FIRE ALARM SYSTEM

• US 20100259396A1
• Filed: 10/21/2008
• Published: 10/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Watabe, Yoshifumi, Takada, Yuji, Hayashi, Masanori, Nishikawa, Takayuki, Honda, Yoshiaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,519,854 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/577
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0217 Smoke, combustion gases
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/045 External reflections, e.g. on reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/048 Transmission, i.e. analysed material between transmitter and receiver
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/032 by measuring attenuation of acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/348 with frequency characteristics, e.g. single frequency signals, chirp signals measuring frequency of mechanical vibrations or acoustic waves in general G01H1/06, G01H3/04; measuring frequency or analysing frequency spectra G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/4427 with stored values, e.g. threshold values
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1968 Interfaces for setting up or customising the system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/00 Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/10 Actuation by presence of smoke or gases , e.g. automatic alarm devices for analysing flowing fluid materials by the use of optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/113 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/24 Self-calibration, e.g. compensating for environmental drift or ageing of components

Abstract

A fire alarm system, determining existence or nonexistence of a fire by using an ultrasound wave, comprises a sound wave generator and a sound wave detector to detect sound waves propagated through two propagation paths having different lengths each other. The system comprises a calculation means for calculating a pressure ratio between a first sound pressure, which is a sound pressure of a sound wave propagated through a first propagation path, and a second sound pressure, which is a sound pressure of a sound wave propagated through a second propagation path, and a smoke density estimator. The smoke density estimator calculates a change ratio between the pressure ratio calculated by the calculation means and a predetermined standard pressure ratio, and determines a smoke density from the change ratio based on a predetermined relational expression describing the relation between the change ratio and the smoke density, and determines existence of a fire when the smoke density exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Claims

1. A fire alarm system comprising:

a sound wave generator sending a sound wave;

a sound wave detector being located so as to sandwich in a monitoring space between itself and the generator, the sound wave detector detecting the sound wave sent from the generator through the monitoring space;

a controller being configured to control the generator and the sound wave detector;

a processing circuit being configured to process an output detected by the sound wave detector, the processing circuit comprising a sound pressure detector for detecting a sound pressure based on the output, a smoke density estimator for estimating a density of smoke existing in the monitoring space and a fire alarm device being configured to transmit fire alarm when the smoke density estimated by the smoke density estimator exceeds a predetermined threshold;

wherein the generator and the sound wave detector are located in the monitoring space so as to form a first and second propagation paths for propagating the sound wave from the generator to the sound wave detector, the first and second propagation paths having different lengths each other,

wherein the processing circuit comprises a calculation means for calculating a pressure ratio between a first sound pressure being a sound pressure of a sound wave propagated through the first propagation path and a second sound pressure being a sound pressure of a sound wave propagated through the second propagation path,

wherein the smoke density estimator is configured to calculate a change ratio between the pressure ratio calculated by the calculation means and a predetermined average pressure ratio, and to determine the smoke density from the change ratio based on a predetermined relational expression, the relational expression describing the change ratio in relation to the smoke density.

2. A fire alarm system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the generator is configured to send a single sound wave having a first and second frequency components differing from each other,

wherein the processing circuit comprises a separation means for separating the first and second frequency components,

wherein the sound pressure detector is configured to detect sound pressures about the first and second frequency components, respectively,

wherein the processing circuit comprises a particle estimator for estimating a type of floating particles based on the pressure ratio outputted from the calculation means,

wherein the particle estimator is configured to calculate a relative change ratio between a first change ratio and a second change ratio, the first and second change ratios being calculated in reference to the first and second frequency components, respectively,

wherein the processing circuit comprises a memory for storing a relative change ratio table and a density table, the relative change ratio table having different relative change ratios corresponding to different types of floating particles, the density table having different smoke densities corresponding to different first change ratios,

wherein the particle estimator is configured to estimate a type of floating particles, corresponding to the relative change ratio, in the relative change ratio table,

wherein the smoke density estimator is configured to estimate a smoke density, corresponding to the first change ratio, in the density table if the type of floating particles is smoke.

3. A fire alarm system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the generator is configured to generate a sound wave of a single pulse.

4. A fire alarm system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the separation means comprises frequency filters letting sound waves of the first and second frequency components pass through, respectively,

wherein the calculation means is configured to calculate the pressure ratio about the sound waves of the first and second frequency components passing through the frequency filters.

5. A fire alarm system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the generator comprises a single wave-generating element,

wherein the sound wave detector comprises a single wave-receiving element,

wherein the first and second propagation paths are formed between a first reflector located at the side of the wave-generating element and a second reflector located at the side of wave-receiving element,

wherein the first propagation path is set as the shortest straight path between the wave-generating and wave-receiving elements,

wherein the second propagation path is set as a reflex path through which a sound wave sent from the wave-generating element is reflected by the second reflector and the first reflector and is leaded to the wave-receiving element.

6. A fire alarm system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing circuit comprises a parameter measuring means for measuring at least one parameter of air temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure, and an environment change correcting means for correcting a change of the pressure ratio depending on an environment change based on the parameter.

7. A fire alarm system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the processing circuit comprises a sound speed measuring means for measuring a sound speed in the monitoring space by dividing a length of the first propagation path by a time difference between a timing of detecting the first sound pressure and a timing of driving the generator,

wherein the environment change correcting means is configured to correct the change of the pressure ratio depending on the environment change based on the sound speed.

8. A fire alarm system as claimed in claim 5, wherein in addition to the first and second propagation paths, a third propagation path for propagating a sound wave is formed between the first and second reflectors,

wherein the number of reflection times of a sound wave propagated through the second propagation path to the wave-receiving element is more than the number of reflection times of a sound wave propagated through the first propagation path to the wave-receiving element, and is less than the number of reflection times of a sound wave propagated through the third propagation path to the wave-receiving element,

wherein the processing circuit comprises a reflection change calculating means for calculating a relative change ratio for a default value about reflective performance in the reflectors, based on a pressure ratio among the first sound pressure obtained by receiving the sound wave propagated through the first propagation path, the second sound pressure obtained by receiving the sound wave propagated through the second propagation path and a third sound pressure obtained by receiving the sound wave propagated through the third propagation path, which are different from each other in the number of reflection times, and a reflection change correcting means for correcting the pressure ratio based on the relative change ratio calculated by the reflection change calculating means.

9. A fire alarm system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the generator is configured to send sound waves having a first and second frequencies differing from each other, respectively,

wherein the processing circuit comprises a particle estimator for estimating a type of floating particles based on the pressure ratio outputted from the calculation means,

wherein the particle estimator is configured to calculate a relative change ratio between a first change ratio and a second change ratio, the first and second change ratios being calculated in reference to the sound waves of the first and second frequencies, respectively,

wherein the processing circuit comprises a memory for storing a relative change ratio table and a density table, the relative change ratio table having different relative change ratios corresponding to different types of floating particles, the density table having different densities of smoke corresponding to different first change ratios,

wherein the particle estimator is configured to estimate a type of floating particles, corresponding to the relative change ratio, in the relative change ratio table,

wherein the smoke density estimator is configured to estimate a smoke density, corresponding to the first change ratio, in the density table if the type of floating particles is smoke.

10. A fire alarm system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the sound source comprises a single sound source,

wherein the controller is configured to drive the sound source so as to send the sound waves, having the first and second frequencies differing from each other, from the sound source sequentially,

wherein the calculation means synchronizes the controller and is configured to calculate pressure ratios, in relation to the sound waves having the first and second frequencies, from the sound wave detector, respectively.

11. A fire alarm system as claimed in claim 5, wherein each of the first and second reflectors has a reflection surface formed into concave with respect to the wave-generating and wave-receiving elements located so as to face the first and second reflectors, respectively,

wherein the reflectors is configured to let a sound wave collect in the wave-generating or wave-receiving elements,

wherein the wave-generating and wave-receiving elements are located at exposed parts of the reflection surfaces of the first and second reflectors, respectively.

12. A fire alarm system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first and second reflectors are located between a pair of nonproliferation plates,

wherein at both ends in height directions of the first and second reflectors, the monitoring space is occluded with the nonproliferation plates

wherein the wave-generating element is located at an intermediate part in a length direction of the first reflector,

wherein at the intermediate part of the first reflector, a generation face of the wave-generating element is configured to cover the whole of a height direction of the first reflector.