WO1995019202A1

WO1995019202A1 - An evacuation system

Info

Publication number: WO1995019202A1
Application number: PCT/DK1994/000023
Authority: WO
Inventors: John Robbert; Michael Storm
Original assignee: Scansafe International As
Priority date: 1992-11-20
Filing date: 1994-01-14
Publication date: 1995-07-20
Also published as: DK139492A; AU6106394A; DK169931B1; DK139492D0

Abstract

An evacuation system having a plurality of detectors comprising smoke detectors and thermosensors adapted to apply a signal in an emergency situation to actuate a plurality of signalling means with a view to indicating an escape route, said system moreover comprising control means which are adapted to receive signals from at least two of the detectors and to generate control signals in response to these received signals to at least one signalling means with a view to indicating an alternative escape route, said control means being adapted to actuate the signalling means in response to signals received from the smoke detectors and to interrupt or change the signals of said signalling means in response to signals received from one or more of the thermosensors, said thermosensors being positioned at the exits of the escape routes. This improves the certainty that a correct escape route is indicated, since the thermosensors cannot register the emission of smoke.

Description

An evacuation system

The invention concerns an evacuation system of the type defined in the introductory portion of claim 1.

Evacuation systems serve to indicate an escape route to imperilled persons in an emergency, such as e.g. fire or leakage of gas. In case of e.g. a fire, one or more smoke detectors tricker signal generators which serve to indi- cate the direction of escape to the imperilled persons.

Therefore, the evacuation systems are superior to simple fire alarms in that, in addition to just signalling fire, they also indicate a predetermined escape route to the imperilled person. This means that the imperilled person can orient himself more quickly so that the emergency area can be evacuated quickly.

In connection with e.g. fire in buildings and on ships where the imperilled person may choose between a plurality of alternative escape routes, the evacuation systems can have an effect directly opposite to the one intended by the system.

Since these evacuation systems are just capable of indi¬ cating one escape path, such systems in practice result in guiding the imperilled person in a direction which is e.g. blocked by fire. Of course, such a situation means that the imperilled person will have to turn and search an alternative escape route. In addtion to possibly prolong¬ ing the time of evacuation, this can at worst cause further panic among the imperilled persons.

According to e.g. GB Patent Applications 2 215 105 and 2 223 871 it is known to use evacuation systems having a plurality of detectors which are adapted to apply a signal to actuate a plurality of signal generators with a view to indicating an escape route in a situation of fire. These systems moreover comprise control means which are adapted to receive signals from at least two of the detectors and to generate control signals on the basis of these to at least one signalling means with a view to indicating an alternative escape route.

Since these systems can thus indicate the safest escape route depending on the given fire situation, the time of evacuation is reduced significantly in relation to the known systems.

However, the use of the systems according to GB Applica¬ tions 2 215 105 and 2 223 871, which frequently employ smoke detectors owing to the inexpensive and effective structure of these, may involve the problem that owing to the spread of the smoke in the emergency area in case of a fire the system can quickly actuate all the smoke detec¬ tors in the emergency area, which means that the system cannot detect the extent of the fire. Extreme cases, e.g. severe draft through a hallway, may involve the risk that only smoke detectors remote from the location of the fire are actuated, so that the system is cheated into indicat¬ ing a wrong escape route toward the location of the fire, which may cause panic.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to pro- vide an evacuation system which ensures to a higher degree than the last-mentioned systems that only safe escape routes are indicated depending on the fire situation.

This is achieved by the features defined in claim 1, since the locations of the thermosensors at the exits of the escape routes ensure that just fire in the vicinity of these sensors is detected, because these sensors do not react to the presence of smoke around the sensors. The system is actuated in such a manner that the smoke detec¬ tors and the indication of a safe escape route direction are controlled by the control means in response to the signals from the thermosensors.

An expedient embodiment of the invention will be described more fully below with reference to the drawing, in which

fig. 1 is a schematic view of a hallway which is to be evacuated in case of fire,

fig. 2 shows an installation according to the invention in the part of the hallway which is indicated in dot-and-dash line in fig. 1,

fig. 3 is a perspective view of a concrete embodiment of the installation of fig. 2, and

fig. 4 shows a signal diagram for an evacuation system according to the invention.

Fig. 1 shows a contemplated hallway, as may occur e.g. on board a ship. The hallway has four exits (A, B, C, D). In case of e.g. a fire, conventional evacuation system will indicate an escape route toward the nearest exit. This escape route is indicated in the figure by arrows in solid line. In an imaginary situation where the fire has broken out e.g. in the area around the exit A, and the fire has been localized so that a passage through exit A is blacked, it will be seen clearly from the figure that the imperilled persons in this area will be guided directly toward the fire. Of course, this may cause panic to spread among those imperilled in the hallway filled with dense smoke. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the section of the hallway in fig. 1 which is framed by a dot-and-dash line. An evacuation system according to the invention is installed in this section and comprises smoke detectors (1, 2) positioned in the hallway, and in case of fire at an arbitrary location in the hallway and the consequent development of smoke, these detectors will actuate signalling means (3) positioned at the exit A and actuate visual direction indicators, e.g. running lights (4, 5) positioned along the escape route, via a control unit (not shown).

In case of a fire in the area around one of the smoke detectors (1, 2), the control unit actuates the signalling means at exit A and actuate the running light (4, 5) so that this indicates an escape route toward exit A, indicated in fig. 2 with arrows in solid line. This means that the imperilled persons will be guided by these signalling means in a direction toward exit A.

If, on the other hand, a fire breaks out in the area around exit A, the thermosensor (6), owing to the deve¬ lopment of heat in the area, causes, via a signal to the control unit, the signalling means at exit A to be turned off, and the running light (4) changes its direction, indicated by arrows in dashed line in the figure. This will have the result that imperilled persons will move away from the scene of the fire and out of the fire zone.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the hallway which is out¬ lined in fig. 2. A preferred embodiment of the invention is installed, and the installation comprises smoke detectors (2), signalling means at the exit consisting of strobe lights (3a) positioned at the floor and a siren (3b) contained in the box (7) on the wall at the exit. The box (7) also contains the thermosensor (6) and the control means (8) necessary to control the system.

A running light (4, 5) is positioned at the floor along the escape route. The location of the running light (4, 5) and the strobe light (3a) is particularly expedient with a strong development of smoke in the emergency area, since these sources of light will then be visible below the smoke.

According to fig. 4, the system may expediently be equipped with an intercom (9) for communication from the emergency area, and this intercom cooperates with the control device (8) so that the control means (8) turn off or dampen the siren (3b) in the evacuation system when the intercom is in use.

A schematic signal diagram for an embodiment according to the invention is shown in fig. 4, in which the control means (8) comprise a plurality of inputs (10) and outputs (11). In response to a signal from a smoke detector (1) the computing unit generates signals to actuate the signalling means comprising e.g. a strobe light positioned at the exit (3a), a siren positioned at the exit (3b) and a running light positioned along the escape route (4). On the other hand, if the computing unit receives a signal from the thermosensor (6), the computing unit (8) gene¬ rates changed control signals to the signalling means so that the signalling means (3a, 3b) at the exit of the escape route are turned off, and so that the running light (4) changes its direction.

In addition fig. 4 shows a signal input from an intercom. In response to signals from the intercom the computing unit generates control signals to the siren (3b) so that sounds generated by this siren are dampened or eliminated completely. As shown in fig. 4, the system may addition- ally comprise a signal output from the control means (8) to an external monitoring unit (12). This monitoring unit ensures that the development of the fire can be followed e.g. from the bridge on a ship.

Claims

P a t e n t C l a i m s:

1. An evacuation system having a plurality of detectors comprising smoke detectors and thermosensors adapted to apply a signal in an emergency situation to actuate a plurality of signalling means with a view to indicating an escape route, said system moreover comprising control means adapted to receive signals from at least two of the detectors and to generate control signals in response to these received signals to at least one signalling means with a view to indicating an alternative escape route, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the control means are adapted to actuate the signalling means in response to signals received from the smoke detectors and to interrupt or change the signals of said signalling means in response to signals received from one or more of the thermosensors, said thermosensors being positioned at the exits of the escape routes.

2. An evacuation system according to claim 1, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that the signalling means comprise one or more visual directional indicators positioned along the escape route to indicate one out of several directions of escape, such as a running light.

3. An evacuation system according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the signalling means comprise a plurality of lights and/or sound generators positioned at the exit of the escape route, said lights and sound generators being controlled via the signal of the dectors to indicate whether the exit of the escape route is passable.

4. An evacuation system according to one or more of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by further comprising an intercom for communication to and from the emergency zone, said intercom applying a signal to the control means in use which generate control signals in response to this recived signal to the sound signalling means with a view to damping or turning off these when the intercom is in use.

5. An evacuation system according to one or more of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the control means are provided with signal outputs with a view to being connected to an external monitoring system.