensitivity of the portable smoke detection device to detect the smoke is fixed to an initial sensitivity that is higher than the detection sensitivity of the fixed smoke detection device, and when the portable smoke detection device detects a predetermined smoke detection signal while at the initial sensitivity, the initial sensitivity is released and the smoke detection sensitivity is switched while moving within the monitored area to identify the location of the smoke source.

3. A portable smoke detection device that detects smoke contained in the air sucked in while moving within a monitoring area and identifies the location of the smoke source, A portable smoke detection device characterized in that when detection begins, the detection sensitivity for detecting smoke in the monitored area is fixed to a predetermined initial sensitivity, and when a predetermined smoke detection signal is detected while at the initial sensitivity, the initial sensitivity is released and the detection sensitivity can be switched to a detection sensitivity lower than the initial sensitivity.

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