Remote monitoring and water shutoff systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fire suppression systems often cause extensive water damage to buildings and personal property due to their inability to be remotely controlled after activation, as they continue to operate until manually shut off by firefighters, whose response times can vary significantly.
Innovation Solution
A system that allows remote control of fire suppression systems by using sensors to detect and verify fire extinguishment, enabling a centralized computer system to deactivate the water supply once the fire is fully extinguished, utilizing electromechanical devices and user interfaces for control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fire suppression systems use mechanically activated sprinkler heads that continue operating until manually shut off, then the system ensures continuous fire suppression capability, but the system causes extensive water damage to buildings and property due to inability to be remotely controlled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the purely mechanical activation system with an electromechanical system. Electromechanical sprinkler heads use electric motors or solenoids to control water flow, allowing remote activation and deactivation via electrical signals. This substitution enables the system to maintain reliable fire suppression while eliminating the inability to remotely shut off water flow, thereby reducing water damage without compromising fire safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates automatic sensors (heat detectors, smoke detectors) that detect fire conditions and automatically activate the sprinkler system without human intervention. Additionally, the system can automatically deactivate when fire conditions are no longer detected, eliminating the need for manual shut-off by firefighters and preventing unnecessary water damage while maintaining continuous suppression capability.
2Ease of operation
If fire suppression systems rely on firefighters to manually turn off the water supply, then the system maintains simple mechanical operation, but the response time varies greatly depending on distance and availability of firefighters
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operation with automated electromechanical control. Electric motors and solenoids enable remote activation and deactivation of water flow through electrical signals transmitted via communication networks. This eliminates dependence on firefighter availability and response time, allowing immediate system control regardless of location, while the centralized control system maintains operational simplicity through automated decision-making algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a centralized control system and communication network as intermediaries between the sprinkler heads and the control authority. This intermediary layer enables remote monitoring and control, transmitting signals electronically to activate or deactivate sprinkler zones instantly, eliminating the need for physical presence of firefighters at the scene and reducing response time variability.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If fire suppression systems use remote electromechanical control with sensor verification, then the system minimizes water damage by deactivating after fire extinguishment, but the system complexity increases with multiple components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements multi-functional components that perform multiple tasks. The centralized control system handles activation, deactivation, monitoring, and communication functions. Sensors serve dual purposes of fire detection and verification of fire extinguishment. Electromechanical actuators control both water flow activation and deactivation. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each function, managing system complexity while enabling intelligent water flow control to minimize damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback loops where sensors continuously monitor fire conditions and transmit data to the centralized control system. The control system uses this feedback to make intelligent decisions about activation and deactivation. Verification of fire extinguishment through sensor feedback ensures water flow is stopped only when safe, enabling automatic minimization of water damage while maintaining fire suppression capability throughout the process.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Minimizes both fire and water damage by ensuring the fire suppression system is deactivated only after the fire is confirmed extinguished, reducing the risk of reemergence and water-related damage.
Implementation Method 1
transmitting a control signal that causes an electromechanical device to close a water valve within the building
Implementation Method 2
The electromechanical device can include a solenoid valve
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a system for detecting a water leak, the system including: a sensor that can generate sensor signals and a computer system that can receive and process the sensor signals to detect a water leak. In response to detecting the leak, the computer system can send a state change command to a valve control device, which can be configured to change a state of a solenoid valve according to the state change command. In response to detecting the leak, the computer system can transmit information to a mobile device over a communication network, the information including (i) an indication of the state change command and/or (ii) an indication that the water leak was detected. The mobile device can present the transmitted information in a graphical user interface (GUI), present a selectable option, and receive a user selection of the selectable option, which causes an action to be performed.