JP7605588B2 - Fire extinguishing equipment and facilities - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to fire extinguishing devices and fire extinguishing equipment that are installed in ordinary houses, apartment buildings, group homes, etc. to suppress and extinguish fires.

Conventionally, fire extinguishers are installed as fire extinguishing equipment in ordinary homes, apartment buildings, group homes for the elderly, etc. Also known is a sprinkler fire extinguishing system that uses tap water as a water source and releases tap water from a sprinkler head when a fire breaks out to suppress and extinguish the fire (Patent Documents 1 and 2).

In an automated warehouse, a stacker crane is used to transport items to and from a rack shelf (storage shelf) for storage. Known fire extinguishing equipment for an automated warehouse includes equipment that is equipped with a sprinkler on the lifting gauge of a stacker crane, which is transported to the location of a fire on the rack shelf and releases a fire extinguishing agent (Patent Document 3), equipment that is equipped with a fire extinguishing unit equipped with a fire extinguishing agent tank and nozzle, which is transported to the location of a fire on the rack shelf and releases a fire extinguishing agent by a stacker crane (Patent Document 4), and equipment that is equipped with a water discharge nozzle on the lifting platform of a stacker crane, which is connected to a hose from a fire extinguishing agent supply source, which is transported to the location of a fire on the rack shelf and releases a fire extinguishing agent (Patent Document 5).

JP 2012-152261 A JP 2012-179330 A Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-221201 JP 2012-111620 A JP 2011-121771 A

However, if fire extinguishers are installed, it may be difficult to quickly and reliably put out a fire when it occurs, as many people may not know where the extinguishers are located or may be unfamiliar with using them. In addition, while fire extinguishing operations are being carried out, there is a risk that it will not be possible to allocate additional personnel to quickly and safely evacuate vulnerable people, and so if evacuation guidance is given priority, it may not be possible to use the extinguishers effectively and reliably.

In addition, sprinkler fire extinguishing equipment that uses tap water activates when the temperature rise caused by hot air currents meets the activation conditions, and does not activate until the scale of the fire has grown to a certain extent, which means that it is not necessarily possible to start extinguishing the fire early. In addition, sprinkler heads release water for extinguishing purposes locally, from the installation location as the release point, and when the amount of water released per unit time is limited, as with tap water, it is difficult to ensure a sufficient range and amount of water released, and there is a possibility that the fire cannot be sufficiently suppressed and extinguished.

In addition, conventional fire extinguishing systems for automated warehouses use a stacker crane to transport a nozzle to the location of the fire on the rack shelf and release the extinguishing agent, but this process takes time, and during that time the fire can spread, meaning it may be too late to put out the initial fire.

In addition, if fire extinguishing agent is released from a nozzle at the location of a fire on a rack shelf, it will splash around and wet stored items, causing serious water damage.

The present invention aims to provide a fire extinguishing device and fire extinguishing equipment that is easy to install and efficiently suppresses and extinguishes fires with a small amount of discharge.

The present invention also aims to provide a fire extinguishing system for warehouses that can reliably suppress and extinguish fires while minimizing water damage, and is intended for automated warehouses and other facilities where items are brought into and stored on storage shelves and then removed from the shelves for management.

(Fire extinguishing equipment)
The present invention relates to a fire extinguisher,
A seat that can be unfolded from a non-unfolded state ;
A fire extinguishing agent distribution path provided in the sheet;
an extinguishing agent supply port which is an inlet of the extinguishing agent into the extinguishing agent distribution channel;
a plurality of discharge ports for discharging the extinguishing agent supplied from the extinguishing agent supply port to the extinguishing agent distribution path onto at least one side of the sheet;
Equipped with
In the event of a fire in a protected compartment, the sheet is deployed from above to below along the side of the protected compartment, and extinguishing agent is supplied to the extinguishing agent distribution path of the deployed sheet and released into the protected compartment from the release outlet .

(Location of outlet)
The discharge port is provided in the extinguishing agent flow path.

(Deployment of the sheet in the event of a fire)
Under normal circumstances , the sheet is kept in an undeployed state with one end edge fixed at a specified position above the protected compartment, and in the event of a fire, this is released and the other end edge falls under its own weight, deploying from top to bottom .

(Sheet deployment operation by supplying fire extinguishing agent)
The sheet deployment means is provided which receives a supply of extinguishing agent, releases the sheet from its undeployed state, and deploys the sheet .

(Fixing and installing the deployment sheet)
The sheet is installed so as to cover an opening on at least one side of the protective compartment when deployed.

(Seat structure 1)
The sheet has a collapsible and deformable sheet pipe that forms an extinguishing agent flow path and has an extinguishing agent supply port and a discharge port disposed therein ,
The sheet piping is disposed between two cover sheets (a first cover sheet and a second cover sheet).

(Seat structure 2)
The sheet is configured by a first cover sheet and a second cover sheet , and a first waterproof sheet and a second waterproof sheet are disposed between the two cover sheets,
The first cover sheet, the first waterproof sheet, the second waterproof sheet and the second cover sheet are sewn together in a stacked state so that an extinguishing agent flow path is formed between the first waterproof sheet and the second waterproof sheet, with an extinguishing agent supply port and a discharge port disposed therebetween.

(Cover sheet)
The cover sheets (first cover sheet, second cover sheet) are formed of a cloth-like material having fire prevention, fire resistance, heat resistance, heat insulation, flame insulation, smoke insulation or flame retardancy.

(Wetting of the sheet by fire extinguishing agent)
The sheet is provided with a wetting means for causing the extinguishing agent to flow into the sheet to wet the sheet.

(Arrangement of extinguishing agent flow path relative to row of discharge ports)
An extinguishant flow path is arranged so as to supply extinguishant to the discharge port array element having a plurality of discharge ports arranged therein from both end sides of the discharge port array element.

(Location of fire extinguishing equipment)
The fire extinguishing device is installed at least one of an opening (for example, an entrance or a window), a wall surface , and a ceiling surface of the protected compartment.

(Pressure buffering means)
A pressure buffer means is provided at a predetermined position in the extinguishant flow path, which temporarily retains the extinguishant supplied to the extinguishant flow path to keep the increase in extinguishant supply pressure below a predetermined level.

(Second Pressure Buffer Means)
The extinguishant supply port is provided with a second pressure buffer means for limiting the increase in extinguishant supply pressure to a predetermined level or less.

(Fire extinguishing equipment using water piping 1)
A fire extinguishing system using the above-mentioned fire extinguishing device,
a fire extinguishing agent pipe for supplying a fire extinguishing agent to the fire extinguishing device;
a water supply pipe for supplying water to the fire extinguishing agent pipe;
Equipped with
One end of the extinguishing agent piping is connected to the extinguishing agent supply port of the fire extinguishing device ,
The other end of the extinguishing agent pipe is connected to a water pipe via a pipe opening/closing means for opening and closing the pipe flow path by remote control or manually,
In the event of a fire , tap water from the water pipe is supplied to the fire extinguishing agent supply inlet and discharged from the discharge outlet into the protected area.

(Fire extinguishing equipment using fire extinguishers 2)
A fire extinguishing system using the above-mentioned fire extinguishing device,
a fire extinguishing agent pipe for supplying a fire extinguishing agent to the fire extinguishing device;
a fire extinguishing agent supply device (e.g., a fire extinguisher) for supplying a fire extinguishing agent to the fire extinguishing agent piping;
Equipped with
One end of the extinguishing agent piping is connected to the extinguishing agent supply port of the fire extinguishing device ,
The other end of the extinguishing agent piping is connected to an extinguishing agent supply device,
In the event of a fire , extinguishing agent is supplied from the extinguishing agent supply device to the extinguishing agent supply port and discharged into the protected compartment from the discharge port of the extinguishing device.

(Fire extinguishing equipment 3 using both fire extinguishers and water piping)
A fire extinguishing system using the above-mentioned fire extinguishing device,
a fire extinguishing agent pipe for supplying a fire extinguishing agent to the fire extinguishing device;
a fire extinguishing agent supply device (e.g., a fire extinguisher) for supplying a fire extinguishing agent to the fire extinguishing agent piping;
a water supply pipe for supplying water to the fire extinguishing agent pipe;
Equipped with
One end of the extinguishing agent piping is connected to the extinguishing agent supply port of the fire extinguishing device ,
The other end of the extinguishing agent pipe is connected to a water pipe via a pipe opening/closing means for opening and closing the pipe flow path by remote control or manually,
a fire extinguishing agent supplying device is connected to a pipe branched off from between one end of the fire extinguishing agent pipe and the pipe opening/ closing means via a backflow prevention means (e.g., a check valve) for preventing backflow of tap water from the fire extinguishing agent pipe side to the fire extinguishing agent supplying device side;
In the event of a fire , an extinguishing agent from the extinguishing agent supply device or tap water from the water pipe is supplied to the extinguishing agent supply port and discharged into the protected area from the discharge port of the extinguishing device.

In the fire extinguishing equipment 3, when a fire occurs, the piping opening/closing means is closed and the extinguishing agent from the extinguishing agent supply device is released from the outlet of the sheet, and after the extinguishing agent has been released from the extinguishing agent supply device, the piping opening/closing means can be manually opened to switch to releasing tap water.

(Configuration of piping opening/closing means)
In the fire extinguishing system 1 or 3, the piping opening and closing means is
a remote opening/closing valve that is opened by remote control based on a control signal from a fire detection device in response to a fire occurring in the protected area;
a manual on-off valve that is connected in parallel to the remote on-off valve and is opened by manual operation;
Equipped with.

(Means for connecting fire extinguishers)
The fire extinguishing system 2 or 3 is provided with a connecting means for detachably connecting the fire extinguishing agent supply device to the fire extinguishing agent piping.

(Second pressure buffer means of the extinguishing agent supply system)
In the fire extinguishing system 2 or 3, at least one of the extinguishing agent piping or the connecting means is provided with a second pressure buffer means for limiting the increase in extinguishing agent supply pressure to a predetermined level or less.

(Warehouse fire extinguishing equipment)
The present invention relates to a fire extinguishing system for a warehouse using the above-mentioned fire extinguishing device,
The warehouse is
A storage shelf having a plurality of storage sections arranged therein;
A conveying means for conveying the article into and out of the storage section;
Equipped with
The fire extinguisher is characterized in that it is installed to separate a predetermined target compartment including the location of a fire in the storage shelf and release a fire extinguishing agent into the target compartment.

(Target area)
The storage shelf has multiple storage compartments,
The predetermined target section of the storage shelf is a storage section (rack) or a row of storage sections (row of racks),
The fire extinguishing apparatus is provided corresponding to a storage section or a storage section row, and when a fire occurs in the storage section or the storage section row, the fire extinguishing apparatus separates the storage section or the storage section row and releases a fire extinguishing agent.

(Placement of fire extinguishing equipment)
The storage section or storage section row has a closed structural surface and an open opening surface,
The fire extinguishing equipment is provided in correspondence with the open surface of the storage unit or the row of storage units.

(Fire detection and sheet deployment)
Each target section is provided with a fire detection means for detecting a fire,
When a fire is detected by the fire detection means, a fire extinguishing agent is supplied to the sheet deployment means of the fire extinguisher corresponding to the target compartment where the fire was detected, and the sheet is released from the non-deployed state and deployed.

(Basic Effects of Fire Extinguishing Equipment)
In the fire extinguisher of the present invention, a number of discharge ports are arranged in various locations on, for example, one side of a sheet placed in a room or the like to serve as a protected compartment, facing the protected compartment, and when a fire occurs, extinguishing agent is released from the multiple discharge ports, thereby achieving surface release. This ensures a wider release range than the point release of conventional sprinkler beds, which release the agent at the installation location, and by reducing the number of areas that are obstructed by water spraying, makes it possible to suppress and extinguish a fire with a small amount of extinguishing agent released.

Here, "area release" refers to multiple release ports (release points) being placed at various locations on the sheet surface, thereby releasing the extinguishing agent over an area from multiple locations, in other words, releasing the extinguishing agent from release ports placed at various locations on the sheet surface, thereby releasing the extinguishing agent over a wide area of the sheet surface. Also, "point release" refers to a release port (release point) being located in one location (installation location), thereby releasing the extinguishing agent from one point. Also, "line release" refers to the linear release of extinguishing agent from multiple release ports arranged in a straight line.

The sheet is sized to correspond to the size of openings in the protected area, such as door openings, walls, and ceilings. For example, by reducing the amount of extinguishing agent discharged from each outlet, it is possible to discharge a smaller amount of extinguishing agent overall than the amount of water sprayed from a sprinkler head, and with relatively little pressure, to every corner of the target space. This makes it possible to efficiently suppress and extinguish fires within a specified area in a short period of time, has little impact on the outside, and allows the disaster prevention device to be lightweight and simple.

In addition, if the sheet is deployed from above downwards (deployed along the side of the protected area) and used as a discharge port that mainly discharges extinguishing agent in a direction perpendicular to the sheet surface, the extinguishing agent will be discharged sideways (from the side of the protected area, for example a room, into the room), allowing the extinguishing agent to reach locations that are hidden from above, such as under tables or desks installed in the room, etc., and ensuring that the fire is contained and extinguished.

Here, "fire suppression and extinguishing" refers to a combination of the concept of suppressing a fire and another concept of extinguishing a fire. For example, fire suppression is the concept of suppressing the spread of a fire, the burning speed of a fire, or the scale of a fire, while fire extinguishing is the concept of putting out the burning. Of course, it also includes cases where only one of these is done.

(Effect of sheet deployment in the event of a fire)
In addition, since the sheet equipped with a fire extinguishing agent flow path and a discharge outlet is flexible, under normal circumstances, the sheet is placed in a non-deployed state, for example in a rolled-up state, at the upper part of the wall of a room at a specified position on the boundary of the protected area, thereby requiring less installation space.

In addition, when a fire breaks out, the sheet is released from its fixed end, causing the other end of the sheet to fall downward and unfold from top to bottom, allowing the extinguishing agent to be released from outlets located in various places on the unfolded sheet, making it possible to suppress and extinguish the fire.

(Effect of sheet deployment action due to supply of extinguishing agent)
In addition, the sheet can be deployed by releasing the undeployed state using the pressure of the extinguishing agent supplied in the event of a fire as a driving source. Also, since no electrical release operation is required, the sheet can be deployed reliably and the extinguishing agent can be released even in the event of a power outage.

(Effect of fixed installation of deployment sheet)
In addition, the sheet may be installed in an expanded (spread out) state from the beginning on the wall of a room to be protected, and in the event of a fire, the extinguishing agent can be released over a wide area from multiple release ports located in various parts of the sheet, making it possible to extinguish the fire and suppress it.

(Effect of Seat Structure 1)
In addition, by configuring the sheet so that a collapsible and deformable sheet piping with an extinguishing agent supply port and discharge port is placed between two cover sheets (a first cover sheet and a second cover sheet), a flexible sheet with an extinguishing agent flow path and a discharge port can be manufactured simply, easily and at low cost.

(Effect of Seat Structure 2)
Furthermore, since the first cover sheet, the first waterproof sheet, the second waterproof sheet and the second cover sheet can be sewn together in a stacked state to form an extinguishing agent flow path with an extinguishing agent supply port and a release port, the formation of the extinguishing agent flow path and the integration of the stacked sheets are achieved simultaneously by sewing, making it possible to more simply and easily create a flexible sheet with an extinguishing agent flow path and a release port, and since mass production is also easy, manufacturing costs can be further reduced.

In addition, the extinguishing agent flow path can be simply and easily formed into any desired path pattern, for example, by sewing with a sewing machine or gluing with an adhesive.

(Cover sheet effect)
In addition, the cover sheets (first cover sheet, second cover sheet) have fire prevention, fire resistance, heat resistance, heat insulation, flame insulation or smoke insulation properties, so that they can continue to release fire extinguishing agent without being burned even when exposed to heat or flames from a fire, and when they are installed and deployed at an opening such as an entrance or exit that is the boundary of a protected area, they can prevent the spread of fire and ensure an escape route by providing flame, heat and smoke insulation to the outside of the protected area. In addition, the flexibility of the cloth-like body makes it possible to evacuate from inside the protected area to the outside even after the sheet is deployed.

(Effect of wetting the sheet with fire extinguishing agent)
In addition, when creating a fire extinguishing agent flow path by sewing or adhesive, for example, the fire extinguishing agent can be caused to flow outside the fire extinguishing agent flow path as a coolant to wet the sheet, thereby improving the flame, smoke and heat insulation properties of the sheet.

(Effect of arrangement of extinguishing agent flow path relative to row of discharge ports)
In addition, by supplying extinguishing agent from both ends of a discharge port row element in which multiple discharge ports are arranged along, for example, the horizontal direction of the sheet, the discharge pressure of the multiple discharge ports can be made approximately uniform, making it possible to align the discharge pattern (angular distribution) and amount of extinguishing agent.

(Effect of the location of fire extinguishing equipment)
In addition, the fire extinguishing equipment can be simply and easily installed and used in any position as needed, such as a room entrance, wall, window, or ceiling surface, which is the boundary of the protected area, with the sheet in an undeployed or deployed state, for example by positioning the sheet surface along the boundary surface of the boundary when the sheet is in an undeployed state, making it possible to install an optimal fire extinguishing equipment that is suited to the usage of the room.

(Effect of pressure buffering means)
In addition, when the extinguisher is opened to supply the extinguishant to the extinguishant flow path, the accumulated pressure of the extinguisher is high, for example, 0.7 MPa to 0.98 MPa, and if high-pressure extinguishant is added to the extinguisher flow path of the fire extinguisher when the extinguisher is opened, there is a possibility of damage, etc. Therefore, by providing a buffer area (buffer area) as a pressure buffer means on the inlet side of the extinguishant flow path, the increase (or rate of increase) of the extinguishant supply pressure from the fire extinguisher is kept below a predetermined level to prevent damage to the extinguishant flow path and the discharge port. In addition, by providing a second pressure buffer means such as a tank or an orifice at the extinguishant supply port, the increase (or rate of increase) of the extinguishant supply pressure from the fire extinguisher is similarly kept below a predetermined level to prevent damage to the extinguishant flow path and the discharge port.

(Effects of Fire Extinguishing Equipment 1 using Water Pipes)
In addition, by connecting a water pipe to the extinguishing agent pipe and discharging tap water as an extinguishing agent from the outlet of the fire extinguishing device in the event of a fire, a dedicated pump facility is not required, making installation easier and reducing costs.

(Effects of fire extinguishing equipment 2 using fire extinguishers)
In addition, by connecting a fire extinguishing agent supply device, such as a fire extinguisher nozzle, to the fire extinguishing agent supply port via the fire extinguishing agent piping, and opening the fire extinguisher when a fire occurs to release a specified fire extinguishing agent, such as a powder fire extinguishing agent or a reinforced liquid fire extinguishing agent, from the fire extinguishing device's outlet into the protected compartment, it is possible to effectively suppress and extinguish the fire.

In addition, even if a person is unfamiliar with the use of a fire extinguisher, which is a fire extinguishing agent supplying device, by simply pulling out the safety pin of a fire extinguisher placed, for example, outside a room that serves as a protected area, and pulling the lever to open the extinguisher, high-pressure fire extinguishing agent, such as a powder fire extinguishing agent, can be supplied to the fire extinguishing device installed in the room, and the powder fire extinguishing agent can be released over a wide area from the discharge port of the fire extinguisher at the same time as the sheet is deployed, making it possible to suppress and extinguish a fire effectively in a short time.

(Effects of fire extinguishing equipment 3 that uses both fire extinguishers and water piping)
In addition to the effects of the fire extinguishing system 1 using water piping and the fire extinguishing system 2 using a fire extinguisher described above, when a fire breaks out, an extinguishing agent supplying device, for example a fire extinguisher, is opened to release an extinguishing agent, for example a powder fire extinguishing agent or a reinforced liquid fire extinguishing agent, from the discharge port of the fire extinguisher into the protected compartment, thereby carrying out initial extinguishing of the fire; the duration of the discharge of the extinguishant by the fire extinguisher is short, for example a dozen seconds, but if the fire is not sufficiently suppressed and extinguished, tap water is discharged from the discharge port into the protected compartment by opening the piping opening/closing means, thereby continuing to suppress and extinguish the fire; and since there is no time constraint on the discharge of tap water, it is possible to reliably extinguish a fire that has been suppressed by the discharge of the extinguishant from the fire extinguisher.

(Effects of the configuration of the pipe opening and closing means)
In addition, in fire extinguishing equipment 1 or 3, the remote on-off valve can be opened by remote control based on a control signal from the fire detection equipment when a fire occurs in the protected area, making it possible to release extinguishing agent from the outlet of the fire extinguishing equipment in conjunction with fire detection, and also making it possible to release extinguishing agent from the fire extinguishing equipment by manually opening the manual on-off valve.

(Effect of connecting means of fire extinguisher)
In addition, since the fire extinguisher is detachably connected to the extinguishant piping by the connecting means, when the fire extinguisher is finished being used, it can be replaced with an unused fire extinguisher as necessary, so that the discharge of the fire extinguishant can be continued and reliable suppression and extinguishing can be achieved. Furthermore, if multiple connecting means with a check valve structure are provided and a fire extinguisher is connected to each of them, the work of detaching and replacing the fire extinguisher can be eliminated, and the discharge of the fire extinguishant can be continued quickly, enabling reliable suppression and extinguishing.

In addition, if a fire occurs outside the protected area in a location where no fire extinguishing equipment is installed, the extinguisher can be removed by connecting the extinguishing agent piping and carried to the location in question for use, allowing the extinguisher normally installed to be used in combination with the extinguisher for the fire extinguishing equipment, making it easier to maintain the extinguisher and reducing operating costs.

(Effect of the second pressure buffer means of the extinguishing agent supply system)
In addition, in the fire extinguishing equipment 2 or 3, a second pressure buffer means is provided in the connecting means of the extinguishing agent supply system or in the extinguishing agent piping, so that the increase (or rate of increase) of the extinguishing agent supply pressure from the fire extinguisher is kept below a predetermined value, thereby preventing damage to the extinguishing agent distribution path or discharge port.

(Effectiveness of warehouse fire extinguishing equipment)
According to the warehouse fire extinguishing system of the present invention, for example, if an item stored in any storage section of a storage shelf ignites and causes a fire, a fire extinguishing sheet installed on the storage shelf is deployed to partition and block the opening surface corresponding to the boundary of a specified target section including the location of the fire on the storage shelf, and extinguishing agent is released into the target section from multiple release ports installed in various places on the deployed sheet, which allows for more efficient spraying over a wider area within the target section than the point release of a conventional sprinkler bed, which releases the agent at the installation location, and reduces water damage outside the target section (loss and damage caused by the extinguishing agent being sprayed), making it possible, overall, to suppress and extinguish the fire with less extinguishing agent released than before.

In addition, by unfolding the fire extinguishing sheet installed on the storage shelf and partitioning off the opening of a specified target section including the location of the fire on the storage shelf, it is possible to prevent the spread of fire and smoke by blocking flames, smoke, and heat from within the target section to the surrounding area, and the fire suppression and extinguishing performance can be further improved by the synergistic effect of releasing fire extinguishing agent into the target section from openings in various places on the sheet. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the extinguishing agent released into the partition section from dispersing and being released into the surrounding area, thereby reducing water damage to items stored nearby, for example.

In addition, because the fire extinguishing equipment is installed on the storage shelves, there is no need to transport a fire extinguishing nozzle to the location of the fire using a transport means such as a stacker crane, as is the case with conventional warehouse fire extinguishing equipment, and the extinguishing agent can be released in a short time after the fire breaks out to suppress and extinguish the fire.

(Effects of the target area)
In addition, the fire extinguishing equipment is provided to correspond to the opening surfaces, excluding the structural surfaces, of the target storage section (rack) or storage section row (rack row) consisting of multiple storage sections. When a fire breaks out in a storage section or storage section row, the opening surfaces of the storage section or storage section row are partitioned off, so that, together with the structural surfaces, the storage section or storage section row is blocked off almost without any gaps in all directions as seen from the fire source. In this state, fire extinguishing agent can be released inside, making it possible to efficiently suppress and extinguish the fire.

(Fire detection and sheet deployment effects)
In addition, the sheet deployment means provided on the fire extinguisher normally keeps the sheet in an undeployed state, so as not to hinder the transport means from loading or unloading items into or from the storage section of the storage shelf. Meanwhile, in the event of a fire, the undeployed state of the sheet is released and deployed by supplying extinguishing agent to the fire extinguisher in the target compartment where a fire has been detected by the fire detection means, and the extinguishing agent is released while the target compartment where the fire is occurring is partitioned off and sealed, making it possible to quickly and reliably suppress and extinguish the fire.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing in perspective the installation of a fire extinguishing device in a protected area. 1A to 1C are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of a fire extinguisher that deploys a sheet to release a fire extinguishing agent when a fire occurs. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the release of extinguishing agent from a side of the fire extinguisher. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a fire extinguishing system using a fire extinguishing device in a group home. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the sheet of the fire extinguisher taken out. 1A to 1C are explanatory diagrams showing an embodiment of a manufacturing procedure for a seat. 7A and 7B are explanatory diagrams showing sheet piping that forms an extinguishing agent flow path in a sheet, in which FIG. 7A shows a crushed sheet piping under normal conditions, and FIG. 7B shows an expanded sheet piping when extinguishing agent is flowing. 8A and 8B are explanatory diagrams showing the structure of the sheet discharge outlet of FIG. 6, in which FIG. 8A shows the installation state in which the sheet piping and the first cover sheet are sandwiched, FIG. 8B shows an exploded assembly view, and FIG. 8C shows a cross-sectional exploded assembly view. 11A to 11C are explanatory diagrams showing another embodiment of the manufacturing procedure of the seat. 10A shows the structure of the sheet discharge outlet of FIG. 9, FIG. 10B shows an exploded view of the assembly, and FIG. 10C shows a cross-sectional exploded view of the assembly. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a sheet produced by the procedure of FIG. 9 . 12A and 12B are explanatory diagrams showing the extinguishing agent flow path formed by the stitching in FIG. 11 , in which FIG. 12A shows the extinguishing agent flow path in a collapsed state under normal conditions, and FIG. 12B shows the extinguishing agent flow path in an expanded state when the extinguishing agent is flowing. 13A and 13B are explanatory diagrams showing an embodiment of a fire extinguisher in which a sheet is kept in a non-deployed state under normal circumstances and deployed and released when a fire occurs, in which FIG. 13A shows the front view under normal circumstances, FIG. 13B shows the side view under normal circumstances, FIG. 13C shows the front view with the sheet deployed when a fire occurs, and FIG. 13D shows the side view with the sheet deployed when a fire occurs. 14A and 14B are explanatory diagrams showing a sheet retention releasing portion that releases the retention of a sheet and unfolds it, in which FIG. 14A shows the appearance of one side of the main body, and FIG. 14B shows a cross section of one side of the main body. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a fire extinguishing device that releases extinguishing agent from a fire extinguisher. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a fire extinguisher connecting portion. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a sheet used for discharging a fire extinguisher. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a fire extinguisher that combines a fire extinguisher and a water supply system. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a fire extinguisher in which a sheet is deployed and fixed in a protective compartment. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a fire extinguishing apparatus in which a line sheet is fixedly installed in a protective compartment. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a fire extinguishing system for an automated warehouse in which a fire extinguishing device is provided for each row of racks. There are explanatory diagrams showing the structure of the rack part by removing the upper side of the rack shelf, with FIG. 22(A) showing a plan view with the top plate removed and FIG. 22(B) showing a front view. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of extinguishing agent piping and remote opening/closing valves relative to a fire extinguishing device. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a rack row in which a fire has occurred is partitioned off by deploying sheets. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a cross section of a fire extinguishing agent being released from a deployed sheet into a row of racks where a fire has occurred. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing another embodiment of a fire extinguishing system for an automated warehouse in which a fire extinguishing device is provided for each rack. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a cross section of a fire extinguishing agent being released from a deployed sheet into a rack where a fire has occurred.

[Embodiments of fire extinguishing apparatus and fire extinguishing equipment]
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a fire extinguisher and a fire extinguishing system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment. The contents will be described separately as follows.
a. Basic concept of the embodiment b. Specific contents of the embodiment b1. Configuration of fire extinguishing device and fire extinguishing equipment b2. Fire extinguishing equipment for group homes c. Fire extinguishing device sheet c1. Configuration of the sheet c2. Manufacturing method 1 of the sheet
c3. Seat manufacturing method 2
d. Sheet deployment configuration d1. Sheet deployment structure d2. Configuration of sheet deployment section e. Fire extinguishing device and fire extinguishing system using fire extinguisher f. Fire extinguishing system combining fire extinguisher and water piping g. Fire extinguishing system with fixedly installed sheet h. Basic concept of warehouse fire extinguishing system i. Specific details of warehouse fire extinguishing system i1. Overview of automated warehouse i2. Fire extinguishing system for which rack rows are the target compartment i3. Warehouse fire extinguishing system for which racks are the target compartment j. Modified examples of the present invention

[a. Basic Concept of the Embodiment]
First, the basic concept of the embodiment will be described. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment.

The embodiment generally relates to a fire extinguishing device and a fire extinguishing facility. A "fire extinguishing device" is a device that releases or scatters a fire extinguishing agent to suppress and extinguish a fire. Here, a "protected area" is an area in which a fire extinguishing device is installed, and includes, for example, an external area of a building and an internal area within a building, and an internal area within a building is a concept that includes, for example, a room, a corridor, a staircase, etc. of a building.

The fire extinguisher according to the embodiment includes a sheet, an extinguishing agent flow path, an extinguishing agent supply port, and a discharge port. The "sheet" is, for example, a flexible, thin, wide object that can be used to cover or encase something, and is a concept that includes, for example, a cloth-like body that can be held in a non-deployed state and released from the non-deployed state to be in a deployed state.

The "extinguishing agent flow path" is a path provided in the sheet through which the extinguishing agent flows, and is a concept that includes, for example, sheet piping arranged between cloth bodies. Note that "sheet piping" refers to, for example, flexible piping that can be crushed and deformed freely and expands when extinguishing agent flows through it.

The term "extinguishing agent supply port" refers to an inlet for supplying extinguishing agent to an extinguishing agent distribution path provided in the sheet, and is a concept that includes, for example, a connection port for an extinguishing agent pipe.

The "discharge port" is an outlet for the extinguishing agent supplied from the extinguishing agent supply port to the extinguishing agent flow path, and discharges the extinguishing agent from various locations on at least one side of the sheet. For example, it is an opening that discharges the extinguishing agent from multiple discharge ports arranged in various locations on one side of the sheet in the event of a fire.

The fire extinguisher also includes a sheet deployment means. Here, the "sheet deployment means" refers to a means for normally holding a sheet in an undeployed state at a predetermined position on the boundary of the protected area, and releasing and deploying the sheet when a fire occurs. For example, normally, the sheet is held in a rolled-up, undeployed state at an opening on the boundary of the protected area, for example, on the upper ceiling side of an entrance to a room, and when a fire occurs, the sheet is released and deployed, with one end edge (upper end edge) fixed and the other end edge (lower end edge) dropping under its own weight and deploying downward to close the opening.

In addition, "fire extinguishing equipment" refers to equipment that suppresses and extinguishes fires using fire extinguishing equipment, and is a concept that includes, for example, equipment that activates fire extinguishing equipment through manual firefighting activities, and equipment that detects a fire using fire detection equipment with a sensor connected to a receiver and automatically activates fire extinguishing equipment.

A fire extinguishing system using a fire extinguishing appliance includes an extinguishing agent piping and an extinguishing agent supply source. Here, "extinguishing agent piping" refers to piping that supplies extinguishing agent to the fire extinguishing appliance, and is a concept that includes, for example, piping and hoses that supply extinguishing water, liquid extinguishing agent, powder extinguishing agent, etc. to the fire extinguishing appliance. Also, "extinguishing agent supply source" refers to a source that supplies extinguishing agent to the extinguishing agent piping, and is a concept that includes, for example, water supply piping that supplies tap water, pressurized water supply devices equipped with pumps that supply extinguishing water, water storage tanks, elevated water tanks, and extinguisher and other extinguishing agent supply appliances.

In the following explanation, we will first explain the specific details of an embodiment of a fire extinguishing device and fire extinguishing system when the "protected area" is a "room in a building" and the "extinguishing agent supply source" is a "water pipe" and/or a "fire extinguisher." Next, we will explain the basic concept and specific details of an embodiment of a fire extinguishing system for a warehouse that uses a fire extinguishing device.

[b. Specific Contents of the Embodiment]
Specific details of the embodiment of the fire extinguishing device and the fire extinguishing system will be described below.

(b1. Configuration of fire extinguishing equipment and fire extinguishing facilities)
As shown in Fig. 1, the fire extinguisher 12 of this embodiment is installed at the boundary of a room that becomes a protected area 10, for example, in a group home or the like, for example, above an entrance 11. Normally, the fire extinguisher 12 holds a sheet 28 made of a flexible cloth-like material in a non-deployed state, for example, rolled up, in a main body 62, and the sheet 28 is provided with a fire extinguishing agent flow path and a plurality of discharge ports. Here, for the protected area 10 in Fig. 1, as shown in the figure, the vertical direction with the ceiling surface on which the fire detector 14 is installed facing upward is called the vertical direction or height direction, the direction that connects the left and right wall surfaces as viewed from the entrance 11 (opening) that is the boundary of the room and perpendicular to the vertical direction is called the left-right direction or horizontal direction, and the direction from the entrance 11 toward the inside of the room is called the depth direction.

In the protected area 10, a fire detector 14 is connected to a receiver 16 as a fire detection system. A fire extinguishing agent pipe 20 is connected to the fire extinguishing equipment 12 via a gate valve 25 from the water supply pipe 18 of the water supply system. A remote on-off valve 24 and a manual on-off valve 26 are connected in parallel to the fire extinguishing agent pipe 20 as a pipe opening and closing means for opening and closing the pipe flow path by remote control or manually. Here, the fire extinguishing equipment of this embodiment is composed of the fire extinguishing equipment 12, the fire extinguishing agent pipe 20, the remote on-off valve 24, the manual on-off valve 26, and the water supply pipe 18.

The remote on-off valve 24 is an electromagnetic valve or an electric valve, and when the receiver 16 receives a fire signal from the fire detector 14 installed in the protected area 10, it outputs a control signal (open control signal) to the remote on-off valve 24 to open it and supply tap water as a fire extinguishing agent to the fire extinguishing device 12.

When the remote opening/closing valve 24 is opened to supply tap water to the fire extinguishing device 12, the sheet deployment section described below operates to release the sheet 28, and as shown in FIG. 2, one end edge of the sheet 28 is deployed from above to below (vertically) to block the entrance/exit 11 of the protected area 10. At the same time, tap water is supplied to the extinguishing agent flow path of the sheet 28, and the tap water is discharged from multiple discharge ports 30 into the protected area 10 to suppress and extinguish the fire.

Here, if the up-down direction (height direction) of the deployed sheet 28 is defined as the vertical direction, and the direction perpendicular to the up-down direction is defined as the horizontal direction, tap water is discharged as a fire extinguishing agent from a row of discharge ports, for example, 3 vertical x 3 horizontal, arranged in a depth direction into the protected area 10, to suppress and extinguish the fire. At this time, the tap water is sprayed from the side into the protected area 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, the discharge distance from the discharge ports 30 arranged in, for example, three tiers in the vertical direction (up-down direction) of the sheet 28 is such that the higher the position of the discharge port 30, the farther the discharge reaches, covering almost the entire area on the floor side of the protected area 10. Also, if furniture such as a table 31 is placed inside the protected area 10, the water discharged from the discharge ports 30 of the deployed sheet 28 will reach the underside of the table 31. Note that if it is desired to discharge water onto the ceiling surface, part of the topmost discharge port 30 may be oriented upwards to wet the ceiling surface and prevent the spread of the fire.

The extinguishing agent (tap water) is discharged from the multiple discharge ports 30 located in various places on the deployed sheet 28 in an overall area-wide manner, which, unlike conventional point discharges from a single point when a sprinkler head is installed on a ceiling surface, allows the same amount of discharge to cover a wide discharge area (spraying area), and allows the extinguishing agent to reach positions hidden from above, such as under tables 31 and desks, making it possible to suppress and extinguish a fire with a smaller amount of extinguishing agent discharged.

(b2. Fire extinguishing equipment in group homes)
As shown in Fig. 4, in the fire extinguishing system of a group home using the fire extinguisher 12 of this embodiment, the fire extinguisher 12 is installed, for example, above the entrance of each room that will be the protected area 10 (10-1, 10-2, ... 10-n), one end of the fire extinguishing agent piping 20 is connected to the fire extinguishing agent supply port of the fire extinguisher 12, and the other end of the fire extinguishing agent piping 20 is connected to the water supply piping 18 of the water supply facility via a remote opening/closing valve 24 and a manual opening/closing valve 26 connected in parallel. Note that the gate valve 25 shown in Fig. 1 is omitted.

The fire detectors 14 installed in each of the protected areas 10 (10-1, 10-2, ... 10-n) are connected to a receiver 16, which monitors for fires in each protected area (room).

When a fire breaks out in any of the protected compartments 10 (10-1, 10-2, ... 10-n), the corresponding fire detector 14 is activated and sends a fire signal to the receiver 16. Based on the fire signal, the receiver 16 outputs a control signal (open control signal) to the remote opening and closing valve 24 corresponding to the protected compartment where the fire has occurred, opening it, and supplies extinguishing agent (tap water) to the fire extinguishing device 12 installed in the protected compartment where the fire has occurred. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the sheet 28 of the fire extinguishing device 12 is deployed, and the extinguishing agent (tap water) is released from multiple release ports 30 located in various places on the deployed sheet 28 to suppress and extinguish the fire.

[c. Fire extinguishing equipment sheet]
(c1. Sheet Configuration)
The sheet 28 (28a) of this embodiment shown in Figure 5 is a rectangular sheet whose length and width correspond to the size of the installation location of the protected area, for example an entrance/exit, when deployed, and since it is made of a cloth-like material, it is flexible and can be easily deployed by rolling it up into a roll.

An extinguishing agent supply port 32, which serves as the inlet for the extinguishing agent, is located on one end side (top end side) of the sheet 28, an extinguishing agent flow path 34 shown by dotted lines is provided inside, and multiple discharge ports 30 are arranged at various points on the extinguishing agent flow path 34. In this embodiment, the discharge ports 30 are arranged in nine locations in three rows and three columns.

The extinguishing agent flow path 34 is formed in a four-stage ladder shape in the vertical direction (the direction in which the extinguishing agent flows down), with an extinguishing agent supply port 32 provided in the center of the topmost first stage, and discharge ports 30 arranged in, for example, three locations each on the second to fourth stages.

The extinguishing agent flow path 34 is formed to supply extinguishing agent from both ends of each outlet row element to the horizontal row of outlets 30 arranged in the second to fourth rows (each row of outlets arranged horizontally in each row is considered to be one outlet row element, and the outlet row elements are arranged in three rows from the second to fourth rows to form the entire outlet row). This makes it possible to make the discharge pressure of the extinguishing agent supplied to the multiple outlets 30 in the same row approximately uniform, and to align the discharge pattern (angle distribution) and discharge amount within the same row.

The shape of the extinguishing agent flow path 34 that supplies extinguishing agent to the multiple discharge ports 30 is not limited to the ladder shape shown in the figure, but may include other suitable shapes such as a tree shape or a tournament shape. In addition, if the discharge pressure of the multiple discharge ports 30 is to be approximately uniform, the thickness (cross-sectional area) of the extinguishing agent flow path 34 may be made thicker on the extinguishing agent supply port 32 side and thinner as it moves away from the extinguishing agent supply port 32. In addition, the number and arrangement of the discharge ports 30 provided corresponding to the extinguishing agent flow path 34 are arbitrary.

(c2. Sheet manufacturing method 1)
The sheet 28 (28a) of this embodiment shown in FIG. 5 is manufactured, for example, by the method shown in FIG. 6. First, a first cover sheet 36 and a second cover sheet 38 of a predetermined size are prepared. The first cover sheet 36 and the second cover sheet 38 are, for example, fabric-like bodies having fireproofing, fire resistance, heat resistance, or flame retardancy, and can withstand high heat of, for example, 1200°C, and may be called fireproof sheets, fireproof curtains, fireproof screens, etc., but are not limited thereto. In addition, the first cover sheet 36 and the second cover sheet 38 each have heat-shielding, flame-shielding, or smoke-shielding properties. It is not prohibited to make only the cover sheet facing the inside of the protected area fireproofing, fire resistance, heat resistance, flame retardancy, heat-shielding, or flame-shielding properties.

Next, a sheet pipe 40 is prepared, which is, for example, a four-stage ladder-shaped pipe. The sheet pipe 40 is made of a cloth material such as polyester used for upholstery of umbrellas, which is formed into a pipe shape and connected in a ladder shape (the connection part is allowed to flow). As shown in FIG. 7(A), it can be crushed and deformed freely, and becomes flat when crushed. When extinguishing agent 41 is supplied, it expands as shown in FIG. 7(B), forming an extinguishing agent flow path 34.

As shown in FIG. 6, the sheet pipe 40 is provided with an extinguishing agent supply port 32 and a discharge port 30, and a through hole 56 is opened in the first cover sheet 36 corresponding to the discharge port 30.

The discharge port 30 has a structure as shown in FIG. 8, for example. The discharge port 30 is composed of a base 42 and a clamping ring 44. A screw shaft 46 stands on the base 42, and a discharge hole 50 penetrates the screw shaft 46. The clamping ring 44 has a screw hole 48 and is fixed by screwing it onto the screw shaft 46.

As shown in FIG. 8(A), the base 42 is placed inside the sheet pipe 40 and fixed by adhesive at the adhesive part 43 as shown in FIG. 8(C), for example, and the screw shaft 46 is taken out to the outside. The screw shaft 46 is taken out from the opening provided in the sheet pipe 40 through the through hole 56 (see FIG. 6) of the first cover sheet 36, and the clamping ring 44 is screwed into it, so that the sheet pipe 40 is clamped and fixed in place on the back surface of the first cover sheet 36.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, a sheet pipe 40 with a discharge port 30 and an extinguishing agent supply port 32 is placed on the back side of the first cover sheet 36, and a second cover sheet 38 is placed on the opposite side of the first cover sheet 36 with the sheet pipe 40 in between. The first cover sheet 36 and the second cover sheet 38 are glued or sewn together with waterproof thread with the sheet pipe 40 in between, completing the sheet 28 (28a) shown in FIG. 5.

Here, the discharge hole 50 provided in the base 42 of the discharge port 30 determines the opening diameter of the discharge port 30, and since the water pressure of the tap water supplied as the extinguishing agent is about 0.02 MPa, the hole diameter is set to, for example, about 3 to 4 millimeters.

A hole diameter of about 3 to 4 millimeters corresponds to the diameter of one of the multiple water outlet holes formed in a typical shower head that uses tap water. Therefore, a tap water outlet pattern equivalent to one of the holes in a shower head is obtained from the outlet 30, and by releasing this release pattern from the multiple outlets 30 arranged in various places on the sheet 28, an overall surface release is achieved.

The discharge hole 50 also functions as a nozzle that determines the discharge pattern of the extinguishing agent. For example, the straight discharge hole 50 shown in the figure results in a relatively narrow-angle discharge pattern, and if the outlet opening of the discharge hole 50 is widened into a cone shape, a wide-angle discharge pattern that also spreads in a cone shape will result, and an appropriate opening shape is used depending on the required discharge pattern. Discharge ports 30 with different opening shapes may be mixed as appropriate.

In this embodiment, the central axis of the discharge hole 50 (the dashed line in the figure) is perpendicular to the sheet surface, but this is not limited to this. For example, the directionality of the extinguishing agent discharge can be adjusted by adjusting the inclination angle of the central axis relative to the sheet surface.

In addition to the discharge port 30, a coolant discharge port may be provided in the sheet pipe 40 constituting the extinguishing agent flow path as a wetting means (cooling means) for wetting and cooling the first cover sheet 36 and the second cover sheet 38, or a coolant sheet pipe that constitutes the coolant flow path may be provided separately from the sheet pipe 40 or branched off from the sheet pipe 40, and a coolant discharge port may be provided on this. This improves the fire resistance, fire resistance, and heat resistance of the first cover sheet 36 and the second cover sheet 38, and allows the use of lower grade sheets, thereby reducing costs.

(c3. Sheet manufacturing method 2)
Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing another method for producing the sheet 28. For the sheet 28 (28b) in Fig. 9, a first cover sheet 36, a first waterproof sheet 52, a second waterproof sheet 54, and a second cover sheet 38 of a predetermined size are prepared. The first cover sheet 36 and the second cover sheet 38 are the same as those in the production method in Fig. 6, and the first waterproof sheet 52 and the second waterproof sheet 54 are made of a cloth-like material such as polyester used for lining umbrellas, similar to the sheet piping 40 in the production method in Fig. 6.

The first waterproof sheet 52 is provided with an extinguishing agent supply port 32 corresponding to the extinguishing agent flow path 34 to be formed, and through holes 56, 58 are formed corresponding to the discharge port 30.

The first cover sheet 36 and the first waterproof sheet 52 are overlapped with the through holes 56, 58 aligned, and then fixed by attaching the discharge port 30 as shown in Figure 10. The structure of the discharge port 30 is the same as that shown in Figure 8, and is composed of a base 42 with an upright screw shaft 46 that passes through the discharge hole 50, and a clamping ring 44 with a screw hole 48.

With the first cover sheet 36 and the first waterproof sheet 52 fixed by the discharge port 30, as shown in FIG. 9, the second waterproof sheet 54 and the second cover sheet 38 are overlapped, and in this state, as shown in FIG. 11, a seam 60 is formed by sewing with a sewing machine or the like using waterproof thread, creating the extinguishing agent flow path 34. In addition, with the sheets overlapped, the edges of the sheets are sewn together at the seam 61, which integrates them into the sheet 28.

Figure 12 (A) shows the extinguishing agent flow path 34 formed by overlapping the first cover sheet 36, the first waterproof sheet 52, the second waterproof sheet 54 and the second cover sheet 38, for example by sewing waterproof thread at the seam 60, and under normal circumstances, the extinguishing agent flow path 34 is in a collapsed state, and when the extinguishing agent 41 is supplied, it expands as shown in Figure 12 (B) to allow the extinguishing agent to flow.

The double stitching 60 improves the airtightness of the extinguishing agent flow path 34, but when tap water is supplied as an extinguishing agent, a small amount may leak from the seams. However, the tap water that leaks from the extinguishing agent flow path 34 wets the sheet 28, thereby improving the fire prevention, fire resistance, heat resistance, heat insulation, flame insulation, and smoke insulation properties against fire.

In this way, a coolant outlet may be provided in the extinguishant flow path 34 formed by the stitching 60 as a wetting means (cooling means) for wetting and cooling the first cover sheet 36 and the second cover sheet 38 separately from the outlet 30. The coolant outlet may be provided by adjusting the stitching 60 forming the extinguishant flow path 34 so that the stitching is partially larger, or by skipping stitching partially, or by partially increasing the stitching interval and using this gap as the coolant outlet. Also, a flow path (cooling flow path) with a coolant outlet may be provided separately from the extinguishant flow path. Note that the extinguishant doubles as the coolant here, but the extinguishant and the coolant may be different. In this case, a coolant pipe may be provided separately from the extinguishant pipe, and a coolant supply port of the same configuration may be provided separately from the extinguishant supply port, and connected to the coolant pipe.

[d. Sheet expansion configuration]
(d1. Seat deployment structure)
As shown in Figures 13 (A) and (B) , in the fire extinguisher 12 of this embodiment, one end edge (the upper end edge when unfolded) of the sheet 28 is fixed to the main body 62 by a sheet fixing part 63, and under normal circumstances, the sheet 28 is in an unfolded state wound up in a roll shape and held in a suspended state at multiple points by sheet holding members 64 made of wires or ropes on the underside of the main body 62.

One end of the sheet holding member 64 is fixed to the main body 62, and the other end is passed under the outer periphery of the rolled up sheet 28 and is removably held by a sheet holding release part 66 on the opposite side of the main body 62 (the opposite side to the fixed side). The sheet holding release part 66 operates when supplied with extinguishing agent from the extinguishing agent piping 20, and releases the holding of the sheet holding member 64.

When the sheet retention release section 66 releases the retention of one end of the sheet retention member 64, as shown in Figures 13(C) and (D), with one end edge (top edge) of the sheet 28 fixed to the main body 62, the other end edge (bottom edge when unfolded) on the opposite side falls under its own weight and unfolds from top to bottom (vertically). Note that a specified weight member may be provided on the bottom edge of the sheet 28, which can help prevent the bottom edge of the sheet 28 from falling and stabilize the sheet 28 after unfolding.

(d2. Configuration of the seat deployment section)
14, the sheet retention release section 66 of this embodiment is provided with an actuator 68 that operates when supplied with extinguishing agent, within the main body 62. The actuator 68 has a piston 72 slidably mounted in a cylinder 70 via a return spring 76, a cylinder chamber 70a is formed on one side of the piston 72, and the extinguishing agent piping 20 is branched and connected to an extinguishing agent supply port 78. An automatic drain valve 73 is provided for the cylinder chamber 70a. The automatic drain valve 73 closes when supplied with extinguishing agent exceeding a predetermined pressure, and opens when the pressure drops below the predetermined pressure.

The piston 72 is coaxially provided with a rod 74. An opening 82 is provided in the front part of the main body 62, allowing a part of the rod 74 to be seen and exposing an operating stick 80 provided on the rod 74 so that it can be operated.

When the sheet holding member 64 is held on the rod 74, the rod 74 is moved to the left by the operating stick 80, and a retaining ring 64a, which is made of a wire and has a loop-shaped end, is passed through the rod 74 to hold the rolled up sheet 28.

When a fire breaks out, tap water is supplied to the cylinder chamber 70a as an extinguishing agent via the extinguishing agent piping 20, causing the piston 72 to stroke leftward against the return spring 76, causing the rod 74 to come out of the retaining ring 64a, releasing the sheet holding member 64, and the sheet 28 falls under its own weight and unfolds from above to below.

The sheet retention release section 66 is provided with an actuator 68 that receives a supply of extinguishing agent and releases the retention of the sheet retention member 64, so that even in the event of a power outage, the sheet 28, which is in an undeployed state, can be deployed in conjunction with the supply of extinguishing agent to release the extinguishing agent.

The seat retention release unit 66 is not limited to the above, and may release the seat retention member 64 and unfold the seat 28 by driving an electromagnetic solenoid or the like in response to a control signal from the receiver 16.

The sheet deployment structure of the fire extinguisher 12 may be any other suitable structure, such as a structure in which the sheet 28 is wound around a rotating shaft and the latch on the rotating shaft is released to deploy the sheet 28, or a structure in which the sheet is unrolled and wound up by motor drive. Also, the sheet 28 may be held in a bellows-like folded state and deployed by releasing the hold.

5 and 11, the extinguishing agent flow path 34 of the sheet 28 may be arranged in a rectangular shape surrounding the periphery of the ladder shape, for example, to assist in the deployment of the sheet 28 when water is supplied as an extinguishing agent, and to function as a weight that acts as an auxiliary means for stabilizing the deployed state. Also, by lengthening the extinguishing agent flow path up to the discharge port 30, it can function as a buffer area that suppresses the pressure rise (or rate of rise) when the supply of extinguishing agent from the fire extinguisher, which will be explained later, to a predetermined level (to the extent that the extinguishing agent flow path 34 and the discharge port 30 are not damaged).

[e. Fire extinguishing equipment and facilities using fire extinguishers]
As shown in FIG. 15, this embodiment uses a fire extinguisher as an example of the extinguishing agent supplying device, and is characterized in that a predetermined extinguishing agent, such as a powder extinguishing agent or a reinforced liquid extinguishing agent, is supplied and discharged from a fire extinguisher 84 to a fire extinguishing device 12 installed at the boundary of a room that serves as a protected area 10, for example, above an entrance/exit.

The fire extinguisher 84 has a main container filled with extinguishing agent under pressure, and when the safety pin 90 is removed and the lever 92 is pressed down, the extinguisher opens and the extinguishing agent is released from the hose 86.

One end of the extinguishant pipe 20 is connected to the extinguishant supply port 32 of the sheet 28 (28c) provided on the fire extinguisher 12, and the other end of the extinguishant pipe 20 is connected to the extinguisher nozzle 94a at the tip of the hose 86 of the fire extinguisher 84 via a fire extinguisher connector 94 that functions as a connecting means. The fire extinguisher connector 94 is composed of the extinguisher nozzle 94a and the fire extinguisher connection port 94b, and uses a known connecting joint similar to that used to connect a hose to a water faucet with a single touch.

In this embodiment, the extinguisher nozzle 94a is a nozzle that is attached to the end of the hose of the fire extinguisher 84, and a separately prepared fire extinguisher nozzle 94a is attached in advance, but the present invention is not limited to this.

Figure 16 shows an example of a fire extinguisher connector 94, which is equipped with a fire extinguisher nozzle 94a and a fire extinguisher connection port 94b. A separately prepared fire extinguisher nozzle 94a is provided at the tip of the hose 86 of the fire extinguisher 84, and a fire extinguisher connection port 94b is provided at the other end of the extinguishant piping 20, making the hose 86 of the fire extinguisher 84 detachable from the extinguishant piping 20.

The fire extinguisher nozzle 94a has a nipple 95a with an O-ring attached at the tip, and is connected and fixed by inserting the nipple 95a into the opening of the fire extinguisher connection port 94b. The fire extinguisher connection port 94b has a slider 95b, and the connected fire extinguisher nozzle 94a can be removed by sliding the slider 95b in the direction of the arrow in the figure.

Figure 17 shows an embodiment of a sheet 28 (28c) used to release extinguishing agent from a fire extinguisher 84. The sheet 28 (28c) has a buffer area 96 adjacent to the extinguishing agent supply port 32, and an extinguishing agent flow path 34 is provided through the buffer area 96 with discharge ports 30 located at various locations.

When the fire extinguisher 84 is opened to supply extinguishing agent to the sheet 28 (28c), the accumulated pressure of the fire extinguisher 84 is high, for example, 0.7 MPa to 0.98 MPa, and if high-pressure extinguishing agent is applied to the extinguishant flow path 34 and discharge port 30 of the sheet 28 (28c) when the fire extinguisher 84 is opened, there is a possibility that they may be damaged.

Therefore, a buffer area 96 is provided as a pressure buffer on the inlet side of the extinguishant flow path 34, and the extinguishant from the fire extinguisher 84 is temporarily retained in the initial stage after the start of the extinguishant supply, so that the increase (or rate of increase) in the extinguishant supply pressure is kept below a predetermined level, thereby preventing damage to the extinguishant flow path 34 and the discharge port 30. The rest of the configuration is the same as the sheet 28 (28a) in FIG. 5 or the sheet 28 (28b) in FIG. 11.

In addition, instead of or in addition to the buffer area 96 (pressure buffering means), a pressure buffering device (second pressure buffering means) such as an orifice or tank may be provided in the extinguisher connection part 94, the extinguishant pipe 20, or the extinguishant supply port 32, etc., to adjust the rise (or rate of rise) of the extinguishant supply pressure from the extinguisher 84 to a predetermined level (to the extent that the extinguishant flow path 34 and the discharge port 30 are not damaged). In addition, the buffer area 96 may be arranged below the sheet 28 (28c) so that it functions as a weight (auxiliary means) when the sheet 28 (28c) is deployed. Such pressure buffering means or second pressure buffering means may be provided as necessary in the embodiments described in Figures 1 to 14.

In the protected area 10 shown in FIG. 15, a fire detector 14 is installed as a fire detection system and connected to a receiver 16. In this embodiment, a fire alarm light 16a is installed near the location of the fire extinguisher 84, and when the receiver 16 receives a fire signal from the fire detector 14 and outputs a fire alarm, the fire alarm light 16a is turned on or blinks in response to a control signal from the receiver 16 linked to this, thereby indicating the location of a fire extinguisher 84 that requires a fire extinguishing operation (specifically, a tap opening operation) or is capable of being extinguished. Here, the fire extinguishing system of this embodiment is composed of a fire extinguishing device 12, a fire extinguishing agent pipe 20, a fire extinguisher 84, and a fire extinguisher connection part 94.

In the case of a fire, when a user of the fire extinguisher 12 of this embodiment pulls out the safety pin 90 of the fire extinguisher 84 placed at a predetermined position outside the room that is to be the protected area 10 and grips the lever 92 to open the fire extinguisher, the extinguishing agent is supplied to the sheet 28 (28c) installed at the boundary of the room that is to be the protected area 10, for example, at the top of the entrance/exit. The sheet 28 (28c) is deployed and the extinguishing agent is released from multiple discharge ports 30 located at various points on the sheet 28 (28c), making it possible to suppress and extinguish the fire effectively in a short time.

In addition, even if a user is unfamiliar with the operation of the fire extinguisher 84, since the fire extinguisher 84 is installed, for example, outside the room that is the protected area 10 and is away from the location where the fire started, the user can operate the extinguisher 84 calmly and without panicking, and can quickly and reliably open the extinguisher 84.

In addition, the fire extinguisher 84 releases extinguishing agent for a short period of time, such as about 10 seconds. If the fire is not extinguished even after the fire extinguisher 84 has been used up, the fire extinguisher nozzle 94a can be removed from the fire extinguisher connection port 94b of the fire extinguisher connection part 94 and replaced with an unused fire extinguisher 84 (a separately prepared fire extinguisher nozzle 94a is already attached to the hose 86) that has been prepared separately, thereby continuing the release of extinguishing agent and enabling reliable suppression and extinguishing. In addition, by providing a fire extinguisher connection part to which multiple fire extinguishers can be connected, or by providing fire extinguisher connection parts at multiple points on the fire extinguisher piping and connecting multiple fire extinguishers to the fire extinguisher piping 20 in advance, it is possible to continue the release of extinguishant without replacing the used fire extinguisher.

In addition, if a fire occurs in a location other than the protected area 10 (a location where the fire extinguishing device 12 of this embodiment is not installed), the fire extinguisher 84 can be removed from the extinguishing agent piping 20 and carried to the location of the fire for use, eliminating the need to increase the number of fire extinguishers installed and reducing the increase in maintenance costs.

[f. Fire extinguishing equipment combining fire extinguishers and water piping]
As shown in FIG. 18, this embodiment is characterized in that the extinguishing agent supply source for the fire extinguishing apparatus 12 installed at the boundary of a room that serves as a protected area 10, for example, above an entrance/exit, is a combination of a fire extinguisher 84 that supplies, as an extinguishing agent, for example, a powder fire extinguishing agent or a reinforced liquid fire extinguishing agent, and a water supply pipe 18 that supplies tap water as an extinguishing agent.

One end of the extinguishing agent pipe 10 is connected to the extinguishing agent supply port 32 of the sheet 28 (28c), and the other end is connected to the water pipe 18 via a remote on-off valve 24 and a manual on-off valve 26 connected in parallel, which are pipe opening and closing means for opening and closing the pipe flow path by remote control or manually.

The fire extinguisher 84 is connected to the piping branching off from one end of the extinguishing agent piping 20 between the remote on-off valve 24 and the manual on-off valve 26 (point A in the figure) via a check valve 98, which acts as a backflow prevention means for preventing backflow of tap water from the extinguishing agent piping 20 to the fire extinguisher 84, and furthermore, a fire extinguisher connection part 94 is provided as a connection means for detachably connecting the fire extinguisher 84 to the fire extinguisher piping 20. The fire extinguisher connection part 94 is composed of a fire extinguisher nozzle 94a and a fire extinguisher connection port 94b, and has a connection joint structure similar to that shown in FIG. 16, for example.

A fire detector 14 is installed in the protected area 10 as a fire detection system and is connected to the receiver 16. An alarm indicator light 16a is installed near the location where the fire extinguisher 84 is installed and connected to the receiver 16. When the receiver 16 receives a fire signal from the fire detector 14 and outputs a fire alarm, the fire alarm light 16a receives a control signal from the receiver 16 linked to the fire detector 14 and turns on or blinks, indicating the location of the fire extinguisher 84 that requires extinguishing operation or is available for extinguishing operation. In addition, a control line for the remote opening and closing valve 24 is connected to the receiver 16. Here, the fire extinguishing system of this embodiment is composed of the fire extinguishing device 12, the extinguishing agent piping 20, the fire extinguisher 84, the fire extinguisher connection part 94, the check valve 98, the remote opening and closing valve 24, the manual opening and closing valve 26, and the water piping 18.

The receiver 16 can be set to, for example, an automatic extinguishing mode and a manual extinguishing mode. The automatic extinguishing mode is set, for example, during a time period such as nighttime, and extinguishing agent is released by opening the remote on-off valve 24 based on a control signal (open control signal) from the receiver 16 linked to fire detection by the fire detector 14 (fire alarm of the receiver). The manual extinguishing mode is set, for example, during the daytime, and extinguishing agent is released by opening the fire extinguisher 84 or opening the manual on-off valve 26. Note that in addition to switching between the manual extinguishing mode and the automatic extinguishing mode between daytime and nighttime in this way, the manual extinguishing mode and the automatic extinguishing mode may be switched depending on whether people are present or absent, or these may be combined.

If the receiver 16 is set to manual fire extinguishing mode, when a fire breaks out in the protected area 10, the receiver 16 receives a fire signal from the fire detector 14 and outputs a fire alarm, and also lights up or flashes the alarm indicator light 16a installed in the protected area 10 where the fire has broken out.

When the relevant personnel become aware of the fire, they go to the protected area 10 where the fire has occurred, and upon confirming the fire, they remove the safety pin 90 of the fire extinguisher 84 and push down the lever 92 to open it, and the extinguisher 84 supplies extinguishing agent to the fire extinguishing device 12, which deploys the sheet 28 (28c) and releases a powder fire extinguishing agent or the like from multiple discharge ports 30 located in various places on the sheet 28 (28c), suppressing and extinguishing the fire.

If it is not possible to confirm that the fire has been extinguished even after the extinguishing agent from the fire extinguisher 84 has been discharged, the manual on-off valve 26 is opened to supply tap water to the fire extinguishing device 12, and the tap water is discharged from the multiple discharge ports 30 arranged in various places on the deployed sheet 28 (28c) to suppress and extinguish the fire. The tap water is discharged after the fire has been suppressed by the discharge of the extinguisher 84, and since there is no time constraint on the discharge of the tap water, it is possible to reliably extinguish the fire.

On the other hand, if the automatic fire extinguishing mode is set in the receiver 16, the receiver 16 receives a fire signal from the fire detector 14 and sends an open control signal to the remote on-off valve 24 to open it, supplying tap water to the fire extinguishing device 12, deploying the sheet 28 (28c) and discharging tap water from multiple discharge ports 30 located in various places on the sheet 28 (28c), thereby suppressing and extinguishing the fire.

Even in the automatic extinguishing mode, if the relevant personnel who rush to the scene after receiving a fire report find that the fire is not abating, for example, they can perform a predetermined operation to close the remote opening and closing valve 24 on the receiver 16, for example, to cancel the automatic extinguishing mode and switch to the manual extinguishing mode, and then remove the safety pin 90 of the fire extinguisher 84 and push down the lever 92 to open the extinguisher. The extinguishing agent is then supplied from the extinguisher 84 to the fire extinguishing device 12, and the extinguishing agent is released from the multiple discharge ports 30 located in various places on the deployed sheet 28 (28c), making it possible to suppress and extinguish the fire.

In this way, after the extinguishing agent has been released from the fire extinguisher 84, the manual on-off valve 26 can be opened again to switch back to releasing tap water.

[g. Fire extinguishing equipment with fixed sheets]
As shown in FIG. 19, this embodiment is characterized in that a sheet 28 for the fire extinguisher 12 is fixedly installed in a protected compartment 10 in an unfolded state.

The fire extinguisher 12 of this embodiment is composed of an attachment portion 12a and a sheet 28, and one end of the sheet 28 is fixed to the attachment portion 12a. For example, the fire extinguisher 12 is configured such that the attachment portion 12a is fixed to the upper portion of a predetermined wall surface of a room that will be the protected area 10, the sheet 28 with one end fixed to the attachment portion 12a is lowered along the wall surface, and the sheet 28 is fixed to the wall surface with rivets or the like so that it does not swing. The rest of the configuration is the same as the embodiment in FIG. 1.

According to this embodiment, the seat deployment structure shown in FIG. 13 is not necessary, which simplifies the configuration and reduces costs.

Figure 20 shows another embodiment of the fire extinguisher 12 in which the sheet is fixedly installed. The fire extinguisher 12 of this embodiment is composed of an attachment portion 12a and a sheet 28 (line sheet 28d), and the sheet 28 (28d) has a plurality of discharge ports 30 arranged in a single straight line. The sheet 28 (28d) can be manufactured in the same manner as shown in Figure 6 or Figure 9. The sheet 28 (28d) is connected to the fire extinguishing agent pipe 20, and when a fire occurs, the receiver 16 controls the opening of the remote opening/closing valve 24 or opens the manual opening/closing valve 26 to supply tap water as a fire extinguishing agent, and the fire extinguishing agent is discharged from the discharge port 30 provided in the sheet 28 (28d) to suppress and extinguish the fire.

In this embodiment, the sheet 28 (28d) is configured with only the discharge port row elements, in which the discharge ports 30 serving as the discharge points are arranged in a single horizontal line, thereby suppressing the fire by discharging the extinguishing agent in a line. The sheet 28 (28d) may be arranged vertically or diagonally.

In addition, while the fire extinguisher 12 in Figs. 19 and 20 uses tap water as an example of an extinguishing agent, the fire extinguisher 84 shown in Fig. 15 may be used as the extinguishing agent supply source, or the fire extinguisher 84 may be combined with tap water as shown in Fig. 18. In this case, a pressure buffer device (second pressure buffer means) that adjusts the rise in extinguishant supply pressure from the fire extinguisher 48 to a predetermined level may be provided in the fire extinguisher connection part 94 between the fire extinguisher 48 and the line sheet 28 (28d), the extinguishant piping 20, or the extinguishant supply port 32.

In addition, multiple sheets 28 (28d) may be used to achieve surface release of the extinguishing agent. For example, multiple sheets 28 (28d) may be arranged in parallel on the same surface, allowing the extinguishing agent to be released surface-wise as a whole.

[h. Basic concepts of warehouse fire extinguishing equipment]
The basic concept of the embodiment of the fire extinguishing system for a warehouse using the fire extinguishing apparatus shown in Figs. 5 to 14 will be described.

The warehouse in which the fire extinguishing equipment is installed is equipped with a storage shelf and a transport means. A "storage shelf" is a shelf on which multiple storage sections are arranged, and is a concept that includes, for example, a rack shelf on which multiple racks are arranged vertically and horizontally.

The term "conveying means" refers to a means for transporting the target items to and from the storage unit (bringing them in and out of the storage unit), and is a concept that includes, for example, so-called stacker cranes.

The fire extinguishing equipment is arranged to separate a specific target section including the location of the fire in the storage shelf and release the extinguishing agent into the target section. Here, the "target section" in the following embodiment of the warehouse fire extinguishing system is the area section to be extinguished, that is, for example, the specific section of the storage shelf where the fire has occurred. Storage shelves are classified into storage shelves without partition structures in the vertical direction (height direction) and storage shelves with partition structures depending on whether they have shelves. Here, in the case of storage shelves with partition structures, the target section is the storage section (internal space of the storage section) itself, for example a specific rack (internal space of the rack), while in the case of storage shelves without partition structures, the target section is a storage section row (internal space of the storage row) in which multiple storage sections are arranged vertically, for example a specific rack row (internal space of the rack row).

The rack or row of racks is configured with closed upper and lower structural surfaces and open surrounding surfaces (surroundings excluding the top and bottom) as boundaries, and fire extinguishing equipment is provided corresponding to the opening surfaces. In this embodiment of the warehouse fire extinguishing system, if the target section is, for example, a rack or row of racks, "partitioning the target section" refers to the concept of unfolding the fire extinguishing equipment sheet to cover at least the opening surface of the rack or row of racks, thereby sealing all of the surfaces that form the boundaries of the rack or row of racks (for example, all six boundary surfaces in the case of a rectangular parallelepiped) with almost no gaps, including the structural surfaces other than the opening surfaces (however, the interior does not have to be completely sealed).

Below, we will explain in detail the case of an automated warehouse in which the "storage shelf" is a "rack shelf," the "storage section" is a "rack," the "storage section row" is a "rack row" consisting of multiple racks lined up vertically, and the "transport means" is a "stacker crane."

[i. Specific details of fire extinguishing equipment in warehouses]
(i1. Overview of the automated warehouse)
As shown in Fig. 21, a rack shelf 110 is installed in the automated warehouse 100, and this embodiment takes as an example a rack shelf 110 that does not have a partition structure using shelves. A plurality of racks 118 are arranged vertically and horizontally on the rack shelf 110, and a stacker crane 120 is used to carry an item into any of the racks 118 for storage, and to carry out the stored item. Here, for the rack shelf 110, as shown in the figure, the up-down direction with the side where the top plate 114 is arranged is the upside is referred to as the vertical direction or height direction, the longitudinal direction of the top plate 114 perpendicular to the up-down direction is referred to as the left-right direction or horizontal direction, and the short side direction is referred to as the front-rear direction or depth direction.

The rack shelf 110 has a pair of support posts 112 that stand at a specified interval in the depth direction of the floor surface, and a top plate 114 is placed on the upper end of each support post 112. The rack shelf 110 has four adjacent support posts 112 as one unit, and forms a rack row in which racks 118 are arranged vertically, here four tiers.

In other words, as shown in Figures 21 and 22, a pair of rack rails 116 are arranged in parallel in the depth direction and spaced apart vertically to form four tiers of racks 118. Items are loaded onto a pallet (cargo platform) 130 by a stacker crane 120 and transported into and out of the rack 118.

Rack rows formed in this way have no shelves separating them vertically, so when no items are stored, they form a rack space that runs vertically through them.

The stacker crane 120 has a gate-shaped crane frame 124 mounted on a traveling cart 122 that travels left and right along a traveling rail 132, and the upper side of the crane frame 124 is guided by a ceiling rail 134. The crane frame 124 is provided with a lifting platform 126 and is equipped with two sets of fork transfer devices 128, which allow the lifting platform 126 to be moved up and down to transport items from the pallet 130 to any rack 118.

Items are delivered to the rack 118 as follows. First, the stacker crane 120 moves along the traveling rails 132 toward the traveling platform 136 and stops. The traveling platform 136 is then positioned at the loading section 138 along the traveling rails 135, and items are loaded onto the pallet 130 from the loading section 138. Next, the pallet 130 with the items loaded is transferred to the fork transfer device 128 provided on the lifting platform 126 by the fork device 141 of the traveling platform 136. Finally, the stacker crane 120 moves left and right along the traveling rails 132, and the lifting platform 126 is then moved up and down to deliver the items to the desired rack 118.

In addition, the removal of items from the rack 118 is generally performed in the reverse order to the loading operation, and the items on the pallet 130 transferred to the traveling platform 136 by the stacker crane 120 are removed from the unloading section 140 to the outside of the warehouse.

(i2. Fire extinguishing equipment with rack rows as target areas)
Next, a fire extinguishing system in which an arbitrary rack row of the rack shelf 110 is set as a target section will be described in detail.

The upper end of the rack row is closed by a top plate 114 that forms a structural surface, and the lower end is closed by the floor surface of the warehouse that forms the structural surface, and the remaining four sides are open surfaces. The fire extinguishing appliances 12 are installed in correspondence with the open surfaces around the rack row. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 22, four fire extinguishing appliances 12 are installed on the frame sides of the upper ends of four pillars 112 corresponding to the rack row, for example, so as to form a rectangular frame. Here, the fire extinguishing appliances 12 corresponding to the left and right open surfaces of the rack row are installed on the upper ends of the pillars 112 so that both ends in the longitudinal direction are approximately in contact with the front and rear pillars 112 that face each other, and in this embodiment, two extinguishing appliances 12 are arranged side by side for each pair of front and rear pillars 112 to correspond to adjacent racks 118. It is also possible to share one of these, and in this case, for example, the sheet 28 of this fire extinguishing appliance 12 may be provided with an independent extinguishing agent flow path 34 and a discharge port 30 on each side.

As shown in FIG. 23, each of the fire extinguishing devices 12 installed in this manner is connected to extinguishing agent piping 20 from a fire pump facility (not shown) via a remote opening and closing valve 24 for each row of racks. In addition, each of the racks 118 is equipped with a fire detector (not shown) that serves as a fire detection means.

When a fire breaks out in a rack 118 or a row of racks, the operation is as follows. As shown in FIG. 24, if a fire breaks out in the rack row closest to the loading section 138 (see FIG. 21) of the rack shelf 110, for example, the four fire extinguishing devices 12 arranged at the upper end of the rack row will, for example, receive a supply of extinguishing agent, deploy the sheet 28, partition off and close the opening of the rack row where the fire has started, and then, as shown in FIG. 25, release the extinguishing agent from the release port 30, indicated simply by a triangle, arranged on the inner sheet surface of the sheet 28 (the sheet surface facing the inside of the rack row).

For this reason, the front, rear, left and right openings of the rack row including the location of the fire are partitioned by the sheet 28, and extinguishing agent is released into the rack row where the fire has broken out from the outlets 30 provided in various places on the sheet 28, thereby ensuring that the fire is contained and extinguished. Also, by partitioning the opening of the rack row including the location of the fire, the outside of the partitioned rack row is insulated from flames, smoke and heat, preventing the spread of fire and smoke, and furthermore, the dissipation and release of extinguishing agent to the outside is suppressed, making it possible to reduce water damage to items stored in adjacent rack rows, for example.

(i3. Fire extinguishing equipment for warehouses with racks as target areas)
Next, a detailed description will be given of a fire extinguishing system for a warehouse in which an arbitrary rack 118 of the rack shelf 110 is set as a target section.

As shown in FIG. 26, the automated warehouse 100 according to this embodiment is an example in which rack shelves 110 having a partition structure made of shelves are installed. In this rack shelf 110, for example, four shelves 150 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction in each rack row of the rack shelf in FIG. 21, forming a four-tiered rack 118.

Therefore, the top rack 118 is closed at the top by a top plate 114 and at the bottom by a shelf plate 150, and the second to fourth racks 118 from the top are closed at the top and bottom by the shelf plate 150. Each rack has four open sides, and four fire extinguishing appliances 12 are installed on the frame edges at the upper end of the open sides, i.e., on the upper side of each rack, in the same manner as in Fig. 21, so as to form, for example, a rectangular frame. Each rack 118 is also equipped with a fire detector (not shown). The four fire extinguishing appliances 12 arranged on each rack 118 are connected to extinguishing agent piping via a remote opening and closing valve (not shown) as in Fig. 23.

When a fire breaks out in a rack 118, the operation is as follows. As shown in Figures 26 and 27, if a fire breaks out in the second rack 118 from the bottom closest to the loading section 138 (see Figure 21), for example, the four fire extinguishing devices 12 arranged at the top of this rack 118 will receive a supply of extinguishing agent, deploy sheets 28, partition and close the openings around the rack 118, and release the extinguishing agent into the partitioned rack 118 from multiple release ports 30, which are shown simply as triangles.

As a result, the front, rear, left and right openings of the rack 118 where the fire has started are partitioned off, and extinguishing agent is released from the outlet 30 of the deployed sheet 28 into the rack 118 where the fire has started, ensuring that the fire is contained and extinguished. Also, by partitioning the opening of the rack 118 where the fire has started, the outside of the partitioned rack 118 is insulated from flames, smoke and heat, preventing the spread of fire and smoke, and further preventing the dissipation and release of extinguishing agent to the outside, which can reduce water damage to items stored on adjacent racks or rows of racks, for example.

If a fire breaks out in any one of the racks 118, the fire extinguishing device 12 may also be activated to deploy the sheet 28 and spray extinguishing agent on some or all of the other racks 118 in the row of racks that includes the rack 118 in question.

[j. Modifications of the present invention]
A modified example of the present invention will now be described in detail.

(Sheet outlet arrangement)
In the above embodiment, the multiple discharge ports 30 are arranged at various locations on one side of the sheet 28, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the multiple discharge ports 30 may be arranged at various locations on both sides of the sheet 28. The sheet 28 having the multiple discharge ports 30 arranged at various locations on both sides is used when the fire extinguisher 12 is installed on the ceiling or the like in the center of the room that serves as the protected section 10, and when a fire breaks out, the sheet 28 is deployed from above to below, and the extinguishing agent is surface-discharged to both sides from the multiple discharge ports 30 on each side of the sheet to extinguish and suppress the fire.

(Protective Area)
The above embodiment takes a room in a group home for elderly people as an example of a protected area, but in the case of a room in an ordinary house or an apartment building, for example, a wireless-linked residential fire alarm may be used instead of the fire detector 14 and receiver 16, and the remote opening/closing valve 24 may be connected to a wireless-linked adapter that receives a fire-linked signal from the residential fire alarm and outputs a contact signal, so that when a fire occurs, the remote opening/closing valve 24 is driven to open by the contact signal to release extinguishing agent over a surface from multiple release ports 30 arranged in various places on the sheet 28.

The fire extinguishing device of the present invention can also be applied to, for example, factories, schools, government offices, and other appropriate facilities. Of course, the protected area is not limited to a room, and can be any appropriate area.

(Distribution route of fire extinguishing agent)
In the above embodiment, the extinguishing agent flow path 34 is formed by sheet piping or by sewing with a sewing machine or adhesive using waterproof thread, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the extinguishing agent flow path may be formed by using a tube made of resin or the like.

(Sheet)
The shape of the sheet 28 is not limited to that of the embodiment, and may be any suitable shape other than rectangular, such as circular, elliptical, polygonal, etc. The above embodiment has been described as an example in which one sheet 28 is installed in one protected area, but the number of sheets 28 installed in one protected area is arbitrary.

Any number of extinguishing agent supply ports and pressure buffer areas may be provided per sheet. In this case, a backflow prevention structure (such as a check valve) may be provided for the extinguishing agent supply port to prevent backflow, thereby preventing the extinguishing agent from leaking to the outside from an extinguishing agent supply port that is not connected to an extinguishing agent supply device.

(Water piping)
The water pipe in the above embodiment may include, for example, a water hose. Also, for example, a connecting portion (second connecting means) may be provided for detachably connecting the water hose and the fire extinguishing agent pipe.

In the above embodiment, the piping opening and closing means is provided with a remote opening and closing valve 24 and a manual opening and closing valve 26, and these are connected in parallel, but only one of them may be provided. In other words, it may be opened and closed only by remote control, or, although it is not possible to set an automatic mode as in the embodiment of FIG. 28, it may be opened and closed only manually. Of course, connection methods other than parallel connection are not precluded.

(Automated warehouse)
In the above embodiment of the fire extinguishing system for a warehouse, an automated warehouse in which goods are automatically transported to and managed on a rack shelf by a stacker crane is taken as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the type of warehouse to which the system is applied is arbitrary, and the system can also be applied to a so-called manual warehouse in which goods are carried in and out of the rack shelf by operating a forklift. Furthermore, the fire extinguishing system of this embodiment is not limited to warehouses, and can be applied to any appropriate facility in which goods are stored using storage shelves such as rack shelves.

(Fire extinguishing equipment for automated warehouses)
In the above embodiment, four fire extinguishing devices 12 are arranged corresponding to the front, rear, left and right opening surfaces of the rack 118 or the row of racks of the rack shelf 110 as the target section, but the present invention is not limited to this, and fire extinguishing devices may be arranged corresponding to at least one of the front, rear, left and right opening surfaces. In this case, the opening surface on which the fire extinguishing device 12 is not arranged may be left as it is, but for example, the fire extinguishing device 12 equipped with a sheet structured not to discharge extinguishing agent may be arranged so that the sheet is deployed when a fire occurs to close the opening surface without discharging water extinguishing agent. Here, the "fire extinguishing device 12 equipped with a sheet structured not to discharge water extinguishing agent" may be composed of only a cloth-like body obtained by removing the extinguishing agent supply port 32 , the extinguishing agent flow path 34 and the discharge port 30 from the sheet 28 (28a, 28b) shown in Figures 5 to 14.

(Fire detection means)
In addition, in the embodiment of the warehouse fire extinguishing system described above, a fire detector is used to detect a fire in a target compartment as a fire detection means, but this is not limited to this and is optional, and includes any appropriate fire detection means as long as it can detect and identify the target compartment where the fire is occurring.

(others)
Furthermore, the present invention includes appropriate modifications that do not impair the objects and advantages of the present invention, and is not limited to the numerical values shown in the above embodiment.

10: Protected area 11: Entrance/exit 12: Fire extinguisher 12a: Mounting section 14: Fire detector 16: Receiver 16a: Fire alarm light 18: Water pipe 20: Extinguishing agent pipe 24: Remote opening/closing valve 25: Gate valve 26: Manual opening/closing valve 28, 28a, 28b, 28c, 28d: Sheet 30: Discharge port 31: Table 32: Extinguishing agent supply port 34: Extinguishing agent distribution path 36: First cover sheet 38: Second cover sheet 40: Sheet pipe 41: Extinguishing agent 42: Base 44: Clamping ring 46: Screw shaft 48: Screw hole 50: Discharge hole 52: First waterproof sheet 54: Second waterproof sheet 56, 58: Through holes 60, 61: Stitching section 62: Main body 64: Sheet holding member 64a: Retaining ring 66: Sheet holding release section 68: Actuator 70: Cylinder Da 70a: Cylinder chamber 72: Piston 73: Automatic drain valve 74: Rod 76: Return spring 78: Extinguishing agent supply port 80: Operation stick 82: Opening 84: Fire extinguisher 86: Hose 90: Safety pin 92: Lever 94: Fire extinguisher connection part 94a: Fire extinguisher nozzle 94b: Fire extinguisher connection port 96: Buffer area 98: Check valve 100: Automatic warehouse 110: Rack shelf 112: Support 114: Top plate 116: Rack rail 118: Rack 120: Stacker crane 122: Traveling cart 124: Crane frame 126: Lifting platform 128: Fork transfer device 130: Pallet 132, 135: Traveling rail 134: Ceiling rail 136: Traveling mobile platform 138: Loading section 140: Loading section 141: Fork device 150: Shelf

Claims (24)

A seat that can be unfolded from a non-unfolded state ;
A fire extinguishing agent flow path provided in the sheet;
An extinguishing agent supply port which is an inlet of the extinguishing agent into the extinguishing agent flow path;
a plurality of discharge ports for discharging the extinguishing agent supplied from the extinguishing agent supply port to the extinguishing agent flow path to at least one side of the sheet;
Equipped with
This fire extinguishing apparatus is characterized in that, when a fire occurs in a protected compartment, the sheet is deployed from above to below along the side of the protected compartment, and the extinguishing agent is supplied to the extinguishing agent distribution path of the deployed sheet and released into the protected compartment from the release outlet .
The fire extinguisher according to claim 1,
The fire extinguisher, wherein the discharge port is provided in the extinguishing agent flow path.
The fire extinguisher according to claim 1 or 2,
The sheet is normally held in a non-deployed state with one end edge fixed at a predetermined position above the protected compartment, and in the event of a fire , the holding is released and the other end edge falls under its own weight, causing the sheet to deploy from top to bottom .
A fire extinguisher according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
a sheet deployment means for receiving the supply of the extinguishing agent, releasing the non-deployed state of the sheet, and deploying the sheet .
A fire extinguisher according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
A fire extinguishing apparatus characterized in that the sheet is installed so as to cover an opening on at least one side of the protective compartment when deployed.
A fire extinguisher according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
the sheet has a collapsible and deformable sheet pipe that forms the extinguishing agent flow path and in which the extinguishing agent supply port and the discharge port are arranged ,
A fire extinguishing apparatus , characterized in that the sheet piping is disposed between two cover sheets.
A fire extinguisher according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The sheet is configured such that a first waterproof sheet and a second waterproof sheet are disposed between the two cover sheets, the first waterproof sheet and the second waterproof sheet being disposed between the two cover sheets,
A fire extinguishing apparatus characterized in that the first cover sheet, the first waterproof sheet, the second waterproof sheet and the second cover sheet are sewn together in a stacked state so that an extinguishing agent distribution path is formed between the first waterproof sheet and the second waterproof sheet, with the extinguishing agent supply port and the release port disposed therebetween.
8. A fire extinguisher according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the cover sheet is formed from a cloth-like material having fire resistance, fire resistance, heat resistance, heat insulation, flame insulation, smoke insulation or flame retardancy.
9. A fire extinguisher according to claim 1, further comprising wetting means for causing the extinguishing agent to flow into the inside of the sheet to wet the sheet.
A fire extinguisher according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
a discharge port array element including a plurality of discharge ports arranged in a row, the discharge port array element being configured to supply the extinguishant from both ends of the discharge port array element, the extinguishant flow path being disposed in the discharge port array element so as to supply the extinguishant from both ends of the discharge port array element.
A fire extinguisher according to any one of claims 3 to 10,
A fire extinguisher characterized in that it is installed on at least one of an opening, a wall surface , and a ceiling surface of the protective compartment.
A fire extinguisher according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
A fire extinguisher comprising: a pressure buffer means for temporarily retaining the extinguishant supplied to the extinguishant flow path at a predetermined position in the extinguishant flow path to keep the increase in extinguishant supply pressure below a predetermined level.
13. The fire extinguisher according to claim 12,
A fire extinguisher comprising: a second pressure buffer means for limiting an increase in extinguishant supply pressure to a predetermined level or less, the second pressure buffer means being provided in the extinguishant supply port.
A fire extinguishing system using the fire extinguishing device according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
an extinguishing agent pipe for supplying an extinguishing agent to the fire extinguishing device;
A water supply pipe for supplying water to the extinguishing agent pipe;
Equipped with
One end side of the extinguishing agent pipe is connected to the extinguishing agent supply port of the fire extinguishing device ,
The other end of the extinguishing agent pipe is connected to the water pipe via a pipe opening/closing means for opening and closing a pipe flow path by remote control or manually,
When a fire occurs , tap water from the water pipe is supplied to the extinguishing agent supply port and discharged from the discharge port into the protected compartment.
A fire extinguishing system using the fire extinguishing device according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
an extinguishing agent pipe for supplying an extinguishing agent to the fire extinguishing device;
a fire extinguishing agent supply device for supplying a fire extinguishing agent to the fire extinguishing agent pipe;
Equipped with
One end side of the extinguishing agent pipe is connected to the extinguishing agent supply port of the fire extinguishing device ,
The other end of the extinguishing agent pipe is connected to the extinguishing agent supply device,
When a fire occurs , the extinguishing agent is supplied from the extinguishing agent supply device to the extinguishing agent supply port and discharged from the discharge port of the extinguishing device into the protected compartment.
A fire extinguishing system using the fire extinguishing device according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
an extinguishing agent pipe for supplying an extinguishing agent to the fire extinguishing device;
a fire extinguishing agent supply device for supplying a fire extinguishing agent to the fire extinguishing agent pipe;
A water supply pipe for supplying water to the extinguishing agent pipe;
Equipped with
One end side of the extinguishing agent pipe is connected to the extinguishing agent supply port of the fire extinguishing device ,
The other end of the extinguishing agent pipe is connected to the water pipe via a pipe opening/closing means for opening and closing a pipe flow path by remote control or manually,
a fire extinguishing agent supplying device is connected to a pipe branched from between one end of the fire extinguishing agent pipe and the pipe opening/ closing means via a backflow prevention means for preventing backflow of tap water from the fire extinguishing agent pipe side to the fire extinguishing agent supplying device side;
When a fire occurs , an extinguishing agent from the extinguishing agent supply device or tap water from the water pipe is supplied to the extinguishing agent supply port and discharged into the protected compartment from the discharge port of the extinguishing device.
The fire extinguishing system according to claim 16,
This fire extinguishing equipment is characterized in that, when a fire occurs, the piping opening/closing means is in a closed state and the extinguishing agent from the extinguishing agent supply device is discharged from the discharge outlet of the sheet, and after the extinguishing agent has been discharged from the extinguishing agent supply device, the piping opening/closing means can be manually opened to switch to discharging tap water.
17. The fire extinguishing system according to claim 14 or 16, wherein the pipe opening and closing means comprises:
a remote on-off valve that is opened by remote control based on a control signal from a fire detection device in response to a fire outbreak in the protected area;
a manual on-off valve that is connected in parallel to the remote on-off valve and that is opened by manual operation;
A fire extinguishing system comprising:
The fire extinguishing system according to claim 15 or 16,
a connecting means for detachably connecting the extinguishing agent supplying device to the extinguishing agent piping.
20. The fire extinguishing system according to claim 19,
A fire extinguishing system comprising : a second pressure buffer means for limiting an increase in extinguishing agent supply pressure to a predetermined level in at least one of the extinguishing agent piping and the connecting means.
A fire extinguishing system for a warehouse using the fire extinguishing apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 13,
The warehouse is:
A storage shelf having a plurality of storage sections arranged therein;
A conveying means for conveying the article into and out of the storage section;
Equipped with
The fire extinguishing equipment is arranged to separate a predetermined target compartment including a location of a fire in the storage shelf and release a fire extinguishing agent into the target compartment.
The fire extinguishing system according to claim 21,
The storage shelf has the plurality of storage units arranged therein,
the predetermined target section is the storage section or the row of storage sections,
The fire extinguishing apparatus is provided corresponding to the storage section or the row of storage sections, and when a fire occurs in the storage section or the row of storage sections, the fire extinguishing apparatus separates the storage section or the row of storage sections and releases a fire extinguishing agent.
23. The fire extinguishing system according to claim 22,
The storage unit or the storage unit row has a closed structural surface and an open opening surface,
The fire extinguishing equipment is provided in correspondence with the opening surface of the storage unit or the row of storage units.
A fire extinguishing system according to any one of claims 21 to 23, which refers to claim 4 ,
A fire detection means is provided for detecting a fire in each of the target compartments,
When a fire is detected by the fire detection means, a fire extinguishing agent is supplied to the sheet deployment means of the fire extinguishing apparatus corresponding to the target compartment where the fire was detected, and the sheet is released from its undeployed state and deployed.

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