EP3240751A1

EP3240751A1 - Fire protection system

Info

Publication number: EP3240751A1
Application number: EP15828870.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giovanni PAPPALARDO
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2014-12-29
Filing date: 2015-12-22
Publication date: 2017-11-08
Also published as: WO2016108145A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a fire protection system for the emergency management of apparatuses conveying people and/or objects in a building. In particular, a system for increasing the safety level for people in case an emergency situation occurs due to a fire.

Description

FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a system for managing apparatuses conveying people and/or objects, inside a building, in an emergency situation.

In particular, the problem of increasing the safety level for people in the environments, for example open to public, which provide the use of lift, moving stairway and moving floor apparatuses is much felt. More specifically, the problem of greater interest and which will be considered herein is the management of apparatuses in case an emergency situation occurs due to a fire.

The object of the present invention is then to overcome the above-illustrated problems, and this is obtained by means of a system as defined in claim 1.

Additional features of the present invention are defined in the corresponding depending claims.

The present invention, by overcoming the problems of known art, involves several and evident advantages.

In particular, the implementation of a system according to the present invention involves an increase in the safety of people present inside a residential complex, a building open to public, a trading centre, a hotel, an airport, a railway or underground station, a ship, and ultimately any building or complex wherein there is a fire protection system and lift, moving stairway and moving floor apparatuses. The increase in safety mainly consists in reducing the risk for people inside a building, or a complex as defined in the previous paragraph, to reach involuntarily a storey, or an area, involved by a fire.

The system according to the present invention provides for the lifts a precise security procedure by bringing the lift cabin, in case of fire alarm, to a designated evacuation storey, defined hereinafter. Hereinafter under designated evacuation storey of the lift apparatuses the storey is meant, different from the storey involved by the fire, at the first place in a list of evacuation priorities, prepared in advance and characteristic of that lift apparatus and of the building wherein the apparatus is installed, in order to avoid stopping the apparatus at the storeys involved by the fire.

The procedure for securing moving stairways and moving floors, as provided by the system according to the present invention, provides to stop immediately the apparatuses and, whenever possible, the motion reversal to move away people from the area involved by the fire.

The advantages, together with the features and use modes of the present invention, will result evident from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, shown by way of example and not for limiting purposes.

The figures of the enclosed drawings will be referred to, wherein figure 1 is a block diagram of a system according to the present invention.

It goes without saying that the pre-existence of a fire alarm system in the environment to be monitored and controlled is an essential requirement for the application of the present invention. In this field, then, a fire alarm system, equipped with a plurality of detectors of various type, is considered to be present. It is also considered that such such fire alarm system has detectors and control units apt to provide data related to the alarm system state and related to possible alarm situations.

The system provides the connection to a fire protection centre, or to several fire protection centres whenever existing, for acquiring data related to the alarm detectors.

Depending upon the type of fire protection centre, the system can provide interface modules (also defined GATEWAY modules) for acquiring data from the fire alarm system, and for translating data and alarm signals in standard communication protocol. The system according to the present invention further comprises means for processing the data acquired from the pre-existing alarm system, in order to detect the occurrence of an emergency situation which has then to be managed properly. To this purpose, once detected the emergency situation, the processing means define corresponding actions for moving the apparatuses.

The correspondence between emergency situation and actions to be imposed to the apparatuses will be described hereinafter by way of example. It is clear that this will mainly depend upon the type of emergency which has occurred, upon the type of apparatus (lift, moving stairway, moving floor, etc.), upon the current position of the apparatus, etc.

Such processing means preferably is based upon one or more PLC-technology electronic processors equipped with software programmes (otherwise defined firmware) for analysing the received data.

In order to increase the system safety and reliability, it can also be provided that the means for processing data comprises at least two PLCs connected and positioned so as to ensure operation even in case of failure, or damaging after fire, of one of them.

The PLCs, in turn, are connected to I/O modules, in closed ring-like configuration (otherwise defined closed loop), for receiving and sending signals from the lift, moving stairway and moving floor apparatuses.

According to an embodiment, the software comprises precise filter procedures for identifying false alarms, not corresponding to a real emergency situation.

In fact, there is the possibility that the alarm system is activated after a false alarm, due to a failure of one or more detectors or to an accidental manoeuvre for activating the detectors, not due to a real fire. In this case the system, according to the invention, has to reduce the probability of activating the procedure for moving the apparatuses. In order to reduce to the minimum the possibility of an event of this kind, and in order to reduce to the minimum the discomforts for the users and the passengers even if the system safety parameters are maintained, a criterion could be that of identifying an alarm situation as real emergency situation only in case a determined number of detectors is in alarm, at the same time, in the same portion of the building.

Therefore a rule is introduced which, if the number of detectors in alarm, at the same time, in the same portion of the building, or inside a pre-defined space, is equal or greater than a prefixed number, then the emergency management procedure according to the present invention is activated, for all apparatuses of the building or of the complex as defined previously.

The procedure for the emergency management of the apparatuses provides the motion of one or more of them. To this purpose, a system according to the present invention comprises means for controlling the conveying apparatuses based upon the actions which have been defined by the software procedure in case a real emergency situation has been detected.

Therefore, the software could be equipped with procedures for classifying each detected emergency situation and for associating thereto actions predefined for said apparatuses. To each one of said predefined actions one or more commands for actuating the apparatuses themselves are made then to correspond.

The means for controlling the apparatuses comprises at least a second interface unit apt to be connected to systems for actuating said apparatuses. In other words, the system according to the invention has to be able to be interfaced with the control panels and, in case of need, to activate commands for moving the same. According to an embodiment a monitoring and supervision unit is further provided, apt to allow a control by a user, both of the status of the fire alarm system and of the state of the apparatuses in case of emergency situation. Even such unit can be implemented, according to a redundancy criterion, by at least two client servers, in parallel with hot swap system in case of failure of one of the servers, with video unit for managing the whole system and with a SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system for the data acquisition, the graphic presentation, the statistical surveillance, reports, etc.

It is also to be meant that the system has to provide one or more power modules and all required connections among the several components.

For example, all ETHERNET network cables connecting the fire alarm system to the PLCs for managing the apparatuses, the ETHERNET network cables connecting the PLC for managing apparatuses to the supervision and monitoring unit, and the system of connecting cables of PLCs and of the I/O modules, to the controllers of the apparatuses.

The power supply of the system, of the PLCs for managing the apparatuses and of the remote I/O modules preferably includes an emergency power system (UPS, Generating Set or other).

Hereinafter, by way of example, some system operation modes will be described, for some types of apparatus and for some possible emergency situations.

Generally, as said up to now, the performance requirements of a system according to the present invention are:

a) to receive a fire alarm signalling from a detector (or from several detector) of the fire protection system;

b) based upon predetermined rules, the system is capable of ignoring most of false alarms;

c) in case it is a real alarm, the system starts a procedure for controlling the apparatuses existing in the area, or in the areas, involved by the fire alarm;

d) in case of elevators, the system has to be able to move the elevator, or elevators, in the area involved by the fire alarm, and to adopt a precise procedure for evacuating and securing the possible on-board passengers and securing the elevator apparatus or the elevator apparatuses. The procedure for moving the elevator will be detailed hereinafter;

e) in case of moving stairways or moving floors, installed in the area involved by the fire alarm, the system has to be able to intervene on the operation of the stairway by sending an alarm signal and by adopting a precise procedure for securing the possible passengers and stopping the apparatus and securing the apparatus. The procedure for moving the moving stairway and moving floor will be detailed hereinafter.

f) the system is capable of sending feedback signals to the processing means by confirming the correct application of the procedures, or by signalling possible anomalies or malfunctions;

g) the system is designed so as to be able to operate, by guaranteeing the normal operation capability, for a period of time of at least 120 minutes in case of energy black-out, without requiring any (manual or automatic) reset in case of power return, after black-out;

h) the system is advantageously designed so as to have a guaranteed level of resistance to failure (Hardware Fault Tolerance) HFT≥2 with high reliability and redundancy of the components.

In case of lifts, the system can operate in two different modes:

1) presence of people outside the lift cabin, at any storey not involved by the fire;

2) presence of people inside the lift cabin, moving towards any storey.

In the first case the system prevents that the people could use the lift apparatus by moving, in wholly automatic mode, the lift cabin to the designated evacuation storey. In the second case the system prevents that the apparatus could reach any storey involved by the fire, or several storeys involved by the fire, by moving in wholly automatic mode the lift cabin to the designated evacuation storey.

In case of moving stairways and moving floors the system can operate in two different modes:

a) by stopping the moving stairways and the moving floors so as to avoid possible crowd of people towards the areas involved by the fire;

b) by stopping the moving stairways and the moving floors and reverting, if allowed by the actuation installed in the moving stairways and moving floors, the motion so as to move away the people on the apparatus from the area involved by the fire.

Of course, if even the spatial position of the alarm detectors was detected, it would be possible to activate the emergency procedure on the apparatuses selectively, that is for areas involved by the fire, by taking into consideration possible compartments of the building and the proximity of the detectors.

The system according to the invention will have to be able to address the apparatuses (elevators / moving stairways / moving floors) by means of the following procedures:

Elevator apparatus procedure

1) The PLCs receive the signalling that some detectors of the fire alarm network are in alarm;

2) If the minimum number of detectors in alarm, at the same storey and at the same time, is greater than the prefixed minimum number (for avoiding false alarms), and the alarm detectors are contiguous (if the spatial position of the detectors was detected), then the PLC master starts the emergency procedure;

3) The system, by means of a correlation table prepared previously:

detector identification -> building storey identification -> lift apparatus

verifies which are the lift apparatuses involved by the fire alarm. Each lift apparatus is in correlation to a table of pre-established evacuation storeys determined with the modes reported hereinafter;

4) Once determined the lift apparatuses involved by the alarm, the system acts as follows:

5) It excludes the inner/outer calls of the lift apparatus;

6) It excludes the buttons for re-opening the doors;

7) It excludes the photocells and the photo-electric barriers (if existing) of the cabin doors of the lift apparatus (important: it does not exclude the contact of the safety shoe of the cabin doors)

8) If the apparatus is stationary at the designated evacuation storey, it locks the apparatus, by opening the emergency stop circuit, and it activates a luminous signal (as also provided by point 5.3.8 of UNI EN 81-73:2005), an alarm sound signalling, and it puts it parked with open cabin doors and storey doors;

9) If the apparatus is stationary at a storey different from the designated evacuation storey, the procedures designated at points 5, 6 and 7 follows and it sends the apparatus to the designated evacuation storey. Once reached the pre- established storey, it activates the procedure at point 8.

10) If the apparatus is moving (with or without passengers), the system verifies towards which storey the apparatus is moving. If the destination storey coincides with the designated evacuation storey, the system, once the system has reached the destination, activates the procedure shown at point 8.

1 1) If the apparatus is moving (with or without passengers) towards a storey different from the designated evacuation storey, the system activates the procedure shown at points 5 and 6, it stops the apparatus at the first storey met during the route, it sends the apparatus to the designated evacuation storey and it activates the procedure shown at point 8. The apparatus, once parked at the evacuation storey pre-established by the system, can be put again in motion only with manual reset action by the engine room of the apparatus or by the control panel of the lift apparatus.

The list of the apparatus stop priorities is prepared in advance in the following manner:

1. the best evacuation storey is checked, in case of fire alarm, thereto priority 1 is given;

2. in case of fire alarm at the previous evacuation storey, the best evacuation storey is checked, among the remaining ones, thereto priority 2 is given;

3. one proceeds until completing all stops of the apparatus inside the building.

Procedure for actuating moving stairways / moving floors

The system according to the invention verifies which are the moving stairways/moving floors involved by the fire alarm;

if the moving stairway/moving floor is stationary, it locks the moving stairway/moving floor, by opening a safety circuit contact;

it actuates a fire alarm signalling on the moving stairway/moving floor;

if the moving stairway / moving floor is moving, it stops the moving stairway/floor, by opening a safety circuit contact;

whenever possible, the system, according to the invention, stops the moving stairway/floor and reverts the motion direction so as to move away the people on the apparatus from the area involved by the fire.

The signals which the system according to the invention receives from the lift apparatuses, through the interface modules, are at least the following ones: Function description of the signal input to the system

Signal presence apparatus cabin at storey 0

Signal presence apparatus cabin at storey 1

Signal presence apparatus cabin at storey n Signal confirming sending apparatus cabin to the storey 0

Signal confirming sending apparatus cabin to the storey 1

Signal confirming sending apparatus cabin to the storey n

Signal confirming reservation storey 0

Signal confirming reservation storey 1

Signal confirming reservation storey n

Signal confirming rising apparatus

Signal confirming descending apparatus

Signal confirming exclusion button for opening doors

Signal confirming exclusion photocells/photo-electric

barriers

Signal confirming exclusion outer calls

Signal confirming exclusion inner calls

Signal confirming opening cabin doors and storey doors

Signal confirming closing cabin doors and storey doors

Signal confirming actuation fire alarm in cabin

Signal confirming actuation apparatus locking

The signals which the system, according to the invention, sends to the lift apparatuses through the interface modules are at least the following ones:

Function description of the control signal output from the system

Sending apparatus cabin to the storey 0

Sending apparatus cabin to the storey 1

Sending apparatus cabin to the storey n

Control signal excluding button for opening doors

Control signal excluding photocells/photoelectric barriers

Control signal excluding outer calls

Control signal confirming exclusion inner calls

Control signal opening cabin doors and storey doors

Control signal closing cabin doors and storey doors

Control signal actuating fire alarm in cabin

Control signal actuating apparatus locking The signals which the system, according to the invention, receives as input through the interface modules from the moving stairways or moving floors are at least the following ones:

Function description of the signal input to the system

Signal confirming apparatus operating

Signal confirming moving direction of the apparatus

Signal confirming apparatus locked

The control signals which the system, according to the invention, sends through the interface modules to the moving stairways or moving floors are at least the following ones:

Function description of the control signal output from the system

Control signal apparatus locked

Control signal apparatus stop

Control signal reversion moving direction of the

apparatus

All signals, input and output from the system according to the invention, are channelled through interface modules with the lifts based upon NO / NC electric contacts connected to the respective commands or apparatus signals with micro- relays.

The system according to the invention, through the input signals shown in the previous table, is capable of receiving feedback signals of occurred execution of the single commands and it is able to highlight possible anomalies or malfunctions.

In case of malfunctions or missed execution of one portion of the procedure, the system has to send an alarm signal to the supervision and monitoring unit.

The supervision and monitoring unit could be implemented at hardware level and, preferably, it will be constituted by at least the following macro - elements: • At least two control servers, interfacing with the PLCs for managing the apparatuses. The two servers are in parallel with the backup system guaranteeing the operation even in case of failure of one of the two servers;

• At least two video units for the graphic display, reports, user interface (HMI), etc..

It is provided that the servers are installed in two different physical positions for increasing the system reliability level.

The two servers receive feedback signals from the PLCs of the system with two lines in parallel with screened cables.

The client servers are connected to the safety power line in case of blackout.

From the software point of view, the supervision and monitoring unit allows the data acquisition, graphic schematic presentation, signalling of events, reports, statistical surveillance, etc.

The present invention has been sofar described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, together with some embodiment variants. It is to be meant that each one of the variants and the technical solutions implemented in the preferred embodiments, described herein by way of example, could be advantageously combined differently therebetween to create other embodiments, belonging to the same inventive core and all however within the protection scope of the herebelow reported claims.

Claims

1. A fire protection system for emergency management of apparatuses conveying people and/or objects in a building, or complex, equipped with a fire alarm system, comprising:

- means for acquiring data from said fire alarm system;

- means for processing said data in order to identify an emergency situation and to define corresponding actions for moving said apparatuses;

- means for controlling said conveyor apparatuses based upon said defined actions, if an emergency situation has been identified.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said means for acquiring data from said fire alarm system comprises at least a first interface unit apt to receive data from a plurality of fire detectors connected to the fire protection system.

3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said means for processing data comprises at least one electronic processor, preferably based upon PLC technology, equipped with programs for the analysis of the received data.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said means for processing data comprises at least two electronic processors, preferably based upon PLC technology, positioned and connected in such a way to ensure operation even in case of failure or damaging of one of them.

5. The system according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said programs comprise first filter procedures to identify false alarms, not corresponding to an emergency situation.

6. The system according to anyone of claims 3 to 5, wherein said programs comprise second procedures for classifying an identified emergency situation and associating thereto actions predefined for said apparatuses.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein one or more commands for actuating said apparatuses are made to correspond each one of said predefined actions.

8. The system according to anyone of the previous claims, wherein said means for controlling the apparatuses comprises at least a second interface unit apt to be connected to systems for actuating said apparatuses.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein said at least a second interface unit is apt to impart motion commands to each one of said controlled apparatuses.

10. The system according to anyone of the previous claims, further comprising a monitoring and supervision unit apt to allow a control by a user, both of the status of the fire alarm system and of the state of the apparatuses in case of emergency situation.