Remote Fire Suppression Water Valve Control to Reduce Post-Fire Damage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fire suppression systems in buildings often cause extensive water damage due to their inability to be remotely controlled after a fire has been extinguished, leading to prolonged water usage and damage to property.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that allows for remote monitoring and control of fire suppression systems, using sensors to verify the extinguishment of fires and enable users to remotely shut off the water supply through a computing device, thereby minimizing damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fire suppression systems use mechanically activated sprinkler heads that continue dousing until manually shut off, then the fire can be fully extinguished, but extensive water damage occurs due to prolonged water flow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the purely mechanical activation system (glass bulbs that burst at threshold temperature) with an electronically controlled system. Sensors detect fire conditions and send signals to an electronic control unit, which then activates electronically controlled valves. This substitution enables remote monitoring and control capabilities, allowing the system to be shut off automatically or remotely once the fire is extinguished, thereby minimizing water damage while maintaining reliable fire suppression.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where sensors continuously monitor fire conditions (heat, smoke, flame) and transmit this information to a control unit. The control unit processes this feedback and automatically adjusts the water supply accordingly - maintaining flow while fire is detected and shutting it off when fire conditions are no longer present. This feedback loop ensures the system responds dynamically to actual fire conditions, preventing both under-suppression and prolonged water flow.
2Ease of operation
If fire suppression systems are manually deactivated by firefighters, then water flow can be stopped, but response time delays cause excessive water damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the fire suppression system to deactivate itself automatically based on sensor feedback. When sensors detect that fire conditions have ceased (temperature returns to normal, smoke dissipates, flames extinguished), the control unit automatically closes the water valves without requiring firefighter intervention. This self-service capability eliminates the time delay associated with manual deactivation and allows the system to respond immediately to changing fire conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates preliminary monitoring and verification actions before deactivation. The system continuously monitors fire conditions and verifies extinction through multiple sensor readings before automatically shutting off water supply. This preliminary verification ensures the fire is truly extinguished before stopping water flow, preventing re-ignition while minimizing unnecessary water damage. The system is also prepared in advance with pre-configured control algorithms that automatically execute upon detecting extinction conditions.
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
This solution minimizes both fire and water damage by allowing for precise control over fire suppression systems, ensuring they are only active when necessary and shutting off the water supply once the fire is fully extinguished, reducing the risk of re-emergence and improving safety and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
transmitting, by the computer system, a control signal that causes an electromechanical device to close a water valve within the building
Implementation Method 2
Such glass bulbs are heat-sensitive, such as through the use of an internal liquid that expands in response to heat, and burst when a threshold temperature is reached
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are systems and methods for remotely controlling and monitoring water supply systems in buildings. A system can include a sensor to continuously detect building conditions, an electromechanical device to control a water valve located along a water supply for the building, a user computing device to display information about the building conditions, and a computer system to: continuously receive building condition information from the sensor, determine, based on the information, that an emergency has been detected, generate and transmit first instructions that cause the electromechanical device to turn off the water valve, generate and transmit second instructions that cause the user computing device to present information about the emergency in a graphical user interface (GUI) display, receive user input to control the electromechanical device, and generate and return third instructions to control the electromechanical device based on the user input and/or the continuously received sensor information.