Claims
- 1. A smoke control ventilation system for use in a building having a room with a ceiling containing air, with the ceiling dividing the room into an upper air space above the ceiling and a lower air space below the ceiling, said upper air space above the ceiling being used as a return air plenum and said lower air space being used as an environmental zone, said smoke ventilation system comprising:
- a body member disposed in the ceiling generally allowing air from the environmental zone to flow through said body member, thereby providing air for flowing through to the return air plenum;
- at least one panel located above said body member;
- a mount mounting said panel on the body member within the ceiling, allowing said panel to be moved between a closed, sealing position, separating and isolating the upper and lower air spaces, preventing air in the lower air space from flowing through said body member and to the return air plenum, and an open position with the upper and lower air spaces in free communication with each other through said body member, allowing air to flow through said body member and to the return air plenum from the lower air space;
- a motor associated with said body member and said panel for moving the panel to the open position and for moving the panel to the closed, sealing position with respect to said body member, said motor including support means for generally maintaining said panel in said open position after said motor caused the panel to be moved to the panel's open position, thereby continuously supplying air to the return air plenum;
- smoke sensing means associated with said motor, lowering and closing the panel with respect to said body member when smoke is sensed; and
- exhaust means associated with said body member and located in said upper air space for segregating and removing smoke from the lower air space through the upper air space when said panel is closed and is isolating with said body member the upper air space from the lower air space, preventing the smoke from uncontrollably flowing into the upper air space.
- 2. The smoke ventilation system of claim 1, wherein:
- said exhaust means comprises an exhaust duct.
- 3. The smoke ventilation system of claim 2, wherein:
- said exhaust means further comprises a back draft damper associated with said exhaust duct.
- 4. The smoke ventilation system of claim 1, wherein the ceiling is a drop ceiling made of at least one ceiling tile, and wherein:
- the smoke ventilation system is sized to replace the ceiling tile in the drop ceiling, and
- the lower air space is below the drop ceiling and the upper air space is above the drop ceiling.
- 5. The smoke ventilation system of claim 1, wherein:
- said motor is an electric motor, and
- wherein there is further included:
- a cam, driven and rotated by the motor to raise and lower said panel with respect to said body member.
- 6. The smoke ventilation system of claim 1, wherein:
- said mount is a pivot mount and includes support means having a first end relatively rigidly contacting said panel, said support means including a fusible fire link which fails when the temperature of the air surrounding said fusible fire link reaches a predetermined temperature, causing said support means to fail and said panel to pivot downwardly to said closed, sealing position.
- 7. The smoke ventilation system of claim 1, wherein said smoke sensing means is alarmless.
- 8. The smoke ventilation system of claim 1, wherein:
- said smoke sensing means includes an audible alarm which is actuated when a predetermined amount of smoke is detected by said smoke sensing means.
- 9. The smoke ventilation system of claim 1, wherein:
- said mount is a pivotal mount mounting said panel at one side of the body member within the ceiling, allowing said panel to be pivoted between the panel's closed, sealing position and the panel's open position.
- 10. The smoke ventilation system of claim 1, wherein said panel has weight, and wherein:
- said mount includes a support arm connected to said panel through at least one fusible fire link which melts under the heat of a fire, allowing the panel to close under its own weight under the force of gravity when said fusible link is melted.
- 11. A smoke control ventilation method for use in a building having at least one room with a ceiling dividing the room into an upper air space above the ceiling and a lower air space below the ceiling, said upper air space above the ceiling being used as a return air plenum and said lower air space being used as an environmental zone containing air, comprising the following steps:
- (a) using in the ceiling of the building a combined air flow control and smoke ventilation system, including
- at least one, combined air flow control and smoke ventilation device placed within the ceiling and having at least one panel mounted on a body member, which panel is moveable by a motor between open and closed dispositions with respect to said body member, which, when in the open disposition, allows air in the lower air space to flow through the body member to the upper air space to the air plenum, with the lower and upper air spaces in free communication with each other, and, when in the closed disposition, prevents the air in the lower air space from flowing through the body member to the upper air space to the air plenum,
- smoke sensing means located in the environmental zone for detecting a predetermined level of smoke within the lower air space, and
- driven exhaust means associated with said body member including an exhaust duct located within the upper air space for segregating and exhausting the smoke through the smoke ventilation device in a confined manner in the exhaust duct through the upper air space but physically segregated from the air plenum;
- (b) actuating said motor to close the panel to its closed disposition, when said smoke sensing means detect the predetermined level of smoke; and
- (c) actuating said driven exhaust means, when said smoke sensing means detect the predetermined level of smoke, to exhaust smoke from the lower air space at said device in a confined manner in and through the exhaust duct through the upper air space with the smoke physically segregated from the air plenum.
- 12. The smoke control ventilation method of claim 11, wherein there is included the further steps of:
- providing an audible alarm in association with said system and activating said alarm when said smoke sensing means detect the predetermined level of smoke.
- 13. The smoke control ventilation method of claim 11, wherein there are further included the steps of:
- using a pivotal mounting of the panel on the body member at one side of the body member, and pivoting said panel up and down in going from said panel's open and closed dispositions.
- 14. The smoke control ventilation method of claim 11 wherein said panel has weight, and wherein there are further included the steps of:
- providing in connection with said pivoting mounting a support arm connected to said panel through at least one fusible fire link which melts under the heat of a fire, and allowing the panel to close under its own weight under the force of gravity when said at least one fusible fire link is melted.
- 15. A smoke control ventilation method for use in a building having at least one room with a ceiling dividing the room into an upper air space above the ceiling and a lower air space below the ceiling, said upper air space above the ceiling being used as a return air plenum and said lower air space being used as an environmental zone containing air, comprising the following steps:
- (a) using in association with the ceiling in the building a combined air flow control and smoke ventilation system, including
- at least one, combined air flow control and smoke ventilation device placed within the ceiling and having at least one movable unit mounted on a body member, which movable unit is moveable by a motor between open and closed dispositions with respect to said body member, which, when in the open disposition, allows air in the lower air space to flow through the body member to the upper air space to the air plenum, with the lower and upper air spaces in free communication with each other, and, when in the closed disposition, prevents the air in the lower air space from flowing through the body member to the upper air space to the air plenum,
- smoke sensing means located in the environmental zone for detecting a predetermined level of smoke within the lower air space, and
- driven exhaust means associated with said body member including an exhaust duct located within the upper air space for segregating and exhausting the smoke through the smoke ventilation device in a confined manner in the exhaust duct through the upper air space but physically segregated from the air plenum;
- (b) actuating said motor to close the moveable unit to its closed disposition, when said smoke sensing means detect the predetermined level of smoke; and
- (c) actuating said driven exhaust means, when said smoke sensing means detect the predetermined level of smoke, to exhaust smoke from the lower air space at said device in a confined manner in and through the exhaust duct through the upper air space with the smoke physically segregated from the air plenum.
- 16. A smoke control ventilation system for use in a building having at least one room with a ceiling dividing the room into an upper air space above the ceiling and a lower air space below the ceiling, said upper air space above the ceiling being used as a return air plenum and said lower air space being used as an environmental zone containing air, with the ventilation system to be used in association with the ceiling, comprising:
- at least one, combined air flow control and smoke ventilation device to be used in association with the ceiling and having at least one movable unit mounted on a body member to be placed in the ceiling, which movable unit is moveable by a motor between open and closed dispositions with respect to said body member, which, when in the open disposition, allows air in the lower air space to flow through the body member to the upper air space to the air plenum, with the lower and upper air spaces in free communication with each other, and, when in the closed disposition, prevents the air in the lower air space from flowing through the body member to the upper air space to the air plenum,
- smoke sensing means located in the environmental zone for detecting a predetermined level of smoke within the lower air space, and
- driven exhaust means associated with said body member including an exhaust duct located within the upper air space for segregating and exhausting the smoke through the smoke ventilation device in a confined manner in the exhaust duct through the upper air space but physically segregated from the air plenum; the motor being actuatable to close the moveable unit to its closed disposition, when said smoke sensing means detect the predetermined level of smoke; and said driven exhaust means being likewise actuable, when said smoke sensing means detect the predetermined level of smoke, to exhaust smoke from the lower air space at said device in a confined manner in and through the exhaust duct through the upper air space with the smoke being physically segregated from the air plenum.
- 17. The smoke control ventilation system of claim 16, wherein:
- said exhaust duct has an entry end extending into said body member below said movable unit with its exit end to be located above the ceiling.
- 18. The smoke control ventilation system of claim 16, wherein:
- said movable unit includes at least one panel pivotally mounted at one side to said body member, allowing said panel to be pivoted between the panel's closed disposition and the panel's open disposition.
REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT
The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,376, issued on Sep. 19, 1989, to Arceneaux, et al. is hereby incorporated by reference.
US Referenced Citations (5)