Patent Application
20220184438
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The disclosure relates to fire suppression devices and more particularly pertains to a new fire suppression device for extinguishing a fire in or around a building. The fire suppression device includes roof mounted sprinklers, eave mounted sprinklers and ground mounted sprinklers. Additionally, the fire suppression device includes a propane fueled generator for supplying electrical energy for the fire suppression device.
The prior art relates to fire suppression devices including a preemptive fire suppression system that detects a fire approaching a building and subsequently extinguishes the approaching fire. The prior art discloses a variety of fire sprinkler systems that include roof mounted sprinklers and eave mounted sprinklers for extinguishing a fire that is approaching a building. The prior art also discloses a remotely controlled fire sprinkler system in a building.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a water reservoir that is positioned adjacent to a building and a fire retardant reservoir that is positioned adjacent to the building. A pumping unit is positioned adjacent to the building and the pumping unit is in fluid communication with each of the water reservoir and the fire retardant reservoir. A fire sensor is coupled to the building and the fire sensor turnings on the pumping unit when the fire sensor senses heat and moisture that correspond to conditions of an active fire. A plurality of sprinklers is provided and each of the sprinklers is in fluid communication with the pumping unit. The plurality of sprinkler is distributed on and around the building to spray the mixture of water and fire retardant for extinguishing a fire on or around the building.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
A pumping unit 20 is positioned adjacent to the building 14 and the pumping unit 20 is in fluid communication with each of the water reservoir 12 and the fire retardant reservoir 16. In this way the pumping unit 20 can pump a mixture of the water and the fire retardant when the pumping unit 20 is turned on. The pumping unit 20 comprises a generator 22 that is in fluid communication with the propane tank 18 such that the generator 22 receives the liquid propane as fuel for running. Moreover, the generator 22 produces electrical current when the generator 22 is turned on. The generator 22 includes an internal combustion engine that runs on propane, rather than gasoline, to avoid the problems associated with long term storage of gasoline. The internal combustion engine may run on natural gas or any other combustible fuel other than gasoline.
The pumping unit 20 includes a motor 24 that is in electrical communication with the generator 22. The motor 24 turns in a first direction when the motor 24 is turned on. Additionally, the motor 24 may comprise an electric motor or the like. The pumping unit 20 includes a mixing valve 26 that has a pair of inputs 28 and an output 30. Each of the inputs 28 is fluidly coupled to a respective one of the water reservoir 12 and the fire retardant reservoir 16. In this way the mixing valve 26 receives the water and the fire retardant. The mixing valve 26 may comprise an electrically controlled fluid valve or the like.
The pumping unit 20 includes a pump 32 that has an intake 34 and an exhaust 36, and the intake 34 is fluidly coupled to the output 30 of the mixing valve 26. The pump 32 is mechanically coupled to the motor 24 such that the motor 24 rotates the pump 32 when the motor 24 is turned on. In this way the pump 32 is able to pump a mixture of the water and the fire retardant outwardly through the exhaust 36. The pump 32 may be an electric fluid pump or the like that has an output volume capable of servicing a fire extinguishing system.
A control panel 38 is mounted to the building 14 such that the control panel 38 is accessible to a user. The control panel 38 is in electrical communication with the pumping unit 20 for turning the pumping unit 20 on and off. The control panel 38 includes a control circuit 40 that is positioned in the control panel 38. The control circuit 40 is electrically coupled to the motor 24 and the control circuit 40 receives an activate input. Each of the generator 22 and the motor 24 is turned on when the control circuit 40 receives the activate input.
The control panel 38 includes an electronic timer 42 and the electronic timer 42 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 40. The electronic timer 42 counts down a pre-determined duration of time when the control circuit 40 receives the activate input. The control circuit 40 turns the motor 24 off when the electronic timer 42 counts down the pre-determined duration of time. The control panel 38 includes a transceiver 44 that is electrically coupled to the control circuit 40. The transceiver 44 is in wireless communication with a personal electronic 46 device to facilitate a user to remotely control the pumping unit 20. Additionally, the transceiver 44 may comprise a radio frequency transceiver or the like and the personal electronic device 46 may comprise a smart phone or other similar device. The transceiver 44 may employ a WPAN signal and the transceiver may be in wireless communication with an extrinsic communication network, such as the internet or a cellular phone network. In this way the transceiver 44 can communicate with the personal electronic device 46 over a great distance.
A power supply 48 is electrically coupled to the control panel 38 and the power supply 48 comprises at least one battery 50 that is positioned adjacent to the building 14. The at least one battery 50 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 40. The power supply 48 includes a solar panel 52 that is positioned on a roof 54 of the building 14 such that the solar panel 52 is exposed to sunlight. The solar panel 52 is electrically coupled to the at least one battery 50 for charging the at least one battery 50.
A fire sensor 56 is provided, the fire sensor 56 is coupled to the building 14 and the fire sensor 56 senses heat and moisture. The fire sensor 56 is in electrical communication with the control panel 38 and the pumping unit 20 is turned on when the fire sensor 56 senses heat and moisture that correspond to conditions of an active fire. The fire sensor 56 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 40 and the control circuit 40 receives the activate input when the fire sensor 56 senses heat and moisture that correspond to conditions of an active fire. The fire sensor 56 might include an infra red heat sensor, an electronic moisture sensor or any other type of sensing circuitry for sensing an active fire. As is most clearly shown in
A plurality of roof sprinklers 58 is provided and each of the roof sprinklers 58 is positioned on the roof of the building 14 at strategic locations. Each of the roof sprinklers 58 is in fluid communication with the pumping unit 20 to spray the mixture of water and fire retardant for extinguishing a fire. Each of the roof sprinklers 58 is in fluid communication with the exhaust 36 of the pump 32 in the pumping unit 20. Each of the roof sprinklers 58 may be automated sprinklers that rotate back and forth to spray over a wide area.
A plurality of eave sprinklers 60 is provided and each of the eave sprinklers 60 is positioned on the eave 62 of the building 14 at strategic locations. Each of the eave sprinklers 60 is in fluid communication with the pumping unit 20 to spray the mixture of water and fire retardant for extinguishing the fire. Each of the eave sprinklers 60 is in fluid communication with the exhaust 36 of the pump 32 in the pumping unit 20. Additionally, each of the eave sprinklers 60 may be automated sprinklers that rotate back and forth to spray over a wide area.
A plurality of ground sprinklers 64 is provided and each of the ground sprinklers 64 is positioned on the ground 66 at strategic locations around the building 14. Each of the ground sprinklers 64 is in fluid communication with the pumping unit 20 to spray the mixture of water and fire retardant for extinguishing the fire. Moreover, each of the ground sprinklers 64 is in fluid communication with the exhaust 36 of the pump 32 in the pumping unit 20. Each of the ground sprinklers 64 may be automated sprinklers that rotate back and forth to spray over a wide area. As is most clearly shown in
In use, the control circuit 40 turns on the generator 22 and the motor 24 when the fire sensor 56 senses heat and moisture levels that correspond to an active fire. Thus, each of the roof sprinklers 58, the eave sprinklers 60 and the ground sprinklers 64 spray the mixture of water and fire retardant in a uniform distribution on and around the building 14. In this way the building 14 is protected from an incoming fire, such as a wildfire or the like, and the building 14 is protected from being consumed by a fire that starts inside the building 14. Additionally, the personal electronic device 46 can be employed to remotely turn on the generator 22 and the motor 24 at any time.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
