Fire extinguishing system

Abstract

To provide a fire-extinguishing system which can avoid the occurrence of an accident by stopping or delaying discharge of fire-extinguishing gas when there is a person in a fire-extinguishing section.SOLUTION: A fire-extinguishing system comprises: a fire-extinguishing agent discharge device; a starting device which starts a discharge operation by receiving a start signal; an antenna which receives a radio wave at a prescribed frequency transmitted from a portable transmitter existing in a fire-extinguishing section; and a control device which transmits the start signal to the starting device. The control device comprises: radio signal reception means which receives a radio signal transmitted from the antenna; clocking means which clocks the elapsed time from detection of the occurrence of a fire in the fire-extinguishing section; discharge start time setting means which sets the discharge start time from the time of determination of the fire occurrence to the transmission start of the start signal; and discharge decision means which decides transmission of the start signal when it is determined that the elapsed time reaches the discharge start time. When the radio signal reception means receives the radio signal, the discharge start time is changed to be longer than the prescribed length.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fire extinguishing system that uses a fire extinguishing agent (including a fire extinguishing gas), and to a technology that is effective in preventing accidents in which the fire extinguishing agent is released while people are present in the fire extinguishing area. [Background technology]

[0002] Systems that extinguish fires that break out in enclosed spaces (protected areas) such as mechanical parking lots, computer server rooms, and factories and workshops using line production methods by simultaneously releasing non-flammable gases such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide (hereinafter referred to as fire extinguishing gases) are becoming widespread. Nitrogen gas and halon gas are used as fire extinguishing gases, taking into consideration the ease of piping installation and release time, but there are also some fire extinguishing systems that use carbon dioxide gas. In the past, in fire extinguishing systems that use fire extinguishing gas, in addition to human error of judgment, there have been reported accidents in which workers accidentally cut the signal line transmitting the fire detection signal while performing inspections within a protected area (fire extinguishing area), causing an unintended signal to be sent to the starting device (control device), leading to the system determining that a fire has occurred and resulting in the release of fire extinguishing gas.

[0003] From the perspective of preventing the occurrence of accidents such as those described above, Patent Document 1 discloses an invention relating to carbon dioxide fire extinguishing equipment that is provided with a delayed release means for limiting the amount of gas released and a means for limiting the amount of gas passing through a pipe that supplies carbon dioxide to a protected compartment where a fire is occurring, with the aim of gradually increasing the gas concentration, and that the delayed release means is released to release all the gas at once after a predetermined time has passed since the start of gas release or when the gas concentration has reached a predetermined level. Patent Document 1 also discloses the provision of an emergency stop switch within the protected compartment to stop the release of carbon dioxide. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-39603 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] According to the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, when a fire breaks out, a worker who recognizes that a fire extinguishing gas release is imminent can press an emergency stop switch to stop the release and prevent an accident. However, even if the location of the emergency stop switch is prominently displayed, there is a risk that the worker may miss it if they are in a panic. On the other hand, it is not realistic to install many emergency stop switch operation buttons within a protected area to prevent them from being overlooked. Depending on the structure and layout of the equipment within the protected area, it may take time to reach the installation location of the operation button, which may result in the worker not being able to operate the emergency stop switch in time before the release of fire extinguishing gas begins.

[0006] The present invention has been made in light of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a fire extinguishing system that uses a fire extinguishing agent that can prevent accidents by stopping or delaying the release of fire extinguishing gas when there are people in the fire extinguishing area, without relying on an emergency stop switch installed in a predetermined location. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides: a fire extinguishing agent discharge device installed in the fire extinguishing area and configured to discharge a fire extinguishing agent; a starter that starts a discharge operation of the extinguishing agent in response to a start signal in the extinguishing area; a plurality of antennas installed in the fire extinguishing area to receive radio waves of a predetermined frequency transmitted from portable transmitters present within the fire extinguishing area; a control device that transmits the start signal to the activation device when a predetermined condition is satisfied; In a fire extinguishing system comprising: The control device a radio signal receiving means for receiving a radio signal transmitted from the antenna; a timing means for timing an elapsed time since the occurrence of a fire in the fire extinguishing area is detected; a discharge start time setting means for setting a discharge start time from when it is determined that a fire has occurred to when the start signal is transmitted; release determination means for determining, when determining that the elapsed time has reached the release start time, transmission of the start signal; and The emission start time setting means changes the emission start time to a time longer than a predetermined time when the radio signal receiving means receives the radio signal from the portable transmitter. It is structured as follows.

[0008] According to the fire extinguishing system having the above-described configuration, if it is determined that a portable transmitter transmitting radio waves of a predetermined frequency is present within the fire extinguishing area, the start of the release of the fire extinguishing agent can be delayed without relying on an emergency stop switch installed in a predetermined location, thereby ensuring time for people within the fire extinguishing area to exit, avoiding the occurrence of an accident and allowing the release of the fire extinguishing agent to be started safely.

[0009] Preferably, the antenna is an array antenna, and a plurality of the array antennas are installed in a dispersed manner within the fire extinguishing area, The control device a storage means for storing map information about the fire extinguishing area in advance; a position estimation means for estimating the location of the portable transmitter by processing radio signals received from the plurality of array antennas; Furthermore, The discharge start time setting means is configured to set the discharge start time by referring to the location of the portable transmitter estimated by the location estimation means and map information of the fire extinguishing area read from the storage means.

[0010] With the above configuration, the location of a worker or other person holding a portable transmitter can be estimated based on radio signals received from multiple array antennas, and the release start time can be set according to the estimated location by referring to map information of the fire extinguishing area, thereby ensuring more appropriate time for people within the fire extinguishing area to exit and avoiding accidents.

[0011] Furthermore, preferably, the map information includes a floor plan of the fire extinguishing area divided into blocks and table data representing the correspondence between the length of a movement path from each block to the entrance / exit of the fire extinguishing area and the identification number of the block, The emission start time setting means is configured to change the emission start time setting to a longer time as the movement path length for the block including the location of the portable transmitter estimated by the location estimation means becomes longer.

[0012] With the above configuration, even if the straight-line distance to the entrance / exit and the travel path length do not necessarily match due to the structure within the fire extinguishing area, by referring to the travel path length that has been determined in advance and mapped, the release start time can be changed to a length proportional to the travel distance from the block where the portable transmitter is located to the exit of the fire extinguishing area, so that even if people are located far from the entrance / exit within the fire extinguishing area when a fire occurs, they can be sure to have enough time to exit and accidents can be avoided.

[0013] Furthermore, preferably, the release decision means is configured to decide to transmit the start signal if the location estimation means does not detect the presence of the portable transmitter within the fire extinguishing area when the elapsed time reaches the release start time. With this configuration, when it is determined that a fire has occurred and that a portable transmitter is not present or has disappeared within the fire extinguishing area, fire extinguishing agent can be quickly released to extinguish the fire.

[0014] Preferably, the fire extinguishing system further comprises an audio output means installed in the fire extinguishing area, The control device is configured to transmit, when a fire is detected, a signal to the voice output means to output an announcement requesting that the portable transmitter be operated to transmit radio waves. With this configuration, when the control device determines that a fire has occurred within the extinguishing area, an announcement is output requesting that the portable transmitter operate to transmit radio waves.Therefore, if there is a worker or other person holding a portable transmitter within the extinguishing area before the extinguishing agent starts to be released, the worker or person can receive the radio waves transmitted by the portable transmitter and delay the start of the release.

[0015] Furthermore, it is preferable to further include a fire detector installed in the fire extinguishing area, The control device has a function of determining the occurrence of a fire based on a signal from the fire detector, A group of signal lines arranged in the fire extinguishing area, including a signal line for transmitting signals from the antenna and a signal line for transmitting signals related to the voice guidance output from the voice output means, and a signal line for transmitting signals from the fire detector are configured to be laid apart from each other.

[0016] With the above configuration, the possibility of a situation occurring in which a group of signal lines including a signal line transmitting a signal from the antenna and a signal line transmitting a signal related to voice guidance output from the voice output means, and a signal line transmitting a fire detection signal, are simultaneously disconnected is reduced, thereby improving the reliability of the system. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] The fire extinguishing system of the present invention has the advantage of being able to avoid accidents by stopping or delaying the release of fire extinguishing gas when there are people in the fire extinguishing area, without relying on an emergency stop switch installed in a designated location. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a fire extinguishing system according to the present invention. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing details of a fire extinguishing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram showing the layout of a line production factory as an example of a fire extinguishing area as a protected area to which the fire extinguishing system of the embodiment is applied. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how to divide the blocks in the layout diagram of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] 10 is a data table showing the relationship between the block number and the delay time of the extinguishant release start time in the fire extinguishing system of the embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a method for estimating the direction of radio waves received by an array antenna in a fire extinguishing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing how radio waves transmitted from a portable transmitter are received by a plurality of array antennas in a fire extinguishing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a method for estimating the position of a worker based on the direction of arrival of radio waves received by multiple array antennas in a fire extinguishing system according to an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a fire extinguishing start process in the fire extinguishing system of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a fire extinguishing system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a fire extinguishing system according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the fire extinguishing system according to this embodiment includes fire detectors 11 installed at predetermined locations within a fire extinguishing area (protected compartment) PA of a closed space such as a factory using a line production method, extinguishing gas injection nozzles 12 installed at various locations within the fire extinguishing area, equipment sets 13 equipped with array antennas and speakers also installed at various locations within the fire extinguishing area, gas cylinders 14 filled with extinguishing gas, and gas piping 15 connecting injection nozzles 12 and gas cylinders 14.

[0020] The fire extinguishing system of this embodiment also includes a control device 16 that determines whether a fire has occurred and whether it is necessary to release fire extinguishing gas based on radio waves received by the fire detector 11 and the array antenna in the equipment set 13, a starting device 17 that opens a valve at the connection port of the gas cylinder 14 or the beginning end of the gas pipe 15 to release fire extinguishing gas from the injection nozzle 12 when the control device 16 determines that fire extinguishing gas needs to be released, signal lines 18A and 18B that connect the fire detector 11 and the equipment set 13 to the control device 16, and a release indicator light 19 installed near the entrance and exit of the fire extinguishing area. In addition to the above-mentioned fire extinguishing system, a fire alarm system is provided which includes a fire detector 21 arranged at a predetermined location within the fire extinguishing area and a fire receiver 23 which receives a detection signal from the fire detector 21 via a signal line 22 and determines whether a fire has occurred, and the fire receiver 23 and the control device 16 of the above-mentioned fire extinguishing system are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a signal line 24.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the device set 13 includes an array antenna 31 and a speaker 32 built therein. Signal line 18A connecting fire detector 11 and control device 16 and signal line 18B connecting equipment set 13 and control device 16 are laid apart at a certain distance or more. This reduces the possibility of signal lines 18A and 18B being simultaneously disconnected, increasing the reliability of the system. For the same reason, it is desirable that the signal line 22 connecting the fire detector 21 and the fire receiver 23, and the signal line 24 connecting the fire receiver 23 and the control device 16 are laid as far apart as possible.

[0022] The control device 16 can be configured by a general-purpose data processing device including, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a non-volatile memory that stores programs executed by the CPU, and a working RAM (Random Access Memory). In this embodiment, the fire extinguishing system controlled by the control device 16 and the fire alarm system controlled by the fire receiver 23 are configured separately, but it is also possible to configure an integrated system having both fire alarm and fire extinguishing functions by, for example, having the fire receiver 23 also have the functions of the control device 16. In this case, all fire detectors (11, 21) installed within the fire extinguishing area are connected to the fire receiver 23. When the fire extinguishing system is implemented only, all the fire detectors (11, 21) installed in the fire extinguishing area are connected to the control device 16.

[0023] In addition, the control device 16 may be configured to have a function of wirelessly notifying the fire receiver 23 or a mobile terminal held by a relevant person that the activation device 17 has been activated to start or complete the release of fire extinguishing gas. Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the control device 16 determines that a fire has occurred based on a signal from the fire detector 11 and the fire receiver 23 determines that a fire has occurred based on a signal from the fire detector 21 in the fire extinguishing area, the starting device 17 is activated to release extinguishing gas, but even if the control device 16 does not determine that a fire has occurred based on a signal from the fire detector 11, if the fire receiver 23 determines that a fire has occurred based on a signal from the fire detector 21 in the fire extinguishing area and transmits information or a command to the control device 16, the starting device 17 may be activated to release extinguishing gas. Conversely, if the fire detector 11 detects a fire even if the fire detector 21 does not detect a fire, the control device 16 may transmit fire detection information and information to release extinguishing gas to the fire receiver 23. In either case, if the condition is that one fire detector 11, 21 in each system detects a fire, there is a concern that a false alarm may occur, so it is preferable to set the condition as that multiple fire detectors 11, 21 detect a fire. In this case, multiple fire detectors 11, multiple fire detectors 21, or a combination of fire detectors 11 and 21 may be used. Furthermore, a heat detector and a smoke detector may be combined.

[0024] FIG. 2 shows a specific example of the configuration of the control device 16. The control device 16 is equipped with a signal transmission / reception unit 61 that receives signals sent from the detector 11 via signal line 18A and radio signals transmitted from the array antenna 31 in the equipment set 13 via signal line 18B, an arithmetic processing unit 62, a memory unit 63, a communication unit 64 that communicates with external devices such as the fire receiver 23, and an output unit 65 that outputs signals to the starting device 17 and the release indicator light 19, and the memory unit 63 stores information on the basic gas release start time (default time), information on the increased time for delaying the start of release, and multiple messages (voice guidance information) to be output from the speaker 32.

[0025] The arithmetic processing unit 62 includes a position estimation means 62A that estimates the position of the portable transmitter within the protected area based on a signal received from the array antenna 31 by the signal transmitting / receiving unit 61 via the signal line 18B, a gas release decision means 62B that determines the occurrence of a fire and decides to release fire-extinguishing gas based on a signal from the detector 11, a timing means (timer) 62C that measures time, a release start time setting means 62D that sets the release start time based on the estimation result of the position estimation means 62A, a message selection means 62E, and other means, and these means are realized by a CPU (microprocessor) that constitutes the arithmetic processing unit 62 and a program executed by the CPU. The memory unit 63 is composed of a storage device such as a semiconductor memory or a hard disk. The arithmetic processing unit 62 can also be configured as an electronic circuit composed of multiple elements.

[0026] In this embodiment, when the control device 16 determines that a fire has occurred based on signals from the fire detectors 11 and 21, it does not immediately start the release of extinguishing gas, but first transmits an audio signal to the speaker 32 to make a prior announcement requesting radio wave transmission from a portable transmitter, and determines whether or not there is a person in the fire extinguishing area based on the radio wave signal transmitted from the array antenna 31. Then, if it determines that there is a person, it delays the injection (release) of extinguishing gas for a time period corresponding to the location of the person.

[0027] Specifically, using the speaker 32 built into the equipment set 13, when a fire occurs, an audio output is made to instruct the portable transmitter to emit radio waves of a specified frequency, and when a worker within the fire extinguishing area operates a specified button on the portable transmitter in response, the transmitted radio waves are received by the array antenna 31, and the control device 16 processes the radio wave signal transmitted from the array antenna 31 and determines the presence or absence of people and their location. Possible portable transmitters carried by workers include portable beacons with a command button, smartphones with a function to emit radio signals at a specific frequency such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc. When using a smartphone, it is possible to create and install a dedicated application program to realize the function of emitting radio signals at a specific frequency, and have the application started when entering the firefighting area.

[0028] Incidentally, the determination of a fire by the control device 16 based on the signal from the fire detector 11 includes not only cases where an actual fire has occurred, but also cases where a signal equivalent to determining that a fire has occurred due to the disconnection of the signal line 18A is input to the control device or receiver. In addition, the law requires that the time from when a fire is detected and the device is activated to when the extinguishing agent (fire extinguishing gas) is released must be at least 20 seconds if carbon dioxide is used as the extinguishing agent, and there is no upper limit, so delaying the release of the extinguishing gas is not a problem from the standpoint of compliance with the law and prioritizing human life.

[0029] Next, the basic concept of the control device 16 in determining whether to activate the starting device 17 and start the release of fire extinguishing gas in the fire extinguishing system having the above configuration will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 9. Of these, Figure 3 is a sketch diagram showing an example of the layout of a line production factory as an example of a fire extinguishing area as a protected area to which the fire extinguishing system of this embodiment is applied. In the floor plan shown in Figure 3, the parts marked with symbols L1 to L4 are production lines equipped with belt conveyors, and the parts marked with symbols R1 and R2 are shelves on which parts and tools are placed. In Figure 3, the entrance / exit D to the fire extinguishing area is located at the bottom right of the drawing.

[0030] In the fire extinguishing system of this embodiment, the fire extinguishing area shown in FIG. 3 is divided into multiple blocks as shown in FIG. 4, and each block is assigned a number according to the travel distance from the entrance / exit D. In the fire extinguishing area shown in FIG. 4, the presence of production lines L1 to L4 causes the linear distance from the entrance / exit D of each block to differ from the travel distance from the entrance / exit D. Therefore, for example, the blocks in the range surrounded by dotted lines B1 and B2 in FIG. 4 are assigned numbers larger than the blocks assigned numbers "7" and "8" because they have a short linear distance from the entrance / exit D but a long travel distance. Meanwhile, table data indicating the correspondence between block numbers and discharge start delay times, as shown in FIG. 5, is stored in the memory unit 63 of the control device 16.

[0031] Here, we will explain a specific method for estimating the position of a mobile transmitter that emitted radio waves based on the radio waves received by the array antenna 31. In reality, each array antenna 31 receives not only radio waves directly from the mobile transmitter but also radio waves reflected by walls, ceilings, etc., so the processing becomes complicated if reflected waves are taken into account. However, we will explain this ideally assuming that reflected waves can be ignored. As shown in Figure 7, when array antennas 31 are distributed and installed at multiple locations within the fire extinguishing area, radio waves emitted omnidirectionally from a portable transmitter 40 held by a worker are received by multiple array antennas 31.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 6, if the distance between the two antennas A1 and A2 in each array antenna 31 is d, the phase difference between the radio waves received by the antennas A1 and A2 is φ, and the wavelength of the radio waves is λ, then the arrival direction θ of the radio waves can be calculated using the following equation: θ=arcsin(φ λ / (2π d)) When one array antenna 31 includes three or more antennas, the detection direction may be estimated as θ calculated using the above formula for the radio waves received by any two antennas or the average value of θ calculated using the above formula for the radio waves received by any two antennas.

[0033] Once the directions of received radio waves from the multiple array antennas 31 have been estimated using the above equations, arrows R1 to R6 indicating the directions of arrival of radio waves from each array antenna 31 are virtually drawn on a layout map as shown in Fig. 8, and the area surrounded by the arrows R1 to R6 is estimated as the location P of the worker holding the portable transmitter 40. Then, the number of the block to which this location P belongs ("11" in Fig. 8) is identified by referring to the map information shown in Fig. 4 stored in the memory unit 63 of the control device 16, and the delay time until the start of ejection of fire-extinguishing gas is determined by referring to the table in Fig. 5. This makes it possible to appropriately set the delay time depending on the distance from the worker's location to the exit.

[0034] Furthermore, when delaying the time until the start of the release of fire extinguishing gas, an announcement such as "A fire has broken out. Fire extinguishing gas will be released. Please leave through the emergency exit within the next x minutes" is made through the speaker 32. As a result, workers working far away from the entrance / exit can be prevented from being late in escaping. Furthermore, if a worker who hears a fire announcement and starts to move to safety again emits a radio wave from the portable transmitter while on the way, the radio wave can be received to re-estimate the location P, and the delay time can be reviewed and reset. Also, if it is determined that a person is still present in the fire extinguishing area even after several delays have passed, the release of fire extinguishing gas will basically be stopped.

[0035] Next, an example of a specific procedure for the fire extinguishing activation process by the control device 16 in the fire extinguishing system of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 9. The fire extinguishing activation process according to this flowchart is started when the power of the control device 16 is turned on. 9, the control device 16 first checks the detection signal from the fire detector 11 and the information signal from the fire receiver 23 (or checks the detection signal from the fire detector 11 or the information signal from the fire receiver 23) to determine whether or not a fire has occurred in the target extinguishing area (step S1).Then, the control device 16 proceeds to step S2 where it determines that a fire has occurred (Yes), starts timing by the timer 62C, and sets the discharge start time to a default value.

[0036] Thereafter, the control device 16 concurrently executes a voice guidance process (steps S11 and S12) using the speaker 32 and a safety confirmation discharge process (steps S21 to S25) that starts the discharge of fire extinguishing gas after checking for the presence or absence of a person. The voice guidance process (S11 and S12) on the left side of the flowchart in Fig. 9 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle until the system is reset by a timer interrupt or the stop button is operated. On the other hand, the safety confirmation discharge process (S21 to S25) on the right side of the flowchart in Fig. 9 is repeatedly executed at a time interval significant for achieving the purpose of the process (for example, half the time of the discharge start time) until the timer 62C started in step S2 finishes timing the discharge start time.

[0037] In the voice guidance process on the left side, first in step S11, a legally prescribed announcement such as "Fire! Fire! Fire extinguishing agent will be released. It is dangerous, so please evacuate" is made once. Then, time is allotted to play a voice guidance (once) requesting that the portable transmitter be operated to generate radio waves (step S12). In addition, when the voice guidance is executed at the time reserved in step S12, it is desirable to provide an interval of a few seconds between the announcement in step S11 and the announcement in step S12 to avoid the content being difficult to hear if it starts immediately after the announcement made in step S11.

[0038] Meanwhile, in the safety confirmation discharge process, first in step S21, it is determined whether or not radio waves of a predetermined frequency have been received from the portable transmitter, i.e., whether or not there is a person in the fire extinguishing area. If it is determined that there is no person (No), steps S22 to S24 are skipped and the process proceeds to step S24. If it is determined in step S21 that there is a person (Yes), the process proceeds to step S22, where a position estimation process is performed based on the received radio waves, and then the estimated position (block number) is referenced in a table and the discharge start time is increased (extended) by a predetermined time (step S23).

[0039] Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S24, where it is determined whether the time counted by the timer that started counting in step S2 has become longer than the set release start time. If it is determined that the time counted by the timer has become longer than the set release start time (Yes), the process proceeds to step S25, where a signal is sent to starting device 17 to start the release of fire extinguishing gas, and the process ends (symbol A). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S24 that the time counted by the timer has not reached the set release start time (No), the process is interrupted and restarted from step S21 after a predetermined time has passed.

[0040] By repeatedly executing the above process, when a radio wave is received from a portable transmitter, the discharge start time can be extended, ensuring that people in the fire extinguishing area have time to leave before the fire extinguishing gas discharge begins. In addition, the discharge start time can be extended depending on the distance from the location where people are expected to be present to the exit. In the flowchart of Figure 9, if it is determined in step S21 that there is a person in the extinguishing area (Yes), the release start time is changed to a predetermined time according to the distance from the location where it is estimated that there is a person to the exit, but the processing may be terminated without changing the release start time or starting the release of fire extinguishing gas.

[0041] While the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiments, the equipment set 13 installed in the fire extinguishing area is provided with the array antenna 31 and the speaker 32, but a microphone may be added to enable audio capture. In addition, in the above embodiment, a system is shown in which an array antenna 31 is installed in the fire extinguishing area to detect the presence of a person holding a portable transmitter 40 and delay the start time of release, but it may also be configured to install an emergency stop switch as an auxiliary at an appropriate position within the fire extinguishing area.

[0042] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the occurrence of a fire is determined based on the output of a fire detector, but this is not limited to this. For example, a person who visually confirms the presence of fire or smoke (such as a system or building manager, or a third party who happens to be present) may be configured to operate a fire receiver or transmitter to notify the control device 16 of the occurrence of a fire. Even in this case, according to the present invention, even if an attempt is made to start spraying fire extinguishing gas because an unattended fire compartment is mistakenly determined to be empty despite the presence of a person in the compartment, the person in the compartment can sense the gas spray and operate a portable transmitter to delay the gas spray, thereby preventing an accident. Also, if it is confirmed that the area is unoccupied after a fire breaks out, a function may be provided that allows the release of fire extinguishing gas to be started manually as appropriate. Furthermore, even if the system (control device 16) determines that the area is unoccupied, if it is confirmed by some means that someone is present, a function may be provided that prevents the start of the release of fire extinguishing gas by manual operation input.

[0043] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, multiple array antennas are installed, but this is not a limitation. For example, if the fire extinguishing area is not very large and the structure of the fire extinguishing area allows the approximate location of the portable transmitter to be identified from the direction of arrival of radio waves determined by a single array antenna, it is not necessary to install multiple array antennas; only one antenna will suffice. In this case, if an array antenna is installed, for example, on one side or corner of the ceiling of the fire extinguishing area so that radio waves from the portable transmitter can be reliably received, effects roughly equivalent to those of the above-mentioned embodiment can be achieved. In addition, if the detection range of the fire detector does not need to be wide, it is sufficient to install one or more fire detectors of a type appropriate to the site conditions in accordance with the installation standards. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 11 Fire detector 12 Gas injection nozzle (fire extinguishing agent discharge device) 13 Equipment Set 14 Gas cylinder (fire extinguishing agent discharge device) 15 Gas piping 16 Control device 17 Starting device 18 Signal Line 19 Emission indicator light 21 Fire detector 22 Signal line 23 Fire alarm receiver 24 signal line 31 Array antenna (radio wave receiving means) 32 Speaker (audio output means) 40 Portable transmitter

Claims

1. a fire extinguishing agent discharge device installed in the fire extinguishing area and configured to discharge a fire extinguishing agent; a starter that starts a discharge operation of the extinguishing agent in response to a start signal in the extinguishing area; an antenna installed in the fire extinguishing area to receive radio waves of a predetermined frequency transmitted from a portable transmitter present in the fire extinguishing area; a control device that transmits the start signal to the activation device when a predetermined condition is satisfied; A fire extinguishing system comprising: The control device a radio signal receiving means for receiving a radio signal transmitted from the antenna; a timing means for timing an elapsed time since the occurrence of a fire in the fire extinguishing area is detected; a discharge start time setting means for setting a discharge start time from when it is determined that a fire has occurred to when the start signal is transmitted; release determination means for determining, when determining that the elapsed time has reached the release start time, transmission of the start signal; and The emission start time setting means changes the emission start time to a time longer than a predetermined time when the radio signal receiving means receives the radio signal from the portable transmitter. A fire extinguishing system characterized by:

2. the antenna is an array antenna, and a plurality of the array antennas are installed in a dispersed manner within the fire extinguishing area; The control device a storage means for storing map information about the fire extinguishing area in advance; a position estimation means for estimating the location of the portable transmitter by processing radio signals received from the plurality of array antennas; Furthermore, The discharge start time setting means sets the discharge start time by referring to the location of the portable transmitter estimated by the location estimation means and map information of the fire extinguishing area read from the storage means.

2. The fire extinguishing system according to claim 1,

3. the map information includes a floor plan of the fire extinguishing area divided into blocks and table data showing the correspondence between the length of a movement path from each block to an entrance / exit of the fire extinguishing area and the identification number of the block; The emission start time setting means changes the emission start time setting to a longer time as the movement path length for a block including the location of the portable transmitter estimated by the location estimation means becomes longer.

3. The fire extinguishing system according to claim 2, wherein

4. The fire extinguishing system described in claim 3, characterized in that the release decision means decides to transmit the start signal if the position estimation means does not detect the presence of the portable transmitter within the fire extinguishing area when the elapsed time reaches the release start time.

5. Further, an audio output means is provided in the fire extinguishing area, When a fire is detected, the control device transmits a signal to the voice output means to output an announcement requesting that the portable transmitter be operated to transmit radio waves. The fire extinguishing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

6. Further comprising a fire detector installed in the fire extinguishing area; The control device has a function of determining the occurrence of a fire based on a signal from the fire detector, 6. The fire extinguishing system of claim 5, wherein a group of signal lines arranged in the fire extinguishing area, including a signal line for transmitting signals from the antenna and a signal line for transmitting signals related to audio guidance output from the audio output means, and a signal line for transmitting signals from the fire detector, are laid apart from each other.

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