Fire monitoring device

The fire monitoring device integrates a human presence sensor to prevent false alarms from work-related phenomena and reduces human error by only activating the alarm or extinguishing system when no personnel are detected.

JP7684069B2Active Publication Date: 2025-05-27NOHMI BOSAI LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2021059000
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2021-03-31
Publication Date
2025-05-27
Estimated Expiration
2041-03-31

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Fire monitoring devices at construction sites risk false alarms due to phenomena like welding sparks, and there is a concern about human error in activating or deactivating the devices.

Method used

A fire monitoring device equipped with a fire detector, an alarm, and a control device that includes a human presence sensor. The control device activates the alarm or fire extinguishing device only when no human presence is detected within a predetermined time, preventing false activations.

Benefits of technology

The solution effectively prevents false alarms during work activities and eliminates the risk of human error in activating the device, ensuring that the system only responds to actual fires when no personnel are present.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Patent Text Reader

Abstract

To provide a fire monitoring device which is not started in a phenomenon to be generated during a human work and where there is no risk of forgetting the turning-ON of a start switch.SOLUTION: A fire monitoring device 1 includes: a fire sensor 7 for sensing occurrence of a fire; an alarm unit 10 for issuing alarm when the fire sensor 7 senses a fire; and a control device 12 for starting the alarm unit 10 to be in an alarm issuable state based on existence / non-existence of a person in a monitoring area of the fire sensor 7, or controlling the stop of the starting. The control device 12 includes a human detection sensor 8 for sensing human existence so as to output a human detection signal. The control device does not allow the alarm unit 10 to start or stops the starting of the alarm unit when the alarm unit has been started when the human detection signal is input from the human detection sensor 8 within a predetermined time, and starts the alarm unit 10 when the human detection signal is not input within a predetermined time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fire monitoring device that is disposed at a construction site such as a building and monitors the occurrence of a fire.

Background Art

[0002] Regarding a fire monitoring device, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses "a portable fire monitoring device including a transporting means for transporting the fire monitoring device to a monitoring position, a fire detector for detecting the occurrence of a fire, and a transmitting means for wirelessly transmitting fire occurrence information for notifying the occurrence of a fire to a predetermined communication device when the fire detector detects the occurrence of a fire." (See Claim 1 of Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 also describes providing a human presence sensor in the fire monitoring device and linking the presence of a person with shooting by a camera.

[0003] Further, as a portable type with a fire extinguishing function, Patent Document 2 discloses "a portable fire detection and extinguishing device characterized by including an extinguishing agent tank filled with an extinguishing agent, a transporting means for moving the extinguishing agent tank, a frame provided on the extinguishing agent tank, a support member attached to the frame so that the height of the upper end can be adjusted, a fire detector provided on the upper part of the support member, an extinguishing agent discharge nozzle provided on the support member or the frame for discharging the extinguishing agent in the extinguishing agent tank, and a control unit for controlling the discharge of the extinguishing agent by the extinguishing agent discharge nozzle based on a detection signal of the fire detector." (See Claim 1 of Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] For a fire monitoring device and a portable fire detection and extinguishing device as described above (hereinafter, these two may be simply referred to as "devices" collectively), after being installed at the site and connected to a power supply such as an outlet, the activation switch is turned on. When the activation switch is turned on, the device enters the monitoring state, and if a fire is detected, it issues an alarm or starts water discharge. However, at a construction site for example, a phenomenon similar to a fire such as a spark associated with welding work may occur, and there is a risk that the device will operate and issue an alarm or start water discharge.

[0006] To avoid such a situation, for example, in the case of a construction site, it can be considered to turn on the activation switch when the work is completed and the site is vacated. However, if the operation of the activation switch is left to a person, there is a concern that human errors such as forgetting to turn it on may occur.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a fire monitoring device that does not activate during a phenomenon occurring during work and also has no concern of forgetting to turn on the activation switch.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] (1) The fire monitoring device according to the present invention includes a fire detector that detects the occurrence of a fire, an alarm that issues an alarm when a fire is detected by the fire detector, and a control device that activates the alarm to a state where the alarm can be issued or controls the stop of the activation based on the presence or absence of a person in the monitoring area of the fire detector. The control device includes a human presence sensor that senses the presence of a person and outputs a human presence signal, and a control unit that does not activate the alarm when there is an input of the human presence signal from the human presence sensor within a predetermined time or stops the activation when the alarm is already activated, and activates the alarm when there is no input of the human presence signal within the predetermined time.

[0009] (2) Further, in the device according to (1) above, it further has a fire extinguishing device that releases a fire extinguishing agent when a fire is detected by the fire detector, the control unit further has a function of not activating the fire extinguishing device when a human presence signal is input within a predetermined time or stopping the activation if it is already activated, and activating the fire extinguishing device when no human presence signal is input within the predetermined time.

[0010] (3) Further, the fire monitoring device according to the present invention includes a fire detector that detects the occurrence of a fire, a fire extinguishing device that releases a fire extinguishing agent when a fire is detected by the fire detector, and a control device that activates the fire extinguishing device to a state where it can release the fire extinguishing agent or controls the stop of the activation based on the presence or absence of a person in the monitoring area of the fire detector, the control device includes a human presence sensor that senses the presence of a person and outputs a human presence signal, and a control unit that does not activate the fire extinguishing device when a human presence signal is input from the human presence sensor within a predetermined time or stops the activation if it is already activated, and activates the fire extinguishing device when no human presence signal is input within the predetermined time.

[0011] (4) Further, the fire monitoring device according to the present invention includes a fire detector that detects the occurrence of a fire, an alarm that issues an alarm when a fire is detected by the fire detector, a fire extinguishing device that releases a fire extinguishing agent when a fire is detected by the fire detector, and a control device that activates the fire extinguishing device to a state where it can release the fire extinguishing agent or controls the stop of the activation based on the presence or absence of a person in the monitoring area of the fire detector, the control device includes a human presence sensor that senses the presence of a person and outputs a human presence signal, and a control unit that does not activate the fire extinguishing device when a human presence signal is input from the human presence sensor within a predetermined time or stops the activation if it is already activated, and activates the fire extinguishing device when no human presence signal is input within the predetermined time.

Advantages of the Invention

[0012] In the present invention, there are provided a fire detector for detecting the occurrence of a fire, an alarm for issuing an alarm when a fire is detected by the fire detector, and a control device for activating the alarm to a state in which the alarm can be issued or controlling the stop of the activation based on the presence or absence of a person in the monitoring area of the fire detector. The control device includes a human presence sensor for detecting the presence of a person and outputting a human presence signal, and a control unit for not activating the alarm when there is an input of the human presence signal from the human presence sensor within a predetermined time or stopping the activation when the alarm has already been activated, and activating the alarm when there is no input of the human presence signal within the predetermined time. Thus, there is no forgetting to activate, and the alarm does not issue an alarm when a person is present.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] In the present embodiment, as an example of a fire monitoring device, a portable device having a fire extinguishing function will be described as an example. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a fire monitoring device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a fire extinguishing agent tank 3 filled with a fire extinguishing agent, a support member 5 extending upward from the fire extinguishing agent tank 3, a fire detector 7 provided at the upper part of the support member 5, a fire extinguishing agent discharge nozzle 9 disposed below the fire detector 7 in the support member 5 for discharging the fire extinguishing agent in the fire extinguishing agent tank 3, an alarm 10 for issuing an alarm when a fire is detected, and a control device 12 having a control unit 11 for controlling the activation of the present device based on a human presence signal from a human presence sensor 8. Note that in the present embodiment, an umbrella member 13 is provided in the control unit 11 below the fire extinguishing agent discharge nozzle 9 to prevent the fire extinguishing agent from falling thereon. Further, the fire extinguishing agent tank 3, the fire extinguishing agent discharge nozzle 9, and a fire extinguishing agent discharge control actuator (not shown) for discharging the fire extinguishing agent in the fire extinguishing agent tank 3 from the fire extinguishing agent discharge nozzle 9 in the present embodiment correspond to the fire extinguishing device of the present invention. Hereinafter, each component will be described in detail.

[0015] <Fire extinguishing agent tank> The fire extinguishing agent tank 3 is for enclosing the fire extinguishing agent, and for example, a neutral strengthening liquid is used as the fire extinguishing agent. The fire extinguishing agent tank 3 is composed of a cylindrical container with mirror plate portions at the upper and lower ends being curved surfaces, and for example, a tank with a capacity of around 40 L is used. However, in the present invention, the shape and capacity of the fire extinguishing agent tank 3 are not limited, and any tank that can be manually transported is acceptable.

[0016] Wheels 15 are attached to the fire extinguishing agent tank 3 as a means of transportation, enabling the device to be manually moved, that is, the operator can push it by hand to a desired location. In this example, as shown in FIG. 1 for example, a pair of wheels 15 are attached near the rear of the lower end of the fire extinguishing agent tank 3. Note that the means of transportation for making the device of the present invention portable is not limited to the wheels 15 as shown in FIG. 1, and any other mode that functions for the operator to manually move it to a desired location is acceptable.

[0017] <Support member> The support member 5 is a member that extends above the fire extinguishing agent tank 3, and to which the fire detector 7, the fire extinguishing agent discharge nozzle 9, and the umbrella member 13 are attached. Specifically, it has a pair of vertical members 5a arranged at a predetermined interval and with adjustable height at the upper end, and a horizontal member 5b erected on the pair of vertical members 5a. The fire extinguishing agent discharge nozzle 9 and the umbrella member 13 are attached to the horizontal member 5b. Further, an upper end horizontal member 5c installed on a pair of vertical members 5a is provided at the upper ends of the pair of vertical members 5a, and a fire detector 7 and a human sensor 8 are arranged on the upper end horizontal member 5c.

[0018] The support member 5 of the present embodiment is height-adjustable. During transportation, as shown in FIG. 2, the support member 5 is in a retracted state, and when installed at a predetermined location, as shown in FIG. 1, it is in an extended state. The vertical member 5a is a telescopic pipe that can be extended and retracted, and can be fixed in two states: the state where the position of the upper end is the highest (see FIG. 1) and the state where the position is the lowest (see FIG. 2). During transportation, by setting the position of the upper end of the support member 5 to the lowest state, it is possible to easily pass through narrow places, facilitating transportation. On the other hand, during monitoring, by setting the position of the support member 5 to the highest state, it is possible to expand the monitoring area for fires and the discharge area of the fire extinguishing liquid.

[0019] Note that a frame 19 for holding devices such as the control unit 11 is provided around the fire extinguishing agent tank 3. As components constituting the frame 19, for example, there are a hand-push handle 19a that an operator grips when pushing the fire extinguishing agent tank 3 by hand to move it, and a control unit holding part 19b for holding the control unit 11.

[0020] <Fire detector> The fire detector 7 is provided on the upper end horizontal member 5c and senses fires in the surrounding area. For example, it is composed of an infrared flame detector. The fire detector 7 has a plurality (in this example, two, the first flame detector 7a and the second flame detector 7b) of flame detectors with a predetermined monitoring range, and the plurality of flame detectors are arranged with partially overlapping monitoring ranges. The first flame detector 7a and the second flame detector 7b have partially overlapping monitoring ranges, and as a whole, with their own positions as the center, for example, the monitoring range is 200° in the left-right direction.

[0021] <Fire extinguishing agent discharge nozzle> The fire extinguishing agent discharge nozzle 9 is attached to the horizontal member 5b and discharges the fire extinguishing agent supplied from the fire extinguishing agent tank 3 via a fire extinguishing agent supply pipe (not shown). The fire extinguishing agent discharge nozzle 9 is composed of three nozzles: a first fire extinguishing agent discharge nozzle 9a, a second fire extinguishing agent discharge nozzle 9b, and a third fire extinguishing agent discharge nozzle 9c. Each nozzle is controlled by a fire extinguishing agent discharge control actuator and is configured to be able to discharge the fire extinguishing agent evenly into each discharge area. The activation control for putting the fire extinguishing agent discharge control actuator into the standby state and the operation control for controlling each nozzle on the premise that it is in the standby state are performed by the control unit 11.

[0022] <Alarm> When a fire is detected, the alarm 10 issues an alarm by lighting, blinking a lamp, or making an alarm sound such as a buzzer. In this embodiment, an alarm lamp is used. In the alarm lamp of this embodiment, a green lamp is always lit, and when a fire is detected, a red lamp lights up or blinks. The activation and operation of the alarm 10 are controlled by the control unit 11.

[0023] <Control device> The control device 12 includes a human presence sensor 8 and a control unit 11 that performs activation control of the alarm 10 and the fire extinguishing device based on the presence or absence of a human presence signal from the human presence sensor 8. When a human presence signal is input from the human presence sensor 8 within a predetermined time, the control unit 11 does not activate the alarm 10 and the fire extinguishing agent discharge control actuator, or stops the activation if they are already activated. When no human presence signal is input within the predetermined time, the control unit 11 has a function of activating the alarm 10 and the fire extinguishing agent discharge control actuator.

[0024] 《Human presence sensor》 The human presence sensor 8 is provided at the upper part of the support member 5 and transmits a human presence signal to the control device 12 when it senses the presence of a person. The type of the human presence sensor 8 is not particularly limited, and examples include those using infrared rays, ultrasonic waves, visible light, etc.

[0025] "Control Unit" The control unit 11 performs activation control of the alarm 10 and the fire extinguishing agent release control actuator based on the human presence detection signal from the human presence sensor 8. Activation control refers to control that activates or stops the activation of the alarm 10 and the fire extinguishing agent release control actuator so that they can operate, and is performed based on the human presence detection signal from the human presence sensor 8. In addition, the control unit 11 also performs operation control of the alarm 10 and the fire extinguishing agent release control actuator.

[0026] Here, the activation control of the control device 12 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The control device 12 checks whether there is an input of a human presence detection signal (S1). When there is an input of a human presence detection signal, it checks whether the fire extinguishing agent release control actuator and the alarm 10 are in an activated state (S3). If the fire extinguishing agent release control actuator and the alarm 10 are in operation, the activation is stopped (S5).

[0027] In the determination of S1, if there is no input of a human presence detection signal, it is determined whether the state without the input of a human presence detection signal has elapsed for a predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes) (S7). If the predetermined time has elapsed, the fire extinguishing agent release control actuator and the alarm 10 are activated (S9). In the determination of S7, if the predetermined time has not elapsed, it returns to S1 again to check the presence or absence of a human presence detection signal. In the determination of S3, if the fire extinguishing agent release control actuator and the alarm 10 are not activated, it returns to S1 again to check the presence or absence of a human presence detection signal.

[0028] By performing the above processing, when there is a person around where the fire monitoring device 1 is installed, the fire extinguishing agent release control actuator and the alarm 10 are not activated, and they are only activated when there is no person. As a result, for example, even if information such as a spark from welding work, which is not a fire but may be misrecognized as a fire, is detected by the fire detector 7, malfunction such as water discharge or alarm reporting can be prevented. In addition, since there is no need to operate an activation switch or the like, human errors such as forgetting to turn on the switch can also be prevented.

[0029] Note that the fire monitoring device 1 can also be provided with a camera for photographing the fire situation and the like. In this case, the control unit 11 may be provided with a camera control function for performing photographing by the camera when the fire detector 7 senses a fire and / or after the fire extinguishing agent is discharged from the fire extinguishing agent discharge nozzle 9, and a function for controlling a transmission function for wirelessly transmitting the image data photographed by the camera to an external device.

[0030] Next, the operation of the fire monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described centering on the functions of the human presence sensor 8 and the control device 12. The fire monitoring device 1 is installed at the site, the support member 5 is extended upward, and power is supplied from an outlet (not shown) or the like to start monitoring.

[0031] In the monitoring state, as shown in FIG. 3, the control device 12 performs activation control of the fire extinguishing agent discharge control actuator and the alarm device 10. When the fire extinguishing agent discharge control actuator and the alarm device 10 do not activate because there is a person, even if a detection signal is input from the fire detector 7 to the control unit 11 due to a welding spark or the like, water discharge and alarm reporting are not performed. On the other hand, when the fire extinguishing agent discharge control actuator and the alarm device 10 activate, a detection signal is input from the fire detector 7 to the control device 12 and a fire is determined by the control unit 11, the control unit 11 controls the operation of the fire extinguishing agent discharge control actuator, the necessary fire extinguishing agent is discharged, and an alarm is reported by the alarm device 10.

[0032] As described above, according to the present embodiment, when there is a person around where the fire monitoring device 1 is installed, the alarm device 10 and the fire extinguishing agent discharge control actuator do not activate and are activated only when there is no person. Even if information that is not a fire but is misrecognized as a fire, such as a spark from welding work or the like, is detected by the fire detector 7, malfunction such as water discharge and alarm reporting can be prevented. In addition, since there is no need to operate a start switch or the like, human errors such as forgetting to turn on the switch can also be prevented.

[0033] In the above-described embodiment, when the fire monitoring device 1 includes both the fire extinguishing device and the alarm 10, the control device 12 performs activation control of both the fire extinguishing device and the alarm 10. However, in the present invention, activation control may be performed only for the fire extinguishing device. This is for the purpose of preventing only the one with a greater risk of damage in the event of malfunction. Also, an alarm may be issued for the purpose of alerting a person working that there is a risk of fire. In this case, the sound may be made quieter or a different alarm sound may be used instead of the fire alarm sound when there is no one present.

[0034] The present invention also includes a case where the fire monitoring device 1 includes only one of the fire extinguishing device and the alarm 10. In this case, the control device 12 may perform activation control and operation control only for that one.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0035] 1 Fire monitoring device 3 Fire extinguishing agent tank 5 Support member 5a Vertical member 5b Horizontal member 5c Upper end horizontal member 7 Fire detector 7a First flame detector 7b Second flame detector 8 Human sensor 9 Fire extinguishing agent discharge nozzle 9a First fire extinguishing agent discharge nozzle 9b Second fire extinguishing agent discharge nozzle 9c Third fire extinguishing agent discharge nozzle 10 Alarm 11 Control unit 12 Control device 13 Umbrella member 13a Upper side portion 13b Lower side portion 13c Front wall 13d Side wall 13e Mounting portion 15 Wheels 19 Frame 19a Push handle 19b Control unit holding portion

Claims

Claim 1 A fire monitoring device comprising: a fire detector for detecting the occurrence of a fire; an alarm for sounding an alarm when a fire is detected by the fire detector; and a control device for activating the alarm in a state where the alarm can be issued or controlling the stop of the activation based on the presence or absence of a person in the monitoring area of the fire detector. The control device includes a human presence sensor for detecting the presence of a person and outputting a human presence signal, and a control unit for not activating the alarm when there is an input of the human presence signal within a predetermined time or stopping the activation if the alarm has already been activated, and activating the alarm when there is no input of the human presence signal within the predetermined time. Claim 2 The fire monitoring device further includes a fire extinguishing device for discharging a fire extinguishing agent when a fire is detected by the fire detector. The control unit of the fire monitoring device according to claim 1 further has a function of not activating the fire extinguishing device when there is an input of the human presence signal within a predetermined time or stopping the activation if the fire extinguishing device has already been activated, and activating the fire extinguishing device when there is no input of the human presence signal within the predetermined time.

Citation Information

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