TESTING OF ASPIRATING SYSTEMS

• US 20110041587A1
• Filed: 03/18/2009
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: No Climb Products Ltd.
• Original Assignee: No Climb Products Ltd.
• Inventors: Rossiter, William J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,434,343 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/31.03
• 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 29/14 checking the detection circuits

Abstract

An aspirating system for detecting the presence of a product representative of a hazard and a method of detecting the presence of a product representative of a hazard in an aspirating system are provided. The system comprises: piping that includes a plurality of apertures spaced apart along the length of the piping; an aspirator for drawing air from outside the piping into the piping through at least one aperture, a detector coupled to the piping for detecting the presence of a product representative of a hazard; a generator of test stimulus for generating the product representative of a hazard; wherein the test stimulus generator is fixed in, near, or on the piping such that in use a test stimulus is provided adjacent to at least one aperture of the piping. A control means can be provided to control the activation of the test stimulus from the generator and the time taken for the test stimulus to reach the detector can be measured.

Claims

1. An aspirating system for detecting the presence of a product representative of a hazard, the system comprising:

piping that includes a plurality of apertures spaced apart along the length of the piping;

an aspirator for drawing air from outside the piping into the piping through at least one aperture,

a detector coupled to the piping for detecting the presence of a product representative of a hazard;

a generator of test stimulus for generating the product representative of a hazard;

wherein the test stimulus generator is fixed in, near, or on the piping such that in use a test stimulus is provided adjacent to at least one aperture of the piping.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a control means for controlling the activation of test stimulus from the test stimulus generator.

3. The system of claim 1 or 2 wherein there is means for measuring the time taken for the test stimulus to reach the detector.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the system further comprises storage means for storing data indicative of the time taken for the test stimulus to reach the detector.

5. The system of claim 4 further comprising a computing device for comparing the data from the storage means with predetermined data in order to determine comparison data of the time taken for the test stimulus to reach the detector.

6. The system of claim 5 whereby the results are utilised to adjust or clean the aspirating system automatically or otherwise.

7. The system of claim 2 wherein the control means further comprises a real time clock to control activation of the test stimulus generator on a scheduled basis.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of sections of piping joined to form a pipe run and the generator(s) located at one end of each and/or any pipe run.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the detector is located at the other end of the pipe run.

10. The system of claim 8 or 9 wherein there are a plurality of pipe runs that form a piping network and the detector is at the other end of each pipe run to form a hub of the piping network.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the test stimulus generator comprises a battery for providing power to the test stimulus generator.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the power to the test stimulus generator is provided by the same power source that provides power to the aspirating detection system.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the power source is mains AC power.

14. (canceled)

15. Method of detecting the presence of a product representative of a hazard in an aspirating system comprising:

providing piping that includes a plurality of apertures spaced apart along the length of the piping;

fixing a test stimulus generator in, near or on the piping;

providing test stimulus representative of a hazard adjacent to at least one aperture of the piping;

drawing in air from outside the piping into piping through at least one aperture;

detecting the presence of the product representative of a hazard.

16. (canceled)