FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20180369625A1
• Filed: 08/06/2018
• Published: 12/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyco Fire Products LP (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Fire Products LP (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Sandahl, Derek M., Counts, Brian L., Fernstrum, Marvin B., Ryczek, Chad L., Escalante-Ortiz, Saul, Werth, John T., Lilley, Gregory J., Strehlow, David R., Kreft, Anthony J., Myers, Thomas John, Bushert, John S., Hackl, Richard J., Thorell, Marvin D.
• Granted Patent: US 10,675,493 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 3/07 in vehicles, e.g. in road vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 35/023 the extinguishing material being expelled by compressed gas, taken from storage tanks, or by generating a pressure gas for foam generation A62C5/02
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 35/64 pressurised
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 37/00 Control of fire-fighting equipment heat-sensitive devices G01K
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 37/36 an actuating signal being generated by a sensor separate from an outlet device
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/02 electric constitutive elements
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 7/0635 by action on throttling means G05D7/0688, G05D7/0694 take precedence

Abstract

A vehicle fire suppression system includes a centralized controller, a detecting circuit, a releasing circuit, and a processor in communication with a monitoring circuit. The detecting circuit is coupled to the centralized controller and configured to indicate a detection of a fire. The releasing circuit includes an actuating device coupled to the centralized controller through an output bus. The actuating device is coupled to a supply of fire fighting agent. The centralized controller is configured to activate the actuating device to release the fire fighting agent to address the fire in response to the detection of the fire. The processor and the monitoring circuit are configured to determine if there is a fault in at least one of the detecting circuit and the releasing circuit.

Claims

1. A vehicle fire suppression system comprising:

a centralized controller;

a detecting circuit coupled to the centralized controller and configured to indicate a detection of a fire;

a releasing circuit including an actuating device coupled to the centralized controller through an output bus, wherein the actuating device is coupled to a supply of fire fighting agent, and wherein the centralized controller is configured to activate the actuating device to release the fire fighting agent to address the fire in response to the detection of the fire; and

a processor in communication with a monitoring circuit, wherein the processor and the monitoring circuit are configured to determine if there is a fault in at least one of the detecting circuit and the releasing circuit.

2. The vehicle fire suppression system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring circuit is configured to detect a status of the detecting circuit so as to discern between:

a fault condition, a sensed detection, and a manual release.

3. The vehicle fire suppression system of claim 2, wherein the monitoring circuit includes a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein the processor evaluates a voltage at each terminal to determine a resistance value across the terminals, the resistance value defining the status of the detecting circuit.

4. The vehicle fire suppression system of claim 3, wherein the monitoring circuit includes a first resistor, a first inductor, a second inductor, and a second resistor coupled to ground, the first inductor and the second inductor being coupled to the detecting circuit to define a path for a sensing signal through the first resistor, the first inductor, the detecting circuit, the second inductor, and the second resistor, respectively, and wherein the first terminal and the second terminal are positioned along the path such that the detecting circuit is positioned between the first terminal and the second terminal.

5. The vehicle fire suppression system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring circuit includes a resistor in series with the detecting circuit, wherein the processor is configured to evaluate a voltage across the resistor, and wherein the processor is configured to determine that there is a fault in the detecting circuit if the voltage across the resistor is zero.

6. The vehicle fire suppression system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring circuit includes a first resistor, a first inductor, a second inductor, and a second resistor coupled to ground, the first inductor and the second inductor being coupled to the detecting circuit to define a path for a sensing signal through the first resistor, the first inductor, the detecting circuit, the second inductor, and the second resistor, respectively, and wherein the processor is configured to evaluate a voltage across the second resistor to determine that there is a fault in the detecting circuit.

7. The vehicle fire suppression system of claim 1, further comprising a power source configured to supply a sensing current through the monitoring circuit and the releasing circuit to define a detection voltage at the releasing circuit, wherein the processor is configured to evaluate the detection voltage to determine if there is a ground fault in the releasing circuit.

8. The vehicle fire suppression system of claim 7, wherein the monitoring circuit includes a first resistor, a first diode, a second diode, and a third diode coupled to ground, wherein the first diode and the second diode are coupled to the releasing circuit to define a path for the sensing current through the first resistor, the first diode, the releasing circuit, the second diode, and the third diode, respectively, and wherein the power source is grounded to a vehicle chassis.

9. The vehicle fire suppression system of claim 1, wherein the centralized controller includes the processor and the monitoring circuit, and wherein the detecting circuit and the releasing circuit are in direct communication with the centralized controller.

10. The vehicle fire suppression system of claim 1, further comprising a detection module coupled to the centralized controller and the detecting circuit and a releasing module coupled to the centralized controller and the releasing circuit, wherein one of the detection module and the releasing module include the processor and the monitoring circuit.

11. A vehicle fire suppression system, comprising:

a centralized controller;

a detecting circuit including a plurality of fire detection devices coupled to the centralized controller through at least one input bus and configured to indicate a detection of a fire;

a releasing circuit including an actuating device coupled to the centralized controller through an output bus, wherein the actuating device is coupled to a supply of fire fighting agent, and wherein, when the actuating device is activated, the actuating device is configured to actuate to release the fire fighting agent to address the fire;

wherein the centralized controller is configured to initiate transfer of an electrical signal to the actuating device through the output bus in response to the detection of the fire, and wherein the actuating device is configured to activate both (a) in response to receiving the electrical signal and (b) in response to receiving a pressurized gas.

12. The vehicle fire suppression system of claim 11, further comprising a manual operating station configured to supply the pressurized gas to activate the actuating device in response to receiving a manual input.

13. The vehicle fire suppression system of claim 12, wherein the releasing circuit includes at least one manual actuating device configured to send an actuating signal to the centralized controller, and wherein the centralized controller is configured to initiate transfer of the electrical signal to the actuating device in response to receiving the actuating signal.

14. The vehicle fire suppression system of claim 11, wherein the at least one input bus includes a plurality of interconnected cables, the interconnected cables including a linear detection wire.

15. The vehicle fire suppression system of claim 14, wherein interconnected cables form a closed circuit with the centralized controller, the at least one input bus including a branch terminator at an end of the linear detection wire.

16. A vehicle fire suppression system comprising:

a centralized controller;

a first detecting circuit coupled to the centralized controller, the first detecting circuit including a first fire detection device having detection parameters configured to protect a first hazard;

a second detecting circuit coupled to the centralized controller, the second detecting circuit including a second fire detection device having detection parameters configured to protect a second hazard; and

at least one releasing circuit including at least one actuating device coupled to the centralized controller, wherein each actuating device is coupled to a supply of fire fighting agent, and wherein the centralized controller is configured to activate the at least one actuating device to release the fire fighting agent to protect the first hazard and the second hazard;

wherein the first hazard and the second hazard have different protection requirements.

17. The vehicle fire suppression system of claim 16, further comprising a first detection module coupling the centralized controller to the first fire detection device and a second detection module coupling the centralized controller to the second fire detection device, wherein the first detection module and the second detection module are programmable to set the detection parameters of the first fire detection device and the second fire detection device, respectively.

18. The vehicle fire suppression system of claim 16, wherein the at least one releasing circuit includes a first actuating device configured to protect the first hazard and a second actuating device configured to protect the second hazard, further comprising a first releasing module coupling the centralized controller to the first actuating device and a second releasing module coupling the centralized controller to the second actuating device, wherein the first releasing module and the second releasing module are programmable to set different suppression parameters.

19. The vehicle fire suppression system of claim 16, wherein the first detecting circuit includes a first input bus coupling the centralized controller to the first fire detection device, and wherein the second detecting circuit includes a second input bus coupling the centralized controller to the second fire detection device.

20. The vehicle fire suppression system of claim 16, further comprising a processor in communication with a monitoring circuit, wherein the processor and the monitoring circuit are configured to determine if there is a fault in at least one of the first detecting circuit, the second detecting circuit, and the releasing circuit.