FIRE MONITORING AND SUPPRESSION SYSTEM

• US 20160271434A1
• Filed: 03/16/2016
• Published: 09/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fire Rover, LLC
• Original Assignee: Fire Rover, LLC
• Inventors: Dusing, Jeremy Douglas, Gladstone, Bradley Steven
• Granted Patent: US 10,512,809 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 31/24 attached to ladders, poles, towers, or other structures with or without rotary heads
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 37/40 with electric connection between sensor and actuator
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A system for detecting and extinguishing fires occurring within a predetermined observation area in response to commands received from a monitoring center. The system includes a source of fire retardant liquid and a monitor for selectively directing liquid to the observation area. A valve is disposed in fluid communication between the source and the monitor and is selectively movable between a closed position wherein liquid is prevented from flowing through the valve, and an open position wherein liquid can flow through the valve. An infrared camera generates a signal in response to temperature changes occurring in the observation area. A network switch is provided for communicating with the monitoring center. A control unit in communication with the valve, the camera, and the network switch relays the signal to the monitoring center and moves the valve between the positions in response to commands received from the monitoring center.

Claims

1. A fire suppression system for detecting fires occurring within a predetermined observation area and for extinguishing such fires in response to commands received from a distant monitoring center across a communication network, said fire suppression system comprising:

a source of fire retardant liquid;

a monitor for selectively directing fire retardant liquid to the observation area;

a control valve disposed in fluid communication between said source and said monitor, said control valve being selectively movable between a valve closed position wherein fire retardant liquid is prevented from flowing through said control valve, and a valve open position wherein fire retardant liquid can flow through said control valve to said monitor;

a forward looking infrared camera configured to detect and generate a signal in response to predetermined temperature changes occurring within the observation area;

a network switch for communicating with the monitoring center across the communication network; and

a control unit disposed in electrical communication with said control valve, said forward looking infrared camera, and said network switch, wherein said control unit is adapted to relay said signal generated by said forward looking infrared camera to the monitoring center across the communication network, and wherein said control unit is further adapted to move said control valve between said valve closed position and said valve opened position in response to subsequent commands received from the monitoring center across the communication network so as to direct fire retardant liquid within the observation area.

2. The fire suppression system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said monitor includes a nozzle disposed in fluid communication with said control valve for selectively adjusting pressure and/or flowrate of fire retardant liquid directed into the observation area when said control valve is in said open position.

3. The fire suppression system as set forth in claim 2, further including a nozzle actuator operatively attached to said nozzle, disposed in electrical communication with said control unit, and drivable by said control unit in response to commands received from the monitoring center across the communication network so as to selectively adjust pressure and/or flowrate of fire retardant liquid directed into the observation area when said control valve is in said valve open position.

4. The fire suppression system as set forth in claim 1, further including an articulation system operatively attached to said monitor for selectively orienting said monitor to aim fire retardant liquid flowing into the observation area when said control valve is in said open position.

5. The fire suppression system as set forth in claim 4, further including at least one articulation actuator operatively attached to said monitor, disposed in electrical communication with said control unit, and drivable by said control unit in response to commands received from the monitoring center across the communication network so as to selectively orient said monitor to aim fire retardant liquid flowing into the observation area when said control valve is in said open position.

6. The fire suppression system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said articulation system includes a pair of articulation actuators operatively attached to said monitor for orienting said monitor along different axes.

7. The fire suppression system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said control unit includes a video encoder disposed in electrical communication with said forward looking infrared camera and said network switch with said video encoder configured to transmit imaging data to the monitoring center across the communication network.

8. The fire suppression system as set forth in claim 7, wherein said video encoder includes a plurality of input/output connections for communicating with the monitoring center across the communication network.

9. The fire suppression system as set forth in claim 8, wherein one of said input/output connections is configured as an input disposed in electrical communication with said forward looking infrared camera for relaying said signal to the monitoring center across the communication network.

10. The fire suppression system as set forth in claim 8, wherein one of said input/output connections is configured as an output disposed in electrical communication with said control valve for relaying commands from the monitoring center across the communication network.

11. The fire suppression system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said source of fire retardant liquid includes a tank in which a predetermined mixture of water and concentrated fire retardant foam is stored.

12. The fire suppression system as set forth in claim 11, further including a pressurized gas tank disposed in selective fluid communication with said tank of said source of said fire retardant liquid for displacing fire retardant liquid to said monitor when said control valve is in said open position.

13. The fire suppression system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said monitor is spaced vertically above said source of fire retardant liquid, and wherein said fire suppression system further includes a hose interposed in fluid communication between said monitor and said source of fire retardant liquid.

14. The fire suppression system as set forth in claim 1, further including a camera disposed in electrical communication with said control unit and configured to selectively provide visual imaging data of the observation area to the monitoring station across the communication network.

15. The fire suppression system as set forth in claim 14, wherein said camera is operatively attached to said monitor for concurrent movement therewith.

16. The fire suppression system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said forward looking infrared camera generates said signal in response to a predetermined temperature threshold being exceeded within the observation area over a predetermined amount of time.