Interworking fire alarm system for automatic guidance of fire location and escape route direction

Abstract

The present invention relates to an interconnected fire alarm system that detects a fire in an indoor space by a sign installed at the entrance of each indoor space within a building, notifies the location of the fire, and guides the direction of safe evacuation according to the location of the indoor space where the fire occurred by mutually interlocking through communication. A fire alarm sign (10) that detects the occurrence of a fire through a fire detector (1) in the indoor space is installed one by one at the entrance of each indoor space, thereby notifying the indoor space where the fire occurred through the fire alarm sign (10), and the fire alarm signs (10) are connected to each other via wireless communication so that the fire alarm signs (10) mutually interlock to guide the evacuation direction determined according to the indoor space where the fire occurred. The research related to the present invention was conducted with the support of the 2023 Industry Transformation and Advancement Support Project for Crisis Industries (Electronics and Telecommunications) (Development of an Interlocked Directional Notification System for Safe Evacuation in Case of Fire) by Chungbuk Technopark (Ministry in Charge: Chungcheongbuk-do).

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an interconnected fire alarm system that detects a fire in an indoor space using a sign installed at the entrance of each indoor space within a building, indicates the location of the fire, and guides the direction for safe evacuation according to the location of the indoor space where the fire occurred through mutual communication. Background Technology

[0002] The research related to the present invention was conducted with the support of the 2023 Industry Transformation and Advancement Support Project for Crisis Industries (Electronics and Telecommunications) (Development of an Interlocked Directional Notification System for Safe Evacuation in Case of Fire) by Chungbuk Technopark (Ministry in Charge: Chungcheongbuk-do).

[0004] Among firefighting facilities, alarm systems detect fires within the building using detectors such as heat detectors, smoke detectors, and flame detectors installed in various locations within the building in accordance with installation standards, and issue appropriate alarms. Additionally, people inside the building can evacuate by following the directions indicated by guide lights, such as corridor guide lights and escape route guide lights, installed along evacuation paths as part of the evacuation rescue facilities.

[0005] However, as the interior of a building is divided into multiple rooms due to recent trends such as urbanization, high-rise construction, and density, it must be possible to guide people in other rooms to safely evacuate even if a fire occurs in one room.

[0006] To achieve this, it is necessary to issue an alarm indicating the room where the fire occurred and provide evacuation guidance that varies depending on the room; however, since detectors are partially circuit-separated but multiple units are connected to a single line, it is impossible to determine which room the fire originated in. Furthermore, since emergency exit signs only display predetermined evacuation directions, there is a problem in that they cannot be changed according to the location of the fire.

[0007] Registered Patent No. 10-2482412, designed to solve these problems, discloses a sign that guides evacuation directions in the event of a fire. The sign is installed at the entrance of each room, detects a fire using a sensor, calculates and displays escape direction information upon detection, and transmits it to a user terminal.

[0008] However, the label of Registered Patent No. 10-2482412 is not linked with detectors of existing firefighting facilities, so it cannot detect fires in all locations. Furthermore, since it operates independently of fire situations detected by existing firefighting facilities, it may cause confusion in the early stages of a fire. Additionally, because the labels operate independently without interoperability, they guide the escape direction primarily to people in the location where the fire occurred, making it difficult to induce the rapid evacuation of people in other rooms. Moreover, since the escape direction is guided only at the fire location and is not provided while evacuating according to the instructions, it is difficult to guarantee rapid and safe evacuation. In particular, it fails to quickly evacuate people in rooms on the same passageway who need to evacuate in the early stages of a fire along a safe evacuation route.

[0009] Meanwhile, as disclosed in Registered Patent No. 10-1735264, a plurality of evacuation guidance communication units are installed along a passageway, and fire detection sensors are installed at each location within the building. An evacuation path is extracted based on the fire occurrence location determined by the sensor's detection signal, and each evacuation guidance communication unit can be illuminated according to the evacuation path.

[0010] However, Registered Patent No. 10-1735264 presents difficulties in that it requires separating the fire sensor circuit and linking it with existing fire suppression facilities. In reality, it is difficult to apply in practice as it can only be realized by reinstalling the existing fire suppression facilities. Furthermore, it is not designed to notify people in nearby rooms of the fire location, and due to the adoption of a centralized remote control method, it fails to operate in the event of a communication failure. Prior art literature

[0011] (Patent Document 0001) KR 10-2482412 B1 2022.12.23.(Patent Document 0002) KR 10-1735264 B1 2017.05.06. The problem to be solved

[0012] Accordingly, the objective of the present invention is to provide an interconnected fire alarm system that links a fire alarm sign, which detects and alarms a fire in each indoor space within a building, with a fire detector in the indoor space to enable rapid identification of the location of the indoor space where the fire occurred, and to continuously guide a safe evacuation route through mutual interoperability and cooperation. means of solving the problem

[0013] To achieve the above objective, the present invention relates to an interlocking fire alarm system configured to enable adjacent fire alarm signs (10) to communicate with each other, which are installed on the entrance side of each indoor space partitioned along a passageway within a building and exposed to the passageway. The fire alarm signs (10) include: a fire linkage unit (12) connected to a fire detector (1) installed in the indoor space to detect the occurrence of a fire in the indoor space through the fire detector (1); a communication module (13) for wirelessly communicating with adjacent fire alarm signs (10); a sign unit (14) for identifying the indoor space; a lighting unit (15) for lighting up in the event of a fire; a power unit (16) for using the required power from an external power source or an internal battery; and a storage unit (17) storing a lighting scenario for guiding the evacuation direction in cooperation with each fire alarm sign (10) installed along the passageway in the event of a fire. The controller (11) includes: when a fire in an indoor space is detected through the fire linkage unit (12), the lighting unit (15) is turned on to indicate the location of the fire; the lighting scenario stored in the storage unit (17) is transmitted to an adjacent fire alarm sign (10) through the communication module (13); when the lighting scenario is received from an adjacent fire alarm sign (10), the lighting unit (15) is controlled to be turned on according to the received lighting scenario; and the received lighting scenario is relayed to an adjacent fire alarm sign (10) that has not transmitted the lighting scenario, thereby allowing it to be propagated sequentially.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the lighting scenario is a scenario that periodically repeats the operation of sequentially lighting or flashing fire alarm signs (10) along the evacuation direction with a time interval, and includes a flashing sequence of fire alarm signs (10), and each fire alarm sign (10) recognizes the flashing sequence of the received lighting scenario and lights or flashes the lighting part (15) in accordance with the timing of the flashing sequence.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the lighting unit (15) includes a location alarm lighting unit (15a) for indicating the location of a fire and a direction guidance lighting unit (15b) for indicating the evacuation direction, and the lighting scenario is a scenario for determining the evacuation direction of each fire alarm sign (10), and each fire alarm sign (10) recognizes the evacuation direction included in the received lighting scenario and lights or flashes the direction guidance lighting unit (15b) according to the evacuation direction.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present invention, each fire alarm sign (10) is equipped with a speaker (18) for illuminating a lighting unit (15) and simultaneously sounding an alarm of the location of the indoor space where the fire occurred when a fire is detected through a fire-related unit (12).

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present invention, each fire alarm sign (10) stores a lighting scenario for each fire occurrence location, which is classified by the location of each indoor space, in a storage unit (17), and when a fire is detected, it transmits the fire occurrence location to other fire alarm signs (10) instead of the lighting scenario, and the lighting unit (15) is lit or flashed according to the lighting scenario corresponding to the transmitted fire occurrence location.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the present invention, each fire alarm sign (10) transmits or relays a lighting scenario to a plurality of adjacent fire alarm signs (10) within the communication range of a communication module (13). Effects of the invention

[0019] The present invention allows a fire alarm sign (10) to detect and notify an indoor fire through a fire detector (1) installed indoors, thereby enabling the fire location that could not be reported by existing fire facilities to be notified more quickly to people in the vicinity in parallel with existing fire facilities, while leaving existing fire facilities that are difficult to change in reality as they are. Additionally, by directly communicating and linking with each other, the fire alarm signs (10) guide people around the fire location to intuitively recognize a safe evacuation route according to the fire location, thereby allowing people around the fire location who are exposed to danger in the event of a fire to move quickly along a safe evacuation route in the early stages of the fire. Furthermore, even if some damage or partial malfunction occurs due to the fire, the system operates to stably guide the evacuation direction, thereby preventing casualties. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0020] FIG. 1 is an example of the installation of an interlocking fire alarm system according to an embodiment of the present invention and an external view of a fire alarm sign (10). FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a fire alarm sign (10). FIG. 3 is a drawing showing the lighting status of each fire alarm sign (10) when a fire occurs in an indoor space. FIG. 4 is a modified external view of a fire alarm sign (10). Specific details for implementing the invention

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the attached drawings, showing various specific examples so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the invention. However, since it is clear that embodiments of the present invention can be implemented through various changes or modifications within the scope of the invention, the invention is not limited to the described embodiments. Furthermore, well-known components, circuits, functions, methods, and typical details regarding the embodiments of the present invention can be added and implemented by those skilled in the art, so they will not be described in detail.

[0022] Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in a combined form of software and hardware, and the software and hardware forms may be described as components, modules, parts, etc., and may be implemented in the form of computer-readable program code implemented on a recording medium.

[0023] The connection between components may be a wired or wireless connection to transmit data, signals, information, etc., and may also include cases where they are indirectly connected with other components in between.

[0024] To 'include' a component means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components.

[0026] Referring to the installation example diagram of FIG. 1, the interlocking fire alarm system according to an embodiment of the present invention is composed of fire alarm signs (10) installed near each entrance of each indoor space partitioned along a passageway within a building, and the adjacent fire alarm signs (10) are connected via short-range wireless communication to operate in conjunction with each other.

[0028] Looking at the exterior of the fire alarm sign (10) shown in enlarged view in FIG. 1, it is equipped with a sign part (14) that displays the room number of the indoor space entered through the installed entrance so that the indoor space can be identified from other indoor spaces, and a lighting part (15) that is installed around the sign part (14) or on one side of the outer edge to light up in case of fire.

[0029] The above fire alarm sign (10) is installed on a wall where an entrance is constructed and protrudes toward the passageway so that the sign part (14) and the light part (15) can be easily recognized in the passageway, but it can be modified into various forms that are exposed toward the passageway so that they can be easily recognized in the passageway.

[0030] The above-mentioned label portion (14) may be engraved with the room number of the indoor space, but it may be changed to the room number of the installed indoor space. To this end, the above-mentioned label portion (14) may be configured like a display with a plurality of LED lamps and may display the room number of the indoor space by means of a controller (11). Of course, the room number may be pre-set to the room number of the indoor space where the fire alarm label (10) is installed.

[0031] The above lighting unit (15) can be configured with, for example, an LED lamp, and as shown in FIG. 1, it is installed on the edge of the above label unit (14), but is not limited thereto. As another example, it can be implemented with the remaining LED lamps excluding the area illuminated to display the room number by combining with the above label unit (14) configured with an LED lamp.

[0032] As described below, the lighting unit (15) is preferably configured to light up in red to indicate the location of the fire, and to light up in green like a conventional guide light to guide the evacuation direction.

[0034] Referring to the block diagram of FIG. 2, the fire alarm sign (10) is configured to include a fire linkage unit (12), a communication module (13), a power supply unit (16), a storage unit (17), a speaker (18), and a controller (11), along with the sign unit (14) and lighting unit (15) that are shown and described externally.

[0035] The above firefighting connection unit (12) is connected to a fire detector (1) among the firefighting facilities in the indoor space entered through the entrance where the fire alarm sign (10) is installed, and receives a contact signal output when the fire detector (1) detects a fire. Here, the fire detector (1) may be a detector classified as a heat detector, smoke detector, flame detector, composite type detector, etc. That is, the occurrence of a fire in the indoor space is detected through the fire detector (1) while leaving the firefighting facilities as they are.

[0037] The above communication module (13) is intended to be wirelessly connected to another fire alarm sign (10) adjacent along the passageway, and can be configured as a BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) module or a WiFi module depending on the communication distance with the adjacent fire alarm sign (10).

[0038] Here, the communication module (13) is used when transmitting a stored lighting scenario as described below, and when transmitting a lighting scenario received from another fire alarm sign (10) to relay.

[0040] The above power supply unit (16) is intended to supply the required power for the operation of the fire alarm sign (10), and receives external constant power to charge the internal battery, so that even if the constant power supply is interrupted due to the influence of fire or the like, the power charged in the internal battery can be used.

[0042] The above storage unit (17) stores the lighting scenarios of each fire alarm sign (10) installed along the passage.

[0043] The above lighting scenario is a lighting scenario for fire alarm signs (10) that, in cooperation with each fire alarm sign (10) when a fire occurs, controls the lighting unit (15) at each fire alarm sign (10) to guide the evacuation direction, and is provided for each location of the fire alarm sign (10) that detects a fire in the indoor space.

[0044] As a specific embodiment, the lighting scenario may be a scenario in which fire alarm signs (10) installed along a passageway are sequentially flashed with a time delay along the evacuation direction, and the sequential flashing operation is repeated at a certain period. To this end, each fire alarm sign (10) includes a device identifier and a flashing sequence number that are pre-assigned to it. Since the evacuation direction varies depending on the location of the indoor space where the fire occurred, the location of the indoor space is distinguished by an identifier, and is prepared for each identifier.

[0045] FIG. 3 is a drawing showing the state of each fire alarm display (10) that is lit or flashed by applying a stored lighting scenario corresponding to the indoor space where the fire occurred when a fire occurs in any one indoor space.

[0046] According to the lighting scenario exemplarily shown in FIG. 3, the lighting scenario is such that the fire alarm sign (10) installed at the entrance of the indoor space of room 504 where the fire occurred lights up the lighting part (15) in red and maintains the red lighting state to indicate the location of the fire, and the fire alarm sign (10) that detects the fire in other indoor spaces flashes sequentially starting from the one closest to the fire alarm sign (10) that detected the fire, up to the one closest to the escape stairs or escape route, and the operation of flashing sequentially in this manner is repeated at a certain period. To explain the rooms shown in Fig. 3, the lights flash in the order of rooms 503, 502, and 501, then in the order of rooms 505 and 506, then in the order of rooms 510, 509, 508, and 507, and in the order of rooms 511 and 512. For rooms facing each other along the corridor, the lights can be time-synchronized so that the facing ones flash simultaneously.

[0047] Of course, flashing involves turning off the lights after a set period of time, and lighting may be used instead of flashing; in this case, the lights are turned off completely after being turned on until the very end, and then turned on sequentially thereafter.

[0048] Figure 3 is an example, and the lighting scenario is different depending on the location of the fire alarm sign (10) that detects the fire, so it is written differently depending on the location of the fire alarm sign (10) (indoor space), and additionally, it is written by reflecting the shape of the passageway inside the building, the location of the escape stairs or escape route connected to the passageway, etc.

[0050] Meanwhile, since the above lighting scenario is selected according to the location of the fire alarm sign that detected the fire, each fire alarm sign (10) stores only the lighting scenario corresponding to its own location, and when a fire is detected through the fire linkage unit (12), it can transmit the lighting scenario to other fire alarm signs (10) so that they light up or flash according to the transmitted lighting scenario.

[0051] As another embodiment, each fire alarm label (10) may store all lighting scenarios that match the identifier of the fire alarm label (10), and the fire alarm label (10) that detects a fire may transmit its identifier instead of the lighting scenario, thereby causing the light to turn on or flash according to the lighting scenario that matches the transmitted identifier.

[0053] The above speaker (18) is intended to provide voice guidance on the location (or room number) of the indoor space where the fire occurred and to provide a fire alarm when a fire is detected through the fire connection unit (12). That is, when a fire occurs in an indoor space, the fire alarm sign (10) at the corresponding location lights up the lighting unit (15) in red and simultaneously outputs voice through the speaker (18), thereby providing visual and auditory information about the location of the indoor space where the fire occurred.

[0055] The above controller (11) is for controlling the operation of the fire alarm sign (10). When a fire in an indoor space is detected through the fire linkage unit (12), it controls the lighting unit (15) to light up in red, outputs the location (or room number) of the indoor space where the fire occurred through the speaker (18) using, for example, a TTS (Text to Speech) program, and transmits a lighting scenario corresponding to the identifier assigned to the fire alarm sign (10) that detected the fire to an adjacent fire alarm sign (10) through the communication module (13).

[0056] Here, instead of transmitting a lighting scenario, an identifier assigned to the fire alarm label (10) is transmitted, thereby allowing the receiving side's fire alarm label (10) to apply a lighting scenario stored in correspondence with the identifier. That is, since the identifier is assigned to the fire alarm label (10) to indicate the location of the fire, the location of the fire is effectively transmitted to apply a lighting scenario corresponding to the location of the fire.

[0058] When the controller (11) receives a lighting scenario from an adjacent fire alarm sign (10), it controls the lighting unit (15) to light up or blink according to the received lighting scenario, and simultaneously transmits the received lighting scenario to the adjacent fire alarm sign (10) to relay the lighting scenario. Here, the fire alarm sign (10) that receives the lighting scenario by relaying it is one of the adjacent ones that has not transmitted the lighting scenario.

[0059] Accordingly, the lighting scenario according to the location of the fire (indoor space) is sequentially transmitted to all adjacent fire alarm signs (10) installed along the passageway. Then, each fire alarm sign (10) recognizes the flashing sequence of the received lighting scenario and can guide the evacuation direction by lighting or flashing the lighting unit (15) in accordance with the timing of the flashing sequence. Of course, the controller (11) can use an internal timer or a separate timer (not shown) to match the flashing timing.

[0060] As mentioned above, when an identifier that can identify the location of the fire (or indoor space) is transmitted and received, the identifier is received, so a lighting scenario corresponding to the identifier among the stored lighting scenarios is applied to control the lighting unit (15), and the identifier is relayed and transmitted.

[0061] As a modified embodiment, the fire alarm sign (10) that transmits or relays the lighting scenario (or identifier) ​​to be received is preferably made into a plurality of fire alarm signs (10) within the communication range of the communication module (13), so that even if one of the fire alarm signs (10) within the communication range malfunctions, it is propagated by relaying by a normal fire alarm sign (10), thereby guiding the evacuation direction by the normal fire alarm sign (10).

[0062] Meanwhile, the controller (11) may also make the location of the fire (or the room number of the indoor space) recognized through the received lighting scenario or identifier known through the speaker.

[0064] Another modified embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 4.

[0065] According to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the lighting unit (15) is divided into a location notification lighting unit (15a) that lights up red to indicate that a fire has occurred in an indoor space, and a direction guidance lighting unit (15b) that lights up green to guide the evacuation direction in response to the fire. Here, the direction guidance lighting unit (15b) displays the evacuation direction as an arrow, and can display arrows of different directions depending on the location of the fire. Although not shown in detail in the drawing, it can be implemented by, for example, by lighting up arrows of different directions on both sides of the fire alarm sign (10), thereby displaying an arrow on one side.

[0066] Additionally, the above lighting scenario can be a scenario for determining the evacuation direction to be displayed from each fire alarm sign (10) to the direction guidance lighting unit (15b). That is, the above lighting scenario is created using information that matches the arrow direction to be displayed from each fire alarm sign (10) according to the location of the fire to an identifier assigned to each fire alarm sign (10).

[0067] Accordingly, the remaining fire alarm signs (10) that are received directly or via relay from the fire alarm sign (10) that detected the fire recognize the evacuation direction information that matches their identifier among the evacuation direction information included in the received lighting scenario and light up the direction guidance lighting unit (15b). Of course, here, each fire alarm sign (10) may also be made to sequentially flash the direction guidance lighting unit (15b) along the evacuation direction. Explanation of the symbols

[0068] 1 : Fire detector 10: Fire alarm sign 11 : Controller 12: Firefighting Linkage Unit 13 : Communication module 14: Label section 15 : Lighting part 15a: Location indicator light 15b: Direction guide light 16 : Power supply 17 : Storage section 18 : Speaker

Claims

Claim 1 In an interconnected fire alarm system configured to enable mutual communication between adjacent fire alarm signs (10) installed on the entrance side of each indoor space partitioned along a passageway within a building and exposed to the passageway, each of the fire alarm signs (10) is connected to a fire detector (1) installed in the indoor space to detect the occurrence of a fire in the indoor space through the fire detector (1) (fire linkage unit (12); a communication module (13) for wirelessly communicating with adjacent fire alarm signs (10); a sign unit (14) for identifying the indoor space; a lighting unit (15) including a location notification lighting unit (15a) for indicating the location of the fire and a direction guidance lighting unit (15b) for indicating the evacuation direction, which are illuminated in the event of a fire; and a power supply unit (16) that uses the required power from an external power source or an internal battery. A lighting scenario for guiding the evacuation direction in cooperation with each fire alarm sign (10) installed along the passageway in the event of a fire is stored, wherein the stored lighting scenario is a scenario that determines the evacuation direction of each fire alarm sign (10) and periodically repeats the action of sequentially lighting or flashing the fire alarm signs (10) along the evacuation direction with a time delay, and a storage unit (17) including the flashing sequence number of the fire alarm signs (10); and a speaker (18) for alarming the location of the indoor space where the fire occurred by voice.A controller (11) comprising: a fire alarm system that detects a fire in an indoor space through the fire alarm linkage unit (12), lights up the location notification lighting unit (15a) of the lighting unit (15) and simultaneously alarms by voice to indicate the location of the fire, transmits a lighting scenario stored in the storage unit (17) to an adjacent fire alarm sign (10) within the communication range of the communication module (13), and when receiving a lighting scenario from an adjacent fire alarm sign (10), recognizes the evacuation direction and flashing sequence of the received lighting scenario and controls the lighting of the direction guidance lighting unit (15b) of the lighting unit (15) in accordance with the timing of the evacuation direction and flashing sequence, and relays the received lighting scenario to an adjacent fire alarm sign (10) that has not transmitted the lighting scenario so that it is propagated sequentially; Claim 2 delete Claim 3 delete Claim 4 delete Claim 5 delete Claim 6 delete

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