JP7771302B2 - Fire prevention systems and fire detectors - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a disaster prevention system equipped with a fire detector that detects fires in a detection area, and to that fire detector.

Traditionally, tunnels on expressways and other roads are equipped with fire detectors to monitor fires and protect people and vehicles from fires that may occur within the tunnel. These detectors are connected to signal lines drawn from the disaster prevention receiving panel.

The fire detectors have detection areas on both the left and right sides, and are placed consecutively along the length of the tunnel, for example, at intervals of 25m or 50m, so that the detection areas of adjacent fire detectors overlap in a complementary manner.

In addition, fire detectors monitor radiation, such as infrared rays, from fire flames occurring inside the tunnel through translucent windows, and to maintain their flame monitoring function, sensitivity tests are conducted to monitor the sensitivity of the light-receiving elements and dirt tests are conducted to monitor dirt on the translucent windows.

When a test signal periodically transmitted from the disaster prevention receiving panel is received, the light receiving element's sensitivity is tested by shining test light equivalent to light from a simulated flame from a test light source onto the light receiving element to detect the light receiving sensitivity. The received light value is corrected using a correction value that is the reciprocal of the detection sensitivity until the light receiving sensitivity drops to a predetermined threshold sensitivity. If the detection sensitivity drops to the predetermined sensitivity threshold and correction is no longer possible, a light receiving element failure signal is sent to the disaster prevention receiving panel, which outputs a sensor failure alarm. In addition, a warning sensitivity threshold higher than the sensitivity threshold is set, and if the detection sensitivity falls below the warning sensitivity threshold, a warning alarm of abnormal sensitivity is output.

When a test signal periodically transmitted from the disaster prevention receiving panel is received, the contamination test for the light-transmitting window involves shining test light from a test light source installed on the outside of the fire detector onto the light-transmitting window, receiving the light with a light-receiving element to determine the light attenuation rate, and if the light attenuation rate exceeds a predetermined contamination threshold, sending an abnormal contamination signal to the disaster prevention receiving panel and outputting a contamination alarm. A lower warning threshold for contamination is also set, and if the light attenuation rate exceeds the warning threshold for contamination, a warning alarm for abnormal contamination is output.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-325271 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-246962 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-128381 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-026446 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-315285 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-249520 Patent No. 5302086 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-246552 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-035818 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-236577 JP 2014-149866 A

However, such conventional fire detector tests are unable to detect faults other than those caused by lightning strikes or other malfunctions in the light-receiving element and its signal processing circuit, or by dirt on the translucent window. Over a long period of operation, fire detectors often suddenly malfunction even when they appear to be operating normally, with no sensor failures detected in sensitivity tests or abnormal dirt detected in dirt tests. This raises the risk that the reliability of tunnel disaster prevention systems cannot be ensured.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a disaster prevention system and fire detector that can monitor fire detectors for abnormalities that cannot be detected by sensitivity tests or contamination tests, and can issue an alert before a malfunction occurs.

(Disaster prevention system)
The present invention is a disaster prevention system provided with a fire detector that detects light energy from a fire in a detection area using a light receiving sensor,
The abnormality determination unit determines a deterioration abnormality in a functional component that is recognized as a deterioration state prior to reaching a failure abnormality, which is a failure state of a functional component that constitutes the fire detector, and notifies the deterioration abnormality determined by the abnormality determination unit;
The abnormality determination unit is characterized in that during a sensitivity test to test the detection sensitivity of the light receiving sensor and during a dirt test which is a test different from the sensitivity test and which monitors dirt on the translucent window through which external light energy passes when it enters the light receiving sensor, it obtains information different from both the information on the detection sensitivity of the light receiving sensor and the information on the dirt on the translucent window, which is information on the voltage or current related to the operation of the functional component, and determines a deterioration abnormality based on the information on the voltage or current.

(Fire detector)
The present invention also provides a fire detector that detects light energy from a fire in a detection area using a light receiving sensor,
The abnormality determination unit determines whether a functional component that constitutes the fire detector has a deterioration abnormality that is recognized as a deterioration state prior to reaching a failure abnormality, which is a failure state of the functional component, and transmits the determination result of the deterioration abnormality determined by the abnormality determination unit;
The abnormality determination unit is characterized in that during a sensitivity test to test the detection sensitivity of the light receiving sensor and during a dirt test which is a test different from the sensitivity test and which monitors dirt on the translucent window through which external light energy passes when it enters the light receiving sensor, it obtains information different from both the information on the detection sensitivity of the light receiving sensor and the information on the dirt on the translucent window, which is information on the voltage or current related to the operation of the functional component, and determines a deterioration abnormality based on the information on the voltage or current.

(Disaster prevention systems and fire detectors)
The present invention relates to a disaster prevention system and fire detector equipped with a fire detector that uses a light-receiving sensor to detect light energy from a fire in a detection area, and the fire detector is equipped with an abnormality judgment unit that judges abnormal deterioration of functional components that are recognized as being in a deteriorated state before reaching a failure abnormality, which is a failure state of at least the functional components that make up the fire detector, and the abnormality judgment unit acquires information related to the voltage or current pertaining to the operation of the functional component, which is different from both information related to the detection sensitivity of the light-receiving sensor and information related to the dirt on the light-transmitting window, during a sensitivity test that tests the detection sensitivity of the light-receiving sensor and during a dirt test that is a different test from the sensitivity test and that monitors dirt on the light-transmitting window through which external light energy passes when incident on the light-receiving sensor, and judges abnormal deterioration based on the information related to the voltage or current, so that there is no need for a dedicated test for abnormal deterioration, and abnormal deterioration can be judged in conjunction with tests related to abnormal detection sensitivity, such as a sensitivity test or a dirt test, thereby shortening the test time.

(Effect of identifying the functional component where the deterioration abnormality occurred)
Furthermore, the abnormality determination unit determines whether a deterioration abnormality has occurred in each of the multiple functional components of the fire detector that are the subject of deterioration abnormality determination, thereby making it possible to identify the functional component in which the deterioration abnormality has occurred.This makes it possible to take measures such as replacing the fire detector that is experiencing the deterioration abnormality with a spare fire detector before it malfunctions, and makes it possible to continuously maintain the reliability of fire monitoring and identify the part where the deterioration abnormality has occurred, even if the system deteriorates over time.

An explanatory diagram showing the overview of the tunnel disaster prevention system Block diagram showing the functional configuration of the disaster prevention receiving panel An explanatory diagram showing the appearance of a fire detector Block diagram showing the functional configuration of a fire detector Flowchart showing the control operation of the disaster prevention receiving panel Flowchart showing the control operation of the fire detector

[Outline of tunnel disaster prevention system]
Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of a tunnel disaster prevention system. As shown in Fig. 1, an inbound tunnel 1a and an outbound tunnel 1b are constructed as tunnels for a motorway.

In the up-track tunnel 1a and down-track tunnel 1b, fire detectors 12 are installed along the walls in the longitudinal direction of the tunnel, for example at intervals of 25 or 50 meters. Each fire detector 12 has two sets of fire detection units, providing detection areas in both the up-track and down-track directions of the tunnel. They are continuously arranged along the longitudinal direction of the tunnel so that the detection areas of adjacent fire detectors overlap in a complementary manner, and fires are detected by observing radiation, such as infrared rays, from flames caused by a fire within the detection area.

In addition, emergency facilities such as manual reporting devices and emergency telephones for reporting fires, fire hydrant systems for extinguishing fires and preventing the spread of fires, and water sprayers that spray fire-fighting water from water spray heads to protect the tunnel body and ducts from fires are also installed in the up-track tunnel 1a and down-track tunnel 1b, but these are not shown in the illustration.

Transmission lines 14a and 14b, including power lines, are extended from the disaster prevention receiving panel 10 to the up-line tunnel 1a and the down-line tunnel 1b, connecting the fire detectors 12, and a unique address is assigned to each line of the fire detectors 12.

The disaster prevention receiving panel 10 is also equipped with a fire pump system 16, duct cooling pump system 18, IG substation system 20, ventilation system 22, warning display board system 24, radio rebroadcast system 26, television monitoring system 28, and lighting system 30. Except for the IG substation system 20, which is connected via a data transmission line, all other equipment is individually connected to the disaster prevention receiving panel 10 via P-type signal lines. Here, the IG substation system 20 is a communications facility that connects the disaster prevention receiving panel 10 to the remote monitoring and control system 32, an externally installed higher-level facility, via a network.

Ventilation equipment 22 is a device that imparts energy to the air inside the tunnel by operating jet fans installed on the ceiling side of the tunnel to blow out air at high speeds, creating a ventilation flow in the longitudinal direction of the tunnel.

The warning display board equipment 24 is equipment that notifies tunnel users of any abnormalities inside the tunnel by displaying them on an electronic display board. The radio rebroadcast equipment 26 is equipment that allows drivers and others inside the tunnel to receive information from the road administrator. The television monitoring equipment 28 is equipment that confirms the size and location of a fire, activates water spray equipment, and grasps the situation inside the tunnel when providing evacuation guidance. The lighting equipment 30 is equipment that drives and manages the lighting equipment inside the tunnel.

[Disaster prevention receiving panel]
Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of the functional configuration of the disaster prevention receiving panel 10. As shown in Fig. 2, the disaster prevention receiving panel 10 includes a panel control unit 34. The panel control unit 34 has functions realized by, for example, executing a program, and uses, as hardware, a computer circuit equipped with a CPU, memory, various input/output ports, etc.

Transmission units 36a and 36b are provided for the panel control unit 34, and multiple fire detectors 12 installed in the up-line tunnel 1a and the down-line tunnel 1b are connected to transmission lines 14a and 14b drawn from the transmission units 36a and 36b, respectively.

The panel control unit 34 is also provided with an alarm unit 38 equipped with a speaker, alarm indicator lights, etc., a display unit 40 equipped with an LCD display, printer, etc., an operation unit 42 equipped with various switches, etc., and a modem 44 connecting to the IG slave station equipment 20 which communicates with external monitoring equipment. Furthermore, an IO unit 46 is also provided to which the fire pump equipment 16, cooling pump equipment 18, ventilation equipment 22, alarm display board equipment 24, radio rebroadcasting equipment 26, television monitoring equipment 28, and lighting equipment 30 shown in Figure 1 are connected.

The panel control unit 34 instructs the transmission units 36a and 36b to repeatedly send call signals including polling commands that sequentially specify the addresses of the fire detectors 12. When the fire detectors 12 receive a call signal that matches their own address, they return a response signal that includes their own status information, such as fire detection and test results.

In addition, if the panel control unit 34 of the disaster prevention receiving panel 10 detects a fire by receiving a response signal from the fire detector 12, it controls the alarm unit 38 to output a fire alarm and also instructs the interlocking control of other equipment via the IO unit 46.

In addition, when the system is started up or at predetermined intervals during operation, the panel control unit 34 sends a test signal containing a test instruction command that sequentially specifies the addresses of the fire detectors 12, causing the fire detectors 12 to perform sensitivity tests, contamination tests, and deterioration tests and respond with the results of each test. It is also possible to send a test signal to an individual fire detector to perform a test by specifying the address of a specific fire detector 12 using the operation unit 42.

In addition, when the panel control unit 34 receives a response signal indicating a sensitivity abnormality obtained by a sensitivity test of the fire detector 12, it instructs the alarm unit 38 and display unit 40 to issue a sensitivity abnormality warning alarm specifying the fire detector's address, and controls the system to notify the user by audible alarm, display, and printing.

In addition, when the panel control unit 34 receives a response signal indicating a sensor failure obtained by a sensitivity test of the fire detector 12, it instructs the alarm unit 38 and display unit 40 to issue a sensor failure alarm specifying the address of the fire detector, and controls the alarm to be notified by an alarm sound, display, or printout.

In addition, when the panel control unit 34 receives a contamination abnormality warning signal obtained by a contamination test of the fire detector 12, it instructs the alarm unit 38 and display unit 40 to issue a contamination abnormality warning alarm specifying the fire detector's address, and controls the system to notify the user by alarm sound, display, and printing.

In addition, when the panel control unit 34 receives a response signal indicating abnormal contamination obtained from the contamination test of the fire detector 12, it instructs the alarm unit 38 and display unit 40 to issue a contamination alarm specifying the address of the fire detector, and controls the alarm to be sounded, displayed, and printed.

In addition, when the panel control unit 34 receives a response signal indicating a deterioration abnormality obtained through a deterioration test of the fire detector 12, it instructs the alarm unit 38 and display unit 40 to issue a deterioration abnormality warning alarm specifying the fire detector's address, and controls the unit to issue a warning by audible alarm, display, and printout.

In addition, when the panel control unit 34 receives a response signal indicating a deterioration abnormality obtained through a deterioration test of the fire detector 12, it instructs the alarm unit 38 and display unit 40 to issue a deterioration abnormality alarm specifying the address of the fire detector, and controls the unit to issue an alarm by sound, display, or printout.

In addition, when the panel control unit 34 receives a response signal indicating a warning, failure, or abnormality obtained from the sensitivity test, contamination test, and deterioration test of the fire detector 12, it transmits the signal from the modem 44 to the remote monitoring and control equipment 32 via the IG slave station equipment 20 shown in Figure 1, and controls the issuance of a warning alarm, failure alarm, or abnormality alarm.

Furthermore, based on operation of the operation unit 42 using the display of the display unit 40, the panel control unit 34 controls changes to the thresholds set in the fire detectors 12 for determining sensitivity abnormalities, contamination abnormalities, and deterioration abnormalities, as well as the warning thresholds for determining warnings of sensitivity abnormalities, contamination abnormalities, and deterioration abnormalities. The control for changing these thresholds and warning thresholds can change the thresholds or warning thresholds of all fire detectors 12 at once, or it can change the thresholds or warning thresholds of a specific fire detector 12 by specifying an address.

In the following description, when there is no need to distinguish between the transmission paths 14a and 14b and the transmission units 36a and 36b, they may be referred to as the transmission path 14 and the transmission unit 36.

[Fire detector]
(Appearance of a fire detector)
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the appearance of the fire detector, and FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an outline of the functional configuration of the fire detector.

As shown in Figure 3, the fire detector 12 has two pairs of light-transmitting windows 50R, 50L, separated into left and right, in a sensor storage section 51 provided at the top of the housing 49, with a sensor section disposed within each of the light-transmitting windows 50R, 50L. In addition, two pairs of light-transmitting test light source windows 52R, 52L, which house external test light sources used for soiling tests of the light-transmitting windows 50R, 50L, are provided near the light-transmitting windows 50R, 50L in positions that allow the sensor sections to be seen.

In the following description, the light-transmitting window 50R may be referred to as the right-eye light-transmitting window 50R, and the light-transmitting window 50L may be referred to as the left-eye light-transmitting window 50L.

(Outline of fire detector configuration)
4, the fire detector 12 is provided with a detector control unit 54, a transmission unit 56, a power supply unit 58, two sets of left and right fire detection units 60R, 60L, a test light emission drive unit 72, internal test light sources 74R, 75R and internal test light sources 74L, 75L used in sensitivity tests, and external test light sources 76R, 76L used in dirt tests. In the following description, the fire detection unit 60R may be referred to as the right-eye fire detection unit 60R, and the fire detection unit 60L may be referred to as the left-eye fire detection unit 60L.

The detector control unit 54 is a function realized, for example, by executing a program, and uses hardware such as a computer circuit equipped with a CPU, memory, various input/output ports, etc.

The transmission unit 56 is connected to the transmission unit 36 of the disaster prevention receiving panel 10 shown in Figure 2 via the serial transmission line S and serial transmission common line SC of the transmission path 14, and transmits and receives various signals via serial transmission.

The power supply unit 58 receives power from the disaster prevention receiving panel 10 shown in Figure 2 via the power line B and power common line BC included in the transmission path 14, and is supplied with predetermined power supply voltages Vcc1 to Vcc5, divided into circuit blocks such as the detector control unit 54, transmission unit 56, two sets of fire detection units (left and right) 60R and 60L, and test light emission driver 72.

Here, power supply voltage Vcc1 is supplied to the transmission unit 56, power supply voltage Vcc2 is supplied to the detector control unit 54, power supply voltage Vcc3 is supplied to the fire detection unit 60R, power supply voltage Vcc4 is supplied to the fire detection unit 60L, and power supply voltage Vcc5 is supplied to the test light emission drive unit 72.

A voltage and current detection unit 78 is individually provided on the power supply line from the power supply unit 58 to each circuit block, detecting the power supply voltage and current consumption for each circuit block and outputting the results to the detector control unit 54. The voltage and current detection unit 78 detects voltage by directly extracting the voltage from the power supply line, and detects current by inserting a low-voltage current detection resistor into the power supply line and extracting the voltage across it as the current detection voltage.

The test light emission driver 72 is connected to internal test light sources 74R, 75R, 74L, and 75L used for sensitivity testing, as well as external test light sources 76R and 76L used for contamination testing, each of which is equipped with an LED as a light-emitting element.

(Fire detection section)
The fire detection units 60R, 60L each include a sensor unit 64, 68 and an amplification processing unit 66, 70. Taking the right fire detection unit 60R as an example, a right light-transmitting window 50R provided in the detector cover is disposed in front of the sensor unit 64, 68, and light energy from the external detection area is incident on the sensor unit 64, 68 through the right light-transmitting window 50R.

The right-eye fire detection unit 60R monitors fires, for example, using two-wavelength flame detection. The sensor unit 64 selectively transmits (passes) radiation in the 4.4 to 4.5 μm range, which is the CO2 resonance radiation band specific to flames, from the light energy incident through the right-eye translucent window 50R using an optical wavelength bandpass filter. The light receiving sensor detects the radiation energy and performs photoelectric conversion. The amplifier processing unit 66 then performs amplification and other required processing to convert the received light signal corresponding to the amount of energy, which is then output to the detector control unit 54.

The sensor unit 68 selectively transmits (passes) radiant energy of 5 to 6 μm from the light energy incident through the left eye translucent window 50L using an optical wavelength bandpass filter, detects the radiation energy using a light receiving sensor and performs photoelectric conversion, and then performs predetermined processing such as amplification using the amplifier processing unit 70 to convert the received light signal corresponding to the amount of energy and output it to the detector control unit 54.

The amplification processing units 66 and 70 are equipped with a preamplifier, a filter that passes the flame fluctuating frequency band, a power amplifier, etc.

(Fire judgment)
The detector control unit 54 is provided with the function of a fire determination unit 80, which is a function realized by executing a program. The fire determination unit 80 determines the presence or absence of a flame by, for example, taking the relative ratio of the light reception values (light reception signal levels) output from the amplification processing units 66, 70 of the right eye fire detection unit 60R and comparing it with a predetermined threshold value. If the fire determination unit 80 determines that a flame is present and detects a fire, it instructs the transmission unit 56 to set fire detection information in a response signal to a call signal that matches its own address and transmits the response signal to the disaster prevention receiving panel 10.

(Sensitivity test)
The detector control unit 54 is provided with the function of a sensitivity test unit 82, which is a function realized by executing a program. The sensitivity test unit 82 operates when it receives a test signal specifying its own address from the disaster prevention receiving panel 10 via the transmission unit 56, and instructs the test light emission drive unit 72 to sequentially drive the internal test light sources 74R, 75R, 74L, and 75L to emit light to perform a sensitivity test of the fire detection units 60R and 60L.

For example, in a sensitivity test of the circuit system of the sensor unit 64 and amplification processing unit 66 in the right eye fire detection unit 60R, the test light emission driver 72 drives the internal test light sources 74R and 75R to emit light, causing simulated flame light equivalent to a fire flame to be incident on the sensor unit 64. The simulated flame light from the internal test light source 74R contains radiation energy of 4.4 to 4.5 μm, which is specific to flames and received by the sensor unit 64, and 5 to 6 μm, which is received by the sensor unit 68, and is light with a fluctuation frequency of 8 to 12 Hz, which is specific to flames.

The sensitivity test unit 82 performs sensitivity tests on the circuit blocks of the sensor unit 64 and the amplification processing unit 66, and the sensor unit 68 and the amplification processing unit 70.

For example, in sensitivity tests of the circuit blocks of the sensor unit 64 and amplification processing unit 66, a reference light reception value that is initially set at the time of shipment from the factory is stored in memory, and the detected light reception value obtained in a sensitivity test at system startup matches the reference light reception value, with the detection sensitivity obtained by dividing the detected light reception value by the reference light reception value being 1. As the operating period passes, the detected light reception value gradually decreases, and the detection sensitivity decreases to 0.9, 0.8, 0.7, and so on.

When the detection sensitivity drops below 1 in this way, the sensitivity test unit 82 determines the detection sensitivity through a sensitivity test, and also determines a correction value that is the reciprocal of the detection sensitivity and stores it in memory. The received light value detected during subsequent operation is then multiplied by the correction value to correct the sensitivity, and the fire detection unit 80 determines a fire based on the sensitivity-corrected received light value.

The sensitivity test unit 82 is also preset with a sensitivity threshold value corresponding to the limit at which sensitivity correction becomes impossible, for example, a sensitivity threshold value of 0.5. If the detection sensitivity determined in the sensitivity test is equal to or falls below the sensitivity threshold value, it determines that the failure is due to abnormal sensitivity of the sensor unit 64, and instructs the transmission unit 56 to set sensor failure information in a response signal to a call signal that matches its own address and transmit this to the disaster prevention receiving panel 10. Note that, to ensure a reliable determination of sensor failure, the sensitivity test unit 82 may transmit a response signal setting a sensor failure if it determines multiple consecutive times that the failure is due to abnormal sensitivity.

The sensitivity test unit 82 is also preset with a predetermined abnormal sensitivity warning threshold that is greater than the sensitivity threshold, for example, 0.6. If the detection sensitivity determined in the sensitivity test is equal to or falls below the abnormal sensitivity warning threshold, it determines that a failure due to abnormal sensitivity of the sensor unit 64 is imminent, and instructs the transmission unit 56 to include abnormal sensitivity warning information in a response signal to a call signal that matches its own address and transmit it to the disaster prevention receiving panel 10.

A sensitivity test of the circuit system of the sensor unit 68 and amplification processing unit 70 in the left eye fire detection unit 60L is also performed in a similar manner by driving the internal test light sources 74L and 75L to emit light using the test light emission drive unit 72.

(Stain test)
The detector control unit 54 is provided with the function of a dirt test unit 84, which is a function realized by executing a program. The dirt test unit 84 operates when it receives a test signal specifying its own address from the disaster prevention receiving panel 10 via the transmission unit 56, and instructs the test light emission drive unit 72 to sequentially drive the external test light sources 76R, 76L to emit light and perform a dirt test on the light-transmitting windows 50R, 50L.

For example, in the case of a stain test on the light-transmitting window 50R, the test light emission driver 72 drives the external test light source 76R to emit light, causing simulated flame light equivalent to a fire flame to enter the sensor unit 64 through the light-transmitting window 50R. The simulated flame light from the external test light source 76R contains radiation energy in the 4.4 to 4.5 μm range specific to flames received by the sensor unit 64 and the 5 to 6 μm range received by the sensor unit 68, and is light with a fluctuation frequency of 8 to 12 Hz specific to flames.

The light-transmitting window 50R is clean when shipped from the factory, and the light reception value obtained in the dirt test at that time is stored in memory as the reference light reception value and is used to calculate the light attenuation rate.

The detected light reception value obtained in the dirt test at system startup matches the reference light reception value, and the light attenuation rate obtained by subtracting the detected light reception value from the reference light reception value and dividing the result by the reference light reception value is 0. As the operation period progresses, dirt accumulates on the translucent window 50R, and the light attenuation rate gradually increases to 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, etc.

When the light attenuation rate increases in this way, the dirt test unit 84 calculates the light attenuation rate through a dirt test, calculates a correction value that is the reciprocal of (1 - light attenuation rate), and stores this in memory. The received light value detected during subsequent operation (the received light value corrected by the correction value from the sensitivity test) is then divided by the correction value to perform a dirt correction, and the fire detection unit 80 determines a fire based on the dirt-corrected received light value. Note that the received light value detected during operation is corrected by the correction value obtained in the sensitivity test and the correction value obtained in the dirt test described above.

The dirt test unit 84 also has a preset dirt threshold, for example, a dirt threshold of 0.5, which is the light attenuation rate corresponding to the limit at which dirt correction becomes impossible. If the light attenuation rate determined in the dirt test is equal to or exceeds the dirt threshold, it determines that there is a dirt abnormality that makes dirt correction of the translucent window 50R impossible, and instructs the transmission unit 56 to set dirt abnormality information in a response signal to a call signal that matches its own address and transmit it to the disaster prevention receiving panel 10.

The sensitivity test unit 82 is also preset with a predetermined contamination warning threshold that is smaller than the contamination threshold, for example, a contamination warning threshold of 0.4. If the light attenuation rate determined in the contamination test is equal to or exceeds the contamination warning threshold, it determines that a contamination abnormality is imminent and instructs the transmission unit 56 to include contamination abnormality warning information in a response signal to a call signal that matches its own address and transmit it to the disaster prevention receiving panel 10.

(Deterioration test)
The detector control unit 54 is provided with the function of a deterioration test unit 86 as a function realized by executing a program.

When the degradation test unit 86 receives a test signal specifying its own address from the disaster prevention receiving panel 10 via the transmission unit 56 and the sensitivity test unit 82 and contamination test unit 84 operate sequentially to perform sensitivity and contamination tests, it periodically reads from the A/D conversion port the detection signals of the power supply voltages Vcc1 to Vcc5 and the consumption currents (power supply currents) Icc1 to Icc5 being tested, detected by the voltage and current detection unit 78 provided on the power supply line to each circuit block, and stores them in memory. It then calculates the average values of the multiple power supply voltages and consumption currents stored in memory as the internal voltages and consumption currents of each circuit block, determines whether a degradation abnormality has occurred based on changes in the measured internal voltages or consumption currents, and instructs the transmission unit 56 to set degradation failure information in a response signal to a call signal that matches its own address and transmits the response signal to the disaster prevention receiving panel 10.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that the internal voltage and current consumption will decrease as each circuit block of the fire detector 12 deteriorates. For this reason, the memory of the detector control unit 54 stores the internal voltage and current consumption of each circuit block measured through testing before shipping from the factory as reference values, and also stores predetermined voltage and current thresholds that determine how much a decrease from these reference values is required to determine a deterioration abnormality. Furthermore, predetermined warning voltage and current thresholds that provide a warning before determining a deterioration abnormality are also stored in advance.

The degradation test unit 86 functions as an abnormality determination unit that determines whether a degradation abnormality has occurred. If the internal voltage measured for each circuit block is at or below a predetermined voltage threshold, or if the measured current consumption is at or below a predetermined current threshold, it determines that a degradation abnormality has occurred, and instructs the transmission unit 56 to set degradation failure information in a response signal to a call signal that matches its own address and transmit the response signal to the disaster prevention receiving panel 10. Note that, to ensure a reliable determination of a degradation abnormality, the degradation test unit 86 may be configured to transmit a response signal set with degradation failure information if it determines that a degradation abnormality has occurred multiple times in succession.

Furthermore, if the internal voltage of a circuit block measured through the sensitivity test and contamination test is at or below the warning voltage threshold, or if the measured current consumption is at or below the warning current threshold, the deterioration test unit 86 determines that the circuit block is nearing a deterioration abnormality and instructs the transmission unit 56 to include warning information about the deterioration abnormality in a response signal to a call signal that matches its own address and transmit the response signal to the disaster prevention receiving panel 10.

Note that the degradation test performed by the degradation test unit 86 may also measure only the internal voltage or current consumption to determine the degree of degradation in the same manner as described above.

[Operation of disaster prevention monitoring system]
(Operation of the disaster prevention receiving panel)
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the disaster prevention receiving panel, which is the control operation by the panel control unit 34 provided in the disaster prevention receiving panel 10 of FIG.

As shown in Figure 5, when the power to the disaster prevention receiving panel 10 is turned on and the system is started up, the panel control unit 34 performs a predetermined initialization process in step S1, then proceeds to step S2 and performs fire monitoring processing.

For the fire monitoring process in step S2, the panel control unit 34 instructs the transmission units 36a and 36b to transmit call signals with sequentially specified addresses over the transmission paths 14a and 14b, and receives and processes response signals transmitted from fire detectors 12 with matching addresses. If the panel control unit 34 detects a fire upon receiving a response signal, it causes the alarm unit 38 to output a fire alarm and instructs the IO unit 46 to control interlocking with other equipment. It also transmits a fire detection signal via the modem 44 to the remote monitoring and control equipment 32 shown in Figure 1, causing a fire alarm to be output.

Next, when the panel control unit 34 determines in step S3 that a predetermined test timing, such as once a day, has arrived, it proceeds to step S4, where it transmits a test signal containing a test instruction command specifying the address of the first initially configured fire detector 12, causing the fire detector 12 to perform a sensitivity test, a contamination test, and a deterioration test.

Next, the process proceeds to step S5, and if the panel control unit 34 determines that it has received a response signal containing the test results from the fire detector 12 that was instructed to perform the test, it proceeds to step S6, where it notifies and stores the test results.

If the test result of step S6 indicates that a sensitivity abnormality warning has been obtained from the response signal, the panel control unit 34 instructs the alarm unit 38 and display unit 40 to output and display a sensitivity abnormality warning, and even to print it out, and also sends a sensitivity abnormality warning signal from the modem 44 to the remote monitoring and control equipment 32 via the IG slave station equipment 20 shown in Figure 1, causing the output of a sensitivity abnormality warning.

Furthermore, if sensor failure information is obtained from the response signal after issuing a sensitivity abnormality warning, the panel control unit 34 instructs the alarm unit 38 and display unit 40 to output and display a sensor failure warning, and even print it out, and also sends a sensor failure signal from the modem 44 to the remote monitoring and control equipment 32 via the IG slave station equipment 20 shown in Figure 1, causing a sensor failure warning to be output.

On the other hand, if the test result of step S6 indicates that a contamination abnormality warning has been obtained from the response signal, the panel control unit 34 instructs the alarm unit 38 and display unit 40 to output and display a contamination abnormality warning, and even print it out, and also sends a contamination abnormality warning signal from the modem 44 to the remote monitoring and control equipment 32 via the IG slave station equipment 20 shown in Figure 1, causing the output of a contamination abnormality warning.

Furthermore, if abnormal soiling information is obtained from the response signal, the panel control unit 34 instructs the alarm unit 38 and display unit 40 to output and display a soiling alarm and even print it out, and also sends an abnormal soiling signal from the modem 44 to the remote monitoring and control equipment 32 via the IG slave station equipment 20 shown in Figure 1, outputting an abnormal soiling alarm, and cleaning work is then carried out on the translucent window.

Furthermore, if the test result of step S6 indicates that a deterioration abnormality warning has been obtained from the response signal, the panel control unit 34 instructs the alarm unit 38 and display unit 40 to output and display a deterioration abnormality warning, and even print it out, and also sends a deterioration abnormality warning signal from the modem 44 to the remote monitoring and control equipment 32 via the IG slave station equipment 20 shown in Figure 1, causing the deterioration abnormality warning to be output.

Furthermore, if deterioration abnormality information is obtained from the response signal, the panel control unit 34 instructs the alarm unit 38 and display unit 40 to output and display a deterioration alarm, and even print it out. It also sends a deterioration abnormality signal from the modem 44 to the remote monitoring and control equipment 32 via the IG slave station equipment 20 shown in Figure 1, causing a deterioration abnormality alarm to be output, and measures such as replacing the fire detector with a spare one are taken.

Next, proceed to step S7, and repeat steps S4 to S7 until it is determined that testing has been completed for all addresses of the fire detector 12.

(Fire detector operation)
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the fire detector, which is the control operation by the detector control unit 54 provided in the fire detector 12 of FIG.

As shown in Figure 6, when the fire detector 12 is powered up by receiving power from the disaster prevention receiving panel 10, the detector control unit 54 performs a predetermined initialization process in step S11, then proceeds to step S12 to perform a fire detection process.

In the fire detection process of step S12, the detector control unit 54 reads the received light values output from the amplification processing units 66, 70 of the fire detection units 60R, 60L, corrects the received light values using the correction value obtained in the sensitivity test and the correction value obtained in the dirt test, calculates the ratio of the two, and if the ratio exceeds a predetermined threshold, determines that a fire has occurred. Instructs the transmission unit 56 to set fire detection information in a response signal to the call signal specifying its own address and transmit it to the disaster prevention receiving panel 10.

Next, when the detector control unit 54 determines in step S13 that it has received a test signal specifying its own address, it performs sensitivity testing, contamination testing, and deterioration testing in steps S14 to S16, and transmits the test results for each test to the disaster prevention receiving panel 10 via a response signal.

That is, in the sensitivity test process of step S14, the detector control unit 54 instructs the test light emission drive unit 72 to drive the internal test light sources 74R, 75R, 74L, and 75L to emit light, and by irradiating the flame test light on the sensor units 64 and 68, the detector control unit 54 reads the detected light reception value output from the amplification processing units 66 and 70, calculates the detection sensitivity based on the reference light reception value, calculates a sensitivity correction value, and stores it in memory.If the detection sensitivity is below the sensitivity abnormality warning threshold, the detector control unit 54 instructs the transmission unit 56 to send a response signal containing sensitivity abnormality warning information to the disaster prevention receiving panel 10.Furthermore, if the detection sensitivity is below the sensitivity abnormality threshold, the detector control unit 54 instructs the transmission unit 56 to send a response signal containing sensor malfunction information to the disaster prevention receiving panel 10.

Furthermore, in the dirt test process of step S15, the detector control unit 54 instructs the test light emission drive unit 72 to drive the external test light sources 76R, 76L to emit light, causing flame test light to enter the sensor units 64, 68 through the light-transmitting windows 50R, 50L, and reads the received light value output from the amplification processing unit 66, for example, and calculates the light attenuation rate based on the reference received light value, as well as a dirt correction value, which are stored in memory. If the light attenuation rate is equal to or greater than the dirt abnormality warning threshold, the detector control unit 54 instructs the transmission unit 56 to transmit a response signal containing the dirt abnormality warning information to the disaster prevention receiving panel 10. Furthermore, if the light attenuation rate is equal to or less than the dirt abnormality threshold, the detector control unit 54 instructs the transmission unit 56 to transmit a response signal containing the dirt abnormality information to the disaster prevention receiving panel 10.

Furthermore, in the deterioration test processing of step S16, the internal voltage and current consumption for each circuit block in the sensitivity test of step S14 and the dirt test of step S15 are determined based on the detection signal of the voltage/current detection unit 78, and if the internal voltage is below the predicted voltage threshold or the current consumption is below the predicted current threshold, the transmission unit 56 is instructed to send a response signal containing deterioration abnormality warning information to the disaster prevention receiving panel 10.Furthermore, if the internal voltage is below the voltage threshold or the current consumption is below the current threshold, the transmission unit 56 is instructed to send a response signal containing deterioration abnormality information to the disaster prevention receiving panel 10.

[Embodiment for determining deterioration abnormality using a disaster prevention receiving panel]
In another embodiment of the tunnel disaster prevention system, the deterioration test section 86 provided in the detector control section 54 of the fire detector 12 shown in Figure 4 measures the internal voltage and current consumption in a sensitivity test and a dirt test, and transmits a response signal setting the measured values of the internal voltage and current consumption to the disaster prevention receiving panel 10, and the panel control section 34 of the disaster prevention receiving panel 10 shown in Figure 2 is provided with the function of an abnormality determination section that determines deterioration abnormalities, and the deterioration of the detector circuit section is determined from the measured values of the internal voltage and current consumption during the test received from the fire detector 12 by the panel control section 34 of the disaster prevention receiving panel 10. For this reason, predetermined voltage thresholds and current thresholds for determining deterioration abnormalities, as well as predetermined warning voltage thresholds and warning current thresholds that are larger than those, are preset in the memory of the panel control section 34.

The panel control unit 34 determines whether the detector circuit has deteriorated in the same way as the deterioration testing unit 86 of the fire detector 12. If the internal voltage measured for each circuit block of the fire detector 12 is below or equal to the warning voltage threshold, or if the measured current consumption is below or equal to the warning current threshold, the panel control unit 34 determines that the circuit block is about to undergo a deterioration failure, and instructs the alarm unit 38 and display unit 40 to issue a warning alarm of a deterioration abnormality specifying the address of the fire detector 12, alerting the user by sound, display, or printing. The warning is then transmitted from the modem 44 to the remote monitoring and control equipment 32 via the IG slave station equipment 20 shown in Figure 1, and the warning of a deterioration abnormality is issued.

In addition, if the internal voltage measured for each circuit block of the fire detector 12 is below or equal to a predetermined voltage threshold, or if the measured current consumption is below or equal to a predetermined current threshold, the panel control unit 34 determines that a deterioration abnormality has occurred, and instructs the alarm unit 38 and display unit 40 to issue a deterioration abnormality alarm specifying the fire detector's address, alerting the user by sound, displaying on a display, or printing. The alarm is then transmitted from the modem 44 to the remote monitoring and control equipment 32 via the IG slave station equipment 20 shown in Figure 1, thereby controlling the alerting of the deterioration abnormality.

The panel control unit 34 also stores in memory the measured values of internal voltage and current consumption received from the fire detectors 12 as chronological log information. For example, based on a specified log output operation, the measured values of internal voltage and current consumption in chronological order can be displayed on a display in address order of the fire detectors 12, or printed out on a printer, making it possible to determine the degree of deterioration of the fire detectors 12 in address order. In this case, the chronological order can be set to days, weeks, months, or even a specified number of days, thereby emphasizing changes in internal voltage and current consumption due to deterioration.

In addition to displaying the internal voltage and current consumption numerically, the log information can also be output as a graph with time on the horizontal axis and voltage and current on the vertical axis.

Furthermore, the panel control unit 34 controls the changing of the threshold value for determining deterioration abnormalities and the warning threshold value for determining warning of deterioration abnormalities based on operation of the operation unit 42 using the display of the display unit 40. The control for changing the threshold value and warning threshold value can change the threshold value and warning threshold value of all fire detectors 12 simultaneously, or it can change the threshold value and warning threshold value of a specific fire detector 12 by specifying an address.

[Modifications of the present invention]
(Fire detector)
Although the above embodiment takes a two-wavelength fire detector as an example, other methods may be used. For example, in addition to the two wavelengths mentioned above, a three-wavelength flame detector may be used that detects radiation energy in a wavelength band around 3.8 μm, which is on the shorter wavelength side of the 4.4 to 4.5 μm band that is the resonance radiation band of CO2, using a method similar to that of the two-wavelength type, and determines the presence or absence of a flame based on the relative ratio of the received light signals in these three wavelength bands.

(Stain test)
In the above embodiment, the light attenuation rate is calculated using the light reception value obtained by the sensor unit 64 and amplification processing unit 66 provided in the fire detection units 60R and 60L using test light from the external test light sources 76R and 76L, but it is also possible to provide a sensor unit and amplification processing unit dedicated to dirt testing and calculate the light attenuation rate from the light reception value using test light from the external test light sources 76R and 76L.

(Deterioration test)
In the above embodiment, the degree of deterioration is judged on the assumption that the internal voltage and current consumption will decrease due to deterioration of the circuit block of the fire detector 12. However, depending on the circuit block, it is expected that the current consumption will increase due to leakage current caused by insulation deterioration, etc. Therefore, for example, a current threshold higher than a predetermined standard current consumption may be set for the current consumption, and if the current is equal to or exceeds this current threshold, it may be judged to be a deterioration abnormality and an abnormal deterioration alarm may be output.

(Measurement of internal voltage and current consumption of fire detector)
In the above embodiment, the power supply voltage and power supply current supplied to each circuit block from the power supply unit 58 of the fire detector 12 are measured as an internal voltage and a current consumption to determine the degree of deterioration, but the power supply voltage and power supply current supplied to all circuit units from the power supply unit 58 may also be measured as an internal voltage and a current consumption to determine the degree of deterioration. This allows for only one voltage/current detection unit 78 to be required, simplifying the circuit configuration and measurement process.

In addition, the internal voltage and current consumption used to determine the deterioration of the circuit section are measured during the sensitivity test and the dirt test, but they may also be measured during any other appropriate fire detector test. Furthermore, in addition to measuring the internal voltage and current consumption during the fire detector test, the internal voltage and current consumption may also be measured during a steady-state monitoring state when no test is being conducted to determine the degree of deterioration of the circuit section.

(Displays the list of abnormalities)
In addition, in order to notify abnormalities by the disaster prevention receiving panel 10, a list of abnormalities and a list of contamination alarms may be displayed on the same list.

(Handling of deteriorated and abnormal fire detectors)
In addition, the fire detection results of a deteriorated or abnormal fire detector may be set not to be used on the disaster prevention receiving panel side. This makes it possible to monitor fires using only normal detection results, reducing false fire alerts. In addition, in the above case, it is preferable to control the system so that the fire detection results of the deteriorated or abnormal fire detector are not used only when there are no abnormalities in adjacent detectors with overlapping detection ranges, in order to perform minimum monitoring.

(Fire detector indicator light)
In addition, fire detectors may be equipped with indicator lights that light up when an abnormality occurs. This allows workers responding to the abnormality to know at a glance which fire detector they should respond to. The abnormality indicator may also be set to light up only when a light-up permission signal is output from the disaster prevention receiving panel. This means that the abnormality indicator will not light up during normal use, so it will not attract the attention of drivers and others. Furthermore, by only lighting up the indicator during inspection, it will be possible to recognize the abnormality at a glance during inspection, and it is also possible to light up with an intensity that will attract attention.

(Fire detector log)
The fire detector may also store the current consumption, internal voltage, and deterioration detection status as a log in its own memory. The fire detector is connected to an external device such as an address setting device, and the log data stored in the memory is read out.

(others)
The present invention also includes appropriate modifications that do not impair the objects and advantages thereof, and is not limited to the numerical values shown in the above embodiments.

1a: Up line tunnel 1b: Down line tunnel 10: Disaster prevention receiving panel 12: Fire detector 14, 14a, 14b: Transmission line 16: Fire pump equipment 18: Cooling pump equipment 20: IG slave station equipment 22: Ventilation equipment 24: Alarm display board equipment 26: Radio rebroadcast equipment 28: Television monitoring equipment 30: Lighting equipment 32: Remote monitoring and control equipment 34: Panel control units 36, 36a, 36b, 56: Transmission unit 46: IO unit 50R, 50L: Light-transmitting window 51: Sensor storage section 52R, 52L: Light-transmitting window for test light source 54: Detector control section 58: Power supply section 60R, 60L: Fire detection section 64, 68: Sensor section 66, 70: Amplification processing section 72: Test light emission driving section 74R, 74L, 75R, 75L: Internal test light sources 76R, 76L: External test light source 78: Voltage/current detection section 80: Fire determination section 82: Sensitivity test section 84: Dirt test section 86: Deterioration test section

Claims (2)

A disaster prevention system equipped with a fire detector that detects light energy from a fire in a detection area with a light receiving sensor,
An abnormality determination unit determines a deterioration abnormality in a functional component that constitutes the fire detector and that is recognized as a deterioration state prior to reaching a failure abnormality, which is a failure state of a functional component that constitutes the fire detector, and notifies the deterioration abnormality determined by the abnormality determination unit;
A disaster prevention system characterized in that the abnormality determination unit obtains information regarding the voltage or current related to the operation of the functional component, which is different from both information regarding the detection sensitivity of the light receiving sensor and information regarding dirt on the light-transmitting window, during a sensitivity test that tests the detection sensitivity of the light receiving sensor and during a dirt test that is a test different from the sensitivity test that monitors dirt on the light-transmitting window through which the light energy from outside passes when it enters the light receiving sensor, and determines the deterioration abnormality based on the information regarding the voltage or current.
A fire detector that detects light energy from a fire in a detection area with a light receiving sensor,
an abnormality determination unit determines a deterioration abnormality in the functional component that is recognized as a deterioration state prior to reaching a failure abnormality, which is a failure state of a functional component that constitutes the fire detector, and transmits the determination result of the deterioration abnormality determined by the abnormality determination unit;
A fire detector characterized in that the abnormality determination unit obtains information regarding the voltage or current related to the operation of the functional component, which is different from both information regarding the detection sensitivity of the light receiving sensor and information regarding dirt on the light-transmitting window, during a sensitivity test that tests the detection sensitivity of the light receiving sensor and during a dirt test that is a test different from the sensitivity test that monitors dirt on the light-transmitting window through which the light energy from outside passes when it enters the light receiving sensor, and determines the deterioration abnormality based on the information regarding the voltage or current.