This disclosure relates generally to the technical fields of safety systems and, in one example embodiment, to a method and/or system of a breathable air safety system for civilians in a building structure in an emergency.
A civilian may be unable to escape out of a structure (e.g., a skyscraper, a building, etc.) when an emergency situation (e.g., a fire accident, an earthquake, etc.) occurs. The civilian may not be able to evacuate because he or she may be injured in an enclosed region (e.g., a room, an elevator, a stairwell, etc.) of the structure. In some instances, the civilian may be trapped on a floor above one in which there is a fire and/or chemical attack. The civilian may not be able to breathe because breathable air inside the structure may be unusable (e.g., depleted, contaminated, etc.). In addition, sometimes a task of locating the civilian trapped in the structure can be difficult because of hazards of the structure (e.g., structural problems, broken stairwells, high temperatures, etc). The civilian may not be able to communicate his or her position in the structure (e.g., may not be able to accurately describe where he or she is over a phone, may not have access to the phone, may not have a light/flare, etc.). It may take time for security services (e.g., of the structure) and/or emergency services (e.g., a firefighter, a police officer, a security guard, etc.) to reach the civilian. As a result, the civilian may suffocate in the structure because it may take too long for the for the security services (e.g., of the structure) and/or the emergency services to reach the civilian.
Breathable air safety system for civilian personnel is disclosed. In one aspect, the safety system includes a supply unit of a structure to facilitate delivery of breathable air from a source of compressed air to an air distribution system of the structure, a fill panel of the structure to provide a pressure of the breathable air (e.g., may be approximately 10 to 40 Pounds per Square Inch (PSI)) such that the pressure is suitable for direct human consumption through a breathable air apparatus (e.g., may be one of a respiratory mask, a face covering, and/or a protective breathing unit) coupled with the fill panel, and a routing mechanism of the structure to provide a routing between the fill panel and other fill panels of a particular floor through at least one of a wall, a ceiling, and a surface of the particular level of the structure.
The safety system may include a communication system of the fill panel to enable communication with security services (e.g., of the structure) and/or emergency services directly from the fill panel. In addition, the civilian air supply enclosure may be created using a fire rated material and may include a glass cover to provide access to users during an emergency. A breakable cover may also provide access the civilian air supply enclosure when the breakable cover is compromised.
An alarm may be triggered when the breakable cover and/or an enclosure door is compromised that may alert security services (e.g., of the structure) and/or emergency services to a location in the structure where rescue aid may be required. In addition the safety system may include a valve to prevent leakage of the breathable air from the air distribution system potentially leading to loss of system pressure. The safety system may also include a regulation module of the fill panel to maintain the pressure of the breathable air when other breathable air apparatuses are actively being used to deliver the breathable air through the fill panel.
The safety system may include any of a fire rated material and/or a fire rated assembly to enclose a piping of the air distribution system (e.g., the air distribution system may have an ability to withstand elevated temperatures for a prescribed period of time). The safety system may include a robust solid casing to encase the piping (e.g., may use any of a stainless steel, a metal, an aluminum and/or a thermoplastic material that may be compatible for use with compressed air) to prevent physical damage to the air distribution system potentially compromising safety and/or integrity of the air distribution system.
In another aspect, a method of a safety system in a structure may include transferring a breathable air from an air distribution system to a fill panel having a valve to regulate distribution of air to a civilian at a pressure suitable for direct human consumption through a breathable air apparatus coupled with the fill panel, detecting that a quality of the breathable air is safe to use, determining that a breakable cover of the fill panel is compromised, and transmitting a signal that provides a notification of a location of the fill panel to security services (e.g., of the structure) and/or emergency services.
A pressure of the breathable air may be approximately 10 to 40 Pounds per Square Inch (PSI). The breathable air apparatus may be one of a respiratory mask, a face covering (e.g., an elastic face covering), and/or a protective breathing unit.
The method may include providing a communication mechanism between the fill panel and the security services (e.g., of the structure) and/or emergency services through a telephone affixed to the fill panel. The method may maintain a pressure of the breathable air when breathable air apparatuses are actively being used to deliver the breathable air through the fill panel.
In yet another aspect, a fill panel includes a set of breathable air apparatuses coupled to the fill panel to deliver a breathable air from a distribution system to civilians of a building structure during an emergency through the set of breathable air apparatuses, and a regulation module to maintain a pressure of the breathable air when the set of breathable air apparatuses are actively being used to deliver the breathable air to the civilians.
A breathable air apparatus may be made of a mask with a cord and/or a fitting that may be connectable to the fill panel to facilitate delivering of the breathable air from the distribution system to the civilians.
The pressure of the breathable air may be approximately 10 to 40 Pounds per Square Inch (PSI) for each of the set of breathable air apparatuses such that the pressure may be suitable for direct human consumption through the set of a breathable air apparatuses. The breathable air apparatus may be one of a respiratory mask, a face covering, a protective breathing unit etc.
The fill panel may also include a communication mechanism to enable the civilians to communicate with security services (e.g., of the structure) and/or emergency services through a telephone affixed to the fill panel. In addition the fill panel may include a breakable cover affixed to the fill panel that may transmit a signal providing a notification of a location of the fill panel to security services (e.g., of the structure) and/or emergency services when the breakable cover is compromised.
The methods, systems, and apparatuses disclosed herein may be implemented in any means for achieving various aspects, and may be executed in a form of a machine-readable medium embodying a set of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform any of the operations disclosed herein. Other features will be apparent from the accompanied drawings and from the detailed description that follows.
Example embodiments are illustrated by ways of examples and not by limitation in the figures of the accompanied drawings, which represent references indicate similar elements and in which:
Other features of the present embodiments will be apparent from the accompanied drawings and from the detailed description that follows.
A breathable air safety system for a civilian is disclosed. Although the present embodiments have been described with reference to specific example embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the various embodiments.
In one embodiment, a safety system includes a supply unit (e.g., the supply unit 116 of
In another embodiment, a method of a safety system in a structure (e.g., the structure 122 of
In yet another embodiment, a fill panel (e.g., the civilian air supply enclosure 100A of
The civilian air supply enclosures 100A-N placed at several locations may facilitate the delivery of breathable air from a source of compressed air 118 to the air distribution system 150. The cross section 102 may be a cross sectional view of a safety system in a building structure. The stair well 104 may be a construction designed to bridge a large vertical distance by dividing it into smaller vertical distances (e.g., stairs, staircase etc.). The CO/moisture sensor 106 may be used to measure the carbon monoxide/moisture content in high pressure breathing air and/or medical air supplies and/or may provide an alarm when safety levels are exceeded.
The low pressure sensor 108 may be used to monitor pressure levels of the breathable air in the air distribution system 150 such that the pressure level may not drop below a threshold pressure level. The air monitoring system 110 may contain multiple sensors such as the CO/moisture sensor 106, the low pressure sensor 108, etc. to track quality of the breathable air in the air distribution system 150. The air storage subsystem 112 may provide an additional supply of air to the structure 122 in addition to the source of compressed air 118. The wireless module 114 may communicate with remote entities (e.g., a supply unit 116, a building administration 902 of
The supply unit 116 may facilitate delivery of breathable air from the source of compressed air 118 to the air distribution system of the structure 122. The source of compressed air 118 may be a place where the breathable air may be stored in a compressed form for emergency usages. The control panel 120 may have a collection of switches that may be required to monitor and/or control the safety system. The structure 122 may be a building structure such as a shopping mall, a home depot, a mine, a subway, a tunnel, a skyscraper, etc. where people may reside, do business, etc. The air distribution system 150 may be a system to distribute breathable air through out the structure during emergency situations.
In example embodiment,
The civilian air supply enclosures 100A-N may be placed at a number of locations of the building structure (e.g., a horizontal building structure such as a shopping mall, home depot, a vertical building structure such as a high rise building, a mid rise building, and/or a low rise building, a mine, a subway, and/or a tunnel, etc.) to provide multiple access points to the breathable air in the building structure. The source of compressed air 118 may be kept under a certain pressure (e.g., may be greater than that of the atmosphere.).
In one embodiment, the supply unit 116 of the structure 122 may facilitate the delivery of breathable air from the source of compressed air 118 to the air distribution system 150 of the structure 122. The fill panel (e.g., one of the civilian air supply enclosures 100A-N) of the structure 122 may provide a pressure of the breathable air such that the pressure may be suitable for direct human consumption through a breathable air apparatus (e.g., the breathable air apparatus 306A-N of
A routing mechanism of the structure 122 may provide a routing (e.g., a centralized routing) between the fill panel and other fill panels of a particular floor through walls of a floor of the structure 122. The pressure of the breathable air may be approximately 10 to 40 Pounds per Square Inch (PSI). A valve may prevent leakage of the breathable air from the air distribution system 150 potentially leading to the loss of system pressure.
The breathable air from the air distribution system 150 may be transferred to the fill panel having a valve that may regulate distribution of air to a civilian at a pressure suitable for direct human consumption through the breathable air apparatuses 306A-N coupled with the fill panel. A quality of the breathable air may be detected such that it may be safe to use. A signal may be transmitted that may provide a notification of a location of the fill panel to security services (e.g., of the structure) and/or emergency services. The pressure of the breathable air may be approximately 10 to 40 Pounds per Square Inch (PSI).
The civilian air supply enclosure 200A-F which may be placed at several locations may facilitate the delivery of breathable air from a source of compressed air 118 to the air distribution system 150. The elevator 202 may be a transport device that may be used to move goods, people, etc. vertically (e.g., may be upwards/downwards) in a building structure. The hallway 204 may be a space in the structure 122 that may lead a way to a main hall.
In example embodiment,
The main control device 300 may be a control device that may enable or disable a civilian air supply enclosure. The individual controls 302A-N may be a switch that may enable a user to control the flow of air coming out from the outlets 304A-N of each of the breathable air apparatuses 306A-N of the civilian air supply enclosure 100A. The outlets 304A-N may be the outlets from the civilian air supply enclosure that may provide breathable air to the users through the breathable air apparatuses 306A-N. Each of the breathable air apparatuses 306A-N may be an apparatus (e.g., a respiratory mask, a face covering, a protective breathing unit etc.) that may enable the user 350 to consume the breathable air.
The emergency light 308 may glow to indicate emergency situations. The alarm system 310 may provide an alert to the security services (e.g., of the structure) and/or emergency services, civilians, etc. The communication system 312 may enable anybody to communicate with the security services (e.g., of the structure) and/or emergency services during emergency when the emergency light 308 turns on. The air safe quality indicator 314 may indicate that the quality of the breathable air in the air distribution system 150 is safe for human consumption. The unsafe air quality indicator 316 may indicate that the quality of the air in the air distribution system is unsafe for human consumption. The cord 318 may enable the user to adjust the breathable air apparatus for consuming the breathable air. The user 320 may be a civilian, a firefighter, etc. The regulation module 322 may regulate the air, and/or manage the systems etc.
In an example embodiment, the civilian air supply enclosure 100A may include the set of breathable air apparatuses 306A-N, which may be coupled to the fill panel and/or may deliver breathable air during an emergency from the set of the breathable air apparatuses 306A-N. The communication system 312, the alarm system 310, the emergency light 308 may indicate and communicate the emergency situation to the security services (e.g., of the structure) and/or emergency services.
In one embodiment, the breathable air apparatus 306A-N (e.g., one of the breathable air apparatuses 306A-N of
The regulation module 322 of the fill panel may maintain the pressure of the breathable air when other breathable air apparatuses are actively being used to deliver the breathable air through the fill panel. The communication mechanism may be provided between the fill panel and the security services (e.g., of the structure) and/or emergency services through a telephone affixed to the fill panel (e.g., the communication system 312 of
The set of breathable air apparatuses 306A-N coupled to the fill panel may deliver a breathable air from a distribution system (e.g., the distribution system 404 of
Each of the set of breathable air apparatuses 306A-N may be a mask with the cord 318 and a fitting that may be connectable to the fill panel may facilitate the delivery of the breathable air from the distribution system 404 to the civilians. The pressure of the breathable air may be approximately 10 to 40 Pounds per Square Inch (PSI) for each of the set of breathable air apparatuses such that the pressure may be suitable for direct human consumption through the set of breathable air apparatuses 306A-N.
The distribution system 404 may be the method of air distribution from the air storage subsystem 112 to the civilian air supply enclosure 100A-N where the air may be monitored by the air monitoring system 110.
In an example embodiment,
In an example embodiment, the air distribution system 450 may include a number of the air storage subsystems 112, and/or the civilian air supply enclosures 100A-N that may be coupled to the rest of the air distribution system 150 through a distribution system 404. The air distribution system 150 may also include the air monitoring system 110 having the CO/Moisture sensor 106 and the low pressure sensor 108. Each air distribution system (e.g., the air distribution system 550) may be used in conjunction with one another depending on the particular architectural style of the building structure in a manner that provides most efficient access to the breathable air of the air distribution system 550 reliably.
The enclosure 600 may be a covering structure provided to protect the civilian air supply enclosure 100A. The breakable cover 602 may be a cover that may be easily broken at the required emergency time (e.g., glass covering, etc.).
In example embodiment,
In one embodiment, the civilian air supply enclosure may be created using a fire rated material and may include a glass cover to provide access to users during an emergency. The breakable cover 602 may provide access the civilian air supply enclosure 600 when the breakable cover is compromised.
An alarm (e.g., using the alarm system 310 of
In operation 706, it may be determined that a breakable cover (e.g., the breakable cover 602 of
In operation 710, a communication mechanism between the fill panel and the security services (e.g., of the structure) and/or emergency services may be provided (e.g., by using the communication system 312 of
The section 800 may illustrate the section of piping 806. The fire rated material 802 may enclose the piping 806. The fire rated material may be certified to withstand elevated temperature for a period of time. The piping 806 may be made out of any of a stainless steel, a metal, an aluminum, a thermoplastic material etc. that may be compatible for use with compressed air.
In example embodiment,
In one embodiment, any of a fire rated material (e.g., the fire rated material 802 of
The building administration 902 may be an administrative department of the building that may be informed when an emergency occurs. The emergency agency 904 may be an expert in handling emergency situations by providing various kinds of services (e.g., life rescue, medical help, etc.). The air monitoring system 906 may monitor the system to ensure the safe condition of the breathable air in the building.
The wireless module 908 may be a communication system that may inform the building administration 902, the emergency agency, etc. when an emergency situation occurs. The network 910 may be one of a LAN, a WAN, or an internet network that may enable communication between the building administration 902, the emergency agency 904, the air monitoring system 906, etc.
In example embodiment,
The civilian fill pressure indicator 1002 may indicate the pressure level at which the breathable air is being delivered by the source of compressed air to the air distribution system. The storage pressure indicator 1004 may display the pressure level of air storage tanks in the air storage subsystem 112. The booster pressure indicator 1006 may display the pressure level of the booster tank 1106. The system pressure indicator 1008 may indicate the current pressure level of the breathable air in the air distribution system. The storage bypass 1010 may directly supply the air to the air distribution system.
In an example embodiment, the control panel 120 may include a civilian fill pressure indicator 1002, a storage pressure indicator 1004, a booster pressure indicator 1006, a system pressure indicator 1008 and/or a storage bypass 1010.
The control panel 120 may provide status information regarding the various components of the air storage subsystem 112. The tubes 1100 may couple each of the air storage tanks 1108 to one another in a looped configuration to increase robustness of the tubes 1000. The driver air source 1102 may be used to pneumatically drive the pressure booster 1104. The pressure booster 1104 may maintain a pressure of the air distribution system such that the pressure is suitable for a direct human consumption.
The booster tank 1106 may store air at a higher pressure than the air stored in the air storage tanks 1108 to ensure that the air distribution system have enough supply of the breathable air in case of an emergency. The air storage tanks 1108 may store the air that may be consumed through the breathable air apparatuses.
In an example embodiment, the air storage subsystem 112 may include a control panel 120, tubes 1100, a driver air source 1102, a pressure booster 1104, a booster tank 1106, and/or any number of the air storage tanks 1108. The air storage tanks 1108 and/or a booster tank 1106 of the air storage subsystem 112 may be supplied with breathable air through a source of compressed air that may be coupled to the air distribution system through the supply unit 116. The air storage subsystem 112 may provide a spare source of breathable air to the air distribution system in addition to the source of compressed air.
Although the present embodiments have been described with reference to specific example embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the various embodiments. For example, the various devices (e.g., modules, analyzers, generators, etc.) described herein may be enabled and operated using hardware circuitry (e.g., CMOS based logic circuitry, etc.), firmware, software and/or any combination of hardware, firmware, and/or software (e.g., embodied in a machine readable medium, etc). For example, the wireless module 114, the regulation module 322, the wireless module 908, and other modules of
In addition, it is evident that the various operations, processes, and methods disclosed herein may be embodied in a machine-readable medium and/or a machine accessible medium compatible with a data processing system (e.g., a computer system, etc.), and may be performed in any order (e.g., including using means for achieving the various operations, etc). Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.