SPRINKLER DEVICE

Abstract

A sprinkler device 200 for a fire suppression system 10, the sprinkler device 200 including: a sprinkler bulb 100 comprising a first antenna. The sprinkler device 200 also includes a second antenna 220 for communicating with the first antenna of the sprinkler bulb 100, and a base plate 230, wherein the second antenna 220 is disposed within the base plate 230.

Claims

1. A sprinkler device for a fire suppression system, the sprinkler device comprising: a sprinkler bulb comprising a first antenna; a second antenna for communicating with the first antenna of the sprinkler bulb; and a base plate, wherein the second antenna is disposed within the base plate.

2. A sprinkler device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second antenna is a coil antenna.

3. A sprinkler device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sprinkler bulb is coaxial with the second antenna.

4. A sprinkler device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base plate is formed of metal, heat resistant polymer, glass, and/or composite.

5. A sprinkler device as claimed in claim 1, comprising a flux concentrator arranged to concentrate flux from the second antenna at the sprinkler bulb.

6. A sprinkler device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sprinkler device comprises a fluid inlet for fire suppression fluid, and the second antenna is disposed around the fluid inlet.

7. A sprinkler device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first antenna of the sprinkler bulb is an RFID tag embedded within a housing of the sprinkler bulb.

8. A sprinkler device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second antenna is configured to use signals in the frequency range of 100 kHz to 160 kHz.

9. A fire suppression system comprising a sprinkler device as claimed in claim 1.

10. A method of assembling a sprinkler device of a fire suppression system, the method comprising installing a sprinkler bulb comprising a first antenna, and further comprising installing a second antenna in a base plate of the sprinkler device for communicating with the first antenna.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein installing the second antenna comprises installing a coil antenna.

12. A method as claimed in claim 10, comprising installing a flux concentrator to concentrate flux from the second antenna at the sprinkler bulb.

13. A method as claimed in claim 10, comprising installing the sprinkler bulb and the second antenna to be coaxial.

14. A method as claimed in claim 10, comprising installing the second antenna about a fluid inlet of the sprinkler device.

15. A method as claimed in claim 10, comprising configuring the second antenna to use signals in the frequency range of 100 kHz-160 kHz.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055] Certain embodiments of the present invention are described below by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0056] FIG. 1 shows a schematic of a fire suppression system comprising a plurality of sprinkler devices;

[0057] FIG. 2 shows a schematic side view of a sprinkler device of the fire suppression system of FIG. 1; and

[0058] FIG. 3 shows a schematic plan view of the sprinkler device of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0059] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a fire suppression system 10 comprising a fire panel 12, a plurality of system components 14 such as smoke detectors, heat detectors, alarms, warning lights, buttons, and so on, and a loop driver 16. The fire suppression system 10 also comprises a plurality of sprinkler devices 200.

[0060] FIG. 2 shows a sprinkler device 200 of the system of FIG. 1 in more detail. The sprinkler device comprises a frangible sprinkler bulb 100 arranged to maintain a seal 210 in a sealing position in a sprinkler body 212 while the sprinkler bulb 100 is intact. In the event of a fire near the sprinkler device 200, the fluid in the sprinkler bulb 100 is heated until pressure breaks the sprinkler bulb 100 and allows the seal 210 to move out of sealing engagement with the sprinkler body 212, thereby permitting fire suppression fluid (e.g. water) to be released from the sprinkler device 200 e.g. via a fluid inlet 250.

[0061] The sprinkler bulb 100 is held in the sprinkler device 200 by the sprinkler body 212. The sprinkler body 212 is mounted by a sprinkler mounting adapter 214 so as to receive fire suppression fluid from the fluid inlet 250. A base plate 230 is provided at the base of the sprinkler device 200, and a coil antenna 220 is located inside the base plate 230 together with a flux concentrator 240 adjacent the coil antenna 220. The base plate 230 extends radially outward from a central axis of the sprinkler device 200. The base plate 230 is wider than the sprinkler body 212 and/or the mounting adapter 214, and the coil antenna 220 is therefore also wider than the sprinkler body 212 and the mounting adapter 214.

[0062] Flux 242 from the coil antenna 220 is shown schematically in FIG. 2 by the dashed lines. The flux concentrator 240 is immediately adjacent coil antenna 220 and reflects flux 242 from one side of the coil antenna 220, thereby concentrating flux 242 at the sprinkler bulb 100. The flux concentrator 240 thereby prevents (or at least reduces) parasitic loss of the signal from the coil antenna 220 to components of the sprinkler device 200.

[0063] The sprinkler bulb 100 may comprise a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag which is responsive to the flux 242 from the coil antenna 220, so that the RFID tag of the sprinkler bulb 100 emits a signal that is detected by the coil antenna 220. The coil antenna 220 and sprinkler bulb 100 therefore communicate during use. In particular, the coil antenna 220 is operable to detect the presence of the sprinkler bulb 100, and may also detect other data from the sprinkler bulb 100 e.g. an identification number, status, temperature, pressure and so on, depending on what sort of sprinkler bulb 100 is used.

[0064] The sprinkler bulb 100 may comprise a circuit device comprising various electronic components and/or sensors, or it may comprise only the RFID tag. When the sprinkler bulb 100 comprises a circuit device, the first antenna may be provided by a wireless module of the circuit device, which wireless module comprises a capacitor and an inductor. The sprinkler device may be configured to monitor pressure within the sprinkler bulb by detecting changes in a resonant frequency of the wireless module caused by changes in the capacitance of the capacitor as a result of pressure changes in the sprinkler bulb 100.

[0065] The flux concentrator 240 also helps concentrate flux from the sprinkler bulb 100 at the coil antenna 220, and thereby improves communication between the coil antenna 220 and the sprinkler bulb 100. Since the sprinkler bulb 100 is relatively small and at least partially enclosed by the sprinkler body 212, the signal from the sprinkler bulb 100 may be relatively weak and may not be detectable by the coil antenna 220 without provision of the flux concentrator 240.

[0066] FIG. 3 shows a partially transparent schematic of the sprinkler device 200 of FIG. 2 from below. The coil antenna 220 is disposed inside the base plate 230, and is disposed around the fluid inlet 250. The coil antenna 220 therefore does not interfere with the release of fire suppressant from the sprinkler device 200. The sprinkler bulb 100 is positioned coaxially with the coil antenna 220, and is thereby located at a position of relatively high signal strength from the coil antenna 220. The size and position of the coil antenna 220 therefore ensures reliable communication between the second antenna and the sprinkler bulb 100.

[0067] The provision of the base plate 230 also allows the coil antenna 220 to be large enough, and close enough to the sprinkler bulb 100 to ensure reliable communication therebetween. The base plate 230 also protects the coil antenna 220 in the event of a fire, so that the coil antenna 220 does not need to be replaced in after a fire event. Instead, only the sprinkler bulb 100 may need to be replaced.