APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR OPENING AND SHUTTING AUTOMATICALLY AN EMERGENCY EXIT
Technical Field The present invention relates to apparatus and method for automatically opening and shutting an emergency exit, and more particularly, to apparatus and method for automatically opening and shutting an emergency exit by which an entrance door of an emergency exit in a building is automatically open or shut by operating a preliminary electric power according to a signal of a smoke equipment and a main alarm when fire breaks out in an apartment or a high-storied building.
Background Art
Valuable property and lives are lost in a fire frequently breaking out in an apartment or a high-storied building. When a fire breaks out, one should break a cover of fire alarm in the building and press a red button to notify the occurrence of a fire and report the fire through a wired and wireless telephone, and turn off an electric switch such as a cabinet panel or circuit breaker to extinguish the fire at the beginning. When a fire breaks out in a high-stored building, smoke including strong toxic gases is produced as things are burning and the smoke rises vertically in the building in a short time. An emergency exit is installed in a building for the preparation of a fire and an entrance door installed at the emergency exit should be always open in preparation for a fire. However, due to security and theft reasons of offices occupying the building, the entrance door is usually shut and further locked or blocked by a locking apparatus since the place may be used for a crime or juvenile delinquency. As the emergency exit is closed, when a fire breaks out, people are surprised and frightened, and sometimes go
frantic and irrational, so that they are suffocated by smoke and jump from the high place, resulting in loss of valuable lives. The entrance door of an emergency exit during a fire in a building is opened manually. However, a rapid reaction to the occurrence of a fire in a building is not easy. Furthermore, since an electric power switch is turned off at the initial stage to prevent propagation of a fire, an entrance door of an emergency exit which can be open by an automatic operation cannot be open.
Disclosure of the Invention
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus and method for automatically opening and shutting an emergency exit which can automatically open and shut an entrance door of an emergency exit by using a preliminary electric power when a fire breaks out in a building.
To achieve the above object, there is provided an apparatus for automatically opening and shutting an emergency entrance door in a building when a fire breaks out, the apparatus comprising a disaster prevention and fire detection unit for detecting occurrence of a fire or a blackout state according to the operation of a transmitter or a fire detector, an alarming and emergency guide unit for performing a manual manipulation or outputting a predetermined cause generation signal according to a detection signal transmitted from the disaster prevention and fire detection unit, an emergency entrance door automatic opening and shutting control unit for outputting a control signal to open the emergency entrance door by receiving the predetermined cause generation signal output from the alarming and emergency guide unit, and an electric opening and shutting unit for opening and shutting the emergency entrance door according to the control signal output from the emergency entrance door automatic opening and shutting control unit.
It is preferred in the present invention that the above apparatus further comprises a battery unit for operating the emergency entrance door automatic opening and shutting control unit when the emergency entrance door automatic opening and shutting control unit does not receive the detection signal from the disaster prevention and fire detection unit or it is a blackout state.
It is preferred in the present invention that the battery unit is operated by an electric power of DC 24 volts.
It is preferred in the present invention that the apparatus further comprises a battery check lamp unit for checking a state of the battery unit.
It is preferred in the present invention that the alarming and emergency guide unit comprises an alarm and an emergency guide light for generating the predetermined cause generation signal. It is preferred in- the present invention that the alarm is operated by an electric power of DC 24 volts and the emergency guide light is operated by an electric power of AC 220 volts.
It is preferred in the present invention that the above apparatus further comprises an emergency indication unit for indicating an emergency state according to the control signal of the emergency entrance door automatic opening and shutting control signal.
It is preferred in the present invention that the emergency indication unit is operated by an electric power of DC 24 volts.
It is preferred in the present invention that the above apparatus further comprises an emergency switch unit for forcibly operating the electric opening and shutting unit in preparation for malfunction or non-function of the emergency entrance door automatic opening and shutting control unit.
It is preferred in the present invention that the electric opening and shutting unit is operated by an electric power of the battery unit
1851
when a preliminary electric power of the disaster prevention and fire detection unit is consumed due to blackout in the building for a long time.
It is preferred in the present invention that the electric opening and shutting unit is continuously operated at an interval of a predetermined time in preparation for malfunction.
It is preferred in the present invention that the predetermined time is two through three seconds.
To achieve the above object, there is provided a method of automatically opening and shutting an emergency entrance door in a building when a fire breaks out, the method comprising determining whether a detection signal is output from a disaster prevention and fire detection unit for detecting occurrence of a fire or a blackout state according to the operation of a transmitter or a fire detector, an alarming and emergency guide unit performing a manual manipulation or outputting a predetermined cause generation signal according to the detection signal transmitted from the disaster prevention and fire detection unit, an emergency entrance door automatic opening and shutting control unit outputting a control signal by receiving the predetermined cause generation signal output from the alarming and emergency guide unit, and opening and shutting the emergency entrance door by the electric opening and shutting unit according to the control signal output from the emergency entrance door automatic opening and shutting control unit. It is preferred in the present invention that the above method further comprises a step of operating the emergency entrance door automatic opening and shutting control unit by a battery unit when the emergency entrance door automatic opening and shutting control unit does not receive the detection signal from the disaster prevention and fire detection unit or it is a blackout state.
It is preferred in the present invention that the above method further comprises a step of checking a state of the battery unit by a battery check lamp unit.
It is preferred in the present invention that the above method further comprises a step of indicating an emergency state by an emergency indicating unit according to the operation of the emergency entrance door automatic opening and shutting control unit.
It is preferred in the present invention that the above method further comprises a step of forcibly operating the electric opening and shutting unit by an emergency switch unit in preparation for malfunction or non-function of the emergency entrance door automatic opening and shutting control unit.
Brief Description of the Drawings FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the structure of an apparatus for automatically opening and shutting an emergency exit according to the present invention; and
FIG. 2 is a flow chart for explaining a method of automatically opening and shutting an emergency exit according to the present invention.
Best mode for carrying out the Invention
Referring to FIG. 1 , an apparatus for automatically opening and shutting an emergency exit according to the present invention includes a disaster prevention and fire detection unit 100, an alarming and emergency guide unit 110, an emergency entrance door automatic opening and shutting control unit 120, an electric opening and shutting unit 130, a battery unit 140, a battery check lamp unit 150, an emergency indication unit 160, and an emergency switch unit 170. The disaster prevention and fire detection unit 100 detects
occurrence of a fire or a blackout state according to the operation of a transmitter T or a fire detector S when a fire breaks out in a building. The alarming and emergency guide unit 110 formed of an alarm and an emergency guide light performs a manual manipulation or outputs a predetermined cause generation signal according to a detection signal transmitted from the disaster prevention and fire detection unit 100.
Here, an alarm is operated by an electric power of DC 24 volts while the emergency guide light is operated by an electric power of AC 220 volts.
The emergency entrance door automatic opening and shutting control unit 120 receives a predetermined cause generation signal output from the alarming and emergency guide unit 110 and outputs a control signal to open and shut an emergency entrance door (not shown).
The electric opening and shutting unit 130 opens and shuts the emergency entrance door according to the control signal output from the emergency entrance door automatic opening and shutting control unit 120. The electric opening and shutting unit 130 is forcibly operated by the emergency switch unit 170 in preparation for malfunction or non-function. When a preliminary electric power of the disaster prevention and fire detection unit 100 is consumed due to blackout in a building for a long time, the electric opening and shutting unit 130 is operated by an electric power of the battery unit 140 and is continuously operated at an interval of two through three seconds in preparation for malfunction.
The emergency indication unit 160 located near the emergency entrance door is operated to display an emergency state by the electric power of DC 24 volts according to the control signal of the emergency entrance door automatic opening and shutting control unit 120.
Meanwhile, when the emergency entrance door automatic opening and shutting control unit 120 does not receive a detection signal from the disaster prevention and fire detection unit 100, the battery unit
140 functions as a preliminary electric power for operating the emergency entrance door automatic opening and shutting control unit 120 by the electric power of DC 24 volts. The battery check lamp unit 150 is formed of a lamp for checking the state of the battery unit 140. FIG. 2 is a flow chart for explaining a method of automatically opening and shutting an emergency exit according to the present invention. In FIG. 2, to automatically open and shut an emergency entrance door when a fire breaks out in a building, whether the disaster prevention and fire detection unit 100 detecting occurrence of a fire or a blackout state outputs a detection signal according to the operation of the transmitter T or the fire detector S (Step S100). When it is a blackout state or the emergency entrance door automatic opening and shutting unit 120 does not receive the detection signal from the disaster prevention and fire detection unit 100 in Step S100, the emergency entrance door automatic opening and shutting unit 120 is operated by the battery unit 140 (Step S110). The state of the battery unit 140 is checked by the battery check lamp unit 150 (Step S120).
The alarming and emergency guide unit 110 performs a manual manipulation or outputs a predetermined cause generation signal according to the detection signal transmitted by the disaster prevention and fire detection unit 100 according to the determination in Step S100 (Step S130). A control signal is generated from the emergency entrance door automatic opening and shutting unit 120 by receiving the predetermined cause generation signal output in Step S130 (Step S140). The emergency entrance door is open or shut by the electric opening and shutting unit 130 according to the control signal output from the emergency entrance door automatic opening and shutting unit 120 (Step S150). Here, when the predetermined cause generation signal is output in Step S130, the emergency indication unit 160 indicates an emergency state according to the control signal of the emergency
entrance door automatic opening and shutting unit 120 and the electric opening and shutting unit 130 is forcibly operated by the emergency switch unit 170 in preparation for malfunction or non-function of the emergency entrance door automatic opening and shutting unit 120.
Industrial Applicability
As described above, the apparatus and method of automatically opening and shutting emergency exit according to the present invention has the following advantages. Even when an electric power switch in a building is turned off when a fire breaks out, the entrance door can be open or shut by operating the electric opening and shutting unit installed at the entrance door of the emergency exit by using a preliminary electric power of a battery so that people can rapidly evacuated from the building. While this invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.