Patent Application
20230038975
The present invention relates to a sprinkler head for extinguishing a fire.
A sprinkler head automatically activates and releases water in the event of a fire. A nozzle is normally closed by a valve, and the valve is supported at a lower end of a main body by a heat-sensitive disassembling unit. A heat-sensitive element that is incorporated in the heat-sensitive disassembling unit is activated by the heat of a fire, so that the heat-sensitive disassembling unit operates in a disassembled manner. The valve that has been pressed against the nozzle by the heat-sensitive disassembling unit is separated from the nozzle, and the nozzle is opened. Water that is released from the nozzle strikes a plate-shaped deflector that is disposed in a direction in which the axis of the nozzle extends, and the water is sprayed in all directions so as to extinguish the fire.
An example of the above-mentioned sprinkler head is a flash-type sprinkler head. A flash-type sprinkler head is provided by embedding its main body that is connected to a water supply pipe into a ceiling such that only a lower portion of a heat-sensitive disassembling unit projects from the ceiling surface toward the inside of a room.
It is preferable in terms of design that a portion of a flash-type sprinkler head, the portion projecting from a ceiling surface toward the inside of a room, be small and inconspicuous. However, if a heat-sensitive disassembling unit is disposed inside a ceiling, the heat of a fire is less likely to be transferred to a heat-sensitive element, and there is a possibility that it will take time for the sprinkler head to operate.
There is a sprinkler head in which a component that covers a heat-sensitive element has a hole in order to facilitate transfer of heat to the heat-sensitive element (see, for example, PTL 1). However, some customers think that the hole formed in the component impairs the design of the sprinkler head. In addition, the interface strength between the heat-sensitive element and the component covering the heat-sensitive element decreases, so that there is a concern that the component may be damaged or may come off during transportation of the sprinkler head or at the time of construction.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present application to improve sensitivity performance of a sprinkler head without impairing the design of the sprinkler head.
In an aspect of the present application, a sprinkler head includes a body having a slit that is open to an outer peripheral surface of the body, a heat collector held by the body in such a manner as to project from a lower end of the body, and an escutcheon including a cylindrical portion that engages with the body and a plate portion that has an outer peripheral edge extending outward from a lower end of the cylindrical portion, the outer peripheral edge being capable of being brought into contact with a ceiling surface. The cylindrical portion has a missing portion that lacks a surrounding wall of the cylindrical portion. The cylindrical portion is capable of being held, with respect to the body, at a first holding position and at a second holding position in accordance with an insertion depth of the cylindrical portion with respect to the body. The sprinkler head forms, at the first holding position, a first airflow path in which a communication portion that is open to the lower end of the body serves as a first introduction port for outside air and in which the missing portion of the cylindrical portion serves as, by overlapping the slit of the body, a first exit through which the outside air that has flowed in the body is discharged to an area above a ceiling, and the sprinkler head forms, at the second holding position, a second airflow path in which a gap that is formed between the escutcheon and the heat collector serves as a second introduction port for the outside air and in which the missing portion of the cylindrical portion serves as a second exit through which the outside air is discharged to the area above the ceiling.
In the aspect of the present disclosure, the sprinkler head includes the escutcheon including the cylindrical portion that is capable of being held, with respect to the body, at the first holding position and at the second holding position in accordance with its insertion depth with respect to the body of the sprinkler head and the plate portion that has the outer peripheral edge extending outward from the lower end of the cylindrical portion, the outer peripheral edge being capable of being brought into contact with the ceiling surface. Consequently, according to the aspect of the present disclosure, the plate portion covers a hole formed between the ceiling and the sprinkler head, and the cylindrical portion can accommodate the heat collector therein. Thus, the sprinkler head is inconspicuous when viewed from the inside of a room, and the design of the sprinkler head can be improved.
In addition, in the aspect of the present disclosure, the sprinkler head includes the body having the slit that is open to an outer peripheral surface of the body, the heat collector projecting from the lower end of the body, and the escutcheon including the cylindrical portion that has the missing portion that lacks the surrounding wall of the cylindrical portion and that engages with the body. At the first holding position, the first airflow path in which the communication portion that is open to the lower end of the body serves as the first introduction port for the outside air and in which the missing portion of the cylindrical portion serves as, by overlapping the slit of the body, the first exit through which the outside air that has flowed in the body is discharged to the area above the ceiling is formed, and at the second holding position, the second airflow path in which the gap formed between the escutcheon and the heat collector serves as the second introduction port for the outside air and in which the missing portion of the cylindrical portion serves as the second exit through which the outside air is discharged to the area above the ceiling is formed.
Thus, according to the aspect of the present disclosure, the first airflow path is formed at the first holding position, and the second airflow path is formed at the second holding position, so that, at both the holding positions, a continuous airflow can be generated by facilitating discharging of the outside air to the area above the ceiling. Therefore, according to the aspect of the present disclosure, the heat of air that is generated in the room due to a fire can be efficiently transferred to the heat collector, and an early operation of the sprinkler head can be facilitated.
The sprinkler head according to the aspect of the present disclosure includes a heat-sensitive element and the heat collector that has a bowl-like shape and a plurality of openings formed in a side surface thereof, and the gap can be formed such that air can pass through the gap toward the openings.
According to the above configuration, since the heat collector has the plurality of openings that are formed in the side surface thereof and through which the air from the gap can pass, the air heated by the heat of a fire can easily flow into the heat collector through the openings. The air that has flowed in the heat collector enables the heat collector to absorb the heat also from the inside thereof. Accordingly, the heat-sensitive element absorbs the heat also from a surface of the heat-sensitive element in addition to the heat transferred thereto from the heat collector, and thus, the operation of the sprinkler head can be facilitated.
In addition to the above-described configuration, the sprinkler head may further include a heat-sensitive element that is accommodated in the heat collector. The heat-sensitive element may include a cylinder that has a cylindrical shape with a bottom and in which a fusible alloy is loaded. An external screw that projects from a bottom surface of the cylinder may be connected to a nut that is provided on the heat collector. In addition, the nut may have an end that is closer to the heat collector and that has a larger diameter and another end that is closer to the cylinder and that has a smaller diameter. According to the aspect of the present disclosure, since the heat-sensitive element can be accommodated in the heat collector, a configuration that does not impair the design of the sprinkler head can be employed. In addition, by connecting the heat collector and the cylinder via the nut, a stable interface strength can be obtained.
In addition, in the aspect of the present disclosure, an end surface of the nut on the cylinder side is in surface contact with the bottom surface of the cylinder, and it can be configured to minimize the loss of heat that is transferred from the nut to the fusible alloy via the bottom surface of the cylinder. More specifically, when the outer diameter of the nut on the cylinder side is set to be equal to or smaller than the diameter of the bottom surface of the cylinder, heat can be transferred from the end surface of the nut on the cylinder side to the bottom surface of the cylinder without loss. In addition, when the outer diameter of the nut on the cylinder side is set to be equal to or smaller than the inner diameter of a portion of the cylinder that loads the fusible alloy, the heat can be more efficiently transferred to the fusible alloy by suppressing the heat from being transferred to the side surface of the cylinder.
In the aspect of the present disclosure, the nut can have a step formed between an end of the nut on the heat collector side and an end of the nut on the cylinder side. According to the aspect of the present disclosure, the surface area is increased by the step compared with the case where the nut has a cylindrical shape, and thus, more heat can be absorbed.
As described above, according to an aspect of the present disclosure, sensitivity performance of a sprinkler head can be improved without impairing the design of the sprinkler head.
An embodiment of a “sprinkler head” of the present invention will be described with reference to
The body 1 has a hollow cylindrical shape, and the interior of the body 1 serves as a nozzle 11. The nozzle 11 extends in a cylindrical axis direction (a height direction, the vertical direction) between a first end and a second end of the body 1. An external thread 12 that is connected to a water supply pipe P is provided on the first end portion of the body 1. The body includes a flange portion 13 that is provided on the second end portion of the body 1 and that is extended outward, and a cylindrical frame 14 is connected to the flange portion 13 by screw connection. A step 15 that extends toward the inner periphery is provided at an inner lower end portion of the frame 14 (an end portion of the frame 14 that is located on the side opposite to the side on which the frame 14 is connected to the flange portion 13). Levers 41 of the heat-sensitive disassembling unit 4, which will be described later, engage with the step 15. The outer peripheral surface (side surface) of the frame 14 has a slit 16 that serves as a “first exit” and that is formed to be open to the outer peripheral surface by extending between the inside of the frame 14 and the outside. The slit 16 communicates with a communication portion 17 that serves as a “first introduction port” in the inside of the frame 14. The communication portion 17 is open to the lower end of the frame 14. The communication portion 17 is configured to allow air to flow between the slit 16 and openings 55, which will be described later.
The deflector unit 2 illustrated in
The plurality of pins 22 are arranged between the deflector 21 and the guide ring 23. The pins 22 are inserted through holes that are formed in the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the deflector 21 so as to extend through the deflector 21 in the plate-thickness direction (the cylindrical axis direction of the body 1). One ends of the pins 22 are fixed and connected to the guide ring 23, which has a ring-like shape, and the other ends of the pins 22 serve as flanges 25. As a result, the deflector 21 is capable of freely sliding between the guide ring 23 and the flanges 25.
As mentioned above, the one ends of the pins 22 are fixed and connected to the guide ring 23. The outer diameter of the guide ring 23 is smaller than the inner diameter of the frame 14 and larger than the inner diameter of the step 15. Thus, the guide ring 23 is configured to engage with the step 15 after falling off in response to the operation of the heat-sensitive disassembling unit 4.
The closing member 3 is formed in a disc-like shape having a protrusion on the side on which the nozzle 11 is disposed. A saddle 31 that has a plate-like shape is provided between the closing member 3 and the levers 41. The levers 41 engage with the step 15 and press the closing member 3 via the saddle 31 such that the closing member 3 is held at the position of an exit of the nozzle 11 is present, so that the closing member 3 closes an exit end of the nozzle 11.
A seal member 32 is disposed between the closing member 3 and the exit end of the nozzle 11. The seal member 32 is made of, for example, a fluorocarbon resin. Although the seal member 32 is positioned at the exit end of the nozzle 11 in the present embodiment, the seal member 32 may be disposed on the closing member 3. In this state, the deflector 21 on which the closing member 3 is placed is located at a position close to the guide ring 23 in the frame 14. A spring 33 is disposed between the guide ring 23 and the flange portion 13 so as to be urged. When the heat-sensitive disassembling unit 4 operates, the spring 33 helps the guide ring 23, the deflector 21, and the closing member 3 move to the outside from the frame 14. Note that the load of the spring 33 is smaller than the load that presses the closing member 3 against the exit end of the nozzle 11.
The heat-sensitive disassembling unit 4 illustrated in
The cylinder 45 is formed in the shape of a cylinder with a bottom, and an external screw 45a projects from the bottom surface of the cylinder 45. The fusible alloy 47 is loaded in the cylinder 45, and the plunger 46 is placed on the fusible alloy 47 (on the side opposite to the bottom surface of the cylinder 45). These members form a heat-sensitive element. As illustrated in
The heat collector 5 has a bowl-like shape and is provided with a nut 51 attached to the center thereof. The nut 51 and the external screw 45a of the cylinder 45 are screwed together. The nut 51 is formed such that an end 52 thereof that is closer to the heat collector 5 has a larger diameter and such that an end 53 thereof that is closer to the cylinder 45 has a smaller diameter. As a result, a step 54 is formed at an intermediate portion of the nut 51. An adhesive poured in a threaded joint portion that is formed between the nut 51 and the external screw 45a after the nut 51 has been connected to the cylinder 45 is solidified.
The nut 51 is directly in contact with the bottom surface of the cylinder 45 at the end 52 thereof closer to the heat collector 5. Since the end 52 of the nut 51, which is closer to the heat collector 5, has a diameter larger than that of the end 53 of the nut 51, which is closer to the cylinder 45, and the contact area between the heat collector 5 and the nut 51 is large, a stable interface strength between the heat collector 5 and the nut 51 can be obtained. In addition, the contact area between the heat collector 5 and the nut 51 is larger than the end 53 on the cylinder side, and thus, the heat absorbed by the heat collector 5 can be efficiently transferred to the nut 51.
The outer diameter of the end 53 of the nut 51 is set to be equal to or smaller than the diameter of the bottom surface of the cylinder 45. It is more preferable that the outer diameter of the end 53 of the nut 51 be set to be equal to or smaller than the inner diameter of the cylinder 45. As a result, the heat absorbed by the heat collector 5 is transferred to the fusible alloy 47 not via, for example, the side surface of the cylinder 45, but via the nut 51 and the bottom surface of the cylinder 45, and the loss when the heat is transferred may be suppressed.
The plurality of openings 55 are formed in the side surface of the heat collector 5. The openings 55 are arranged so as to have the same length and equally spaced along the whole periphery of the side surface of the heat collector 5. In the embodiment illustrated in
As illustrated in
In order to accelerate melting of the fusible alloy 47 due to the heat of a fire, it is important to transfer the heat absorbed by the heat collector 5 to the fusible alloy 47 through a shorter path. Thus, the sprinkler head S of the present embodiment is configured in such a manner that the cylinder 45, which is disposed close to the heat collector 5, is connected to the heat collector 5 by the nut 51 in the heat collector 5.
The height of the heat collector 5 is larger than the entire length of the cylinder 45, and thus, the entire cylinder 45 is covered with the heat collector 5. In addition, the end portions of the above-mentioned pins 22 on the side on which the flanges 25 are present are also covered with the heat collector 5. Consequently, when viewed from the inside of a room, only the heat collector 5 is exposed with respect to a ceiling C, and thus, the design of the sprinkler head S is favorable.
When the heat-sensitive disassembling unit 4 and the heat collector 5 fall downward in
An escutcheon E includes a plate portion E1 that covers a hole H between the ceiling C and the sprinkler head S and a cylindrical portion E2 that extends from the inner edge of the plate portion E1 and engages with the frame 14. The outer peripheral edge of the plate portion E1 that extends outward from the lower end of the cylindrical portion E2 is capable of being brought into contact with a ceiling surface C1. The cylindrical portion E2 is capable of being held, with respect to the frame 14, at a “first holding position” illustrated in
The cylindrical portion E2 has missing portions 61 that lacks portions of the surrounding wall of the cylindrical portion E2 and that serve as the “first exit” and a “second exit”. The cylindrical portion E2 illustrated in
In each of the missing portions 61, a portion that has the largest depth, that is, a portion that is closest to the lower end of the cylindrical portion E2 in the height direction, is a bottom portion 62. A height h2 from the bottom portion 62 to the lower end of the cylindrical portion E2 is shorter than a height h1 from the outer edge of the plate portion E1 to the lower end of the cylindrical portion E2. In other words, each of the missing portions 61 is deeply formed such that the bottom portion 62 is located at a position below the outer edge of the plate portion E1. This implies that, when the escutcheon E is mounted on the ceiling C, the bottom portions 62 are positioned further toward the inside of the room than the ceiling C is in the height direction. As a result, the air in the room (the outside air) may easily pass near the bottom portions 62 through the gap E3 and may easily be discharged to an area above the ceiling. As described above, the sprinkler head S has a second airflow path F2 that enables air to pass through the gap E3 and the missing portions 61.
The escutcheon E is configured such that its engagement position with the frame 14 can be adjusted in accordance with the positional relationship between the sprinkler head S and the ceiling C. To be more specific, in
As illustrated in
In the state illustrated in
The sprinkler head S has a first airflow path F1 that is formed in the manner described above and that enables air that flows into the heat collector 5 from the openings 55 to pass through the slit 16 and the missing portions 61 via the inside of the heat collector 5 and the communication portion 17, which is open to the lower end of the frame 14 and which serves as the “first introduction port”. Thus, also in the state where the gap E3 is not formed, the sprinkler head S can generate a continuous airflow by facilitating discharging of hot air, which is generated in the room due to a fire, to the area above the ceiling. As a result, heat can be efficiently transferred to the heat collector 5, the cylinder 45, and so forth, so that an early operation of the heat-sensitive disassembling unit 4 can be facilitated.
According to the present embodiment, when the cylindrical portion E2 is located at the “first holding position”, it forms the first airflow path F1, and when the cylindrical portion E2 is located at the “second holding position”, it forms the second airflow path F2, so that a continuous airflow can be generated by facilitating discharging of the outside air to the area above the ceiling regardless of whether the cylindrical portion E2 is located at the first holding position or the second holding position. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the heat of air that is generated in the room due to a fire can be efficiently transferred to the heat collector 5, so that the early operation of the sprinkler head S can be facilitated.
Here, in the above-described escutcheon E, the height of the cylindrical portion E2 is larger than the length from lower end of the flange portion 13 to the lower end of the frame 14. In the case of employing such a configuration, the lower end of the cylindrical portion E2 is continuously positioned below the lower end of the frame 14. In particular, when the heat-sensitive disassembling unit 4 is caused to operate in the state illustrated in
In addition to the above-mentioned gap E3, by employing a configuration in which the shape of a portion in which the plate portion E1 and the lower end of the cylindrical portion E2 are connected to each other is a curved shape, a configuration in which a lower end portion of the cylindrical portion E2 such as that indicated by a dashed line in
Note that the height of the cylindrical portion E2 can be set to be smaller than the length from the lower end of the flange portion 13 to the lower end of the frame 14. As a result, the area in which the frame 14 engages with the cylindrical portion E2 that is located at the “first holding position” can be further expanded.
The operating process of the sprinkler head S according to the embodiment of the present invention in the event of a fire will now be described.
As illustrated in
When a fire breaks out, the air in the room is heated by the heat of the fire in such a manner as to generated an upward air flow, and the heated air accumulates under the ceiling C. The air flows along the plate portion E1 of the escutcheon E by using the upward air flow as its driving force and flows into the gap E3 between the cylindrical portion E2 and the heat collector 5. In addition, the air passes through the openings 55 and reaches the inside of the heat collector 5. The heat of the air is absorbed through the surfaces of the heat collector 5, the nut 51, and the cylinder 45 and transferred to the fusible alloy 47 so as to help the fusible alloy 47 melt.
When the fusible alloy 47 melts, the plunger 46 moves in a direction toward the bottom surface of the cylinder 45 such that engagement of the balancer 43 and the levers 41 is loosened, and the lower ends of the levers 41 rotate and become separated from the balancer 43. The levers 41 further rotate and fall off from the step 15 of the frame 14. In addition, the saddle 31 and the closing member 3 that are placed on the levers 41 also fall off to the outside of the frame 14.
The deflector unit 2 in which the closing member 3 is incorporated is moved in a direction toward the step 15 by the action of the spring 33 in such a manner that the outer edge of the guide ring 23 engages with the step 15. The deflector 21 and the closing member 3 move downward in
As a modification of the above-described embodiment, by forming a plurality of grooves, protrusions, or the like in or on the side surface of the nut 51 so as to increase the surface area, the heat collector 5 can absorb more heat through the nut 51. Alternatively, the bottom surface of the cylinder 45 may be positioned on the top surface of the balancer 43. As a result, the side surface of the cylinder 45 is exposed, so that the cylinder 45 can absorb more heat.
As illustrated in
In addition, by facilitating discharging of hot air generated in the room due to a fire by the above-described configurations of the missing portions 61, a continuous airflow can be generated. As a result, the heat can be efficiently transferred to the heat collector 5, the cylinder 45, and so forth, and the early operation of the heat-sensitive disassembling unit 4 can be facilitated.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-232182 | Dec 2019 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2020/048259 | 12/23/2020 | WO |
